1906

The Moscow State University Academic Choir was organized at the end of XVIII century, soon after the University was set up in 1755. The exact date of founding the choir is unknown as during  the first years of its existence the Choir gave performances rather rarely and there is no reliable information about that period. Before the beginning of the XXth  century  it was a men's choir as women were not allowed to study at the University; then the Choir became mixed. It is true to the fact that the amateur choral singing of the Moscow University students accompanied solemn ceremonies that were arranged at the University annually in June or July and were devoted to the end of academic year;  the Choir also sang at celebrations connected with various anniversaries (crowning the tzars, their  name-days, etc.). P.I.Strakhov, a student and subsequently a University Professor, wrote in the memoirs: "During annual celebrations devoted to the end of the academic year  one of the professors went up to the rostrum and made a speech in Latin, then the Chorus accompanied by the orchestra sang the first part  of  the verse  specially written for this ceremony; then another professor made a speech in Russian and the next part of the verse was sung, the ceremony was concluded by the third part of the verse."

The students sang during the University church services, too. P.I.Strakhov  recollected once:
"At the University the gospel  singing had always been highly honored, and there was even a class  of gospel music conducting... During regular liturgy  or night service the church chorus sang above, and below, in the right chorus, there sang  a vestry man and those students who wanted and were able to sing. The University gospel singing was considered to be the best in Moscow; within the last seven years before Moscow  was ruined by the French it had achieved  high perfection."

The glorious pages in the history of the Moscow University Choir are connected with the name of  Russian composer and conductor Daniil Kashin (1770-1841) who was a favourite follower of  G.Sarti, a famous Italian musician. D.Kashin, a serf of  Count Bibikov,  became free in 1799, and after 1800 he became a teacher of music and a composer at the Moscow University. Among the pieces of music created by him  there were such famous cantatas as "Defenders of the Petrov Town", "Terrible Peals of  Thunder",  operas "Nataly, a Boyar's Daughter", "A Village Holiday", "Beautiful Olga", romances and piano music. Kashin  published his collection of  more  than 200 Russian folk songs . In 1806-1807  Kashin published  a "Folk Music Magazine". In the "Moscow News"  newspaper there appeared articles on the performances  of  the Moscow University students'  choir conducted  by  D.Kashin;  for example,  in 1805 the Choir sang at the celebration of the 50-th anniversary of  founding the University  and in 1814 - at the celebration of the victory over Napoleon. A student of the Moscow University Ye.F.Timovsky recollected: "The next day after I joined the University, its 50-year anniversary  was celebrated. During a magnificent  ceremony a lot of noble Muscovites  enjoyed  a wonderful performance  of the University singers who sang  Daniil Kashin's  harmonious chorales." It is known that in 1812 Kashin  stayed in ruined Moscow, and then he composed "The Rustling, Hooting Moscow Fire" song which became a  truly national one. D.Kashin worked  with  the Moscow University till 1835; he was buried at the cemetery of the Donskoy  Monastery.

An extraordinary flourishing  of  the Russian musical culture at the end of XIХth - beginning ХXth centuries  influenced  the destiny of  the Moscow University Choir as well. At that period the Choir was conducted by  such famous musicians, as M.M.Ippolitov-Ivanov, N.A.Manykin-Nevstruyev, V.М.Orlov, Malm, N.S.Klenovsky, C.C.Albrekht and  P.I.Blamberg; the Choir  was extremely popular among the Moscow lovers of music. In the Nobiliary Assembly Hall  charitable concerts were organized to help poor students. 240 people sang in the Choir at that time; the box-office returns  were rather substantial for those years - 12-15 thousand roubles.

"He Who Smiles is Blessed"

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During the same years the Choir's destiny  was influenced by  the creative activities  of  P.I.Chaikovsky, a genius of Russian music. In 1874 he adapted "Gaudeamus Igitur", an ancient students' hymn, for  the Moscow University Choir. In December 1887,  in Maidanovo (not far from Klin, Moscow Province) Chaikovsky composed the song "He Who Smiles Is Blessed" using the verse by Konstantine Romanov. The story of this musical piece is as follows: in 1886 Great Earl Konstantin Romanov presented the composer with a collection of his poems published in St.-Petersburg. Soon after that C.C.Albrekht, a teacher of gospel singing at the Moscow Conservatory, announced that P.I.Chaikovsky was composing a number of songs for the verse from that collection. The song "He Who Smiles is Blessed" was composed for men's chorus "a capella" and in 1889 it was published by Yurguenson, a well-known publisher of Chaikovsky's masterpieces. Its first night performance  was given in the Nobiliary Assembly Hall on March 8, 1892 by the Moscow University Choir which Chaikovsky dedicated it to. Later  on Yu.V.Ukhov adapted this song for the mixed chorus.

L.V.Sobinov

In August 1890, Leonid Sobinov (1872-1934) joined the Choir as he became a student of the Law Department; later on he was a famous soloist of the Bolshoi Opera Theater, a  stage partner  of F.Shalyapin and  N.Nezhdanova. All the four years of the University course Sobinov sang in the Choir; his "singing baptizing" took place on November 14, 1890 at a concert in the Nobiliary Assembly Hall. Soon Sobinov started taking singing lessons at the Philharmonic School in the class of Prof. Dodonov. Afterwards, even when L.V.Sobinov became a famous singer, he often participated in the Moscow University Choir performances. Twice a year L.Sobinov gave charitable concerts at the Universuty, all the money raised from those concerts he gave to the students of the Moscow University.During 13 years (from 1903 to 1916) the "Sobinov's Concerts" were one of the major sources of the "Assistance Fund To Poor Students" which supported a free canteen, distributed grants, etc.

P.Khokhlov 

In the history of the Moscow University Choir there were two more famous singers: Pyotr Zlov (1774-1823), a  bass and drama actor who entered  the university  but in 1813 before he finished  the course of education he started to sing with the Moscow Emperor's Stage; and Pavel Khokhlov (1854-1919) who  F.Shalyapin called his teacher. Alike L.Sobinov,  P.Khokhlov graduated from the Law Department. Being a student, he began to learn singing under the supervision of Professor of the Moscow University,  musical critic, theoretician and teacher Yu.Arnold who taught the History of Music.  On February 24, 1875  P.Khokhlov participated in a students' concert for the first time and in 1878 he already sang at the Bolshoy Theatre. P.Khokhlov sang with  the Emperor's Stage till 1900;  like L.Sobinov he participated in charitable concerts to help poor students.

At  the beginning of the ХXth century the Moscow University Choir started to produce gramophone records with  its songs for the first time  and the fee from their sale was transferred to the assistance  fund for the poor students; two of such records have survived up till now. After the first Russian Revolution in  1905  the performances  of  the Choir stopped for several years. From 1907 to 1912 the Choir was conducted by talented student Ya.Mikhailovsky. There have been preserved some gramophone records with his performances with the University Choir as  a tenor-soloist and conductor. During  the first years after the October Revolution the Choir was conducted by Prof. I.Ustuzhaninov  (1922-1924) and  choir master Crynkin  (1924-1926).

1947

Farewell concert for the Choir-staff graduates

From 1979 to 1984 the Choir was  conducted by Honored Artist of Russia B.V.Baranov, a follower of S.V.Popov. From 1984 to 1997 the Choir was supervised by Honored Artist of Russia  Yuri Ukhov, a follower of famous Russian chorus master and conductor A.V.Yurlov.  The following chorus masters have worked with the Choir these years: C.R.Rumina, V.N.Kostylyova, S.I.Kirpichnikov, I.A.Zhuravlenko. Now the Choir is conducted by Mirza Askerov Ph.D. of pedagogy who  earlier taught choral conducting at the Moscow Institute of Culture; he goes along the road of his predecessors.
The Choir gives concerts in Russia and abroad. The records of  the Choir performances are broadcast over the radio and TV.  

The participants of the Moscow University Choir carefully preserve their centuries-old  traditions, including the farewell ritual concert  for the Choir staff-graduates of university at the monument to Lomonossov. For many years running on June 6, on A.S.Pushkin's birthday,  at the monument to the great Russian poet the Choir sings songs on his verses. The Choir participates in many activities of the Moscow University: students' initiation, farewell to the graduates, celebrating St.Tatiana's Day - the Day of  Students.