The small village of Kolotovka lies on the slope of a bare hill, dissected by a deep ravine that winds through the very middle of the street. A few steps from the beginning of the ravine there is a small quadrangular hut, covered with thatch. This is the “Pritynny” tavern. It is visited much more willingly than other establishments, and the reason for this is the kisser Nikolai Ivanovich. This unusually fat, gray-haired man with a swollen face and slyly good-natured eyes has been living in Kolotovka for more than 20 years. Not being particularly polite or talkative, he has the gift of attracting guests and knows a lot about everything that is interesting to a Russian person. He knows about everything that happens in the area, but he never spills the beans.

Nikolai Ivanovich enjoys respect and influence among his neighbors. He is married and has children. His wife is a lively, sharp-nosed, quick-eyed bourgeois, Nikolai Ivanovich relies on her for everything, and the loud-mouthed drunkards are afraid of her. Nikolai Ivanovich's children took after their parents - smart and healthy guys.

It was a hot July day when, tormented by thirst, I approached the Pritynny tavern. Suddenly, a tall, gray-haired man appeared on the threshold of the tavern and began to call someone, waving his hands. A short, fat and lame man with a sly expression on his face, nicknamed Morgach, responded to him. From the conversation between Morgach and his friend Obolduy, I understood that a singing competition was being started in the tavern. The best singer in the area, Yashka Turok, will show his skills.

Quite a lot of people had already gathered in the tavern, including Yashka, a thin and slender man of about 23 years old with large gray eyes and light brown curls. Standing next to him was a broad-shouldered man of about 40 with black shiny hair and a fierce, thoughtful expression on his Tatar face. His name was Wild Master. Opposite him sat Yashka's rival - a clerk from Zhizdra, a stocky, short man of about 30, pockmarked and curly-haired, with a blunt nose, brown eyes and a thin beard. The Wild Master was in charge of the action.

Before describing the competition, I want to say a few words about those gathered in the tavern. Evgraf Ivanov, or Stunned, was a bachelor on a spree. He could neither sing nor dance, but not a single drinking party was complete without him - his presence was endured as a necessary evil. Morgach's past was unclear, they only knew that he was a coachman for a lady, became a clerk, was released and became rich. This is an experienced person with his own mind, neither good nor evil. His entire family consists of a son who took after his father. Yakov, who was descended from a captured Turkish woman, was an artist at heart, and by rank he was a scooper at a paper factory. No one knew where the Wild Master (Perevlesov) came from and how he lived. This gloomy man lived without needing anyone and enjoyed enormous influence. He did not drink wine, did not date women, and was passionate about singing.

The clerk was the first to sing. He sang a dance song with endless decorations and transitions, which brought a smile from the Wild Master and the stormy approval of the rest of the listeners. Yakov began with excitement. In his voice there was deep passion, and youth, and strength, and sweetness, and fascinatingly carefree, sad grief. The Russian soul sounded in him and grabbed his heart. Tears appeared in everyone's eyes. The rower himself admitted defeat.

I left the tavern, so as not to spoil the impression, got to the hayloft and fell fast asleep. In the evening, when I woke up, the tavern was already celebrating Yashka’s victory with might and main. I turned away and began to walk down the hill on which Kolotovka lies.

Turgenev’s “Singers” is included in the middle of the cycle of stories “Notes of a Hunter” (“a cycle” this work is called on the basis that the personality of the narrator, largely identical to the author himself, is present in all the stories, and also because the writer composed these works, perceiving them as a single whole). It embodies the features of the author's style characteristic of the entire collection, the main of which are rightfully considered to be descriptions of landscapes, the figure of the narrator, psychologism (a way of revealing the characters' characters) and, of course, close attention to the ordinary Russian man and his fate.

Having become familiar with this work, the reader will undoubtedly be able to form an impression both of the entire cycle of stories and of the prose of Turgenev, the great master of Russian literature, in general. It was thanks to his skill in writing stories that he became famous not only in Russia, but throughout Europe during his lifetime.

“Singers” was written by Turgenev in the midst of work on the collection - in 1850, when the author was already clearly aware of the social and aesthetic significance of the future cycle, within the framework of which he created the stories. This means that each work reflects, to one degree or another, the specifics of “Notes of a Hunter” as a whole, and they must be perceived as a whole, as Turgenev himself did.

This story was created at a time when the majority of peasants existed under the yoke of serfdom (abolished only in 1861 by decree of Alexander II, who, by the way, read “Notes of a Hunter”), in a destructive social and natural environment (remember the ravine around which the village of Kotlotovka is located from "The Singers") The prerequisites for the disintegration of the landlord system of land tenure already existed, echoes of which are also found in this collection.

Genre and direction

“The Singers” by Turgenev is a story. It is characterized by everything that is typical of other examples of the genre: a small number of storylines (in this case, one), characters (in this case, nine), solvable problems (in this case, two, not counting varieties).

Turgenev in “Notes of a Hunter” sought to plausibly and realistically portray the life of the Russian people, first of all, ordinary people. This intention is consistent with what the natural school did.

Composition

1. The work begins with an extensive exposition (a part that introduces the reader to the main characters and their surroundings before the plot unfolds). It tells about the landscape specifics of the location of the village of Kolotovka (it is located on a hill divided by a ravine, it divides the village in half), about the heart of the village - a drinking establishment, the owner of which is one of the main characters - Nikolai Ivanovich.
2. Then the author moves on to the plot: the narrator comes to the village and finds out that in the tavern there will be a competition between the row singers (this is a profession; employer of workers) and Yashka the Turk, and this piques his interest, so he goes to listen.
3. The main part, which consists only of preparations for the competition and the performance of the rower, is expanded by the narrator due to the characteristics of the characters anticipating the performance of the singers in the tavern.
4. The climax is Yashka’s amazing performance and victory.
5. At the denouement, the narrator leaves the tavern and leaves the village of Kolotovka.

The composition of Turgenev’s story “The Singers” is mirrored: at the beginning the main character comes to the village on a scorching day, at the end on a cool night he leaves the village (images of day - night, weather conditions of heat - cool, the very actions of the hero at the beginning and at the end of the work are opposite). As with many of the stories in Notes of a Hunter, the writer does not concentrate on the plot; its development occupies a small part of the volume of the work. Most of it is occupied by landscapes and personal characteristics of the characters.

The main characters and their characteristics

The images of singers in Turgenev's story play a key role in the plot plan.

The description of the rower given by the narrator himself is as follows:

As for the clerk, whose fate, I admit, remained unknown to me, he seemed to me a resourceful and lively city tradesman.

Turgenev also reveals his character through his cool and self-confident behavior before the competition.

The narrator reports the following about another singer:

Yakov, nicknamed the Turk because he actually descended from a captive Turkish woman, was like him - an artist in every sense of the word, and by rank - a scooper at a merchant's paper mill.

He, unlike the rower, is exhausted from excitement before the competition and shows uncertainty.

These heroes are contrasted by social status (the rower is rich, Yashka is poor), by their behavior before the performance, one has a name, and the other does not. But the most important difference between them is their singing. The rower sings in such a way that it is interesting to listen to him, but Yakov’s magnificent singing makes the men cry and touches the soul. The line between performers lies in the same place as the line between entertainment and art.

However, in comparison with other characters (Obalduy, Morgach, Nikolai Ivanovich, Wild Master), the narrator reports very little about these two, without delving into their biography. Turgenev in “Notes of a Hunter” wanted, first of all, to show the nobles (only they read him) that simple Russian peasants also have complex, sometimes unusual characters, have a soul, that they are the same people as Turgenev’s readers, who make up a single Russian people.

Topics and issues

The most significant theme of the story is the theme of music or, more broadly, the theme of art, revealed by a plot collision. Accordingly, the following issues are associated with it:

• The influence of music on a person- when Yakov sings, he touches the subtlest strings of the souls of his listeners, gives them the opportunity to feel, experience beauty (this problem can be reformulated: the influence of art on a person, the influence of beauty on others);
• The problem of genius— Yakov is poor, has a low social status, but has something more significant - the ability to influence people’s emotions by singing (the role of talent in the life of society).

the main idea

The idea of ​​Turgenev’s story “The Singers”: there is a clear line separating beauty from ordinary entertainment. Yakov’s performance not only surpassed that of the rower, it was fundamentally different in that it directly affected the souls of those around him, it was not just a pleasant sight, it was truly beautiful.

The meaning of Turgenev’s story “The Singers”: beauty is a light flicker in the darkness of everyday life, and after contact with beauty it is painful for a person to return to the stuffy darkness of life. This is exactly what the narrator feels after the performance, so he leaves the tavern before Yakov and other men begin to celebrate and get drunk, that is, before Yakov turns from a translator of the inexpressible back into a scooper, Yashka the Turk.

Means of artistic expression

Turgenev's skill as a storyteller lies in depicting refined landscapes and psychologism (revealing the inner world of characters through speech and behavior). The author seeks to understand the essence of the described phenomenon. It was this desire to display the smallest details of the life depicted that made him a great writer.

Turgenev's style in The Singers is characterized by an abundance of epithets and comparisons.

The landscape, the landscape of a village divided in half by a ravine, seems to symbolize the wound that the narrator felt when returning from the depths of his soul to everyday existence.

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Turgenev wrote the story “The Singers” in 1850. The work is included in the collection of essays by the writer “Notes of a Hunter.”

Main characters

Narrator- landowner, hunter; The story is narrated on his behalf.

Yashka-Turk– 23 years old, “thin and slender”; “descended from a captured Turkish woman.”

Ryadchik- 30 years old, man from Zhizdra, “short, pockmarked and curly-haired.”

Other characters

Nikolay Ivanovich- tselovalnik (as the seller in the tavern was previously called), owner of the "Prytynny" tavern.

Wild Master (Perevlesov)– 40 years old, “broad-shouldered, wide-cheeked” with Tatar eyes.

Stupid (Evgraf Ivanov)- “a spree, single man”, whom the gentlemen abandoned.

Morgach– tradesman, former coachman; “a grated kalach who knows people.”

In the small village of Kolotovka, lying on the “slope of a bare hill”, a small hut stood separately from the others - the “Prytynny” tavern. It was famous thanks to its owner, the kisser Nikolai Ivanovich.

Nikolai Ivanovich was “quick and quick-witted” and had the gift of “attracting and keeping guests.” He knew a lot about everything that was “important or interesting for a Russian person.” Nikolai Ivanovich was respected by his neighbors, he was a “man of influence,” he had a wife and children.

On a hot July day, the narrator decided to go to a tavern. Even on the threshold I heard the men talking about how Turok-Yashka and the rower would compete in singing - they had bet on an octam of beer. The narrator has heard more than once about Yashka the Turk “as the best singer in the area.”

In the tavern “a fairly large society had gathered,” which the narrator describes in detail. The stunner had no position, did not receive a salary, but knew how to “have fun at someone else’s expense.” It was known about Morgach that “he was once a coachman” for an old lady, he ran away from her, then returned, after the death of the landowner he was released, registered as a bourgeois and soon became rich. Yakov the Turk “was like an artist,<…>and by rank - a scooper at a paper mill." The past of the Wild Master was unknown, but the man “enjoyed enormous influence throughout the entire district.”

The narrator noticed that Yashka was worried. To determine who would sing first, lots were cast. It fell to the rower. The rower stepped forward and “sang in the highest falsetto.” “His voice was quite pleasant and sweet.” The rower sang a cheerful dance song. Those present sang along with him and afterwards praised him very much.

Next we should sing to Yakov. He covered his face with his hand, and when he opened it, “it was pale, like a dead man’s.” Sighing, Yakov started a mournful song, “There was more than one path in the field.” His voice “ringed as if cracked.” “The Russian, truthful, ardent soul sounded and breathed in him and grabbed you by the heart, grabbed you right by its Russian strings.” The narrator's eyes welled up with tears. Everyone understood that Yakov had won.

In order not to spoil the impression, the narrator went to sleep in the hayloft. At night, passing by the tavern again, he heard that the festivities were continuing there - Yakov was singing some kind of dance song. The narrator “with quick steps began to descend from the hill on which Kolotovka lies,” from a distance some boy loudly called Antropka.

Conclusion

The story “The Singers” is written in the tradition of realism (a trend in Russian literature). In the work, the author touches on the theme of folk art that exists in the ordinary, dark life of peasants.

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Essay based on Turgenev’s story “The Singers”

How the rower sang and how Yashka sang

The story “Singers” is about a competition between the best singers in the neighborhood: Yakov Turk and the rower.
The rower sang a cheerful, dance song. I think it was no coincidence that he chose such a song: the singer knew what kind of audience he would have to perform in front of. These were knowledgeable people who understood musical creativity. He tried to show all his skills. Used complex techniques. He sang at very high notes, then fell sharply down. The rower got his way, and the audience sang along with him.
Yashka, on the contrary, sang a mournful song. I think this song had something to do with him, with his childhood. It was a simple Russian song. Yashka sang it from the heart, he did not try to prove anything to anyone. His voice was trembling, but at the same time sincere. The audience could not think about anything other than his singing. When Yakov finished singing, even the rower himself stood up, agreed with his victory and left.
Yakov Turk's singing was soulful, and the rower's singing was professional. But the audience was more touched by Yashka’s song.

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Ryadchik is one of the heroes of I. S. Turgenev’s story “The Singers”, an urban tradesman from Zhizdra, a rival of Yashka... He appears to be about thirty years old. He is short with lively brown eyes and a thin beard. His face is pockmarked and his hair is curly. It was no accident that he ended up in Nikolai Ivanovich’s tavern. The rower competed in singing with Yashka the Turk, the best singer in the area. By nature, the clerk was a carefree and nimble fellow. When it was time to sing, he performed first and was very nervous. However, his excitement was not caused by the song itself, but by the fact that he was worried whether those present would like him.

His song was cheerful, with endless decorations and transitions. He tried so hard that even the gloomy Wild Master smiled. The others liked him too and were very supportive of him. The clerk's voice was pleasant and sweet, a sort of high falsetto. And how he went out of his way to make sure everyone liked it. When he finished singing, Stupid cried out with confidence that Yashka was far from being a rower. And the rower himself was confident of his victory. However, when everyone heard Yashka’s deep voice, full of passion and sorrow, this confidence quickly disappeared. Yashka, unlike the rower, did not try to please everyone. He simply sang with all his soul, giving himself entirely to his happiness. At the end of the competition, the rower himself admitted defeat.