Musical Cultures in Seventeenth-Century Russia

"Jensen focuses on a very specific—and little researched and written about—topic and period: the music of the court and church in Muscovite Russia, from the installation of Patriarch Iov in 1589 to the beginning of the reign of Peter the Great in 1694. The first chapter offers a musicological and historical perspective on the rise and fall of the 'False Dmitrii' at the beginning of the 17th century. In the next two chapters, the author explores the singing styles of Muscovite society throughout the 17th century, and in subsequent chapters she documents a number of specific individuals, works, and events of the 1670s-80s, especially composer Nikolai Diletskii and his works. A final chapter documents the rise and fall of the Muscovite court theater and its only patron and audience: Czar Aleksei Mikhailovich, who came to the throne in 1645. This is a book for music scholars (especially those interested in Eastern liturgical music of the 16th and 17th centuries) and for those pursuing study of Russian history. Summing Up: Recommended. Upper-division undergraduates through faculty and professionals. — Choice"

~B. L. Eden, University of California, Santa Barbara

"With the publication of this book another invaluable source has been added to the growing canon of important literature dealing with Russia's early musical history. . . . From music at court, organ music and organ building, to music at table and court theater, Cladudia R. Jensen invites us into a world the likes of which we were blissfully unaware."

~The Russian Review

"Even Russian scholars inside Russia will find this book illuminating and giving new insights into their own musical and historical development, presented more systematically than in any currently available study."

~Miloš Velimirović, Professor Emeritus of Music, University of Virginia (1922–2008)

"Jensen focuses on a very specific—and little researched and written about—topic and period: the music of the court and church in Muscovite Russia. . . . This is a book for music scholars and for those pursuing study of Russian history. . . . Recommended. March 2010"

~Choice

"The book, in its compactness, is a tour de force of wide-ranging and meticulous prospecting.Vol. 67, No. 2, December 2010"

~Notes

"Musical Cultures in Seventeenth-Century Russia offers both a model of meticulous scholarship and a fascinating read. . . . Jensen has significantly enhanced our knowledge of multiple aspects of a critical period in Russian cultural history."

~Slavic Review