Skomorokhs - Ancient Russian Magicians. Who are the buffoons? Artel of buffoons: composition and approximate quantity

Eh, not a single feast in Rus' was complete without swashbuckling buffoon dances and songs. These funny people bright suits were an indispensable attribute of folk festivals in big and small cities. It seems that everything has been clear and understandable with traveling actors since time immemorial, but in fact, even then no one could say for sure who the buffoons were. As it turned out, this special category of people has its own traditions, rituals and history, at some points filled with a mass of tragic events that led to the complete destruction of buffoonery in Rus'. So let's find out who the buffoons really are?

The meaning of the word "buffoon"

Not only is the history of traveling artists full of secrets and mysteries, but even the origin of the word that characterizes their activities is still controversial among scientists. According to the two main and most common versions, the word “buffoon” has Greek or Arabic roots. In both versions, it means wording that is similar in meaning - “joke” and “master of jokes.” But there is another version, which brings the term to a single Indo-European word. In this interpretation it is translated as "comedian". Proponents of this theory claim that even the famous comedy heroes of France have names similar to our artists - Scaramouche and Scaramuccio.

What did the traveling artists look like?

The image of a buffoon in Rus' has always been a little grotesque. These people, with the help of jokes and jokes, could reveal the most serious problems of their time and were not afraid to ridicule the clergy and powerful of the world this. Everything that the buffoons said was not taken seriously, but nevertheless sank into the soul of the people for a long time. After all, it never occurred to anyone to pay attention to what the wandering jester was saying. The buffoon in this case could act as a litmus test for society as a whole. The appearance of the comedians also corresponded to this.

The buffoon's costume was always extremely bright. The actors wore incredible colored trousers and shirts, often wearing funny caps with bells on their heads, which, with just their ringing, caused laughter among the people they met. Each group of traveling artists had many masks and musical instruments.

Music of buffoons

The buffoon's musical instrument was quite diverse, and the musicians themselves were skilled. Based on the fact that buffoons traveled a lot not only across the vast territory of Rus', but also often visited overseas countries, they played on everyone famous instruments. Favorite subjects were:

• pipe;
• domra;
• surna;
• gusli.

Most often, buffoons performed cheerful and fiery melodies that lured people into dancing. But if they wanted, they could also perform a sad table ballad, making the recently merry company cry.

Artel of buffoons: composition and approximate quantity

In order to make it easier to travel around Rus' and entertain the people, buffoons united into gangs or artels. There could be up to twenty artists in a gang, but one artel already included up to a hundred people.

This company necessarily included storytellers, singers, musicians and trainers. The last category of artists was an indispensable attribute of the performance. Almost always the buffoons wandered around the world with the learned bear. He was a favorite of the public and was considered a sacred animal in Rus'. Usually next to the predator there was an artist in the costume of a cheerful goat, who, without ceasing, danced and hit spoons. It was around this group that the dance of the buffoons began, into which over time all participants in the performance were drawn in.

An interesting fact is that quite often artels of buffoons were engaged not only in entertaining the people, but also in robbery on the roads. This type of activity, of course, brought more income to the artists, but was one of the reasons for the persecution of buffoons by city authorities and the Orthodox Church.

Ancient Rus': the emergence of buffoons

Surprisingly, historians still do not know when buffoons appeared in Rus'. It is known that they carried out their activities back in the days of paganism. And the first mentions of traveling comedians in written sources were in the ninth and tenth centuries. Historians claim that even before the baptism of Rus' there were traveling artists who were invited to all the princely houses. This practice has always surprised many scientists, because people who did not belong to the highest circles of society, and did not even have anything of their own (this was the unwritten rule of buffoons), except for props, were treated kindly in all the princely, and later boyar’s, houses. Were traveling artists loved only for their songs? Who are buffoons really? Historians have several rather interesting versions on this matter.

Who are buffoons: theories and legends

According to official version scientists, buffoons are idle participants in pagan rituals. They are unique fragments of pre-Christian Rus', when mummers were used at temples in various rituals. Indeed, in all religions, a mask and unusual clothing (for example, like a buffoon costume) symbolized reincarnation and unity with spirits. It was this factor that caused dissatisfaction christian church the activities of comedians, they were considered messengers of demons, and the clergy tried in every possible way to rid the cities of their presence. But, despite this, the ancient Russian nobility experienced an unprecedented craving for holidays with the participation of buffoons; they entertained, instructed and denounced everyone they met on their way. How did they know so much? And why were they confident in their impunity?

In this regard, there is an alternative version of the origin of buffoons. According to one legend, the pagan god Troyan traveled through Russian lands and one day sat down to rest near one of the hills. The deity felt sad, but suddenly he saw fun company who danced, sang songs and whistled in every way. Troyan's people entertained him all night, and the next morning he called them buffoons and presented them with a silver mask that could change the appearance of any person and protect him from evil people and fulfill almost any desire. From that time on, Troyan patronized comedians and helped them.

Buffoons: witchcraft and divination

According to some information, buffoons in Rus' were engaged not only in acting, but also in divination. The fact is that even after baptism, the Russian people were very sensitive to their traditions and trusted various sorcerers. If they caught the eye of the clergy, the sorcerer was instantly persecuted and could even be executed. Therefore, buffoons could freely engage in their creative activities and at the same time performed various rituals. For example, in Rus' it was believed that in order to give birth to a first-born son, a young wife had to touch the fur of a bear. How to meet a forest predator in the city? Of course, at a performance by traveling artists.

It is known for certain that on certain days buffoons met at ancient temples and performed rituals dedicated to Trojan. This activity could not go unnoticed, and Christian priests began to eradicate demonic actors from the territory of Rus'.

Freeze Mountain: Ancient Temple

Many old people told researchers that they had heard the legend of Freeze Mountain in the Moscow region. Buffoons from all over the country gathered here for Ivan Kupala and performed their strange rituals. Music could be heard for many kilometers in the villages, and snatches of ritual songs could be heard. It was believed that at the end of the fun, before dawn, the main buffoon took out that very mask, and each of the comedians could, after trying it on, make one secret wish. According to legend, it was always performed on the same day. Moreover, the actor could change his appearance, voice, or even punish his sworn enemies through the power of the mask.

It is unknown how everything really happened, but this legend is still passed on from mouth to mouth. And Freeze Mountain got its name from the fact that thanks to the power of the buffoons, it could grow and return to its original size.

Persecution of buffoons and their disappearance

Already in the fifteenth century, buffoons were divided into wandering and sedentary. The former continued to wander around the country and amuse the people, and the latter became a kind of court musicians who lived with the prince and took part in all the feasts.

Such division had a bad effect on the entire buffoonery. Traveling artists began to speak rather harshly about the authorities, the church and God in general. For such activities, they were increasingly persecuted and denied permission to perform in the houses of the boyars. The people still enjoyed tricks, songs and fortune telling, but the princes increasingly began to think about uniting with the church and destroying the buffoons. After all, the court artists could no longer be called buffoons; they gradually lost their enthusiasm and turned their repertoire into something completely different. For example, the actor who famously danced in a squat in the city square became practically a professional dancer. And simple and slightly naive puppet shows were transformed into the first theatrical performances. It can be said that modern Art in its infancy it was an ordinary buffoon nursery rhyme.

At the beginning of the seventeenth century, buffoons began to be persecuted everywhere; they were caught on the street and imprisoned. Selected musical instruments were collected in one large pile and demonstratively burned. In the second half of the seventeenth century, buffoons were finally banned. Those who violated the king's decree were exiled to the most remote cities, sent to prison, or tonsured as monks to atone for their sins. After all, they were all considered servants of the unclean. By the eighteenth century, buffoons, as a separate layer of society, were completely eradicated. All that was left of them were memories in the form of paintings, manuscripts, numerous poems and jokes.

Buffoons, wandering actors of Ancient Rus' - singers, wits, musicians, skit performers, trainers, acrobats. Their detailed description is given by V. Dal: “A buffoon, a buffoon, a musician, a piper, a weirdo, a bagpiper, a psaltery player who makes his living by dancing with songs, jokes and tricks, an actor, a comedian, a funny man, a safe-catcher, a clown, a buffoon.” Known since the 11th century, they gained particular popularity in the 15th–17th centuries. They were persecuted by the church and civil authorities. Popular character Russian folklore, main character sets folk sayings: “Every buffoon has his own hooters”, “The buffoon’s wife is always cheerful”, “The buffoon will tune his voice to the horns, but will not arrange his life”, “Don’t teach me how to dance, I’m a buffoon myself”, “The buffoon’s fun is Satan’s joy”, “God gave the priest, the devil the buffoon,” “The buffoon is not a friend of the priest,” “And the buffoon cries at other times,” etc. The time of their appearance in Rus' is unclear. They are mentioned in the original Russian chronicle as participants in the princely fun. The meaning and origin of the word “buffoon” itself has not yet been clarified. A.N. Veselovsky explained it with the verb “skomati”, which meant to make noise; later he suggested in this name a rearrangement from the Arabic word “mashara”, meaning a disguised jester. A.I. Kirpichnikov and Golubinsky believed that the word “buffoon” comes from the Byzantine “skommarch”, translated as a master of laughter. This point of view was defended by scientists who believed that buffoons in Rus' originally came from Byzantium, where “amusements”, “fools” and “laughmakers” played a prominent role in folk and court life. In 1889, A.S. Famintsyn’s book was published Skomorokhs in Rus'. The definition given by Famintsyn of buffoons as professional representatives secular music in Russia since ancient times, who were often at the same time singers, musicians, mimes, dancers, clowns, improvisers, etc., became part of Small encyclopedic Dictionary Brockhaus and Efron (1909).

In the Middle Ages, at the courts of the first German rulers there were jokers, clowns and fools who wore various Greco-Roman nicknames, they were most often called “jugglers”. They began to gather in troupes - “colleges”, headed by archimim. They were often identified with charlatans, magicians, healers, and mendicant priests. Usually they took part in feasts, wedding and funeral ceremonies, and various holidays. Distinctive feature Byzantine and Western hypocrites had a wandering lifestyle. All of them were people on the move, wandering from place to place, and therefore acquired in the eyes of the people the significance of experienced, knowledgeable, and resourceful people. During their wanderings around the world, both Byzantine and Western “cheerful people” visited Kyiv and other Russian cities. There is a lot of evidence about buffoons as gifted singers and storytellers. ancient writing. In particular, they are mentioned in Tales of Bygone Years(1068). In Rus', as in Byzantium and the West, buffoons formed artels, or squads, and wandered around in “bands” for their trade. “Regardless of whether the art of Russian buffoons came from Byzantium or from the West,” Famintsyn emphasized, “it was already in the 11th century. rooted in the everyday life of Russian folk life. From now on, it can be considered as a phenomenon that has acclimatized and developed here independently, taking into account local conditions and the character of the Russian people.” In addition to the wandering buffoons, there were sedentary buffoons, mostly boyars and princes. It is the latter that folk comedy owes a lot to. Buffoons also appeared in the form of puppeteers. Performances of puppet comedy, constantly accompanied by the display of a bear and a “goat” that constantly hit “spoons,” have been given in Rus' for a long time. The comedian would put on a skirt with a hoop at the hem, then lift it up, covering his head, and perform his performance from behind this makeshift curtain. Later, puppeteers staged everyday tales and songs. Thus, the puppet comedy, like the performance of everyday farces by mummers, was an attempt at an original processing of the various elements of drama contained in Russian folk poetry or brought in from outside. “We also had our own “actors” - buffoons, our own Meistersingers - “passing kaliki”, they spread “acting” and songs throughout the country about the events of the “Great Troubles”, about “Ivashka Bolotnikov”, about battles, victories and death Stepan Razin" (M. Gorky, About the plays, 1937).

Another version about the origin of the term “buffoon” belongs to N.Ya.Marr. He established that, according to the historical grammar of the Russian language, “skomorokh” is plural the word “skomorosi” (skomrasi), which goes back to Proto-Slavic forms. Next, he traces the Indo-European root of this word, common to all European languages, namely the word “scomors-os”, which originally referred to a wandering musician, dancer, comedian. This is where the origins of the independent Russian term “skomorokh” come from, which exists in parallel in European languages ​​when denoting folk comic characters: the Italian “scaramuccia” and the French “scaramouche”. Marr's point of view completely coincides with the generally accepted position in art history that mimes are an international phenomenon. In relation to Russian buffoons, Marr’s concept allows us to speak about their original emergence on the basis of the professionalization of participants in the pagan religious rites of the ancient Slavs, invariably accompanied by music, singing, and dancing.

Buffoons are mentioned in various Russian epics. Byzantine historian of the 7th century. Theophylact writes about the love of the northern Slavs (Vends) for music, mentioning the citharas they invented, i.e. gusli. The gusli as an indispensable accessory of buffoons is mentioned in ancient Russian songs and epics of the Vladimirov cycle. In the historical aspect, buffoons are known primarily as representatives of the folk musical art. They become regular participants in village holidays, city fairs, perform in boyar mansions, and even penetrate church rituals. As evidenced by the decree of the Stoglavy Council of 1551 directed against buffoons, their gangs reach “up to 60–70 and up to 100 people.” Frescoes depict princely fun St. Sophia Cathedral in Kyiv (1037). On one of the frescoes there are three dancing buffoons, one solo, the other two in pairs, and one of them either parodies a woman’s dance or performs something similar to the “quinto” dance with a scarf in his hand. On the other there are three musicians - two play horns, and one plays the harp. There are also two tightrope walkers: an adult, standing, supports a pole along which a boy is climbing. There's a musician nearby string instrument. The fresco depicts baiting or hunting a bear and a squirrel, a fight between a man and a costumed animal, and equestrian competitions; in addition, the hippodrome - the prince and princess and their retinue, the audience in the boxes. In Kyiv, apparently, there was no hippodrome, but horse racing and baiting of animals took place. The artist depicted the hippodrome, wanting to give his fresco greater pomp and solemnity. Thus, the performances of buffoons united different types arts - both dramatic and circus. It is known that back in 1571 they recruited “cheerful people” for state amusement, and at the beginning of the 17th century, the troupe of banquets was part of the Amusement Chamber, built in Moscow by Tsar Mikhail Fedorovich. Then at the beginning of the 17th century. Princes Ivan Shuisky, Dmitry Pozharsky and others had buffoon troupes. Prince Pozharsky’s buffoons often walked around the villages “for their craft.” Just as medieval jugglers were divided into feudal jugglers and folk jugglers, so were Russian buffoons differentiated. But the circle of “court” buffoons in Russia remained limited; ultimately, their functions were reduced to the role of household jesters.

The bulk of Russian buffoons were folk amusements. Their appearance spoke about engaging in “demonic” crafts; they dressed in short-skirted caftans, and wearing short-skirted clothing in Rus' was considered a sin. They also often resorted to masks in their performances, although back in the 9th century. masking met with sharp condemnation from the church, and they used foul language in their speeches. With all their everyday behavior, buffoons opposed themselves to the generally accepted way of life old Rus', in their work were conductors of oppositional sentiments. Guselniks-buffoons not only played their instruments, but at the same time “said” works of Russian folk poetry. Performing as singers and dancers, they at the same time amused the crowd with their antics and gained a reputation as witty jesters. As their performances progressed, they also introduced “conversational” numbers and became popular satirists. In this capacity, buffoons played a huge role in the formation of the Russian folk drama. The German traveler Adam Olearius, who visited Russia in the 1630s, in his famous Description of a trip to Muscovy... talks about buffoon fun: “Street violinists sing shameful deeds publicly on the streets, while other comedians show them in their puppet shows for money to the common youth and even to children, and the leaders of the bears have with them such comedians who, by the way, can immediately imagine some joke or prank, like... the Dutch with the help of dolls. To do this, they tie a sheet around the body, lift its free side up and arrange something like a stage above their heads, from which they walk through the streets and perform various performances on it with dolls.” Olearius’ story is accompanied by a picture depicting one of these performances by puppet comedians, in which you can recognize the scene “how a gypsy sold a horse to Petrushka.” Buffoons like characters appear in many epics of the North. Famous epic Vavilo and the buffoons, the plot of which is that the buffoons invite the plowman Vavila with them to make a fool of themselves and put him on the throne. Researchers of epics attribute to buffoons a significant share of participation in the composition of epics and attribute many, especially amusing buffoon stories, to their work. It should be noted that, along with buffoon players by profession, the epics also mention amateur singers from among noble persons, princes and boyar families. Such singers were Dobrynya Nikitich, Stavr Godinovich, Solovey Budimirovich, Sadko, mentioned in the epics.

Playing musical instruments, songs and dances were linked to the customs of folk masquerade. The ritual dressing of men as women and vice versa has been known since ancient times. The people did not give up their habits, their favorite Yuletide amusements, the ringleaders of which were the buffoons. During his feasts, Tsar Ivan the Terrible loved to disguise himself and dance with the buffoons. During the 16th–17th centuries. organs, violins and trumpets appeared at the court, and buffoons also mastered playing them. Around the middle of the 17th century. wandering bands are gradually leaving the stage, and settled buffoons are more or less retraining as musicians and stage performers in the Western European style. From now on the buffoon becomes an obsolete figure, although individual species his creative activity continued to live among the people for a very long time. Thus, the buffoon-singer, performer of folk poetry, gives way to representatives of the emerging from the end of the 16th century. poetry; a living memory of him was preserved among the people - in the person of epic storytellers in the North, in the form of a singer or bandura player in the South. The buffoon-buzzer (guselnik, domrachey, bagpiper, surnachey), dance player turned into an instrumental musician. Among the people, his successors are folk musicians, without whom not a single folk festival is complete. The buffoon-dancer turns into a dancer, leaving in turn traces of his art in the daring folk dances. The buffoon-laugher turned into an artist, but the memory of him survived in the form of Christmas fun and jokes. Your book Skomorokhs in Rus' Famintsyn concludes with the words: “No matter how crude and elementary the art of buffoons may be, we should not lose sight of the fact that it represented the only form of entertainment and joy that suited the tastes of the people for many centuries, which completely replaced them the latest literature, the latest stage spectacles. Skomorokhs... were the oldest representatives in Russia folk epic, folk stage; At the same time, they were the only representatives of secular music in Russia...”

They are at the bazaars, at princely feasts,
At the games they set the tone,
Playing the harp, bagpipes, whistles,
At fairs people were amused.
Although a tambourine is not a sword, and a surna is not a spear,
But which mortal does not know
How a song gives strength to the weary,
How music lifts the spirit!
A carefree tribe of cheerful vagabonds,
Born of the spirit of freedom,
They did not need fame or benefits,
Enough of the people's love.

Mikhail Nikolaevich Shrilev - Buffoons.
Buffoons, traveling actors of Ancient Rus' - singers, wits, musicians, skit performers, trainers, acrobats. Their detailed description is given by V. Dahl:
“A buffoon, a buffoon, a musician, a piper, a wonder-player, a bagpiper, a psaltery player who makes his living by dancing with songs, jokes and tricks, an actor, a comedian, a jokester, a safe-catcher, a clown, a buffoon.”

Known since the 11th century, they gained particular popularity in the 15-17th centuries. They were persecuted by the church and civil authorities. A popular character in Russian folklore, the main character of many folk sayings:
“Every buffoon has his own horn,”
"Skomorokh's wife is always cheerful"
“The buffoon will set his voice to beeps, but will not be satisfied with his life,”
“Don’t teach me how to dance, I’m a buffoon myself,”
"Buffoon's fun, Satan's joy"
“God gave the priest, the devil the buffoon”, “The buffoon is not a friend of the priest”,
“And the buffoon cries at other times,” etc.
The time of their appearance in Rus' is unclear. They are mentioned in the original Russian chronicle as participants in the princely fun. The meaning and origin of the word “buffoon” itself has not yet been clarified. A.N. Veselovsky explained it with the verb “skomati”, which meant to make noise; later he suggested in this name a rearrangement from the Arabic word “mashara”, meaning a disguised jester. A.I. Kirpichnikov and Golubinsky believed that the word “buffoon” comes from the Byzantine “skommarch”, translated as a master of laughter. This point of view was defended by scientists who believed that buffoons in Rus' originally came from Byzantium, where “amusements”, “fools” and “laughmakers” played a prominent role in folk and court life.
In 1889, A.S. Famintsyn’s book, Skomorokhi in Rus', was published. The definition given by Famintsyn of buffoons as professional representatives of secular music in Russia since ancient times, who were often simultaneously singers, musicians, mimes, dancers, clowns, improvisers, etc., was included in the Small Encyclopedic Dictionary of Brockhaus and Efron (1909).

Mikhail Nikolaevich Shrilev - Buffoon.
In the Middle Ages, at the courts of the first German rulers there were jokers, clowns and fools who wore various Greco-Roman nicknames, they were most often called “jugglers”. They began to gather in troupes - “colleges”, headed by archimim. They were often identified with charlatans, magicians, healers, and mendicant priests. Usually they took part in feasts, wedding and funeral ceremonies, and various holidays. A distinctive feature of the Byzantine and Western hypocrites was their wandering lifestyle. All of them were people on the move, wandering from place to place, and therefore acquired in the eyes of the people the significance of experienced, knowledgeable, and resourceful people. During their wanderings around the world, both Byzantine and Western “cheerful people” visited Kyiv and other Russian cities.
There is a lot of evidence in ancient literature about buffoons as gifted singers and storytellers. In particular, they are mentioned in the Tale of Bygone Years (1068).
In Rus', as in Byzantium and the West, buffoons formed artels, or squads, and wandered around in “bands” for their trade. “Regardless of whether the art of Russian buffoons came from Byzantium or from the West,” Famintsyn emphasized, “it was already in the 11th century. rooted in the everyday life of Russian folk life.
From now on, it can be considered as a phenomenon that has acclimatized and developed here independently, taking into account local conditions and the character of the Russian people.” In addition to the wandering buffoons, there were sedentary buffoons, mostly boyars and princes. It is the latter that folk comedy owes a lot to. Buffoons also appeared in the form of puppeteers.

In a buffoon's costume." 1882 Vasnetsov Viktor Mikhailovich.
Performances of puppet comedy, constantly accompanied by the display of a bear and a “goat” that constantly hit “spoons,” have been given in Rus' for a long time. The comedian would put on a skirt with a hoop at the hem, then lift it up, covering his head, and perform his performance from behind this makeshift curtain. Later, puppeteers staged everyday tales and songs. Thus, puppet comedy, like the performance of everyday farces by mummers, was an attempt at an original processing of various elements of drama contained in Russian folk poetry or imported from outside.
“We also had our own “actors” - buffoons, our own Meistersingers - “passing kaliki”, they spread “acting” and songs throughout the country about the events of the “Great Troubles”, about “Ivashka Bolotnikov”, about battles, victories and death Stepan Razin" (M. Gorky, About the plays, 1937).

Lev Rusov “Skomorokhs”.

Another version about the origin of the term “buffoon” belongs to N.Ya. Marr. He established that, according to the historical grammar of the Russian language, “skomorokh” is the plural of the word “skomorosi” (skomrasi), which goes back to the Proto-Slavic forms. Next, he traces the Indo-European root of this word, common to all European languages, namely the word “scomors-os”, which originally referred to a wandering musician, dancer, comedian.
This is where the origins of the independent Russian term “skomorokh” come from, which exists in parallel in European languages ​​when denoting folk comic characters: the Italian “scaramuccia” and the French “scaramouche”.
Marr's point of view completely coincides with the generally accepted position in art history that mimes are a phenomenon of international order. In relation to Russian buffoons, Marr’s concept allows us to speak about their original emergence on the basis of the professionalization of participants in the pagan religious rites of the ancient Slavs, invariably accompanied by music, singing, and dancing.

Nikolay Nevrev.
Buffoons are mentioned in various Russian epics. Byzantine historian of the 7th century. Theophylact writes about the love of the northern Slavs (Vends) for music, mentioning the citharas they invented, i.e. gusli.
The gusli as an indispensable accessory of buffoons is mentioned in ancient Russian songs and epics of the Vladimirov cycle. From a historical perspective, buffoons are known primarily as representatives of folk musical art. They become regular participants in village holidays, city fairs, perform in boyar mansions, and even penetrate church rituals. As evidenced by the decree of the Stoglavy Council of 1551 directed against buffoons, their gangs reach “up to 60-70 and up to 100 people.”

Ryabchikov Vladimir Vasilievich. Buffoons with a bear.
Princely amusement is depicted in the frescoes of St. Sophia Cathedral in Kyiv (1037). On one of the frescoes there are three dancing buffoons, one solo, the other two in pairs, and one of them either parodies a woman’s dance or performs something similar to the “quinto” dance with a scarf in his hand. On the other there are three musicians - two play horns, and one plays the harp. There are also two tightrope walkers: an adult, standing, supports a pole along which a boy is climbing. Nearby is a musician with a string instrument.
The fresco depicts baiting or hunting a bear and a squirrel, a fight between a man and a costumed animal, and equestrian competitions; in addition, the hippodrome - the prince and princess and their retinue, the audience in the boxes.

Sergei Alekseevich Kirillov - Skomorokh.
In Kyiv, apparently, there was no hippodrome, but horse racing and baiting of animals took place. The artist depicted the hippodrome, wanting to give his fresco greater pomp and solemnity. Thus, the performances of buffoons combined different types of arts - both dramatic and circus. It is known that back in 1571 they recruited “cheerful people” for state amusement, and at the beginning of the 17th century, the troupe of banquets was part of the Amusement Chamber, built in Moscow by Tsar Mikhail Fedorovich. Then at the beginning of the 17th century. Princes Ivan Shuisky, Dmitry Pozharsky and others had buffoon troupes. Prince Pozharsky’s buffoons often walked around the villages “for their craft.” Just as medieval jugglers were divided into feudal jugglers and folk jugglers, so were Russian buffoons differentiated. But the circle of “court” buffoons in Russia remained limited; ultimately, their functions were reduced to the role of household jesters.

Franz Nikolaevich Riess - Buffoons in the village. 1857
The bulk of Russian buffoons were folk amusements. Their appearance spoke of engaging in “demonic” craft; they dressed in short-skirted caftans, and wearing short-skirted clothing in Rus' was considered a sin. They also often resorted to masks in their performances, although back in the 9th century. masking met with sharp condemnation from the church, and they used foul language in their speeches.
With all their everyday behavior, buffoons opposed themselves to the generally accepted way of life of old Rus', and in their creativity they were conductors of oppositional sentiments. Guselniks-buffoons not only played their instruments, but at the same time “said” works of Russian folk poetry. Performing as singers and dancers, they at the same time amused the crowd with their antics and gained a reputation as witty jesters. As their performances progressed, they also introduced “conversational” numbers and became popular satirists. In this capacity, buffoons played a huge role in the formation of Russian folk drama.

Folk entertainment of the 17th century. puppet show, buffoons. Engraving from the Travels of Olearius A. Adam Olearius began traveling around Russia in 1633.

The German traveler Adam Olearius, who visited Russia in the 1630s, in his famous Description travels to Muscovy... talks about buffoon fun:

“Street violinists glorify shameful deeds publicly on the streets, while other comedians show them in their puppet shows for money to the common youth and even to children, and the leaders of the bears have with them such comedians who, by the way, can immediately present some kind of joke or prank like... the Dutch using dolls. To do this, they tie a sheet around the body, lift its free side up and arrange something like a stage above their heads, from which they walk through the streets and perform various performances on it with dolls.”

Ryabchikov Vladimir Vasilievich. Buffoons.
Olearius’ story is accompanied by a picture depicting one of these performances by puppet comedians, in which you can recognize the scene “how a gypsy sold a horse to Petrushka.”
Buffoons appear as characters in many epics of the North. The famous epic is Vavilo and the buffoons, the plot of which is that the buffoons invite the plowman Vavilo with them to make a buffoon and set him up as king. Researchers of epics attribute to buffoons a significant share of participation in the composition of epics and attribute many, especially amusing buffoon stories, to their work.
It should be noted that, along with buffoon players by profession, the epics also mention amateur singers from among noble persons of princely and boyar families. Such singers were Dobrynya Nikitich, Stavr Godinovich, mentioned in epics,
Solovey Budimirovich, Sadko.

Apollinary Mikhailovich Vasnetsov Buffoons in the village.
Playing musical instruments, songs and dances were linked to the customs of folk masquerade. The ritual dressing of men as women and vice versa has been known since ancient times. The people did not give up their habits, their favorite Yuletide amusements, the ringleaders of which were the buffoons. During his feasts, Tsar Ivan the Terrible loved to disguise himself and dance with the buffoons. During the 16th-17th centuries. organs, violins and trumpets appeared at the court, and buffoons also mastered playing them. Around the middle of the 17th century. wandering bands are gradually leaving the stage, and settled buffoons are more or less retraining as musicians and stage performers in the Western European style. From that time on, the buffoon became an obsolete figure, although certain types of his creative activity continued to live among the people for a very long time. Thus, the buffoon-singer, performer of folk poetry, gives way to representatives of the emerging from the end of the 16th century. poetry; a living memory of him was preserved among the people - in the person of epic storytellers in the North, in the form of a singer or bandura player in the South.

Chebotareva Irina. Buffoons.
The buffoon-buzzer (guselnik, domrachey, bagpiper, surnachey), dance player turned into an instrumental musician. Among the people, his successors are folk musicians, without whom not a single folk festival is complete. The buffoon-dancer turns into a dancer, leaving in turn traces of his art in the daring folk dances.
The buffoon-laugher turned into an artist, but the memory of him survived in the form of Christmas fun and jokes. Famintsyn concludes his book Skomorokhi in Rus' with the words:
“No matter how crude and elementary the art of buffoons may be, we should not lose sight of the fact that it represented the only form of entertainment and joy that suited the tastes of the people for many centuries, replacing the latest literature and the latest stage shows. Skomorokhs... were the oldest representatives of the folk epic and folk stage in Russia; At the same time, they were the only representatives of secular music in Russia...”

Sergey Gorshkov - Buffoons.

Sergey Alekseevich Kirillov - The Pea Jester.

Alexander Zakalsky - Buffoon with a bird.liveinternet.ru/users/xileen/post 204510234/#

Alexander Nikitovich Potapov - Buffoons.

V. I. Semenov - Buffoons.

Buffoon

Russian medieval wandering actor, who was simultaneously a singer, dancer, musician, acrobat, etc. and the author of most of the dramatic scenes he performed.

Buffoon mask. Leather. Second half of the 13th century:

Russia. Large linguistic and cultural dictionary. - M.: State Institute Russian language named after. A.S. Pushkin. AST-Press. T.N. Chernyavskaya, K.S. Miloslavskaya, E.G. Rostova, O.E. Frolova, V.I. Borisenko, Yu.A. Vyunov, V.P. Chudnov. 2007 .

See what "Buffoon" is in other dictionaries:

Buffoon- husband. skomrah church buffoon no. (Swedish?) musician, piper, piper, whistler, bagpiper, guslar; who trades in this, and dances, songs, tricks, tricks; amusing man, lomaka, gayer, jester; zap. bugbear; comedian, actor, etc. Buffoon with... ... Dictionary Dahl

Buffoon- Buffoon, buffoon, husband. 1. B ancient Rus' singer, musician and actor who performed buffoonery and acrobatic performances, as well as serious poetic works. “Everyone will dance, but not like a buffoon.” last “And the buffoon sometimes cries.” old... ... Ushakov's Explanatory Dictionary

buffoon- See jester... Dictionary of Russian synonyms and similar expressions. under. ed. N. Abramova, M.: Russian Dictionaries, 1999. buffoon actor, jester; buffon, era, shpilman, harlequin, farceur, baluster, musician, buffoon, wit, gaer, antics, badkhan,... ... Synonym dictionary

Buffoon- Buffoon, huh, husband. 1. In Ancient Rus': singer, musician, wandering comedian, wit and acrobat. Everyone will dance, but not like S. (old last). 2. transfer A frivolous person who amuses others with his buffoonery antics (colloquial neod.). | adj. buffoonish... Ozhegov's Explanatory Dictionary

Buffoon- Ivashko Skomorokh, peasant. 1495. Scribe. I, 152. Yakush Skomorokh, peasant. 1495. Scribe. II, 548. Gridko Skomorokh, peasant. 1495. Scribe. II, 43. Mikitka Skomorokh, peasant. 1495. Scribe. I, 156. Olfimko Skomorokh, peasant. 1495. Scribe. I, 550.… … Biographical Dictionary

Buffoon- This term has other meanings, see Buffoons (meanings) ... Wikipedia

buffoon- (player, magician, gaer, guslar) The buffoon played songs from the fresh air. God gave the priest, the devil of a buffoon. Wed. I began to walk around the city as a buffoon, collecting pennies, playing the jester, telling jokes, throwing out different articles...... ... Michelson's Large Explanatory and Phraseological Dictionary

buffoon- SKOMOROKH (miracle, gambler, playmaker, cheerful fellow) in ancient Rus', the name of a poet and singer who performed his usually cheerful works to the accompaniment of a folk musical instrument, and sometimes danced to the beat of the melody. Repertoire S.... ... Poetic dictionary

buffoon- There is no indisputable explanation. The most likely explanation so far seems to be noun. buffoon as a re-registration of the Greek. skōmmarchos “master of jokes”, restored from the addition of skōmma “joke, ridicule” and archos “chief, leader”... Etymological Dictionary of the Russian Language

When you mention the word buffoon, the first image that comes to mind is a brightly painted face, funny disproportionate clothes and the obligatory cap with bells. If you think about it, you can imagine next to the buffoon some musical instrument, like a balalaika or a gusli, what’s missing is a bear on a chain. However, such a representation is completely justified, because back in the fourteenth century this is exactly how the monk-scribe from Novgorod depicted the buffoons in the margins of his manuscript.

True buffoons in Rus' were known and loved in many cities - Suzdal, Vladimir, the Moscow Principality, throughout Kievan Rus. However, the buffoons lived the most freely and freely in Novgorod and the Novgorod regions. Here no one punished the merry fellows for having an excessively long and sarcastic tongue. The buffoons danced beautifully, inciting the people, played the bagpipes and harp superbly, banged wooden spoons and tambourines, and blew horns. People called buffoons “cheerful fellows” and composed stories, proverbs and fairy tales about them.

However, despite the fact that the people were friendly towards the buffoons, the more noble sections of the population - the princes, clergy and boyars - could not stand the cheerful scoffers. Perhaps this was due precisely to the fact that the buffoons gladly ridiculed them, translating the most unseemly deeds of the nobility into songs and jokes and exposing to the common people to ridicule.

The art of buffoonery developed rapidly and soon buffoons not only danced and sang, but also became actors, acrobats, and jugglers. Buffoons began performing with trained animals, organizing puppet shows. However, the more the buffoons ridiculed the princes and sextons, the more the persecution of this art intensified. Soon, even in Novgorod, the “merry fellows” could not feel calm, the city began to lose its freedom and freedom. Novgorod buffoons began to be oppressed throughout the country, some of them were buried in remote places near Novgorod, others left for Siberia.

A buffoon is not just a jester or a clown, he is a person who understood social problems, and in his songs and jokes he ridiculed human vices. For this, by the way, the persecution of buffoons began in the era late Middle Ages. The laws of that time prescribed that buffoons should be immediately fatally beaten upon meeting, and they could not pay off the execution. Now it doesn’t seem strange that gradually
all the buffoons in Rus' disappeared, and in their place there appeared wandering jesters from other countries. English buffoons were called vagrants, German buffoons were called shpilmans, and French and Italian buffoons were called jongers. The art of traveling musicians in Rus' has changed greatly, but such inventions as puppet theater, jugglers and trained animals remain. Just like the immortal ditties and epic tales that buffoons composed remained.