Russian Music.

For the Russian soul, music is food without which one can not exist. It is so strongly ingrained into the person that one can say it comes with mother's milk. From the earliest days till the last moment, music, song, and dance come hand-in-hand in the Russian household.

"Kolibelnayas"(Колыбельная) -lullaby is often sung to a child by the parent right before going to sleep. In the kindergartens music classes would start from the earliest age. Children would sing songs, and participate in "utrenniks" - production performances, where they would have to sing and dance in front of the audience.

Middle school and high school would have music classes as part of their mandatory curriculum. And specialized music schools would often give parallel education to many of the Russian youth. It is possible to find a Russian who can't play a musical instrument, but you would have to try.

Folk songs have played great role in developing the style of the modern Russian music. It affected not only the great Russian classical composers, but has also been very influential in the development of the contemporary pop culture. Instuments like "Balalaika" (балалайка) - a three-string, guitar-like instrument, and "garmoshka" (гармошка) - a small concertina-like instrument are probably the most notable and ever-present members of the russian folk song. In the Russian villages garmoshka and "bayan" (chromatic accordeon) would always accompany every festivity.

In many Russian songs you can often find overtones of the "gypsy" style... Or "tzigane". Lyrical Romances or as they are often called in russian "tziganskiye romansi" are as much part of the russian music as its native folk song. Probably the most well known Gypsy Romance is "Ochi Chyorniye" (Очи Чёрные).