[32] For biographies of these Proletkult instructors see Muzykal'naia entsiklopediia (Moscow, 1973–1981).
[33] V.V. Gorbunov, "Oktiabr' i nachalo kul'turnoi revoliutsii na mestakh," in Velikii Oktiabr' , ed. Iu. A. Poliakov (Moscow, 1978), p. 72; and Rubezhi , no. 1 (1922), p. 82.
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instruction in a range of instruments from the violin to the balalaika. In Tambov, which had a rich musical program, piano lessons were the most popular offering of all; over four hundred students signed up for them in the first months of 1919.[34] Although many choirs chose revolutionary songs, the classics were also represented. Choral evenings included works by Bach and Schumann, and orchestral performances often featured classical Russian composers like Mussorgsky.[35]
In Moscow folk music formed the core of musical education. The main director, Aleksandr Kastalskii, believed that folk songs were the best way to draw the masses to musical training.[36] Once attracted, participants would then be introduced to folk instruments, classical instruments, and a wide range of music classes. Moscow Proletkult students could choose from many different activities, including orchestras for folk instruments, an impressive program of classes in musical theory, and classical concerts.[37]
Fine arts studios also integrated a strong historical component. Instructors took students to museums to examine drawing, painting, and sculpture. In the workshop participants were taught to sketch live models, still lives, and landscapes. As in other media, the Proletkult gained the services of many impressive art instructors, such as the famous sculptor Sergei Konenkov and the well-known art professor Timofei Katurkin.[38] The range of art courses could be quite impressive, from
[34] Griadushchaia kul'tura , no. 4/5 (1919), pp. 25–26.
[35] A. M. S., "O muzykal'nykh programmakh," Proletarskaia kul'tura (Tiflis), no. 1 (1919), p. 23; and "Tverskii Proletkul't," TsGALI f. 1230, op. l, d. 1525, l.11.
[36] A.D. Kastal'skii, "K voprosu ob organizatsii muzykal'nykh zaniatii v tsentral'noi studii Moskovskogo Proletkul'ta," in Muzykal'naia zhizn' Moskvy , ed. S. R. Stepanova (Moscow, 1972), pp. 283–84; and B. Krasin, "Zadachi muzykal'nogo otdela," Gorn , no. 1 (1918), p. 59.