Music

My Music & Compositions

I primarily compose for chorus. My compositions and arrangements of Russian art and folk songs have been published by Oxford University Press, Hal Leonard, ECS Publishing, and Musica Russica. In addition, my book, Russian Folk Songs: Musical Genres and History, contains over 90 musical examples of Russian folk songs. I arranged most of them for voice and piano. I also translated their texts into English.

ECS Publishing www.ecspublishing.com

Gopak (Gopak)
SATB Chorus and Piano
Modest Musorgsky, composer
Vadim Prokhorov, arranger
Words by Lev Mei after Taras Shevchenko, tr. by Vadim Prokhorov

Gopak is an Ukrainian folk dance and song of a vigorous character. Musorgsky's Gopak is a "song/dance out of desperation" – as this type of emotional realization is called in Russian literature and music. The outer sections are of a robust dance character, with the middle lyrical episodes characterized by a slow tempo, gentle melodic gestures and a lullaby-like accompaniment.

Traveling Song (Poputnaya Pesnya)
SAATB Chorus and Piano
Mikhail Glinka, composer
Vadim Prokhorov, arranger
Words by N. Kukolnik, tr. by Vadim Prokhorov

Traveling Song by Mikhail Glinka (1804-1857) is perhaps a first ever railroad song. It was composed in 1840 as a tribute to the opening of Russia's first railroad, which connected St. Petersburg with the royal summer residence in Tsarskoe Selo. The song offers a dazzling picture of movement generated by the time's biggest miracle, the locomotive engine.

This express tongue twister of a song starts with the refrain, which moves in a perpetual mobile mode. The verse is of a lyrical character, despite the fact that the tempo never waives, staying the same throughout the work. The song is included in the song cycle "A Farewell to St. Petersburg."

Was It a Night Wind From On High (Ne Veter Veya S Vîsotî)
SATB Chorus and Piano
Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov, composer
Text by A. K. Tolstoy
Vadim Prokhorov, arranger and translator

The song Was It a Night Wind From On High is from the cycle "In Spring," Op. 43. It is composed in a three-part form. The outer sections are of a narrative character. The piano accompaniment is descriptive and features soft, "breezing" arpeggios. The middle section is more dramatic.

With a Wreath I Walk (So Vyunom Ya Hozhu)
For SATB Chorus and Piano
Russian folk song arranged by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov
Vadim Prokhorov, ed.
Piano accompaniment and translation by Vadim Prokhorov

A khorovod, a round-dance song, is a syncretic genre of Russian musical folklore, which unites music (song), movement (dance), and a game act. A khorovod can last from 10 minutes up to 4 hours, depending on the number of members. It is always a colorful, bright and striking spectacle, which provides enjoyment for both the participants and their audience.

Hey, Bunny (Zain'ka)
Three-Part Children's Chorus and Piano
Russian folk song arranged by Vadim Prokhorov
English text by Vadim Prokhorov

Hey, Bunny is a children's folk dance song. It can be performed as a game, in which the words are imitated by acting of the two teams, lined up facing each other. Another way to act out this song is to form a circle and choose a leader who plays a "bunny." His, or her, goal is to get out of the circle by breaking it.

Oxford University Press

Vocalise By Sergei Rachmaninoff.
Arranged by Vadim Prokhorov. For Mixed Choir & Piano. Published by Oxford University Press.
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Musica Russica www.musicarussica.com

Kalinka (Kalinka)
Russian folk song. Arranged for chorus (SATB). Published by Musica Russica.
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On the Eve of the Wedding (Kak pri vechere)
Russian folk song. Arranged for chorus (SSAA). Published by Musica Russica.
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The Lonely Coach Bell (Kolokol'chik)
Russian folk song. Arranged for chorus (SATB). Published by Musica Russica.
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Cossack Lullaby (Kazachya kolibel'naya)
Russian folk song. Arranged for chorus (SSAA). Published by Musica Russica.
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Birch Candle (Luchina)
Russian folk song. Arranged for chorus (SSA/Pno). Published by Musica Russica.
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Song of the Volga Boat-Men ((Ey, ukhnem)
Russian folk song. Arranged for chorus (SATB/Pno). Published by Musica Russica.
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