Sacred Music Concert as a Component of Cultural Life of the Russian Province at the End of the 19th – the Beginning of the 20th Centuries

The article is devoted to the organization of sacred music concerts in provincial Russian cities at the close of the
19th – the early years of the 20th centuries. It points to the fact that sacred music concerts as a kind of interpretative
activity became fi rmly established in provincial cultural life later than in the capital Russian cities. A number of
circumstances promoted this fl ourishing, such as rising the quality level of education at schools for choristers, creating and active functioning of precentors and choristers’ courses, spreading the touring activity of the best choral groups of
the country and, as a result, – the increase of professional skill of local church and secular choirs. The author concludes
that in the presence of general tendencies in organizing sacred music concerts in province, their own particular features
appeared in every region, which were connected, on the one hand, with the development of local traditions, on the other
hand, with the presence of bright and extraordinary creative persons.