Sergei Sadov is a street musician. Arbat fell silent. Always in service

25.10.2019

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On May 25, Sergei Sadov, chairman, was detained on Arbat Moscow public organization of street culture workers(the organization also appears under the name “Stars of Arbat”), a musician who plays a unique string instrument of his own invention called the sadora. A protocol was drawn up against him under Article 20.2.2 of the Code of Administrative Offenses (“organization of mass simultaneous stay and (or) movement of citizens in public places, resulting in a violation of public order”). The police accused him of organizing “the simultaneous presence of citizens in a public place of approximately 10 people, while playing the guitar, thereby interfering with the movement of pedestrians and access to social infrastructure (shops).” Sadov insists that at the time of his arrest he was not even playing, but was simply talking with friends. A unique instrument and sound equipment - a speaker - remained at the police department (the police explain that this is material evidence of an offense, which is confiscated pending a court decision). The musician emphasizes that no documents such as a receipt for acceptance for safekeeping were drawn up.

The musician told OVD-Info that when he went out to play that day, “they were already waiting for him.” “Seven police officers from a new unit - the tourist police (established in July 2014 to ensure the safety of guests of the capital and assist tourists - OVD-Info) approached. They came up and said: “We don’t see any violations.” Then Lieutenant Colonel Kotsur himself arrived (Deputy Head of the Arbat Department of Internal Affairs - OVD-Info), who organizes all this here on Arbat, puts pressure on the musicians, they called him. He called the car and said: “Take him away!” They say: “Well, what can we do? We have to take it away,” and they took it away.” It was explained to Sadov that the reason for the arrest was a statement from local residents. According to the musician, this cannot be considered a legal basis, if only because he is located in a place on Arbat where there are no residential premises - opposite the Vakhtangov Theater.

“They bullied me at the department. I had to go up to the sixth floor, and I had heavy equipment. I tell the police: “Help, you’re younger.” And they: “We’ll call you an ambulance if you feel unwell!” And I carried everything upstairs and downstairs myself - that’s what the Gestapo is like,” says Sadov. According to him, he was required to sign a document stating that he would have to appear at the police station on the first call. The musician refused, saying that he could only appear if he received a summons.

Sergei Sadov. Still from the film "Legends of Arbat Music"

A few days earlier, Sadov was also detained and taken to the Arbat police station. This happened as a result of the so-called test purchase: according to the musician, the police sent “two schoolgirls” to him to buy CDs with his music, which, according to police officers, he was selling illegally. “They took the CDs, but forgot to give me the money! - says Sadov. - And at that time I had just landed, and I had no money. It turns out that they detained me, brought me to the department, took away my disks, and said: get the money. I say: “So I don’t have any money!” They sat down. It turned out that they took the man, took everything from him, but had nothing to show. Then they released me, they didn’t do anything. And yet the discs were not returned, no one is going to return them, they were stolen for souvenirs.”

The story with Sergei Sadov is just one episode of the long-term struggle that the Arbat police department and several local residents are waging with street musicians - both amateurs and professionals, among whom are teachers of music schools and colleges, winners of international competitions. According to musician Timur Tsurkava, who, like Sadov, plays unique instruments (vitara and satura), secretary of the organization headed by Sadov, pressure was exerted on musicians in different years, but it intensified with renewed vigor in 2011.

Currently, a trial is underway in the Tverskoy Court on the claim of guitarist Maxim Demidov. He demands compensation from the police for material and moral damage in connection with the arrest on March 6, 2014. A report was drawn up against him under Article 20.2 of the Administrative Code, accusing him of organizing an unapproved public event. His instrument was also confiscated. In addition, Demidov, a disabled person of the 3rd group who underwent heart surgery, had an attack at the police station, and an ambulance was called for him. The musician estimated moral damage at 150 thousand rubles, material damage at 55 thousand. Demidov wrote in the statement of claim that the police returned the guitar to him only after a month and a half, and then after numerous complaints, and he discovered numerous cracks and chips on the instrument. The report on the seizure only stated that there were abrasions on the guitar. At the trial, according to him, it turned out that the police officer who drew up the report was “tired” and “didn’t pay attention to the cracks and chips,” so he didn’t describe them in the document, but a few days later he saw previously undetected damage on the guitar and drew up a new report . “Now there are two seizure protocols,” Demidov concludes (on the contrary, in one of the other administrative cases brought against him, the protocols were allegedly accidentally, mistakenly destroyed along with archival documents). Sergei Sadov was supposed to act as a witness in his case, and Demidov does not exclude that his detention is connected precisely with this. Demidov did not take his guitar from the police and has not played on Arbat for a year now.

Demidov told OVD-Info that in the spring of 2014, at the same time, “the instruments of eight musicians in Moscow were taken away from them, many simply did not stir up a scandal, and as a result, their instruments lay in police departments for three months. Now it’s all happening again.”

The musicians explain that most often arrests follow the same scenario. Mostly the same local resident, Lyudmila Koroleva, director of the Arbatskaya Lavitsa souvenir shop, contacts the police with complaints about the musicians. The Queen collected 60 signatures from residents protesting against the musicians on Arbat. “They have 60 signatures, we have thousands: both from guests of Arbat and from residents,” says Timur Tsurkava. Musicians note that she behaves aggressively, attacks them, and damages their instruments. They themselves apply for it, but to no avail. In a conversation with OVD-Info, Tsurkava emphasized that the deputy head of the OVD Kotsur and Koroleva work together, carry out joint raids on Arbat and put pressure on musicians. They also complained about Kotsur and contacted the prosecutor’s office, but, as Sergei Sadov says, the prosecutor’s office redirected their complaints back to the police department.

The musicians were accused of illegal trading due to the fact that they were selling their discs (the same Maxim Demidov was detained as a result of a “test purchase”). The musicians respond by asserting their right, in accordance with Article 44 of the Constitution on creative freedom and Articles 1268 and 1270 of the Civil Code, to make their own works public through publication and public performance, reproduction and distribution through sale. They print the discs themselves and contain exclusively their own music. “This has nothing to do with trade. If I were selling Jackson or the Beatles records, then yes, probably,” explains Sergei Sadov. “We are not subject to the article “trade”, because our discs are our property, there is no added value, as with goods, they are not goods, they are a sound business card.”

The police recommended that the musicians register a private enterprise, after which there would be no complaints against their “trade.” “But you can’t do business in pedestrian zones!” - Sadov retorts. In doing so, he refers to order Moscow Department of Culture No. 210 dated March 13, 2014, according to which artists have the right to perform in pedestrian areas. According to Sadov, now, after the resignation of the head of the department, Sergei Kapkov, who issued this order, Koroleva and her supporters (he calls them “false social activists”) have become active again “to ban cultural workers from pedestrian zones, to get them out of there.”

Maxim Demidov. Still from the film "Legends of Arbat Music"

The fact that musicians are charged with violating Articles 20.2 and 20.2.2, which are most often used in relation to participants in political events, raises even more questions. At a meeting with the musicians, the then head of the Arbat police department, Igor Yanchuk, explained that the police have no complaints against musicians “who play the violin or the pipe.” But, according to Yanchuk, those who “with electric guitars, excuse me, with drums, with electric speakers, with microphones, already correspond to a public event.” As a result of the musicians’ playing, Yanchuk claims, “a certain number of people gather, which impedes the passage of citizens,” as well as the musicians themselves, “installing their speakers, guitars, seats” (a video recording of the meeting was published on YouTube, but is currently unavailable).

At the same time, the police refuse to take into account the fact that the musicians do not invite anyone to listen to them in advance, do not announce their appearances on the street, do not distribute invitations, so their performance cannot be called either a performance or a concert. However, Article 20.2 here, apparently, is not applicable at all, since it does not deal with speeches, concerts, or, especially, a game on the street that may attract the attention of passers-by, but with meetings, rallies, demonstrations, processions and pickets to express opinions and making demands on issues of foreign and domestic policy.

Article 20.2.2 was included in the Code of Administrative Offenses in June 2012 as part of a law that tightened the rules for holding mass events in order to legitimize the fight against protest walks and “occupies” that were relevant at that time. However, the article is formulated in such a way that virtually any crowd of people can fall under it. Street musicians often suffer from its use. In July 2014, guitarist Sergei Khavsky was sentenced to a fine of ten thousand rubles (also based on a complaint from a local resident), and in September of the same year his colleague Mikhail Adamauskas was threatened with the same article.

It would be understandable if the complaints against the musicians boiled down to the fact that they play too loudly. However, they claim that the noise they produce does not exceed the level permitted by law. (To the same conclusion came and a correspondent for the Rossiya 1 TV channel, who, while reporting on a conflict between musicians and the police, took volume measurements from the window of one of the neighboring houses.) It should be noted that although local residents complain about those who yell and sing songs with obscene language, at least At least some of the persecuted musicians play exclusively instrumental music, and not aggressive music at that. However, Lyudmila Koroleva called the police when on Arbat played an acoustic duet of flute and harp and even when the clown nicknamed Professor drew caricatures of passers-by. OVD-Info has at its disposal an audio recording of the report of the Arbat OVD to the population in February 2015 on the work for 2014, where the Queen was present: it turned out that she was also not satisfied with the presence of jugglers on Arbat: “The clown saw that he could juggle today balls - he came out alone, you didn’t remove him, but his friend comes to him and stands next to him,” she said.

Not only guitarists, but also clarinetists are detained on Arbat

At the meeting, the police were demanded to be tougher with the musicians: not just ask them to leave - this is ineffective, since they return - but detain them, “punish them with rubles,” and confiscate their instruments.

At the same time, the musicians themselves are not against creative activity on Arbat being regulated - but not by the police in conjunction with residents, but by the professional musicians themselves in conjunction with the Department of Culture. “So that they are responsible for this culture, so that they find new people or projects, so that the artists are the link that regulates activities on the streets. So that they can say about someone: “He sings obscenities, it’s bad for children, we don’t need such a person, he disgraces our culture.” And they asked the department or council to come and ask this person from here. They didn't take it! There is no need for repression,” says Sadov. Timur Tsurkava believes that on Arbat, as a significant place in the cultural and historical center of the city, “only professionals should represent our culture” (who should be paid a social package), but in the city there should be places, parks, “where anyone, even the most beginner, incompetent the artist and musician would have the right to perform.” The level of the speaker, in his opinion, should be determined by commissions consisting of professional artists.

Tsurkava believes that the Department of Culture should work with street performers to create “special art zones in the city, performance spaces on pedestrian streets, for artists, for exhibitions, for artists, so that musicians and artists perform in all parks.” According to him, for example, musicians are not allowed into Sokolniki Park, “the police and local security are set on them, they are detained and taken away, but there are a huge number of empty alleys where students of music and acting departments can sit, try their hand at there may be music."

On May 28, three days after Sadov’s arrest, representatives of the Arbat Department of Internal Affairs and the Department of Internal Affairs of the Central Administrative District of Moscow came to Arbat, and local residents dissatisfied with the musicians, including Koroleva, met with them. There were also musicians there. According to Timur Tsurkava, he was directly told that the musicians were “illegally present on Arbat Street.” If they have permission to conduct business, then you are welcome, otherwise they will be detained. "Stars of Arbat"

I would like to tell you about the musicians of Old Arbat...

In the very center of Moscow, on Revolution Square, on January 5, the First Street Artists Festival began.

Anatoly Syomochkin - classical guitar.
Another “patriarch” who has been working on Arbat for 25 years. Thanks to Anatoly, many people fell in love with music, and the guitar entered their lives. Virtuoso guitarist, experienced teacher, permanent jury member of reputable competitions and festivals. If he’s not on Arbat, you can be sure that he’s been invited somewhere in Europe, either he’s giving a master class, or he’s participating in another interesting project. You can find out more on the website, although it seems to me that the information there is not complete:
http://www.semochkin.ru/index.htm

Tey Tsurkava - vitar.
Tey is a person passionate about the culture and philosophy of the East and India. His passion for the work of Ravi Shankar did not pass without a trace. Tey performs his own ethno music in a modern arrangement on the vitar. This instrument, which unites East and West, was created by a Russian master. More details can be found here:
http://ethnorock.ru/?p=fil
Working on Arbat since 1986, Tey, like no one else, understands the role of street musicians in shaping the cultural image of our capital, and is engaged in a lot of public work to unite street artists.

Sergey Martemyanov - classical guitar
Having been fascinated by the guitar at the age of 16, he has not parted with it to this day.
Graduate of the Dneprodzerzhinsk Music School, Kyiv National University of Culture and Arts. While still studying at the institute, he began, among other things, to work solo and as part of musical groups on the streets of Kyiv, Dnepropetrovsk, Yalta. He has been working on Arbat for more than 2 years. She teaches, composes music, participates in various creative projects, and continues to study, expanding her horizons. Sergei is so passionate about the guitar that he tries to play all the music he loves on it, adapting and arranging it.

Mikhail Rozhchenko - pan flute.
He started his career with the clarinet. Graduate of the Kyiv National University of Culture and Arts, Kyiv Conservatory. He worked in the National Symphony Orchestra of Ukraine, Kievconcert, and the Presidential Orchestra of Ukraine. Since the 80s, I became interested in national Moldovan and Romanian music, the work of Georgiy Zamfir. So gradually Mikhail became a unique musician, a pan flute performer. He has been working on Arbat for 5 years and several days, such an anniversary. Possessing a huge repertoire, I gradually came to realize the need to compose my own music for the pan flute, which allows me to express my understanding of its essence and express myself as a professional and musician.

Kunlla Manez - double bass
A very original, fiery, professional and disarmingly charming musician. He has been playing on Arbat for more than 15 years. Better than any text, just look and contact him, because... I can't insert links to his videos:
http://vk.com/login?act=mobile&hash=4d4d1095d5eb0..

Pavel Stepanov - bagpipes.
Pavel brings us not only his music, but also the idea that the bagpipes are not originally a Scottish folk instrument, but an original Russian one. After listening to him for at least five minutes, you yourself will be absolutely convinced of this. The musician not only introduces us to various styles of bagpipe music, but also creates these almost forgotten instruments himself.

Maxim Demidov - classical guitar, electric-acoustic guitar.
For technical reasons, Maxim was unable to take part in the festival, but it is impossible not to say something about a musician who has been working on Arbat for more than 20 years. You simply cannot pass by this colorful person, who artistically performs both classical works and music of his own composition. In addition, Maxim is a sound engineer and knows almost everything about the guitar, constantly searching for unique instruments and the perfect sound.

Friends! PLEASE REPOST!!! It’s a pity that such a positive and festive event was a little quieter than we would have liked)))

What is the ideal guitar? For some, this is an ordinary Leningrad “six-string”. For some - a Russian “seven-string guitar” inherited from their grandfather!.. The whole soul is full of you, and the night is so moonlit!!! And for the Moscow musician Sergei Sadov, these are two necks, thirty-two strings, a special tuning, double strings “to enhance the bass,” Celtic and pagan symbols on the body.

Name: Sergey Sadov Age: 47 years old Place of residence: Moscow Education: Higher education - Pushkin Music College, Gnessin State Music College Profession: Musician Source of inspiration: science fiction, films, music Creative credo: God calls life credo: To be free and independent

Alexander Timofeev

When the author walked along Old Arbat to meet with Sergei Sadov (this is where you can find him every day, playing “psychedelic alternative classicism,” as Sergei himself says), a simple question was spinning in his head: why try to combine the gusli and sitar in one instrument? , guitar and balalaika? “I heard the sound of the new instrument in a dream,” Sergei Sadov told us. “And as soon as I woke up, I went straight to the piano.” I recorded it and realized that the guitar range was not enough. I decided that’s it, I’m selling all my guitars and I’ll make a new instrument. This is how the “Grand Sadora” appeared: there are 32 strings, a “sitar” block, an increased scale length, scalloped frets, a special tuning, a midi sensor and a bunch of other behind-the-scenes equipment. But when it was made, the question arose: how to play it? I couldn't. I had to learn a new way.”

Measuring scales

So how is the “Grand Sadora” different from an ordinary guitar? The first thing that catches your eye is two necks and a bunch of strings (some of them are double). However, two vultures are not that uncommon today. Not only two-neck, but also three- and four-neck guitars periodically appear on the stage. They experimented with a large number of strings at the beginning of the 19th century - seventeen-string instruments have been preserved in museums. And you can listen to how the double bass strings that decorate the lower frequencies sound (each second string in the pair is tuned through an octave to the first, when playing, both are touched at the same time) in any guitar store. There will definitely be a pair of “twelve-strings” - this is the same “six-string”, but it seems to have two strings instead of one.

"Grand Sadora" The perfect instrument for psychedelic alternative classicism.

But an increased scale length (the distance from the nut to the backrest, or the length of an open string that is not clamped on any fret) is already serious. As Sergey explained to us, the easiest way to compare a scale is with a bell. The larger it is, the lower the sound. The violin, on the contrary, has a small scale, which is why the sound is high. A classical guitar has a scale length of 650 mm. “Grand Sadora” has 740, close to a bass guitar. However, due to the large number of strings, the range of the Grand Sadora covers both bass and classical guitar. Accordingly, the possibilities are wider - very complex chords are available. But there are also disadvantages - it becomes harder to play. “Remember the double bass. Its shape is the same as a violin, but it’s impossible to play as masterfully as the scale is large,” explained Sergei. “To play the Grand Sador, you need powerful and flexible hands. Without this, you can’t even press a chord.”

Inlay. The handcrafted Celtic and pagan symbols on the body of the instrument are part of its soul.

"Sitar" block. The 12 strings of the sitar block sound not only when struck with a pick. Just like a real sitar, they resonate when the player plays the main strings, creating a harmonic-rich background.

Upper threshold. A wide saddle made of fossilized mammoth bone is an integral part of the “sitar” block. The vibrating strings rub against it, and their sound is enriched with ringing harmonics.

Guitar synthesizer. Thanks to the MIDI sensor and guitar synthesizer, the musician can play the sound of any instrument.

As for scalloped frets (a semicircular recess between the metal saddles on the top side of the neck), they are also found on “ordinary” guitars. For example, guitarist Yngwie Malmsteen fundamentally uses guitars with scalloped necks. When playing, the musician's fingers do not touch the fingerboard, but only contact the strings. This reduces friction and improves control when performing pulls and vibrato, but playing a guitar with scalloped frets requires special sensitivity from the musician.

Materials. Soundboard, body, neck - mountain wavy maple; fingerboard and string stands - ebony; sills - mammoth bone; inlay - white and green shells (pearl oyster and heliopis).
Vultures- glued, in three parts. Top neck - 24 frets, 10 strings (two bass strings are doubled). The lower neck has 24 frets, 5 strings on the main block (scalopped frets) + 12 strings on the “sitar” block. The body is hollow; scale length - 740 mm.
Strings. Upper neck - two sets of guitar strings 10−46 and 12−52; lower neck, main block - one set 10−46; sitar block - the first three strings are 0.9, all the rest are 0.8.
Tuning (from high to low strings). Upper fingerboard - F, C, F, A, C, F, A, C; lower fingerboard, main block - fa, do, fa, do, fa; lower fingerboard, “sitar” block - F, C, C, B-flat, C, D, E-flat, F, G, A, B-flat, C.
Electronics. Highlander piezo pickup with pre-amplification without tone block; midi sensor Roland GK-2.

In Eastern culture, deep frets play a special role - they increase the intonation flexibility of the instrument. For example, on a sitar, you can hold a string on one fret and play the entire scale, pulling it to the desired height. Of course, you can also do pull-ups and “bends” on an ordinary guitar. However, as Sergei explained, it won’t work higher than a tone and a half. This also requires a large scale. And to get around this limitation, guitarists make “machines” - Tremolo, Floyd Rose. “But the machine has another problem,” says Sergei. — She tightens or lowers all the strings at once. Therefore, mostly solo parts are played on typewriters. And I can pick a chord and play a single note, and the chord doesn’t “float” anywhere.

Always in service

“Grand Sadora” is notable not only for its design, but also for its special setting. The tuning on the top fingerboard is something between the Russian “seven-string” and the gusli. Just added an eighth string and overall it's lowered a bit. “With the help of side pegs, I wanted to add strings in the same way as on the ‘sitar’ block. But then I changed my mind,” says Sergei.

4 necks, 42 strings and 2 years of work. Gusli, mandolin and “regular” guitar in one instrument. This is Picasso's masterpiece. Yes, yes, that’s the name of this amazing instrument, designed by Canadian master Linda Menzer specifically for jazz guitarist Pat Metheny. “Pat asked me to make a guitar with as many strings as possible,” recalls Linda.” It has a thin spruce body. At the same time, the tuned instrument experiences a pressure of 400 kg - 4 times more than that of an ordinary guitar.

The five-string unit on the lower fingerboard is closest to the Indian veena instrument. “In general, this design allows you to combine different cultures, unite Slavic and Asian musical traditions,” explained Sergei. — For example, I “walk” with a pick from the beginning of the “sitar” to the very end of the lower neck. And there, on a five-string block, some Russian chord is clamped - you won’t hear such synthesis anywhere else.” By the way, Sergei can easily tune all 32 strings using a tuner in five minutes.

Or Harp-guitar, if in English. An instrument with more than two centuries of history and famous “users” from Italian virtuoso Pasquale Taraffo to Led Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page. In general, a harp guitar is any guitar with additional “open” strings - it is impossible to press them on a certain fret, so each string allows you to play only one note.

According to Sergei, in the “pure” sound in “Grand Sador” you can hear Russian gusli, harp, balalaika, sitar, vina and Arabic lute. But if you use that “heap of equipment behind the scenes”, which is based on a guitar synthesizer, “Grand Sadora” can be turned into any instrument in the world, even a wind or percussion instrument. “To play different sounds, it’s not enough to just attach a midi sensor to the saddle and set up a sampler,” says Sergey. — To convey the sound of oriental instruments, guitar technique alone is not enough. For example, suppose you have a piano at home. One musician will play Rachmaninov on it, another will play the blues. The tool is the same, but the thinking is different. If I ‘turn on’ a virtual duduk, then I’ll play a real one. Even if not virtuoso, I can do basic things. And if you want ‘like a sitar,’ you need to understand the oriental school.”

1934 Soviet Union. The first five-year plan is in full swing. In his free time from work, party organizer Shtryanin from the “Giant” collective farm in the village of Bessonovka keeps sawing and sawing, gluing and gluing in the kitchen and behaves, to put it mildly, very suspiciously. But don’t rush to conclusions, dear comrades! Shtryanin is just a self-taught inventor, and he saws and glues his precious brainchild - a 23-string electric guitar. History, or rather the archives of the Anthem (State Institute of Musical Science), is silent about where Shtryanin’s guitar is located now. However, along with drawings and photographs of the finished instrument, a letter from the master was preserved, in which he reports that he “has already played a concert in a rural club” and has set to work on a new innovation - also a guitar, now with 38 strings. The photo shows not Shtryanin’s guitar, but something similar.

To understand how the eastern school differs from the western one, we turned to Andrey Bochko, a specialist in Indian instruments. Andrey explained why a guitarist from a music school will never be able to play “like a sitar”: “To play an Indian piece, a European musician will have to learn everything all over again. In the Western school there are 12 notes in an octave, and in the Indian school there are 22. We have nothing between ‘C’ and ‘D-flat’. And in the Indian school, there are, roughly speaking, intermediate notes between them. You won't find such keys on a piano. But in general, guitars, violins and other European instruments allow you to extract them - for example, to make “sitar” braces in a quarter tone. The point is precisely in the playing schools - European musicians have never developed such capabilities.”

A stick is a special tapping instrument developed by Emmett Chapman in the mid-60s. Tapping or the so-called “piano technique” is a special way of producing a note by sharply hitting the string with a finger at a certain fret. This allows - unlike traditional playing, where both hands are involved in "creating" one note - to "split" the hands and play notes with all ten fingers. Now each hand can lead its own independent melodic line and play chords - just like on a piano. But on a traditional guitar, the tapping guitarist faces certain difficulties, so with the spread of tapping, the development of special instruments for it began. This is how the Stick appeared, which looks like an extremely wide neck from a guitar without a body with 8, 10 or 12 strings. And the guitar of master Mark Warr is Stick’s main competitor. Warr gives the guitarist the opportunity to use not only tapping, but also the well-known fingering and picking techniques.

Game of dice

Having looked at the Grand Sadora from the outside, we, of course, wanted to know what was inside. Guitar master Dmitry Sushkov told what ingredients he used to prepare such an unusual dish. Maple was chosen for the soundboard of the instrument, both for its special sonority and for its increased strength. Due to the large number of strings, the guitar's soundboard experiences enormous stress. For example, on a regular six-string, the strings create 80 kilograms of pressure. And the Grand Sador has as many as 32 strings. The neck is made of three layers (in some ways this is the standard for modern guitars) to avoid “skew”. The wood in the finished guitar constantly bends, breathes and absorbs moisture from the air.

The Tritara is a three-neck, six-string electric guitar designed by mathematicians Samuel Gaudet and Claude Gauthier of Montcona University in Canada. And also one of the most significant innovations in the field of stringed instruments in recent times. The very salt of Tritara is in the strings - they are Y-shaped. Unlike traditional linear strings, striking a Y-shaped string causes not only vibrations of the fundamental frequency and various harmonics (frequencies that are an integer multiple of the fundamental frequency), but also non-harmonic vibrations, which are characteristic, for example, of an instrument such as a gong, - explain the creators of Tritara. “Therefore, depending on the technique, Tritara covers the range from guitar to bell. Therefore, it represents a fundamentally new class of string instruments.

Fossilized mammoth bone for the thresholds was also not chosen by chance. This nut is present on all sitars and gives them a special sound. As it vibrates, the string rubs against the bone—hence the famous rattling sitar sound, rich in harmonics.

“This is perhaps the most non-standard project I have ever done,” said Dmitry. - And the most difficult one. At the very beginning of the seven-month development period, I consulted with a professional sitar player and studied the sitar. A lot had to be done manually; the old preparations simply did not work. Sometimes the tool had to be kept suspended for a long time - it did not fit on the machine. And we finished it with shell inlay - manually, using dental drills.”

By the first of October, on the first and until recently only pedestrian street in Moscow, the asphalt will be repaired, the facades will be restored, flower beds and benches will be installed, and catering and trade will be put in order.

And most importantly, they will be freed from what, according to officials, spoils the appearance of the capital’s popular tourist route and “does not correspond to the status” of the Arbat - “low-quality” bookstores and a “morally outdated” artists’ vernissage. The point is that souvenir sellers, artists, second-hand book dealers, as well as street musicians on Arbat will very soon have to leave their homes. The head of the capital's department of culture, Sergei Kapkov, said that Arbat has turned into a kind of “eastern market” and “attraction” in the very center of the city, and local deputies are “ashamed” that tourists see “the same Arbat” in such an unpresentable form.

Arbat has long ago acquired a reputation as a street of informals. During perestroika, Arbat turned into a place of pilgrimage for numerous Moscow subcultures. Dudes, rockabillies, metalheads, rockers, hippies, and Hare Krishnas gathered there. Street concerts took place almost every day. And in the 2000s, Arbat became one of the favorite places for city flash mobs, such as Kissing Day, Soap Bubbles Day and the like, which, however, caused discontent among local residents who complained about noise, garbage and “public toilets” in Arbat alleys .

In 2013, municipal deputies of the Arbat district took the initiative to ban mass holiday events and fairs on Arbat, as well as smoking and street trading. Now Arbat has been declared a smoke-free street - this was the first step in improving the street, although it is advisory in nature.

However, even now, even before the introduction of new rules, musicians feel that they are being forced out of Arbat. For example, they prohibit the sale of discs with their recordings or detain them after complaints from “initiative citizens.” " It's always the same two or three people, for example, shop owners"says Arbat musician Tey Tsurkava.

According to the musician, he has already been taken to a police stronghold several times just for sitting on Arbat and playing his instrument. He was detained, citing the fact that he was disturbing the silence. At the same time, Tay’s music is melodic meditative compositions, and he always ends his concerts before 21.00 - 22.00.

"The position of local residents is clear: they are categorically against musicians playing on Arbat at all", says the head of the Arbat municipality, Evgeny Babenko. According to him, residents of Arbat have been trying to make the street quieter for several years now. And this year the wishes of Muscovites may well come true.

ARBAT WILL PERISH WITHOUT MUSICIANS

Tey Tsurkava, photo from personal archive

If the fears are confirmed, and the new Arbat does not accept them back, the old-time Arbat musicians will leave. " Let's disappear into the city streets", says Tay Tsurkawa.

Thay plays the vitara, a string instrument based on the Indian sitar and guitar. He has been working on Arbat for a very long time - since 1986. The musician loves street concerts and is sure that without street performers this rather faceless pedestrian street will die.

With this outcome of the case, Sergei Sadov will most likely leave for Prague. Although he doesn’t want to leave the country: his music, which he calls original Russian, in the musician’s opinion, should be heard in Russia. But street performances are his life, and his instrument should sound, even if not on Russian streets.

Sadov has been playing on Arbat for more than 10 years. He invented a unique string instrument called the sadora - a synthesis of the lute, gusel, Celtic harp and sitar. Sadov spent several years learning to play the instrument. Today he regularly gives highly paid concerts, including abroad.

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Kunnla Manez, photo from personal archive

Musicians believe that Arbat, with the departure of artists or the introduction of strict control over them, will simply perish. Moreover, not only as a symbol of Moscow or an “art freeman,” but also in economic terms.

“On Arbat there are mainly cafes and souvenir shops. But that’s not why foreigners come here - they have plenty of such places in their homeland. They come to listen to musicians, talk to artists, look at acrobats and magicians. If we are not here, then the business will lose a lot of clientele,” says double bass player from Arbat Kunlla Manez.

Now Arbat musicians are waiting for autumn, when the Department of Culture will present the renovated Arbat to Muscovites. They wait and continue to play because they believe in street art. Street protests, in their opinion, are a sign of democracy. A channel for expressing your feelings, for creativity and experimentation, says Sergey Sadov.

Pavel MIRONOV

The police make it clear to Arbat musicians that if they continue to play without permission, they will be detained. The community of musicians decided to leave Arbat.

The musician told OVD-Info that when he went out to play that day, they were “already waiting for him.” “Seven police officers of a new unit - the tourist police (established in July 2014 to ensure the safety of guests of the capital and assist tourists - OVD-Info) approached. They came up and said: “We don’t see any violations.” Then Lieutenant Colonel Kotsur himself arrived (Deputy Head of the Arbat Department of Internal Affairs - OVD-Info), who organizes all this here on Arbat, puts pressure on the musicians, they called him. He called a car and said, “Take him away!” They said, “Well, what can we do? “We have to take it away,” and they took it away.” It was explained to Sadov that the reason for the arrest was a statement from local residents. According to the musician, this cannot be considered a legal basis, if only because he is located in a place on Arbat where there are no residential premises - opposite the Vakhtangov Theater.

“They bullied me at the department. I had to go up to the sixth floor, and I had heavy equipment. I say to the police: “Help, you’re younger.” And they: “We’ll call you an ambulance if you feel bad!” And I carried everything up and down myself - that’s the Gestapo,” says Sadov. According to him, he was required to sign a document stating that he would have to appear at the police station on the first call. The musician refused, saying that he could only appear if he received a summons.

Sergei Sadov. Still from the film “Legends of Arbat Music”

A few days earlier, Sadov was also detained and taken to the Arbat police station. This happened as a result of the so-called test purchase: according to the musician, the police sent “two schoolgirls” to him to buy CDs with his music, which, according to police officers, he was selling illegally. “They took the CDs, but forgot to give me the money! - says Sadov. - And at that time I had just landed, and I had no money. It turns out that they detained me, brought me to the department, took away my disks, and said: get the money. I said: “So I don’t have any money!” They sat down. It turned out that they took the man, took everything from him, but had nothing to show. Then they released me, they didn’t do anything. And yet the discs were not returned, no one is going to return them, they were stolen for souvenirs.”

Demidov told OVD-Info that in the spring of 2014, at the same time as him, “the instruments of eight musicians in Moscow were taken away, many simply did not stir up a scandal, and as a result, their instruments lay in police departments for three months. Now it’s all happening again.”

The musicians explain that most often arrests follow the same scenario. Mostly the same local resident, Lyudmila Koroleva, director of the Arbatskaya Lavitsa souvenir shop, contacts the police with complaints about the musicians. The Queen collected 60 signatures from residents protesting against the musicians on Arbat. “They have 60 signatures, we have thousands: both from guests of Arbat and from residents,” says Timur Tsurkava. Musicians note that she behaves aggressively, attacks them, and damages their instruments. They themselves apply for it, but to no avail. In a conversation with OVD-Info, Tsurkava emphasized that the deputy head of the OVD Kotsur and Koroleva work together, carry out joint raids along Arbat and put pressure on musicians. They also complained about Kotsur and contacted the prosecutor’s office, but, as Sergei Sadov says, the prosecutor’s office redirected their complaints back to the police department.

The musicians were accused of illegal trading due to the fact that they were selling their discs (the same Maxim Demidov was detained as a result of a “test purchase”). The musicians respond by asserting their right, in accordance with Article 44 of the Constitution on creative freedom and Articles 1268 and 1270 of the Civil Code, to make their own works public through publication and public performance, reproduction and distribution through sale. They print the discs themselves and contain exclusively their own music. “This has nothing to do with trade. If I were selling Jackson or Beatles records, then yes, probably,” explains Sergei Sadov. “We are not subject to the article “trade”, because our discs are our property, there is no added value, as with goods, they are not goods, they are a sound business card.”

The police recommended that the musicians register a private enterprise, after which there would be no complaints against their “trade.” “But you can’t engage in trade in pedestrian areas!” - Sadov retorts. At the same time, he refers to the order of the Moscow Department of Culture No. 210 of March 13, 2014, according to which artists have the right to perform in pedestrian areas. According to Sadov, now, after the resignation of the head of the department, Sergei Kapkov, who issued this order, Koroleva and her supporters (he calls them “false social activists”) have become active again “to ban cultural workers from pedestrian zones, to get them out of there.”

Maxim Demidov. Still from the film “Legends of Arbat Music”

At the same time, the police refuse to take into account the fact that the musicians do not invite anyone to listen to them in advance, do not announce their appearances on the street, do not distribute invitations, so their performance cannot be called either a performance or a concert. However, Article 20.2 here, apparently, is not applicable at all, since it does not deal with speeches, concerts, or especially playing on the street, which may attract the attention of passers-by, but with meetings, rallies, demonstrations, processions and pickets to express opinions and making demands on issues of foreign and domestic policy.

At the same time, the musicians themselves are not against creative activity on Arbat being regulated - but not by the police in conjunction with the residents, but by themselves professional musicians in conjunction with the Department of Culture. “So that they are responsible for this culture, so that they find new people or projects, so that the artists are the link that regulates activities on the streets. So that they can say about someone: “He sings obscenities, it’s bad for children, we don’t need such a person, he disgraces our culture.” And they asked the department or council to come and ask this person from here. They didn't take it! There is no need for repression,” says Sadov. Timur Tsurkava believes that on Arbat, as a significant place in the cultural and historical center of the city, “only professionals should represent our culture” (who should be paid a social package), but in the city there should be places, parks, “where anyone, even the most beginner, incompetent the artist and musician would have the right to perform.” The level of the speaker, in his opinion, should be determined by commissions consisting of professional artists.