Folklore tradition of the Novgorod region: the problem of the area

The subject of the study is the folklore traditions that existed on the territory of the Novgorod region. Veliky Novgorod is an ancient city that played one of the main roles during the formation of Russian culture and art. Various forms and types of folklore developed on his lands, which had a huge impact on the development of folk music in the Russian North, the Urals and Siberia. The objectives of the article include: clarifying the nature of the relationship between the modern administrative borders of the Novgorod region and local folklore traditions spread on its territory; clarifying the areas of these traditions, taking into account the border areas; highlighting the territory of the spread of folklore traditions representing the Novgorod folklore system proper. The methodology of the work is based on the principles of systematic study of folklore, which have developed in Russian science. One of the leading methods is the areal research method. The allocation of musical and folklore areas is carried out taking into account historical and ethnographic factors. The characteristic of local traditions is given on the basis of the genre composition of musical folklore, its stylistic and structural properties. The article establishes the boundaries of the concept of "Novgorod folklore traditions". It can be applied to the folklore and ethnographic system that developed in the settlement zone of the Ilmen Slovene tribe in the early period of Russian history. There are three folklore and ethnographic complexes on the territory of the modern Novgorod region – southwestern, central and eastern. The Novgorod traditions themselves were formed in Priilmenye, but they were most systematically preserved in the eastern part of the region, which was mastered by immigrants from the central zone.