An Analysis of Musical Texts in the Song Tradition of Tsar’s Coachmen

This article analyzes the texts of the song tradition of the Tsar’s coachmen as a unique phenomenon of Russian folk culture. The relevance of the study stems from the need to preserve intangible cultural heritage, particularly song traditions that reflect the historical, social, and aesthetic features of 18th–19th century Russian life in the Republic of Sakha. The song texts of this tradition, combining musical and literary elements, played a significant role in the working and emotional lives of the coachmen but remain underexplored. The analysis of the musical components of these songs offers a deeper understanding of their genre and stylistic features, functional significance, and contribution to the development of Russian folk culture. The issue addressed is the insufficient study of the song culture of the coachmen, who, as an essential part of the transportation system and military logistics, created a distinctive folklore filled with symbolism, imagery, and stable genre traits. The study aimed to examine the musical texts of the Tsar’s coachmen's song tradition and identify their genre-stylistic characteristics. The tasks included analyzing the structure and content of the musical texts' genre specifics and identifying their melodic, rhythmic, and intonational characteristics. The methodological foundation of the study comprised the art historical analysis and a structural-semantic approach, which allow the examination of the texts in their lexical-syntactic organization, artistic imagery, and genre distinctiveness. The results revealed that each song closely reflects certain aspects of the coachmen's lives: work songs emphasize the physical and emotional hardships of labor; round dance and game songs highlight the collective nature of leisure; and soldier and love songs convey personal emotions. The prospects of the study lie in further exploration of the musical accompaniment of coachmen’s songs and their role in shaping the identity of professional communities. The findings expand the understanding of Russian folklore and its functions in the sociocultural space.