The article presents the results of a study of an atypical source on the history of the legitimation of Russias imperial status in the 1730s: the musical tribute of the Italian composer Luigi Madonis to the Russian Empress Anna Ioannovna. The research is based on a Russian edition of a cycle of violin sonatas composed by a European composer in honor of the Russian Empress (a Book monument from 1738). For the first time, this source is being studied as an act of international recognition of the imperial status of the Russian monarchs, which was acquired in 1721 after Russia was declared an empire as a result of its victory in the Great Northern War. In addition to the musical material, the publication contains an engraving with a historical and political plot, as well as a sheet with a text dedicated to the Empress. The article provides information about the history of the creation of the musical and cultural monument under study, the results of its source study, the characteristics of the historical and political content of the monuments engraving (this engraving glorifies the foreign policy victories of the Russian Empress and proclaims the leading role of the Russian Empire in the international relations system of the time), as well as the results of studying the dedication text. It is concluded that the appearance in Russia of the tradition of presenting and dedicating musical and cultural monuments to monarchs by European composers is associated with Anna Ioannovnas desire to acquire new attributes of the ruler of a great power. Also, the appearance of this tradition is associated with the beginning of the formation of the European image of Russian enlightened absolutism.
Mikhail Chernigovskiy (Wed,) studied this question.
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