Male choir singing in Karelia in the context of Russian choral singing traditions

The article aims to reconstruct the fundamental bases of male choir singing in Karelia and the continuation of these traditions in the historical and cultural context of the region in the 19th-20th centuries. The article accurately documents the main events related to the development of male choir singing centered in the capital of Karelia, the city of Petrozavodsk. Scientific and reference literature, as well as periodicals reflecting the audience's reaction to the premier performances of choir and ensemble groups, are employed for this purpose. The article traces the path from Karelian runo singers and Old Believers to pre-reform traditions of Orthodox singing and further to the formation of secular culture of male choir singing. The scientific novelty of the research lies in the first-time connection of modern male choir singing with the traditions of runo singing and Old Believer church singing, as well as in tracing the development of a professional male choir. The research concludes that Karelia's peripheral political position contributed to the preservation of traditions of male folk singing (runo singing) and Old Believer singing. As a result, the need for male choir singing remained latent for a long time and was able to fully materialize only starting from the second half of the 20th century.