Musical and Ethnographic Center named after E.V. Gippius
Employees
The E.V. Hippius Music and Ethnographic Center (MEC, formerly the Problem Scientific Research Laboratory for the Study of Traditional Musical Cultures) operates as an independent department within the Gnesin Russian Academy of Music. The Center's staff supports the educational process by:
- Facilitating group and individual sessions on folklore disciplines and providing teaching materials,
- Conducting field folklore practice for students,
- Assisting in the selection of illustrative materials and performance repertoire.
MEC staff engage in fieldwork, archiving, and scientific research on musical folklore, encompassing vocal, instrumental, and choreographic traditions.
The Center houses an archive of folklore recordings (on analog and digital audio media), a video library, a manuscript collection, and technical equipment necessary for conducting folklore classes, fieldwork, and chamber scientific research.
The scientific and methodological work of the MEC staff includes participation in international and nationwide symposia, conferences, and seminars addressing various areas of ethnomusicology. Every two years, the Center organizes the International Scientific Ethnomusicological Conference «Hippius Readings.»
Since 1957, with the involvement of teachers, students, and postgraduates, the Center has been conducting ongoing expeditions in various regions of Russia. The result of years of expedition work is the largest archive of musical folklore in Moscow. In recent years, efforts have been made to transfer these recordings to digital media.
Based on the collected field recordings, MEC staff develop auditory study aids for students, which include illustrative material on various course topics (regional traditions, genres of traditional Russian musical culture, etc.) and prepare compilations for written control listening assignments.
The Center's team continually works on research, publishing, and expedition projects that have received support from the Russian Humanitarian Scientific Foundation and the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation. The outcome of this work has been four volumes of the «Smolensk Music and Ethnographic Collection» («Calendar Rites and Songs,» «Funeral Rites: Laments and Memorial Verses,» «Seasonally Associated Lyrical Songs,» «Wedding of the Right Bank of the Dnieper: Ritual and Music»).
MEC staff provide ongoing methodological and consultative assistance to educators in Moscow and regional colleges and universities, as well as to staff of regional ONMCs concerning the teaching of folklore disciplines, conducting expedition folklore practice, and folk performance. This work is conducted both within the framework of scientific-practical seminars, regional festivals, and other events in various cities across Russia, as well as in Moscow.