Tsyganov, Nikolai Grigorevich
Tsyganov, Nikolai Grigor’evich
Born 1797 in St. Petersburg; died 1831 in Moscow. Russian poet and actor.
Tsyganov was the son of a freed peasant. From 1816 to 1828 he traveled around the country with the Saratov Theatrical Troupe. With the assistance of M. N. Zagoskin, he joined the Malyi Theater in Moscow in 1828. Tsyganov performed songs of his own composition, accompanying himself on the guitar. Little of his work was published during his lifetime; the first collection of his songs, Russian Songs by N. Tsyganov, was published posthumously in 1834 at the initiative of M. S. Shchepkin. The images and themes of Tsyganov’s songs resemble those of folklore. The most popular of his songs is “The Red Sarafan” (music by A. E. Varlamov). Tsyganov also collected folk songs, including those about S. Razin.
WORKS
Sobr. soch.: S pribavleniem noveishikh prostonarodnykh pesen, sobrannykh S. Korablevym, 2nd ed. Moscow, 1857.[“Pesni.”] In A. F. Merzliakov and N. G. Tsyganov, Russkie pesni. St. Petersburg, 1880.
[“Pesni.”] In Pesni russkikh poetov (XVIII–pervaia pol. XIX v.). Leningrad, 1936.