On the Word Lād in Russian: Connecting Cooperage, Sound and Art

One of the central notions of Russian musical theory, the word lād is unique and enigmatic both because of its origin and its entry into musical terminology in the 19th–20th centuries. In Russian music theory, where foreign words prevail, the word lād is remarkable not only for its Slavic origin and for including other musical terms of Slavic origin in its terminological «circle» (ustoï (stable) – neustoï (instable)), but also for the fact that it became one of the key notions and to a certain extent a turning point in the comprehension of music in Russia. The article examines the semantics of this word in diachrony and suggests a “key” or “transitional” meaning, that could clarify the evolution and the transition of this word mostly into music sphere. This meaning is a ‘stave of the barrel’ or a ‘gap between staves of a barrel’. This meaning combines craft, connectedness, sound, harmony, aesthetics and outlines the main trajectories of the evolution of meaning in this word and derived words. Semantic parallels between the Russian word lād and the Greek word ἁρμονία also allow us to emphasize some lines of development of the musical meaning of the word lād.