A rayok ( rus, раёк, p=rɐˈjɵk, "small

paradise In religion and folklore, paradise is a place of everlasting happiness, delight, and bliss. Paradisiacal notions are often laden with pastoral imagery, and may be cosmogonical, eschatological, or both, often contrasted with the miseries of human ...

") was a Russian fairground

peep show A peep show, peepshow, or, a peep booth is a presentation of a live sex show or pornographic film which is viewed through a viewing slot. Several historical media provided voyeuristic entertainment through hidden erotic imagery. Before the devel ...

. Performed using a box with pictures viewed through magnifying lenses, these were accompanied by lewd rhymed jokes. ''The Fall of Adam and Eve'' was one of the most popular topics. The term rayok has also come to be applied to rhymed humorous

talk show A talk show is a television programming, radio programming or podcast genre structured around the act of spontaneous conversation.Bernard M. Timberg, Robert J. Erler'' (2010Television Talk: A History of the TV Talk Show', pp.3-4Erler, Robert (201 ...

s, without peeping, featuring a kind of

rhymed prose Rhymed prose is a literary form and literary genre, written in Meter (poetry), unmetrical rhymes. This form has been known in many different cultures. In some cases the rhymed prose is a distinctive, well-defined style of writing. In modern literar ...

. The expression "to talk rayok", говорить райком, thus means to speak in a rhymed, humorous way, to

patter Patter is a prepared and practiced speech that is designed to produce a desired response from its audience. Examples of occupations with a patter include the auctioneer, salesperson, dance caller, magician, and comedian. The term may have been a ...

. Rayok, in both its peep show and talk show forms, has been an occupation of wandering artists called "rayoshniks". When used as the title for a piece of music, rayok implies a scurrilous entertainment, as in: *''

Rayok A rayok ( rus, раёк, p=rɐˈjɵk, "small paradise") was a Russian fairground Raree show, peep show. Performed using a box with pictures viewed through magnifying lenses, these were accompanied by lewd rhymed jokes. ''The Fall of Adam and Eve ...

'', an extended song by

Modest Mussorgsky Modest Petrovich Mussorgsky (; ; ; – ) was a Russian composer, one of the group known as "The Five (composers), The Five." He was an innovator of Music of Russia, Russian music in the Romantic music, Romantic period and strove to achieve a ...

also known as ''Peep-Show'' *''

Anti-formalist Rayok ''Antiformalist Rayok'' (), also known as ''Learner's Manual'', without opus number, is a satirical cantata for four voices, Choir, chorus, and piano by Dmitri Shostakovich. It is subtitled ''As an aid to students: the struggle of the realistic ...

'', a

cantata A cantata (; ; literally "sung", past participle feminine singular of the Italian language, Italian verb ''cantare'', "to sing") is a vocal music, vocal Musical composition, composition with an musical instrument, instrumental accompaniment, ty ...

Dmitri Shostakovich Dmitri Dmitriyevich Shostakovich, group=n (9 August 1975) was a Soviet-era Russian composer and pianist who became internationally known after the premiere of his First Symphony in 1926 and thereafter was regarded as a major composer. Shostak ...

also known as ''Little Paradise'', ''The Gods'' and ''A Learner's Manual''

References

Music of Russia Russian humour {{Russia-culture-stub

See also

References