Some Remarks on Musical Symbolism of Philo’s Hermeneutics in “De Posteritate Caini”

Philo of Alexandria can hardly be called a philosopher, especially given a certain speculative or systematic philosophy. But also, contrary to the prevailing opinion in contemporary research, it could hardly be defined as an exegete, especially given the modern content of the term. At the same time, the impression remains that the most often associated concept with his name – allegory (allegorical interpretation) is usually perceived too narrowly, and not enough attention is paid to the actual literary and hermeneutical skills of the author. Modern translations of his works often do not reflect the symbolism used by Philo at all, as is the case with music imagery in the opening paragraph of De Posteritate Caini. The musical theme and symbolism in Philo's work undoubtedly deserve a special and thorough study, which would go far beyond the scope of this article.

Sonata for violin and piano as a Serafim Orfeyev’s creative views

The purpose of the article is to identify the intonation-content complex of the Sonata for Violin and Piano by the representative of the Odesa School of Composers Serafym Orfeyev in the area of the performer's interpretation of the symbolism of the sonata, comparison of similar works of Ukrainian composers in a specific historic period and identifying the original artistic concept of Orfeyev's work in accordance with his mindset. The scientific novelty is based on the fact that for the first time the work of Orfeyev, which has not yet been the subject of scientific research, is considered, and the significance of the composer's contribution to the development of the instrumental sonata of the XX century is revealed. Methodology. The personal features of the artist's creative preferences are determined through a complex of musical symbolism and reflection of the multiple meaning of the Orthodox church tradition of choral art, mythological information of folk-historical archaism in combination with professional achievements in the development of the chamber sonata genre. Conclusions. Sonata's analysis points to the signs of S. Orfeyev's stylistic search, which was expressed in the spread of the specifics of choral writing, to the comprehension of which (on the example of the works of Mykola Leontovych and Anatolii Lyadov) the composer paid great attention; in instrumental thinking, which was reflected in the saturation of the fabric of the ensemble work with a polyphonic plexus of voices, and especially hidden polyphony. The connection with folk art influences the reproduction of an expressive dynamic picture of a folk holiday. A rather complex synthesis of the dramatic and the lyrical creates a unique, deeply emotional concept of a musical work, which vividly complements the genre of the instrumental sonata with new features in the traditional romantic color.

The Idea of an ‘Icon in Sound’ in the Works of John Tavener

The aim of this article is to present an innovative concept of the ‘icon in sound’ created by the English composer John Tavener. The first part of the article presents the intermedial and intertextual features of Tavener's work, the second shows the genesis of the concept of ‘icon in sound’, to which three factors have contributed: 1) the composer’s interest in religious topics in his pieces, 2) the composer’s conversion to Orthodoxy, 3) collaboration with Mother Tekla, the author of the texts of many Tavener’s works. The last, third part of the article describes issues related to the formal structure and musical symbolism present in Tavener’s musical icons. The composer refers to painted icons by composing works characterised by static form and the expression of spirituality, mysticism and inner peace. These features result from the juxtaposing of melismatic structures, inspired by Byzantine music, with repetitive technique and dynamics often characterised by a low intensity. One characteristic of Tavener’s sound icons is a ‘luminous’ sound, achieved through the use of high registers of voices and instruments, which are combined with contemplative and lyrical expression. An important feature of John Tavener’s musical icons was the introduction of archaic elements, resulting primarily from the inspiration that the composer drew from the musical culture of the Orthodox Church (eg the use of Byzantine scales in Mary of Egypt, the introduction of instruments such as simantron in Mary of Egypt).

Musical symbols of good and evil in “Psalms of Repentance” by Alfred Schnittke

This article is dedicated to determination of the system of musical-expressive means used by Alfred Schnittke to symbolically reflect the ethical opposition of good and evil in the “Psalms of Repentance”. The relevance of this research is substantiated from the perspective of heightened attention of the composers of the XX century to the musical symbolism that replaced programmability. The study is based on the method proposed by E. M. Akishina for determining the symbols of good and evil in different layers of timbre and texture arrangement of instrumental compositions of A. Schnittke. Application of this method to “Psalms of Repentance” for a cappella choir allows tracing the manifestation of these symbols on the timbre, phonism, melodic arrangement, musical language, and composition. The novelty of this article consists in the fact that unlike instrumental music of A. Schnittke, his compositions for a cappella choir are viewed from such analytical perspective for the first time. The following conclusions were made: the choral and instrumental compositions of A. Schnittke contain a ramified system of musical-expressive means, which clearly distinguishes the symbols of good and evil;  these symbols outline the logic of dramatic development of each part of the “Psalms of Repentance”; their interaction within the framework of general concept of the cycle contains the ultimate ideological message – human choice, which determines his path along the line of sin as eternal Evil or through repentance – on the way towards God as the highest Good.

Ethnic Irony in Melvin B. Tolson's “Dark Symphony”

This article historicizes musical symbolism in Melvin B. Tolson's poem “Dark Symphony” (1941). In a time when Black writers and musicians alike were encouraged to aspire to European standards of greatness, Tolson's Afro-modernist poem establishes an ambivalent critical stance toward the genre in its title. In pursuit of a richer understanding of the poet's attitude, this article situates the poem within histories of Black music, racial uplift, and white supremacy, exploring the poem's relation to other media from the Harlem Renaissance. It analyzes the changing language across the poem's sections and, informed by Houston A. Baker Jr.'s study of “mastery and deformation,” theorizes the poet's tone. While prior critics have read the poem's lofty conclusion as sincerely aspirational toward assimilation, this article emphasizes the ambiguity, or irony, that Tolson develops: he embraces the symphony's capacity as a symbol to encompass multiple meanings, using the genre metaphorically as a mark of achievement, even as he implicates such usage as a practice rooted in conservative thought. The “symphony,” celebrated as a symbol of pluralistic democracy and liberal progress, meanwhile functions to reinforce racialized difference and inequality—a duality that becomes apparent when this poem is read alongside Tolson's concurrent poems, notes, and criticism. Such analysis demonstrates that “Dark Symphony” functions as a site for heightened consciousness of racialized musical language, giving shape to Tolson's ideas as a critic, educator, and advocate for public health.

The Musical Iconography of the Private Chambers of Studiolo and Grotta of Isabella d’Este

The article is dedicated to the analysis of certain components of the historical interior of the studiolo and grotta of Isabella d’Este, Marquise of Mantua (1474—1539). The article considers, in the imagological aspect, the decorative elements of her private chambers in the “Palazzo Ducale” as a form of personal and, at the same time, status representation of the wife of the ruler of the state and as a reflection of some aspects of the behavioral standard of the Renaissance noble lady. For the first time, the artistic design of the Mantuan studiolo (private studio)and grotta (adjoining storage room for art and rarities) is examined through extraction of musical imagery and musical symbolism, which had a special importance in authomythologization of Isabella d’Este and reflected her deep personal passion for music.Analyzing the contextual part of the allegorical painting by Lorenzo Costa the Elder (1504—1506) “Allegory of the Court of Isabella d’Este”, the article focuses on the proximity of the characters playing the “heavenly” lute and zither to the figure of Isabella d’Este. And the attainment of eternal life by Isabella, as the center of the harmonious world of wisdom and art, is considered to be the main conceptual message. The depictions of the musical instruments on the wooden intarsia are regarded in connection with the music practice of the Marquise and people around her, which is evidenced by numerous documents of the Mantuan Archive of Gonzaga. The incipit of the chanson by Ockeghem “Prenez sur moi votre exemple amoreux”, included in the decor, for the first time receives an extended interpretation as an indirect semantic message. The figures of Euterpe and Erato, with their usual flute and lyre, are, on the contrary, quite traditional and expected in this context on the doorway marble medallions. The ceiling impreses, with the enigmatic image of musical signs (viola key, metric designations and pauses), have a symbolic meaning. The article concludes that the purpose of inclusion of the musical decor in the design of studiolo and grotta is to indicate the status of Isabella d’Este as a ruler of the artistic world where music takes the main part.

Music as post-traumatic discourse: Nikolay Myaskovsky’s Sixth Symphony

This essay explores ways in which musicologists might extend work undertaken by humanities scholars in the interdisciplinary field of trauma studies that has highlighted the centrality of traumatic experience to modernist creativity. It is focussed around a case study of a musical composition that represents the emotional aftermath of a traumatic event, the Sixth Symphony of the Soviet composer Nikolay Myaskovsky (1923). A central concern is to demonstrate how the symphony’s musical symbolism is strikingly evocative of typical features of post-traumatic mentation, such as dissociation and emotional numbing, and the inhibition of the ability to mourn. It closes by considering the potential implications of the findings for understanding work by other modernist composers.

Perpetual Light

Through the visual and musical symbolism of the funerals of Ferdinand I, this chapter considers the ways in which resurrection’s role in the medieval community of faith was reimagined in Counter-Reformation Catholicism. By the time of Ferdinand’s death in 1564, the image of a universal Christianity had fractured, and the Holy Roman Empire was never again to be united by faith. In the imperial funerals in Vienna and Prague, however, ceremonial objects and polyphonic motets transformed resurrection’s ancient promises of reunion and triumph over decay into prophecies for the future of empire and of Catholicism. The funerals presented an overarching argument about the community of faith that marks a fundamental shift: whereas symbols of resurrection had been implicitly understood as common bonds, observers at Ferdinand’s funerals recast them as promises clear only to those whose faith had taught them to hear and see in particular ways.