On Dramaturgy of Russian Romances of S.V. Rachmaninov

The relevance of the study is determined by the fact that the main field of Rachmaninov’s vocal creativity was lyrics, the world of personal feelings and moods. In its origins, it is associated mainly with Tchaikovsky’s legacy, which is also manifested in the general emotional “openness”, sincerity and immediacy of expression, and in some more specific stylistic characters. The novelty of the study determines that, like Tchaikovsky, Rachmaninov sought above all to capture the basic mood of a poetic text in a bright melodic image, showing it in growth, dynamics and development. Therefore, there are those long lines of rise, growth and pathetic climax, which Rachmaninov’s romances abound with. The authors show that he did not miss the experience of the senior masters of the “St. Petersburg school” with their careful, attentive attitude to the poetic word. Rachmaninov, with some rare exceptions, does not allow arbitrary permutations of words or repetitions that violate the form of the verse, his vocal declamation, as a rule, is accurate and distinct. In this regard, he was quite at the level of his time – the era of the highest, most refined poetic culture. The practical significance of the research is determined by the fact that the study of the heritage of the art of Rachmaninov will be important for the general study of the flow of musical culture of the period under study.

Sincere or heart-felt?: Sincerity, convention, and bilingualism in French and Spanish letters

The concept of sincerity has links to honesty, openness, and authenticity, including of feelings. As expressions of sincerity become formalized in epistolary practice, however, a tension arises between sincerity and the articulation of it. An examination of a corpus of private family letters in French and Spanish from the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries shows that use of the word ‘sincerity’ is much more common as an epistolary formula in French, where it had a broader semantic range, while authors writing in Spanish use other methods to index truth and emotional openness. The most frequent users of this formula are shown to be less skilled writers and bilinguals writing in their second language, suggesting a greater reliance on preconstructed formulae, especially in situations of increased linguistic and social distance. Finally, some bilingual authors transfer the pattern into Spanish, indicating that fixed phrases and formulae are available in a bilingual’s linguistic repertoire for pragmatic redeployment.

Maria Szymanowska as a recital pianist‑composer of the Romantic epoch

Вackground. The composer creativity of the talented Polish pianist Maria Szymanowska, her concert activity was arousing an exceptional interest among the public in the 1920s. However, shortly after her death, she was undeservedly forgotten for a long time. At the end of the XX – beginning of the XXI centuries a revival of interest in her work is observed. Her works are increasingly performed by contemporary musicians, and not only Polish (among them, for example, the Dutch pianist Bart van Oort is); international scientific symposiums are devoted to her creativity – in particular, in November 2015, the Сonference was held in Paris on the works by M. Szymanowska. In 2019, in connection with the 230th anniversary of this outstanding Polish artist, the Polish Sejm declared the year of Maria Szymanowska. The time distance between the eras and the change in cultural paradigms that has occurred today, prompt to rethink approaches to various cultural-forming activity in past eras, in particular, in the first half of the 19th century, to evaluate them from the standpoint of the modern creative thought. Indeed, the problems of choosing between universalism and specialization, of the search for effective means of artistic communication, the freedom of interpretation of the author’s text, with which M. Szymanowska has be faced, remain relevant and for modern cultural figures. In Ukraine, a steady interest in the music of M. Szymanowska, as well as the desire of scientists to study her works, has not yet been observed. The separate steps have been taken in this direction – for example, the publication of Maria Yanyshyn (2016), who is trying to explore some aspects of the creative work of the Polish artist, relying on modern methodological tools. Oddly enough, the concert activity of M. Szymanowska in Ukrainian cultural centers is also ignored: local historians did not publish a single critic review of her performances, although not only the Polish pianist was participating in such concerts, but also the local musicians. At one time, the example of such careful archival work was demonstrated by I. Belza (1956), who analyzed the newspaper reviews that were printed primarily in Moscow and St. Petersburg, and the correspondence of the figures of Russian culture, in which he found the references to M. Szymanowska and published them in his monograph. The present article intends to designate a corpus of problematic issues rather than thoroughly solve them. It cannot be said that and Polish scientists today made significant progress in their resolution, although Renata Suhovejko (2012) and others (Slavomir Dobzansky, Maria Stolarzhevich) touch on certain aspects Maria Szymanowska’s creative activity in their articles. The purpose of this article is to reveal the features of M. Szymanowska’s creative approaches to piano (concert) performing and composer activity, which are the object of this study. The subject of the study is the features of cultural arising, of the formation of creative attitudes and the principles of artistic activity, of the means of cultural communication and artistic interpretation of M. Szymanowska. The results of the study. The scientific novelty of the study is to identify little-known facts of Maria Szymanowska’s creative biography and their new interpretation, to form new ideas about the specifics of her creative methods in both piano and composer works. The important role of self-education in her creative development and the ability to self-development are emphasized, as well as the conscious cultural universalism, the penchant for innovation (for example, the introduction to concert practice of playing without the notes – from memory, playing in “three hands”, the rapid formation of playing skills on various types of instruments). Attention is focused on conflicting moments of the approach to the interpretation of copyright texts (for example, the frequent use of cuts). The comparative characteristics of pianism and individual creative methods of Maria Szymanowska and Clara Schumann also give in the article. Perhaps the most important difference between Clara Schumann and Maria Szymanowska was laying in their relation to the mission of the performer. Clara Schumann was among the first artists in the history of pianism who acted as a fairly strict “intermediary”, subordinated to the composer “guide” of his musical ideas to the listener. M. Szymanowska asserted the right of a performer to greater creative independence, taking the same position that, in essence, F. Liszt defended. At the same time, individual reading of the text, personal attitude to the work was important for both pianists. Emotional openness, lyricism and poetry, sincere performance, melodious full-blooded sound, large scale of the playing, ardent temperament, and a tendency to improvisation were distinguished the both from a number of pianists of the academic direction. Rationalistically verified approaches of M. Szymanowska to the organization of information support of her concert activity are determined, based on three communicative levels: there are friendship, professional contacts and short-term acquaintances. These communicative spheres realize in such directions of activity as maintenance of the albums of autographs, preparation and sending the letters of recommendation, establishing the contacts with the press, and the use of musical criticism. The latter becomes an instrument for the formation of an artistic myth that mobilizes the audience. The study also reveals, through which Ukrainian cities went along the route of the concert tours of the Polish pianist (Kiev, Tulchin, Zhytomyr, Dubno, Kremenets, Lviv and Vinnitsa). The success of the tour, confirmed by the press, proved the high competitive ability of M. Szymanowska in the European concert market, and the proficiency to offer an original creative product ensured a stable interest to her of the audience. Сonclusions. Using the example of M. Szymanowska’s creative biography, it is proved that on the basis of the growth of the personality’s cultural potential, the process of self-development, self-education acquires a conscious and focused character and contributes to the artist’s creative productivity. In a situation of the choice between specialization and universalism, M. Szymanowska demonstrates a penchant for creative universality. Her intensive performing and composing activities are marked by the search for effective means of artistic communication, by innovativeness, creativeness, emotional openness, freedom of interpretation of the musical text.

A Wartime Family Romance: Narratives of Masculinity and Intimacy during World War Two

This chapter focuses on a neglected facet of Scottish men’s sense of self – the expression of intimacy and emotion in the context of one man’s letters home to his wife during an extended posting abroad in World War Two. Emotional openness, vulnerability, affection, devotion, romantic love and desire - these are not qualities commonly identified in the narratives of masculinity in Scotland in the twentieth century. The war provided the backdrop for a correspondence which allowed a serving soldier to explore his emotional side, and sustain his marriage, not only by consuming narratives of love but producing them too. Through a close examination of personal correspondence this chapter argues that this correspondent encapsulated a modern masculine self that Scottish men were to practice with greater confidence in the postwar decades.