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2021 ◽  
Vol 62 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 117-138

Abstract It has been a hot topic in Bartók literature whether he followed some particular order, or relied on creative intuition when he composed. His own statem ents appear to be ambiguous, that is, he occasionally stressed that he consciously worked out his musical language, but on other occasions he emphasised the role of intuition. A contrapuntal short piece from the Forty-Four Duos, namely no. 37 “Prelude and Canon”, can be considered an appropriate material in order to examine how these different viewpoints are applied in an analysis (and to evaluate how appropriate the application of these viewpoints is). From a technical point of view, the Canon part of this piece deserves special attention, as it contains three different types of canon one after another. While the dux always remains in E, each comes is on different degrees (G, A, then B) and different temporal distances (one, two, and three crotchets). This can be regarded as a kind of compositional virtuosity; especially because it is not easy to write such canons on an original theme, much less on an original folk tune. Thus, this piece might be considered an example of how Bartók rationally and consciously worked out his compositions. Such a view can be refined, or possibly superseded by the examination of the original folk tune. The genre of the original folk tune, “párosító” [matchmaking song], as well as the way of its actual performance on the original recording gives us an insight into how an apparently systematic application of the compositional technique is nevertheless related to what we would call a secret programme. Thus, it was probably not only a particular folk song but also the people's life surrounding the folk song which fascinated the composer, and he tried to vividly encode a typical village scene into a piece of art music.


2021 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Cristina Losada

Recognized as a critic, composer, teacher, conductor and impresario, Pierre Boulez left a huge footprint that defined the trajectory of European concert music during the second half of the twentieth century. With the composition of Le Marteau sans maître (1953–1955) and several subsequent works from the mid-1950s and early 1960s, he established himself as one of the most important composers in his artistic circle. His compositional approach changed radically during the course of this time period.  Although many of his pitch organization techniques were only unraveled several decades later, innovations with respect to other parameters of the musical language had a clear and immediate impact. Keeping this in mind, with this intentionally provocative title, I would like to discuss how Latin America played a decisive role in the career of this enormous figure of twentieth-century music.  After presenting a brief summary of his professional trajectory, I will discuss the three tours he made of Latin America at the beginning of the 1950s, which, considered within the frame of his interest in ethnomusicology, were crucial to his career. They gave him the space and inspiration for crucial innovations in his development as a composer. By reference to Boulez’s writings, and based on a critical reading of the works that reflect the influence of Latin American music, I will discuss how some of the most important changes in his musical language, like his emphasis on elements of contrast and resonance, were inspired by his experiences on this tour, as much, or more, than by more recognized influences, like Japanese and African music. This has some considerable implications, given that Boulez’s new musical language had tremendous impact on the development of the European avant-garde in the second half of the twentieth century. Haciendo referencia a los escritos del compositor y tomando como base una lectura crítica de las obras que reflejan la influencia que recibió de la música latinoamericana, discutiré cómo algunos de los cambios más importantes en su lenguaje musical fueron inspirados por las experiencias de Boulez en sus giras en esta región, tanto o más que por influencias más reconocidas, como la música japonesa y la música africana.  Esto tiene implicaciones importantes, dado a que el nuevo lenguaje musical de Boulez tuvo un impacto considerable en el desarrollo de la vanguardia europea después de la segunda guerra mundial.


Author(s):  
K.V. Zenkin

Dante’s impact on music has been studied completely enough, but so far mainly in an empirical and descriptive way. The article examines the works of romantic composers of the 19th - early 20th centuries, based on the plot of Dante’s “Divine Comedy”: Liszt’s fantasy-sonata “After reading Dante” and the “Dante-Symphony”, the “Francesca da Rimini” by Tchaikovsky (symphonic fantasy) and Rachmaninoff (opera). The author analyses compositional and stylistic models of the romantic music inspired by Dante’s poetry as a system, which is relevant for modern musicology, in particular, for the theories of musical language, style, and musical meaning. Along with the traditional musicological methods of analysis of form and intonational dramaturgy, an interdisciplinary methodology is applied, associated with the coverage of the entire system of musical compositional prototypes as a structuring of meaning. This has a pronounced narrative poetic nature in romantic music. The results of the study demonstrate a system of structural and semantic invariants (secondary, musical models) conditioned by Dante’s figurative world and manifested in melody, harmony, fret organization, composition. The conclusions of the article reveal the roles of Dante’s models of the world in the works considered in the following aspects: in the process of extreme intensification of the contrasts of romantic music in the semantic coordinates of “Hell – Paradise”; “Love – Death”; in the approval of the concept of Liebestod; in the creation of new, extreme expressive possibilities for the given style, which significantly expanded the idea of the boundaries of beauty and caused transformations in musical sound (harmony, texture, melody); in the formation of stable idioms of romantic music from Liszt to Rachmaninov; in the modification of the structures of a one-part sonata, of the cyclic symphony, and of opera, which have received the quality of a vectorial dramaturgical process and open dramaturgy.


2021 ◽  
Vol 34 (2) ◽  
pp. 11-26
Author(s):  
António Baptista ◽  
Carlos Guardado da Silva

This article presents the results of a documentary research regarding the current state of Organization and Representation of Musical Information (ORMI) in Portugal. Many authors describe the national scene of ORMI as very shortcoming, due to the usual difficulties: time vs. detail in the description and lack of knowledge of musical language by the technicians Information professionals. A survey of the monographs and articles as of 2011 that make a critical revision to the works of ORMI of several institutions was made, aiming to: 1) perceive their current state and 2) understand its strengths and weaknesses. We identified in these studies the analytic categories to create afterwards a classification structure by disciplinary areas, which shows semantic, structural and quality heterogeneity. The majority of Finding Aids are being produced by musicology projects with structures that respond to their information representation needs.


2021 ◽  
Vol 66 (2) ◽  
pp. 123-132
Author(s):  
Eszter Szabó

"In this study, I explore the life and work of three outstanding pianists and composers in the late 19th and early 20th century: Medtner, Rachmaninoff, and Scriabin, who were not only contemporaries and colleagues but also supportive friends to each other. All three were largely influenced by their years at the Moscow Conservatory, where they became prominent pianists and first showed promise as composers. They received similar impulses and could learn from the same teachers. As a defining common element in their lives, they explored and strived to combine Russian musical traditions and Western classical music. At the same time, their different personalities are apparent from their music, so despite their common roots, their individual musical language is unmistakable. Even at the beginning of their careers, it was clear that despite the commonalities, their lives and careers took a different direction. All three tried their luck abroad, but only Scriabin returned home for the rest of his short life. In addition to their distinct life paths and musical language, their recognition is quite different. Scriabin’s name sounds familiar to many, but he does not belong to the most popular composers of our time. Rachmaninoff’s widespread popularity can be observed among professional musicians as well as the public. In contrast, it is not impossible to meet a professional for whom Medtner’s music is unknown. This is not necessarily explained by disparities in talent and abilities but rather by differences in circumstances, opportunities, and personalities. In this study, I attempt to shed light on the reasons for the three composers’ contrasting popularity from the perspective of their life and work. Keywords: Russian composers, Russian music, Late 19th, and early 20th century, Rachmaninoff, Scriabin, Medtner "


2021 ◽  
Vol 24 (24) ◽  
pp. 199-214
Author(s):  
Liubchenko Valeriia

Statement of the problem. The article examines the theatrical heritage of Les Kurbas, the founder of Shevchenko Kharkiv Academic Ukrainian Drama Theatre (originally called «Berezil»). Les Kurbas is the reformer of the Ukrainian theater; his theatrical ideas demonstrate a new understanding of the synthesis of the arts. He concentrated his creative aspirations not only on acting, but also on all components of the performance, in particular on music. The paper examines methodically the application of the basic principles of Les Kurbas Theatre – the co-authorship of the director and composer – in Kharkiv theatre. The article also studies the works by H. Frolov – talented Kharkiv composer. The critical legacy dedicated to the works of Les Kurbas does not fully illuminate the uniqueness of his views regarding directing and the originality of the musical language in the genre of dramatic performance (CherkashynaHubarenko, 2002; Hordieiev, 2003; Yermakova, 2012; Labinska, 2012). There are a number of works devoted to the issues of music in theater (Kurysheva, 1984; Kozyurenko, 1986; Tarshis, 2010; Matsepura, 2013; Lesakova, 2017; Oseeva, 2019; Kovalchuk, 2017; Nurtazin, 2013; Spagnolo, 2017). The novelty of our research. The paper investigates musical component in the current practice of Shevchenko Kharkiv Academic Ukrainian Drama Theatre and creative method of its leading composer H. Frolov. The aim of the article is to reveal the interconnection of music with the stage elements of the performance. The study of the stage play “Suicide” in Kharkiv Drama Theater required the implementation a number of scientific approaches: historical and genetic, studying the modern function of music in the analyzed dramatic performance in Kharkiv Drama Theater, the origins of which go back to Kurbas “Berezil”; a comparative analysis, revealing the ways of preserving old traditions in modern performance; genre analysis, investigating the embodiment of the comedy dell arte in the musical scenes; stylistic analysis, revealing the composer’s thinking in making the director’s decision regarding stagecraft. The presentation of the main material. The article analyzes a musical component in the stage performance “Suicide” based on the play by Nikolay Erdman (1928), reinterpreted by our contemporaries – the stage director Stepan Pasichnyk and the composer Henadii Frolov. The work reviews the production itself and the acting troupe. The article outlines the inheritance and development of the traditions in Les Kurbas Theatre regarding the mutual work of the composer and director, aimed at the organic fusion of the stage action and musical accompaniment of the performance. Conclusions. Dramaturgical and genre-compositional analyzes of the performance detected such distinctive features of the individual style of H. Frolov as: musical organization of the stage with one intonation, which, depending on the drama, can be flexible and transformative, acquiring new meanings and qualities and thus making the musical development monothematic; unity of the figurative and semantic layers of music with the director’s concept of the performance; transformation of genre features of tragic farce and commedia dell’arte.


2021 ◽  
Vol 24 (24) ◽  
pp. 37-53
Author(s):  
Lysychka Oleksandr

Statement of the problem. The relevance of the article lies in revealing the peculiarities of the composer’s way of appeal to the national cultural heritage. The aim of the study is to determine the principles of embodiment of “the nationally English” in the symphonic etude “Falstaff” by Edward Elgar. The main method of the research is drawing parallels, on the one hand, and between the embodiment of the English national character through the image of Falstaff in musical and dramatic works, on the other. Research results. A conclusion is made that the main factor creating strong ties between the “symphonic etude” and the national tradition is spectacular national characterisation. Moreover, for the sake of applying the “English” the composer consciously and significantly changes his musical language. The author turns to very detailed programme (unlike general type of programness in most of his works), and that allows him to scrupulously depict the plot of Shakespeare’s chronicle on which he focuses on. Elgar also portrays overtly humoristic situations, for the first time in his symphonic works, because it would be impossible to disregard this side of Falstaff’s character, as it is the contrast of comical in the beginning and solemn in the denouement that create the tragic effect. The structural side of the composition is also unprecedented as it is formally has one movement, but the composer himself divides it in four parts (ignoring the arrangement of events in “Henry IV” in two parts) while all the parts are connected in various ways. As a result of this, “Falstaff” becomes the longest single-movement symphonic composition of Elgar. The composer favours linear type of musical thinking, integrating it with sudden “flashes” of thematically significant elements in different strata of the texture, and this all combined provides completely lush, unpredictable sonority of the orchestra. On the top of this, the author extensively uses themes with obvious genre genesis, especially in order to depict Shallow’s Gardens, although it is possible to find more traditional for Elgar passages with generalised type of intonation. Such characteristic for Elgar principles, as multi-thematism and elusion of the tonal centralisation (while using quite traditional chords in every given moment) find their new meaning regarding illustrative role of the music. A conclusion is made that the “Britishness” of the symphonic etude lies not in the use of folk intonations or allusions to the past of professional music, but in meticulous attention to W. Shakespeare’s text: both on levels of portraying or interaction between the “characters” and form-creating according to the scenes. Despite the fact that E. Elgar’s musical language seems to be quite distant from Falstaff’s comical essence, the composer was able to find means adequate to the character’s image, such as “wandering” tonal structure; superficial, but rather important analogy between quite large scale of a single-movement work and Falstaff’s body image; narrative orchestration.


2021 ◽  
Vol 24 (24) ◽  
pp. 71-89
Author(s):  
Sagalova Hanna

Background. For anyone creating his own interpretational version of a work which belongs to Baroque culture it is highly important to understand semantics of a given key, which in this day and age becomes a valuable asset to reveal the composer’s intention, including the works like French Suite in D minor by J. S.Bach. The approach, suggested in the article, elaborates existing studies, providing them with new meaning. The aim of the article is to reveal the significance of a key in the Baroque music, particularly in J. S. Bach’s works, as a premise for present-day musicians creating new versions of performance. Methodology of a research is founded on historically-theoretical and interpretational methods of analysis. Results. The genre of a keyboard suite holds an important place in J. S. Bach’s legacy. French Suite in D minor is the first one among others. Allemande is written in accordance with the customs of their time. At the same time, tonal development of each movement reflects general aesthetic principles of movement, realizing pivotal idea of the genre. The change in tonal reference points, which happens in the frameworks of Tonic – Dominant relations, shows diverse colours and tension of the development within one key. Allemande’s harmonic complexity exposes semantical sense of the key, which influences other dances. Sarabande is presented as a concentration of ‘funebre’ lyricism, the sense of Gigue is reconstructed due to the change of expected time signature 3/8 to 4/4 and usage of pulsating dotted notes. Courante and two Menuettos are marked by a certain simplicity and “transfiguration” of musical language, which causes not only a genre, but also imagery and semantical contrast. French Suite in D minor is a relatively difficult material for creation of performer’s interpretation. Contrasts of tempo and mood of the dances typical for this genre are not so obvious in this suite as compared to other J. S. Bach’s suites in minor keys. General atmosphere of reserve and inner tension is stressed by the key of D minor, which shapes the whole cycle’s character. Conclusions. The above mentioned peculiarities of J. S. Bach’s French Suite in D minor define the performance interpretation, designed to reveal dialectic unity of opposites in compositionally-dramaturgical structure of the Suite. The performer chooses means, aimed both at creation of macro-unity and at reveal of typological features of the suite genre which is based on contrast. One of the main factors contributing to unity is tempo of performance: apart from quite similar tempos of Allemande and Courante, Gigue is noteworthy, too, as its tempo due to peculiarity of melody and pathos, uncommon for the genre, is “decelerated” in a natural way. Suite contrast can be revealed through articulation and touche, as well as through tempo in view of singularity of Sarabande. Basing on the piece under analysis, we may state that in Baroque era D minor key was already interpreted as a bearer of complex and profound meaning, devoid of mundane, as a subjective key, retaining, however, possibility to be used to reveal objective generalising senses. Thus, we think it should be a “zone of special attention” for performers.


Author(s):  
Шаоин Го

Исследуется творчество композитора-философа Пауля Наторпа, фигура которого в русскоязычном музыкознании практически не представлена. Отдавая себе отчет в том, что его творчество может вызывать интерес с самых разных точек зрения, мы фокусируем свой научный интерес на Сонате fis-moll для скрипки и фортепиано, созданной в период активного формирования новых художественных течений в музыке начала ХХ века. На примере произведений так называемого «второго ряда» Соната fis-moll может служить довольно ярким примером процессов обновления музыкального языка, в том числе на основе переосмысления классического наследия. Музыковедческий анализ Сонаты для скрипки и фортепиано fis-moll осуществляется в опоре на историко-стилевой метод и интертекстуальность. Доказано, что, будучи созданной в русле традиций Бетховена, Шумана и Брамса, Соната fis-moll для скрипки и фортепиано отмечена самобытностью и оригинальностью. Теоретическая значимость работы определяется заполнением лакуны в истории становления жанра скрипичной сонаты в немецкой композиторской школе. Практическая значимость связана с возможностью обогатить скрипичный репертуар за счет знакомства с камерным жанром, представленным в творчестве немецкого музыканта-философа. This work is dedicated to the work of the composer-philosopher Paul Natorp, whose figure is in practice not represented in Russian-language musicology. Realizing that P. Natorp's work can arouse interest from a variety of points of view, we focus our scientific interest on the fis-moll Sonata for violin and piano, created during the active formation of new artistic trends in music at the beginning of the twentieth century. Using the works of the so-called “ second row” as an example, the fis-moll Sonata can serve as a vivid example of the processes of updating the musical language, including on the basis of rethinking the classical heritage. The musicological analysis of the fis-moll Sonata for violin and piano is based on the historical-stylistic method and intertextuality. It is proved that, being created in line with the traditions of Beethoven, Schumann and Brahms, the fis-moll Sonata for violin and piano by P. Natorp is noted for its musical identity and originality. The theoretical significance of the work lies in filling a gap in the history of the formation of the violin sonata genre in the German school of composition. Practical significance is associated with the opportunity to enrich the violin repertoire through acquaintance with the chamber genre presented in the works of the German musician-philosopher.


Author(s):  
Savchenko Hanna

Statement of the problem. Neo-Classical and serial (late) periods of I. Stravinsky’s creativity are marked by the shifts in his musical language, which found their reflection in his orchestral writing. “Universals” of style and genre (term of Savenko (2001: 105–163) retain their relevancy. Constant principles of orchestral writing (multi-figure composition, combinatorics and plastique) are used in different combinations. Analysis of recent research and publications. While there are numerous studies devoted to I. Stravinsky’s Neo-Classical and serial (late) periods, no works have composer’s orchestral thinking and orchestral writing as an object of special examination. Thus, scarce studies regarding aspects of composer’s orchestration become even more valuable: about orchestral texture (Schnittke, 1967; Schnittke, 1973, Savenko, 2001; Kashyrtsev, 2020), or interpretation of timbres (Savenko, 2001; Savenko, 2011, Kashyrtsev, 2020), or interconnection of orchestral and harmonically-modal thinking (Gurkov, 1987), or editions (Timofeev, 2014; Timofeev, 2019). The purpose of this article is an examination of specifics of I. Stravinsky’s orchestral writing from the standpoint of peculiarity of application of constant principles of orchestral writing (multi-figure composition, combinatorics and plastique) in the ballet “Jeu de cartes” and the Variations (Aldous Huxley in Memoriam). The novelty of the article is caused by: 1)reveal of beforementioned principles; 2) examination of their existence in evolutionary perspective; 3) bringing attention to relevant problems of orchestration in I. Stravinsky’s works of Neo-Classical and late periods of creativity; 4) formulation of original scholarly definition of the term “orchestral writing”. Methods. In this article stylistic method is used – to study evolutionary processes of composer’s style in dialectic unity of constant and innovative; functional – to examine specifics of functional organisation of orchestral texture; comparative – to reveal different ways in which constant principles of orchestral writing are used on different stages of composer’s evolution. Results and Conclusions. Constant principles of orchestral writing (multifigure composition, combinatorics and plastique), which have already emerged in the primary period, are present in the works of Neo-Classical and late periods in different configurations of their relations. In the ballet “Jeu de cartes” multi-figure composition loses its role in comparison to the early works and is applied hidden due to: 1) motive variants (with the motives being stressed by timbre, texture or register); 2) textural complementarity (which means that multiple figures are used in timbrally-textural algorithm); 3) creation of “protracted” melody, in which the role of motivic “formula” is reduced (which is typical for I. Stravinsky’s Neo-Classical period). At the same time, continuity emerging in Neo-Classical works meets the tendency towards discretion due to influence of such principles as combinatorics and plastique, which retain their relevancy, being realised in different variants in the conditions of functional “clarity” of a texture, as it is a trait of composer’s Neo-Classical musical idiom. The orchestral writing of the Variations (Aldous Huxley in Memoriam) is defined by the principle of combinatorics with the usage of plastique. Serial technique contributed to its reveal. At the same time, the role of multi-figure composition is reduced to a bare minimum, which was caused by rejection of melodic “formularity”.


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