Indian Culture and Music as a Source of Inspiration for French Opera Composers

"The current paper strives to discover and reveal the influences of Indian culture and classical Indian music in French operas. At first, the evocation of India was obtained through the subjects of the operas and stunning scenic designs, fulfilling the requirements of exoticism. Gradually, the composers attempted to include in their musical discourses exotic rhythmic and melodic elements, in some instances inspired by Indian classical music, thus aiming to evoke a genuine image of India. At the same time, the use of elements pertaining to Indian music (rāgas, rhythmic patterns, timbres) offered the musicians the possibility to create novel sound discourses. The analysis focuses on several operas, composed between the eighteenth century and the beginning of the twentieth century, following the evolution of Indian representations in several dimensions: dramatic (libretto), visual (scenic representations, dance), and musical (melody, rhythm, timbre). The present paper investigates the way Indian themes influenced the conception of the libretto, and at the same time the visual dimension of the works (setting, costumes), observing how these visual elements were gradually absorbed into the musical discourse (analysis of the melodic structures), through the incorporation of Indian rāgas in works conceived according to the rules of Western music composition. Keywords: exoticism, orientalism, India, French opera, rāga "

Style as a Topical Category of Modern Musicology and Music Education

"The aim of the work is to arrange the scientific achievements on the category of “musical performing style” and identify mechanisms for practical testing of theoretical provisions in the pedagogical activities of higher musical education institutions. The research methodology is based on a combination of general scientific and musicological approaches, in particular: system approach hermeneutic, historical, comparative, genre-style, interpretive method, as well as performance analysis. The results of the study indicate that domestic art schools were formed by synthesizing several national and historical style traditions. Music and performance schools were actively developing in parallel with the compositional work in Ukraine in the second half of the twentieth century; the work of representatives of those schools presents a fairly wide range of style research. A natural result of the studied problem of musical performing style should be its transfer to the practical plane of professional education of musicians and performers, formation of musical style competence in students. Kotlyarevsky Kharkiv National University of Arts was selected as an experimental platform for its formation. During 2019-2021, a pedagogical experiment continued to test the formation of musical and style thesaurus, performance and intellectual skills, professionally important qualities of music students. In the context of studying of different styles in the system of musical performance by the students of higher music education institutions, it is important that the art of music is constantly evolving and new directions and trends in music styles emerge almost every day in Ukraine and the world as a whole. This undoubtedly makes the need for further research on this issue urgent (usually with the use of advanced domestic and foreign experience in music education). Keywords: Style. Category. Art. Musical work. Musicology. Music education. Educational process. Organizational and methodological system."

Features of Irish Dance Music

"The focus of this paper is to bring into light the traditional categories of Irish dance music, emphasizing the musical characteristics that differentiate them. Energetic and effervescent, Irish dance music is rarely analyzed, with Irish folklore lacking a school of dedicated musicologists. The topic of this article is important in the context of the tensions related to globalization, commodification, and transformations in Irish Traditional Music, that scholars are examining. The paper includes musical examples of the traditional Irish dance music categories, for a better view of the phenomenon. Keywords: Irish music, dance music, ethnomusicology. "

Golden Era of Baroque Dance

"The reign of Louis XIV marks an important milestone in the development of dance and art. Convinced that visual arts and music would significantly contribute to a monarch’s authority, image, and glory, the “Sun King” coordinated artistic activities through establishing a significant number of royal academies. Through the Académie Royale de Danse the art of dancing was given a proper language and notation system for the first time in history. On the other hand, the Académie Royale de Musique was tied to the birth of a national operatic style. Opera was the perfect tool for an idealistic and majestic projection of a nation’s monarch. Keywords: baroque dance, Louis XIV, dance notation systems, ballet de cour, royal academies, Jean-Baptiste Lully, music, opera. "

The Evolution of Italian Melodrama: from Donizetti to Verdi

"This study presents the evolution of the Italian melodrama of the nineteenth century, having as a major composer exponents such as Gaetano Donizetti and Giuseppe Verdi. The rich culture of the Italian Romantic space, as well as the socio-political events of the 19th century, influenced the mentality and style of opera composers. Thus, titles such as “La donna del lago” (1819), “Wilhelm Tell” (1829) – G. Rossini, “I Capuleti e i Montecchi” (1830) – V. Bellini, foreshadow the new directions of Italian romantic opera. The maturation process of Italian romantic opera is crowned by Gaetano Donizetti and Giuseppe Verdi, who, through melodrama, achieve important stylistic synthesis. Keywords: Italian, melodrama, evolution, Donizetti, Verdi"

The “Fatality” Motif – a Defining Element in the Musical Dramaturgy of the Opera Carmen by Georges Bizet

"The subject of this study deals with the presence of the “fatality” motif in the musical dramaturgy of Bizet’s opera Carmen. A musical portrait of the main character, it defines from the very beginning her tragic destiny. The present analytical approach identifies all the insertions of this musical motif along the development of the dramatic plot, in an intrinsic relationship with the text. Keywords: Bizet, Carmen, opera, fatality, musical dramaturgy "

The Polonaise in Frédéric Chopin’s Works. Andante spianato and the Grande Polonaise Brillante Op.22

"The present study is focused on the musical genre of the polonaise and its particularities in Chopin’s creation, with precise reference to Andante Spianato and The Grande Polonaise Brillante, Op. 22. Chopin’s substantial contribution to the genre consists of the transformation of a gallant dance of conventional harmony into a veritable heroic chant of prodigious harmonies. Due to a proficient transformation of a folk motif, Chopin is able to introduce folklore in his major works, according to the larger trend of national awareness that required the artists’ return to the folklore sources of inspiration that were able to express the national yearning for freedom. Far from the solemnity of the courteous dance, these pieces become programmatic musical poems, sprung from the most noble of emotions, the love for one’s country. The nostalgic chromatics, diffused throughout Chopin’s entire creation, is augmented by the call for resistance in front of the historical events (Poland’s loss of political independence). The polonaises Chopin composed at maturity had a new form, transforming into veritable epic poems which depicted images of Poland’s heroic past as visions impregnated by lyric pathos and pain for the country’s troubled history. Although their common feature is the epic and grandiose tone, Chopin’s polonaises are extremely varied and versatile, characterized by grandeur and dramatism. The work proposed for analysis – Andante spianato in G Flat – is based on the principles of stanzas and variation and has the structure of two stanzas of A B type, followed by a Coda. Chopin added the coda as an introduction (only around 1843-1835, in Paris) to The Grande Polonaise Brillante, Op. 22 (composed in 1831). Although intensely contrasting, the two parts seem to be connected exactly by this difference. This is the process that describes the genesis of The Grande Polonaise Brillante prédécès d'un Andante Spianato Op 22. Keywords: polonaise, folklore, ornamentation, chromaticism, variation, rubato. "

J. G. Tromlitz’s Articulatory Phonetics in Flute Sound Formation

"The paper considers articulatory phonetics and specific features of its use in flute performance. The historical stages presented of phonemic bases formation and development for flute articulation during the 16-18 centuries. Flute treatises by S. Ganassi, J.-M. Hotteterre, A. Mahaut, Ch. DeLusse, J. J. Quantz are considered in chronological order, as well as analysis of “Auführlicher und gründlicher Unterricht die Flöte zu spielen” by J. G. Tromlitz. Technological aspects are disclosed of using various phonemic structures outside the speech process to develop tongue motility and generate various types of tonguing while playing the flute. The role is identified of і and а vowels in modelling instrument phonation mechanism and their influence on sound tone and volume. The main elements are highlighted of speech and vocal types for flute articulation, as well as their differences. The vocalization significance is analysed in relation to tone development and the instrument sound uniformity in the lower and upper registers. The significance is disclosed of J. G. Tromlitz’s contribution to the flute articulation development and his innovative vocalization approaches to phonation technique. Keywords: flute, articulation, phonetics, phonemic structures, vocalization, sound production, embouchure. "

The Role of Facial Expressions in the Art of Musical Conducting

"Facial expressions can be regarded as an accurate reflection of the inner emotions people manifest towards the surrounding reality, filtered through their own emotional „strainer”. The source of these feelings lies not only in external influences, but also in a man's own thoughts, experiences, level of education and culture, as well as the degree of development of their own volitional and emotional capacities, in which muscle movements are merely just a simple mechanical means of rendering. The entire array of facial expressions acts as a unitary system which does nothing but complete the movements of the conductor's hands, filling them with meaning. We can say that this type of communication represents a way of combining the most delicate, vibrant, profound, and subtle feelings. It would be impossible to imagine that the movement of the arms, unsupported by the expression of the eyes and face or by the position of the body, were able to express a large array of emotions (joy, pain, sadness, rage, fear, surprise, or confidence) accurately and unequivocally. Keywords: facial expressions, mimicry, nonverbal communication, conductor, performance. "

Jenő Ádám’s Church Music Compositions

"In the present study I intend to present the church music compositions of Jenő Ádám. I will analyze the choral works of the composer that were based on the melodies of Protestant church hymns. The composer was also active as a conductor, but his name is primarily known in the field of music pedagogy. He played an important role in the elaboration and implementation of the Kodály method. In his works pertaining to church music, he adapted the melodies of the most representative church hymns of different ages. He uses both homophonic and polyphonic approaches with his works that have strophic structure or are through-composed. Keywords: Genevan Psalter, Protestant hymn, Kodály method, strophic form, through-composed works, homophonic and polyphonic approaches in composition."