Вокально-симфонічна поема «Чернець» Михайла Вериківського: культурно-історичний та жанровий виміри

Abstract

Research objective is highlighting the cultural and historical circumstances of the formation of the vocal-symphonic poem “The Monk” conception by Mykhailo Verykivsky in the context of the composer’s general artistic pursuits and identifying the genre specificity of the work. The research methodology is based on historical-typological and genrestylistic methods of analysis, which allow solving a complex of issues related to the awareness of the artistic value and historical significance of Mykhailo Verykivsky’s work. Scientific novelty is determined by the study of the poem by Mykhailo Verykivsky “The Monk” in terms of the specifics of its cultural-historical and genre characteristics. For the first time, the object of study is the vocalsymphonic work by Mykhailo Verykivsky as an artistic and aesthetic reflection of the composer’s personality and an important stage in the expansion of the genre system of Ukrainian music of the 20th century. Conclusions. Mykhailo Verykivsky turns to the poetry of the great Kobzar during the dramatic years of the Second World War and chooses a work that is complex in its dramaturgy, in which different time dimensions, real and imagined, historical truth and popular free retellings of historical events are intertwined. The composer follows Shevchenko’s text, completely focusing on the reproduction of figurative, emotional and semantic modulations. Despite the expectation of the ideological censorship of the time, Verykivsky does not depart from the philosophical tone of Kobzar’s text and the psychological interpretation of the image of the main character of Semyon Paliy. The composer subtly feels the peculiarities of the poetic structure of the original source. He chooses the genre of vocal-symphonic poem, which provides an opportunity to openly address the listener from the “I” of the main character and gives rise to certain associations with the duma genre. It is significant that the contrasting-syllable form of Verykivsky’s poem, as well as the compositional features of the duma genre, are completely determined by the poetic text. Changes in the protagonist’s emotional mood are subtly reflected in the music in alternating contrasting sections that acquire cinematic expressiveness and relief. The orchestral fabric performs the function of accompaniment, demonstrating the characteristic division of duma into solo singing and its instrumental support. The composer overcomes the completion of each section with a continuous wave of growing emotional tension to key words in the last measures of the work. Such compositional features bring the monk’s monologue closer to a large opera monoscene.