Author’s dedication as a semantic code of an artist’s worldview position

Abstract

Statement of the problem. The tradition of authors’ dedications in composers’ works has developed in musical art during several historical and stylistic epochs. According to our observes, there are several types of dedications, which differ in form and content: a dedication to a specific person who inspired or influenced the storyline of the artwork; dedications, in which the addressees remain encrypted in the initial letters of the name and surname, allowing readers/performers to guess the history of the work’s creation; dedications, which were composed of quotes from other authors’ works that provide the opportunity of a dialogue between the composers; finally, dedications that perform the function of a memorial, imprinting the sound images of a historical time or a significant event. All the types of dedications, together with the title text components, carries a certain semantic code, outlining the worldview position of the author. The purpose of the article is to consider the phenomenon of authors’ dedications based on the chamber-ensemble works by composers of various stylistic schools using a combination of analytical, historical, cultural, and musicological research methods. The scientific novelty is the analysis of the semantics of dedications of the chamber instrumental and ensemble works of composers of different historical and stylistic epochs, from Baroque, Classicism, Romanticism to our days. Results and conclusion. The author defines the dedication as an independent text that performs special function, revealing the personal and meaningful layers of the author’s intention in subtexts and background meanings and forming a certain “horizon of expectation” for future listeners / performers. Meaningful concentration on the deep psychological layers of human consciousness is a special form of embodiment in the tradition of dedication by composers in their own works: in Baroque times to the Creator for the ability to create; in the classicist epoch to listeners and sponsors; during Romanticism era – to loved ones and relatives; at the modern stage – to the outstanding personality of the artist and great historical events. Each author’s dedication enriches the presented (musical / literary) text, filling it with new meaning, “deciphering” what the author may have intended to say, and “recoding” the proposed content of the work. And, since each of these opuses is intended for public presentation, the author defines the dedication genre as a delayed, timed communication channel with potential performers, readers, and listeners for whom, alongside with the author of the artwork, there will always be a figure who inspired the realization of a certain artistic idea.