Electronic composition of Luciano Berio «Visage»: between tradition and experiment

Abstract

The purpose of the article is to trace the interaction of innovative sound material and the embodiment of traditional principles of a musical organization in L. Berio's electronic play «Visage». The methodology of the study is based on the structural-functional methods, that allow identifying the components of the musical fabric, which serve as material for development. The scientific novelty lies in the fact that for the first time in Ukrainian musicology the patterns of creation and deployment of electronic sound complexes in L. Berio's play «Visage» were revealed, the method of analyzing electronic compositions without the author's score was improved. Conclusions. Analysis of L. Berio's electronic piece «Visage» demonstrates an organic combination of experimental searches and traditions renewed in accordance with specific sound material. Innovative trends prevail in the selection of sound elements. The sound space «Visage» is realized by means of electronic synthesis and taped voice. The vocal and electronic layers are not opposed to each other, but, on the contrary, coexist in unity. Using acoustic objects of different types, selected at the pre-compositional stage, L. Berio builds a thematic profile of the piece – from noises to the deployment of wide bands of electronic continua. The connections between the elements are provided not by the sound pitch identity, but due to sound, in particular phonetic, similarity. The connection with the art of previous eras is manifested in the desire to reveal deep philosophical ideas, which are carried out through the deployment of thematic fields, localized in certain compositional sections. The dramatic profile of the work, realized by electronic means, directs the vector of the perception to reveal the author's intention.