Henri Duparc in the history of the mélodie genre

Abstract

Statement of the problem. Henri Duparc (1848–1933) has firmly entered the history of the French melodie genre. However, his work has not been properly studied by modern domestic musicologists. Although two composers, Gabriel Fauré and Henri Duparc, are generally recognized as the most prominent representatives of this genre, the vocal work of G. Fauré attracted the attention of many scientists and performers, in contrast to the music of H. Duparc. The restoration of historical justice in relation to the heritage of the French composer justifies the topic of this article. The purpose of the article is an attempt to comprehend H.Duparc’s interpretation of the melodie genre by analyzing one of his vocal miniatures – “Phidylé” a setting of a poem by Leconte de Lisle and highlight the composer’s role in the history of the genre. The historical and biographical contextual approaches, genre, structuralfunctional, phono-semantic methods of analysis and the study of the performance dramaturgy of H. Duparc’s miniature led to a number of conclusions. Conclusions and results of the study. In Duparc’s interpretation of the poem, two ideas interact: the exact reflection in music the poem meaning and the transformation of the poem due to its musical detailization. The study revealed the features of the composer’s style and the role of the composer as the founder of the melodie genre: – it was H. Duparc who founded such features of the genre as a deep emotional and lyrical intonation and sensuality compared to a poetic text; – original reproduction of the signs of “endless melody” (influence of R. Wagner’s work) and opera monologue; – equality of parts in the “duet” of the vocalist and pianist-accompanist; – “orchestral” sound of the piano texture. Thus, H. Duparc stands at the origins of the “golden age” in the history of the melodie genre as a representative and defender of the late romanticism aesthetics. The vocal works of H. Duparc gave a powerful impetus to the genre of French melodie. The reproduction of the dramatic tension of feelings, the search for perfection in music testify to the significance of the composer’s contribution to the melodie genre, while the small number of his works is certainly compensated by their musicality. Since the vocal works of H. Duparc create a certain difficulty for foreign performers in the verbal and phonetic aspects, as well as in the artistic and interpretive aspect, it seems necessary to continue their in-depth analysis.