«Marpha and Maria» for eight cellos by Oleksandr Shchetynsky: integration/disintegration as a principle of timbre organization

Abstract

Statement of the problem. Compositional practice of XX – beginning of XXI centuries is marked by radical reconsideration of timbre. In many cases it becomes a factor creating the very sense and compositional organization of the work. Timbre being reconsidered and recognized as a main factor of music expression in the first half of XX century became just a beginning of “delving” into timbre, a process that in the second half of the century started to occur in the domain of electroacoustic music as well. The research of timbre is developed in the same multifaceted manner, on the basis of completely different works, with different goals, with inclusion of the achievements of different branches of humanitarian studies (results of studying of semantics of timbre), as well as science and computer technologies (research of specifics of timbre in electroacoustic music). The topic of this article is inspired by the growing relevancy of the research of timbre as a leading parameter of music of XX–XXI centuries in Ukrainian and foreign scholarly works. The relevancy of the chosen theme is also caused by the interest in the creativity of modern Ukrainian composers, including O. Shchetynsky. Recent research and publications. Theoretical basis of the article consists of Ukrainian and foreign sources devoted to timbre: articles and thesis of Yu. Ishchenko (2012a; 2012b), O. Zharkov (2002; 2017; 2020) O. Voytenko (2012), S. Korobetska (2003), H. Kosenko (2018), R. Kashyrtsev (2022), P. Boulez (1999), D. Smalley (1994). Also, this basis is broadened by the research of the creativity by O. Shchetynsky: by P. Rud (2021) and H. Savchenko (2021; 2023). The objectives of the studу. The aim of the article is to research specifics of timbre organization in the work “Marpha and Maria” for the ensemble of eight cellos on the basis of juxtaposition of articulation (disintegration) and joining (integration). The scientific novelty of the results of the article is caused by the fact that the work “Marpha and Maria” has not been analysed before, including the peculiarities of timbre organization. Results and conclusion. One of the main principles of timbre organization in orchestral and ensemble music is interaction of articulation (disintegration) and joining (integration). In the work “Marpha and Maria” these principles, firstly, create logically-constructive basis of timbre organization; secondly, they acquire symbolical meaning (juxtaposition of calmness and rush, constant and changing), which helps to incarnate the programmatic idea. These principles act simultaneously and consecutively, in the vertical dimension of the texture (between the lines and layers) and in the horizontal dimension of the composition (between the segments). Realization of timbre integration (joining) and disintegration (differentiation) is aided by the following: texture, type of themes, register, dynamics, agogics, ways of producing the sound.