Povezanost programskog sadržaja sa kompoziciono-tehničkim rešenjima u klavirskim komadima Modesta Musorgskog

«Pictures at an Exhibition» by Modest Mussorgsky: the correlation of melos and colourfulness

The article is the second part of the text devoted to the profile and piano works of Alexander Scriabin. The composer had an extraordinary piano talent and the ability of coloured hearing. He worked out an innovative musical language based on a unique harmonic style. He was an unprecedented visionary of art, he had knowledge on philosophical topics, he was also a mystic who wanted to save the mankind thanks to his creative output. Throughout the period of around 20 years, Scriabin’s musical language transformed drastically, which is most fully shown in his piano pieces, especially miniatures and sonatas. The second part of the article presents a general characterisation of Scriabin’s piano compositions and musical language in subsequent stages of his creative work. The analysis refers to style and form-related topics, melodics and harmony he used, texture and timbre phenomena and the connections between piano and symphonic pieces. The author of the article reflects on the essence of Scriabin’s artistic orientation and the fact whether the change of his musical language can be called an “evolution” as such. An important element of the article is the presentation of the structure of each piano sonata. The included characterisation of the change of his musical language is an addition to the first part of the cycle, enabling the reference to the stages of the composer’s life juxtaposed there with the description of the transformation of his artistic views.

The article examines how the Russian folklore influenced the formation of A. K. Lyadov’s musical language. The author highlights the origins of the composer’s passion for the Russian folk traditions. The Russian folklore is analysed in his key works: symphonic miniatures “Baba Yaga”, “Kikimora”, “Magic Lake”, collections of children’s songs, arrangements of Russian folk tunes, the cycle “Eight Russian Folk Songs”.

Hear Me:

There's No Place Like Home(land) in American and Soviet Fantasy Cinema of 1939: <i>The Wizard of Oz</i> and <i>Vasilisa the Beautiful</i>

Gli studi sul fantastico hanno approfondito molto i meccanismi della narrativa, ma si sono occupati poco delle potenzialità del fantastico musicale, spesso lasciando intendere anzi l’impossibilità da parte della musica di esprimere quel senso di smarrimento e di vertigine comunemente riconosciuto come uno dei marcatori fondamentali del fantastico. Il presente intervento si propone di suggerire come focalizzare l’attenzione di un pubblico di ragazzi o studenti su elementi legati alla strumentazione, mettendo a confronto l’attacco di due differenti redazioni della stessa partitura (La notte sul Monte Calvo di Modest Musorsgkij nella versione dell’autore e in quella di Rimskij-Korsakov). Dalle differenze individuate emerge, inoltre, la capacità del linguaggio musicale di assecondare e manipolare la natura fantastica del brano e anzi, di valutare attraverso un lucidissimo impiego dei mezzi timbrici il limite fino al quale spingersi nel denotarla.

Giuseppe Verdi was a musician who knew how to emphasize drama in his creations, creating new melodic-rhythmic-harmonic typologies of characters, giving music a portrait role. By adhering to the Risorgimento (Revival) phenomenon and through his personal experiences, Verdi was preoccupied with human dramas and these appear transposed in the melodies, harmonies and rhythms he used, in the conflicts constantly existing in his works and in the strong personalities of the characters, hence resulting in the complexity of his musical language. After a series of remakes of the play, which received titles such as „La maledizione” or „Il Duca de Vendôme”, the opera „Rigoletto” premiered in 1851 at the La Fenice Theater in Venice, where it enjoyed great success with the public. The critics' reaction was less positive due to the lack of large ensembles, but they still recognized the novelty of the music, the vocal style, the structure of the musical numbers and, above all, the expressiveness of the orchestration, which evokes multiple emotions in the audience, depending on the dramatic situation.Verdi's vocal expression is conditioned by the musical form, the melodic line, the rhythm and the psychological traits of the characters. All these aspects will also be used in the analysis of the voice of the two main male characters – the Duke of Mantua and Rigoletto.

This chapter traces the influence of the Western classical tradition on Steve Reich’s musical language with reference to his important work Octet, composed in 1979 then subsequently reorchestrated and renamed Eight Lines. Previous scholarly accounts of this work have focused on Reich’s use of extended melodic lines, drawing on the composer’s own comments that these were derived from his immersion at the time in Hebrew cantillation. While acknowledging Reich’s debt to Jewish music, this chapter locates Eight Lines within the broader context of the European tours with his ensemble during the early to mid-1970s. The innovative melodic lines in Eight Lines are constructed around largely goal-oriented harmonic (that is to say, “Western”) structures as much as through the composer’s own immersion in cantillation music, suggesting that his style from this point onward can be read more as a synthesis of Western and non-Western influences.

This article examines pieces for violin and piano by the honored artist of Uzbekistan and Karakalpakstan, composer, conductor, professor Fattakh Nazarov (1919-1982). He is widely demanded in concert-performing and educational-pedagogical practice. Analyzing the pieces for violin and piano by F. Nazarov, the composer focuses on aspects such as programmaticity, imaginative world, musical language, and means of expressive performing. Based on the composer's editions, proposed solutions help performing musicians to achieve high quality sound embodiment and psychological impact on listeners. In this article, the pieces for violin and piano by F. Nazarov are for the first time studied and previously unexplored aspects of the composer's musical heritage are examined. The results of the analysis of F. Nazarov's violin pieces are of scientific theoretical and practical importance, focused on a wide range of concert-performing and educational pedagogical practice.

<i>Fantasie nègre: The Piano Music of Florence Price</i>, by Samantha Ege

A fair amount of literature has been published on the use of musical topics in the works of eighteenth-century composers, with the writings of Leonard Ratner and Wendy Allanbrook among the most influential. Allanbrook, Ratner, and their disciples have shown how studying representations of topics in opera might allow for the recognition of those same musical characteristics when they appear in instrumental music. Although for these scholars the use of topics was an eighteenth-century practice, it is also useful to consider their use in nineteenth-century repertoire. Ratner’s method can be used to create a guideline for the general musical topoi that Johannes Brahms uses in his late piano works through the examination of his other piano pieces, chamber music works, and songs. The comparison of Brahms’ written tempo markings and the examination of textural elements such as rhythmic patterns, figurations, and key areas help support the identification of certain topical characteristics. Brahms’ songs in particular offer instructive information on common textural topoi, where the text helps underline the given mood of a passage. The compilation of a list of musical topoi used by Brahms, one that reflects both the given period’s and the composer’s personal musical choices, furthers the understanding of Brahms’ musical language and allows for more well-informed interpretations of his works.

Reviewed by: Schoenberg’s Transformation of Musical Language Walter B. Bailey Schoenberg’s Transformation of Musical Language. By Ethan Haimo. (Music in the 20th Century.) New York: Cambridge University Press, 2006. [x, 430 p. ISBN-10: 0521865425; ISBN-13: 9780521865425. $90.] Bibliographical references, index, illustrations, music examples. In Schoenberg's Transformation of Musical Language, author Ethan Haimo posits a "revisionist thesis" regarding the conventionally accepted periodization and related labeling of Schoenberg's musical output. Finding the traditional three-part division (tonal; atonal; twelve-tone) to be inadequate, and the label "atonal" to be so broad as to be meaningless, Haimo proposes three new periods, each with subdivisions. In this book he addresses a musical transformation—and the significance of that transformation—that the conventional tonal-atonal division has previously obscured. To begin, Haimo traces those elements that remain more or less constant in Schoenberg's music from circa 1899 to circa 1908, i.e., spanning what would traditionally be considered the tonal phase of his output and the first part of the atonal phase. In a carefully constructed and copiously illustrated argument, he makes an excellent case for considering these works to be part of a single stylistic span, demonstrating how the traditionally problematized repertory of 1908 (such as the Second String Quartet, op. 10 and the song cycle Das Buch der hängenden Gärten, op. 15) is connected to Schoenberg's earlier works. One of the novelties of Haimo's approach— and one that is sure to be controversial for some readers—is that he does not try to explain the works of 1908 without reference to their predecessors, nor does he try to explain them as vestigial tonal works; instead he establishes the traits of Schoenberg's musical language from the turn of the century and traces their incremental evolution through 1908. Although it has become commonplace to see a sudden break with past conventions in Schoenberg's works of 1908, Haimo thinks otherwise, and the evidence that he presents shows that conventionally-cited symptoms of such a break, such as the cessation of centric tonal function, actually occurred somewhat earlier in Schoenberg's output. Therefore, Haimo reassigns the break with the past to the so-called athematic works composed in 1909, such as the third of the Three Piano Pieces, op. 11, the fifth of the Five Orchestra Pieces, op. 16, and the monodrama Erwartung, op. 17, the first works to present an interruption in Schoenberg's otherwise unified artistic outlook. In reassigning this break, Haimo also recognizes the significant variety of musical approaches evident in the works formerly lumped together as "atonal." With his new division of Schoenberg's output, Haimo confronts a hidebound model and proposes a more meaningful one that illuminates rather than obscures the richness of Schoenberg's music. As Haimo explains in the book's preface, it is his intention to trace the evolution of Schoenberg's musical ideas in order to explain the transformation of his musical language from 1899 to 1909. To that end, he offers neither comprehensive analyses nor complete coverage of Schoenberg's music composed during this time period; instead, he presents a complex of historical, biographical, and analytical evidence to illustrate the remarkable transformation, while confronting conventional assumptions and analytical methods that, as he illustrates, often stand in the way of a complete understanding of the essence of Schoenberg's musical style. Key to his argument is the concept of "incremental innovation," a process in which each new work introduces some new trait along with many traits carried over from the past. It is the abandonment of this process in the athematic works of 1909—works in which there is more that is new than old—that inspires Haimo to locate the break with tradition at that juncture. After the first chapter, in which Haimo lays out his revisionist thesis, the book evolves in chapters that examine specific works, or groups of works, in light of their aesthetic origins and musical style. Chapters 2 through 14 present materials related to the Four Songs, op. 2, Verklärte Nacht, Gurrelieder, Pelleas und Melisande, the Six Songs, op. 3, the String Quartet, op. 7, lieder from op. 6...

Reviewed by: Chinese Film Classics, 1922-1949 by Christopher Rea Ling Zhang (bio) Christopher Rea. Chinese Film Classics, 1922-1949. New York: Columbia University Press, 2021. xvi, 381 pp. Hardcover $120.00, isbn 9780231188128. Paperback $30.00, isbn 9781231188135. Christopher Rea's Chinese Film Classics, 1922-1949 is a timely introduction to extant Chinese fiction films made before 1949. Rea analyzes fourteen films according to their "artistic accomplishment, critical reception, historical significance, and availability" (p. 4), situating them in relation to their broader tumultuous historical, sociopolitical, and cultural context. Differing from but building on previous significant scholarship about early Chinese cinema, such as Zhang Zhen's An Amorous History of the Silver Screen: Shanghai Cinema, 1896-1937 (2005) and Weihong Bao's Fiery Cinema: The Emergence of an Affective Medium in China, 1915-1945 (2015), Chinese Film Classics is a valuable addition to the field that makes early Chinese film history and analysis accessible, and familiarizes general readers with the diverse styles and creative vitality of early Chinese filmmakers. The book is divided into two parts, with each of the fourteen chapters offering production information, a synopsis, and analysis of one film. The films [End Page 130] are discussed in chronological order, and Rea focuses on each work's "artistic accomplishment and cultural significance" (p. 1). Therefore, unlike conventional academic books, Chinese Film Classics does not feature an overarching argument, though certain motifs recur from chapter to chapter. Rea's attention to themes such as slapstick comedy, play fulness, and gags in his analysis also reflects a continuity with his previous book, The Age of Irreverence: A New History of Laughter in China (2015). A list of further reading and viewing material at the end of each chapter contextualizes these analyses vis-à-vis relevant academic discussions and provides a bibliography for readers new to the field. The first part of the book, which addresses silent films, contains six chapters and focuses on silent and partial-sound films made between 1922 and 1935—including the earliest extant Chinese film, Laborer's Love (laogong zhi aiqing, Zhang Shichuan, 1922) and three films by the accomplished filmmaker Sun Yu (1900-1990): Little Toys (Xiaowanyi, 1933), Queen of Sports (Tiyu huanghou, 1934), and The Great Road (Dalu, 1934). The latter is a partial-sound film with added sound effects and interlude songs. Two other chapters examine Wu Yonggang's acclaimed silent film Goddess (Shennv, 1934) and Cai Chusheng's post-dubbed New Women (Xin nv xing, 1935). In the next eight chapters, Rea turns to sound films made between 1937 and 1949, including three produced in the late 1930s: Ma-Xu Weibang's Song at Midnight (Yeban gesheng, 1937), a horror film with strong political messaging; Yuan Muzhi's sarcastic urban tragicomedy Street Angels (Malu tianshi, 1937); and Bu Wancang's costume drama Hua Mulan (Mulan congjun, 1939). Five films from the 1940s illustrate the situation of chaos and anguish after the War of Resistance against Japanese invasion (1937-1945), with the pathos of the civil war (1945-1949) looming large. These include the urban family comedy based on writer Eileen Chang's screenplay, Long Live the Missus! (Taitai wansui, Sang Hu, 1947); the epic melodrama depicting Chinese people's collective trauma produced by the Japanese occupation and spirit of resistance, Spring River Flows East (Yijiang chunshui xiangdongliu, Cai Chusheng and Zheng Junli, 1947); the melancholic masterpiece Spring in a Small Town (Xiaocheng zhichun, Fei Mu, 1948); as well as two social realist films made during the 1949 regime transformation, Wandering of Three-Hairs the Orphan (Sanmao liulangji, Zhao Ming and Yan Gong, 1949) and Crows and Sparrows (Wuya yu maque, Zheng Junli, 1949). Rea has been developing this project for several years through various media platforms and has translated these films' intertitles and subtitles into English, making the subtitled versions freely accessible on YouTube. He and his team have also launched the website chinesefilmclassics.org, which contains an open-access, self-paced course on early Chinese cinema that complements this book (p. 2). As Rea mentions early on, he envisions Chinese Film Classics as [End Page 131] "a film-viewing companion for multiple readerships, especially people new to Chinese cinema history or to...

Background. The article is dedicated to the piano work of Hsiao Tyzen (1938–2015) – one of Taiwan’s most famous composers. The solo piano compositions of the musician are considered, which make up a significant part of his compositional heritage: three cycles, united under the general name “Poetic Response” – op. 37 (1974), op. 38 (1975) and op. 40 (1977); “The Amazing Grace” (1984), cycle “Memories of Home” op. 49 (1987), consisting of six plays – “Prelude”, “Memory”, “Playground”, “Ancient Taiwanese Melody”, “Elegy”, “Frolicking”; “Farewell Etude”, Op. 55 (1993), “Toccata”, op. 57 (1995), “Dragon Boat Festival”, op. 58 (1996), “Spirit of Taiwan” (1998), “Nana Oh’s Meditation” (1999), “The Angel from Formosa” (1999). This huge layer of music is not sufficiently studied in the performing aspect. The characteristic of the pianistic level of complexity of the compositions under consideration is given, technical and artistic difficulties are revealed. Objectives. The purpose of the study is to identify the main performing tasks in the solo piano compositions of Hsiao Tyzen. Methods of research are based on a set of scientific approaches necessary for the disclosure of its theme. The complex approach, combining the principle of musical-theoretical, musical-historical and performing analysis, is taken as the basis of the methodology. Results. Piano works of Hsiao Tyzen of an early period of art op. 37, 38 and 40, united in the general cycle “Poetic Response”, are devoted to religious themes and include melodies of religious hymns. Combining three diverse piano cycles, the composer builds a kind of complex form of cycles in the cycle. The influence of romanticism in the music of Hsiao Tyzen is felt in his interpretation of melody, harmony, rhythm, tempo and texture. Composers of the twentieth century, especially C. Debussy, influenced the piano compositions of the late period. Since the works created by Hsiao Tyzen have varying degrees of pianistic complexity, it seems important to determine the pedagogical significance of the uncomplicated piano repertoire and the performing tasks that the interpreter of concert compositions faces. The cycle “Memories of Home” op. 49, consisting of six miniatures, is dedicated to the composer’s childhood memories. The main tasks of the pianist in the “Ancient Taiwanese melody” from the cycle “Memories of Home”, op. 49 will be the auditory implementation and development of a touch of legato, the performance of melismatics, the observance of sound balance between hands, the ability to draw a long melodic line, cleverly using a finger swap and moving from one position to another. In the Prelude, the tasks of the performer’s main technical and artistic problems are to accurately reflect dynamic contrasts, the agility of transitions in various textured combinations, the sound realization of polyphony, precise articulation and coordination of small notes in passages. “Memory” requires the performer of the highly professional possession of legato, manifested in the combination of the upper voice of the chord musical fabric, flexible movement skills and an accurate sense of polyrhythmia. In the “Playground” you need to show imaginative imagination, while reflecting the variety of strokes and dynamics specified by the author. “Elegy” requires a deep soulful feeling from a performer, high-quality sounding of a melody, and the formation of long phrases. “Farewell Etude” op. 55 and “Toccata” op. 57 – detailed compositions saturated with romantic technique and imagery. The intonational filling of the plays reflects the national Taiwanese flavor. “Farewell sketch” was the last work of Hsiao Tyzen, written in the tradition of romanticism. The piece is based on the famous Taiwanese folk song “Four Seasons”. The composer places the melody in the middle register, framing on both sides with a luxurious romantic texture. “Toccata” is full of numerous techniques that are difficult enough not only to execute, but even to remember. Frequent change of textured formulas is especially difficult for a pianist, because in addition to the clever execution of a virtuoso texture, you need to keep an accurate rhythmic pulsation. This repertoire is intended for concert performance and requires a pianist of a high professional pianistic level and bright artistry. It requires scale of performance, absolute technical and sound knowledge of the texture, knowledge and auditory presentation of the characteristics of Taiwanese musical culture, and mastery of pedalization. Conclusions. Hsiao Tyzen’s solo piano compositions provide a better understanding of the work of contemporary Taiwanese composers. They are rightfully one of the most striking pages of Taiwanese musical culture and deserve further introduction into a wide international music audience. These works, in our opinion, have high artistic merits and are intended for a different contingent of performers. Their value as a pedagogical and concert repertoire is a vivid imagery, a reflection of the national principle, interesting compositional and sound solutions.

This article examines piano accompanied vilion pieces by the honored artist of Uzbekistan and Karakalpakstan, composer, conductor, professor Fattakh Nazarov (1919-1982). He is widely demanded in concert-performing and educational-pedagogical practice. Analyzing the pieces for violin and piano by F. Nazarov, the composer focuses on aspects such as programmaticity, imaginative world, musical language, and means of expressive performing. Based on the composer's editions, proposed solutions help performing musicians to achieve high quality sound embodiment and psychological impact on listeners. In this article, the pieces for violin and piano by F. Nazarov are for the first time studied and previously unexplored aspects of the composer's musical heritage are examined. The results of the analysis of F. Nazarov's violin pieces are of scientific theoretical and practical importance, focused on a wide range of concert-performing and educational pedagogical practice. Keywords: Fattakh Nazarov, violin, piece, miniature, intonation, expressive means, technique, musical form