Three piano pieces of Liudmila Shukailo in the context of genre paradigm

The Theoretical Background for the Chinese Composers Piano Music Genre Peculiarities Research

The purpose of this thesis is to analyze and discuss the interpretation of “Iberia” Book II by Isaac Albeniz. Albeniz is one of the most important musicians in Spanish modern times. He received inspiration from music works by Felipe Pedrell who is the father of Spanish Nationalism. Albeniz exquisitely used many unique compositional techniques in his piano works, such as the characteristic and the style of Spanish folk music, the diverse dance rhythms, also in the manner which built special acoustic effects and the articulation of the guitar and percussion instruments. Such writing techniques exert the greatest influence to the contemporary Spanish composers. Many important composers during this period were also great piano performers, together; they formed the revival movement of Spanish keyboard music. Musicologist, Powell Linton, thought this period is “the golden age of Spanish piano music”. Besides Spanish music elements, Isaac Albeniz also received different music baptism during his travel and visit in various countries. In all of his piano works, “Iberia” presented individual rich and multiple music articulation, and particularly integrated a variety of compositional concepts and techniques into his later piano works. “Iberia”, composed from 1905 to 1908, is a huge piano work. This piano work includes twelve independent pieces, divided into four volumes to publish. This thesis gives some ideas on performance practice, interpretation, and analysis of the second volume of “Iberia” including three piano pieces: ‘Rondena’, ‘Almeria’, and ‘Triana’. Also, it discusses the rondena, taranta, pasodoble, as well as Spanish ancient traditional ballad, the cante jondo’s meaning and its adoption.

Arnold Schoenberg is undoubtedly one of the most important western composers in the twentieth century. The main purpose of this article is to provide an analysis of his Three pieces for piano, Op 11, No.2. All the characters of this piece, just like the form, the melody, the harmony, the dynamics, the range and the time signature will be analyzed. This piece is similar to the first piece of his Three pieces for piano. Schoenberg continues his musical experiment in the field of atonality.

In order to prove that a computer-generated video clip could recreate in full value the emotional content of a musical piece, I presented the work on the creation of scenarios for video clips, based on the Bulgarian folk song "Izgreyalo Yasno Slantze" ("A Bright Sun has Risen") and on Bagatelle №1 from the cycle "24 Bagatelles for Piano" by Ivan Spasov. The piano piece and the folk song are contrasting in terms of their character; the piano piece is created on the basis of dodecaphony, while the sound system of the folk song is the eolian mode with a subbase tone; the piano piece is by an author, as opposed to the folk song.

Incorporating Yunnan Yi music elements into piano compositions is a growing trend in Chinese piano music, and Yi piano adaptations serve as an important representation of Yunnan piano music’s ethnic style and development. However, a lack of systematic investigation and observation means that little research has been done on the composition of Yi piano adaptations. This presents a challenge for aspiring piano students looking to interpret the Yi characteristics of these works. This study aims to provide a systematic discourse on prior research and investigate the relevance and contribution of Yi piano adaptations in reducing the existing gap. Literary research and musical analysis will be employed to analyze the Sani Fantasia adaptation. A literature analysis will classify relevant piano adaptation works and appreciate Yi piano music’s overall growth pattern, while a systematic examination of Sani Fantasia will reveal how Yi’s music elements are expressed and translated in the piano pieces while maintaining the original folk song’s ethnic style. The researchers hope the study will deepen academics’ understanding of the cultural significance and worth of Yi piano adaptations and piano compositions in the Yunnan ethnic styles.

Statement of the problem. Among the regional varieties of Chinese musical and dramatic art, the leading place belongs to the capital drama – Beijing (Peking) opera Jingcui, which has absorbed many elements of performances from other regions of China. This art form is considered one of the most valuable cultural treasures of China, it inspires many Chinese composers to create piano music, which presents the sound image of Peking opera. Objectives, methods, and novelty of the research. The purpose of the article is to identify and scientifically substantiate the connections of the piano works of Chinese composers of the 20th – 21st centuries with the national traditions of Beijing opera. The article involves genre, stylistic, historical, typological, philosophical and aesthetic, comparative, structural, functional, intonation, interpretive, and systemic research methods. The vast majority of scientific works in Chinese and English are devoted to the characteristics of the original tradition of Chinese culture, in particular, to the history of the development of Peking opera, where they consider the characters’ roles, the features of makeup and costumes, and the music that accompanies the opera performance. Nevertheless, there are currently no special works that address the stated topic, which determines the scientific novelty of the results of our research. Research results. The article analyzed the piano works that embody elements of Peking opera: “Willow Earrings” from the cycle “Wanhua in Beijing” (1938) by Jiang Wenye, the fantasy “Duo Yi” (1984) and “Little Beijing Gong” by Zhu Xiaoyu (1991), the fantasy on the themes of Peking opera “Pihuang” (1995) by Zhang Zhao, “Moments from Peking Opera” (2000) and the Concerto “Er Huang” for piano and orchestra (2009) by Chen Qigang. The versatility of the piano made it possible to reflect the sound image of Peking opera as a synthetic phenomenon in all its components. The presented piano works by Chinese composers widely demonstrate the use of elements of Peking opera as the embodiment of the national style. The main components of its manifestation are the pentatonic modal basis; adherence to the traditional sequence of the tempo-rhythmic organization of sections – banshi; embodiment of the characteristics of the singing styles “sipi” and “erhuan”; principles of variation of “banqiang” of the main themes – “duoban”, “yuanban”, “erliu”, “kuaiban”, “manban”, “daoban”, “yaoban”, etc.; imitation of playing techniques of Chinese instruments that accompany singing and other scenes; reproduction of images associated with the main characters of the opera; program names of piano pieces as a reflection of vivid impressions from stage performances. Conclusion. The combination of European compositional techniques and expressive means of Peking opera in piano pieces leads to the creation of a kind of synthetic musical language containing elements of Eastern and Western music, hence, various specific types of piano texture arise, based on traditional musical models of Chinese opera. The piano, imitating the sound of percussion and string instruments participating in Chinese opera performances, as well as various manners of opera singing, reproduces their characteristic sound effects and rhythms, using all the experience of modern Western music (tonal and atonal harmony, polyphony, timbre sonorous effects, etc.). Thus, the reproduction in Chinese piano music of the deep meaning of its ancient culture, one of the symbols of which is Peking opera, occurs with the help of modern compositional techniques and methods of musical development.

Gattungsgeschichte und ihr Gattungsbegriff am Beispiel der Novellen

Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky(1840-1893), a remarkable Russian musician in the 19th century whose works are still popular and beloved today, achieved a perfect marriage of Western compositional technique and Russian national heritage. Among Tchaikovsky’s solo piano works, The Seasons, Op. 37a and Children's Album, Op. 39 are two of the most-performed characteristic pieces, while Grand Sonata in G Major, Op. 37 is representative of the composer’s large-scale works. He employed established Western forms and harmony without compromising his individuality by unobtrusively weaving dance tunes with Russian folk songs into this magnificent composition. The four-movement Sonata with an approximate 35-minute performing time is “grand” in both its structure and texture. The composer attempts to “symphonize” the piano piece, creating the sound effects of an orchestra on the piano. This effect, along with the level of virtuosity demanded in performance, makes the sonata truly deserve its “grand” title.

“To awaken of an artist in every musician”… : to the 120th anniversary of the birth of I. S. Shteiman

This essay attempts to interpret and analyze Hsu Tsang-Houei's 《Cinq Episodes pour Piano》. 《Romance》 expresses a lover's thoughts of love for someone far away, 《Berceuse》is dedicated to his teacher, Sun Der-Fang; 《Marche Funebre) is a homage to Mr. Yang Chao-Chia, an intellectual who has made great contributions to Taiwan, 《Affection》and 《Recherche》 are about friendship-its consolation and memories. Different from the nationalistic style found in many of Hsu's work, the piano pieces in 《Cinq Episodes pour Piano》 can be seen as expressing another side, which is romantic, of Hsu's mind. Hsu, the composer, seems to swing between nationalism and romanticism and his music is a record of his exploration of both styles. As we analyze this musical work, we also point out how such elements as planning formal arrangements and material are related to each other. It is hoped that our analysis may bring us as close as possible to the original Intentions of the composer, and give us an idea of his theories and training. It is further hoped that the present study of 《Cinq Episodes pour Piano》may inspire imaginative interest in cultural nostalgia and romanticism.

Claude Debussy (1862-1918) was a great French composer in the late nineteenth century. His music was influenced by literature trends at that time, especially by the Impressionism and the Symbolism. The twelve etudes were Debussy's master compositions for piano solo in his late period. After his creative peak period, Debussy’s music style has a tendency to return to the absolute music. These twelve etudes fuse both western and oriental nontraditional music materials. Therefore, the twelve etudes could be considered as most noticeable auditory aesthetics in his works for piano. In this thesis, Debussy’s life background and his music styles were introduced. And then, five piano pieces from the etudes:〈pour les cinq doigts〉、〈pour les tierces〉、〈pour les degres chromatiques〉、〈pour les notes repetees〉 and 〈pour les arpeges composes〉 were selected for analysis and interpretation. After exploration and research of these selected compositions, the appreciation and understanding Debussy’s piano music was further enhanced. Keywords: Debussy、Impressionism、Symbolism、Etudes

Herrman S. Saroni: Paths to Success as a Composer in New York, 1844–52

The concept of genre represents a meaningful pattern of communication, which has been applied in the information systems field. Genres are socially constructed: they may consequently be socially more or less acceptable or contested. This paper focuses on the concept of communicative genre and addresses the issue of how meta-communication processes guided by discursive-ethical principles can promote a rational and legitimate definition, design and structuring of genres. Such a meta-communication process has not yet been thoroughly discussed in relation to the concept of genre as a means for structuring (organizational) communication. This paper claims to make the following contributions: firstly, it provides a wider spectrum of discursive concepts for critically reflecting on and discursive evaluation of the content and structures of genres and genre instances. Secondly, it demonstrates how different kinds of meta-communications (ex ante, in-action, and ex post) can be used to legitimate genres in a manner compatible with the discourse ethics. It illustrates the discourse-ethical viewpoint concerning the legitimacy of genre structuring processes and thus, also, the legitimacy of resultant norms and contents of communication, especially in global contexts.

Іn every national culture we hear the names of poets, which are significant for each people. Such significant poetic triads for Ukrainians are Shevchenko, Franko, and Lesya Ukrayinka. The significance of their creativity can not be overemphasized: they have left not only high poetry for us, but also an example of service to our people, an example of a struggle for the future. The most prominent poets of our people have written many scientific works, works of art. Shevchenko, Franko, Lesyia Ukrainka’s poems inspired more than one generation of composers to create music of different genres and styles.The poetic gift of Lesya Ukrayinka grew on the basis of Ukrainian folk songs. The first “musical education” was the songs sung by ordinary women in their villages in Volyn. Piano lessons of Olha Dekonor developed the musical talent of the future poetess and forever left her love for music in her heart. In the rhythm-intonational structure of each of Lesya Ukrayinka’s poems the melody, the meter, and the dynamics are already laid.The special color and poetry gained importance in the choral works of Mykola Lastovetskiy – contemporary Ukrainian composer, musicologist, teacher, Honored Artist of Ukraine, member of the National Union of Composers of Ukraine. Choirs of M. Lastovetskiy on the words of Lesya Ukrayinka performed by different teams, but now described and analyzed by musicologists insufficient given that published recently – the first collection “Melodies and sadness Spring” was published in 2016, the collection “Contra spem spero!” is being prepared to print.The article shows the features of musical interpretation of the poetic cycle “Melodies” of Lesya Ukrayinka based on the analysis of literary and musical expressive means in choral cycle “Melodies of sorrow and hope” of Mykola Lastovetskiy. The rhythm-melodic and metro-rhythmic features of the poetry cycle of Lesya Ukrayinka, which formed the basis of the musical interpretation by the composer, have been analyzed. The article highlights the importance of musical and literary expressions in creating the composite integrity.

Johannes Brahms (1833-1897) was a German composer in Romanticism Ages. He composed for piano, symphony orchestra, chamber ensembles, and for voice and chorus. Piano pieces played an important part in his creative life. Meanwhile, Brahms was a virtuoso pianist, he premiered many of his own works. Brahms produced nearly 100 piano pieces, in which variations played quite a key role. During the middle period of his creative life, Brahms’s works were mostly variations. This paper aims to explore Brahms’s Variations on a Theme of Paganini, Op.35. The main theme of this work came from the Caprice No. 24 in A minor, one of Niccolo Paganini’s (1782-1840) 24 Caprices for Solo Violin, Op. 1. The work consists of two books. Each book opens with the theme, Paganini's Caprice No. 24 in A minor, followed by fourteen variations. This paper has three Chapters. Chapter 1 introduces Brahms’s life story and all kinds of his critical works. Chapter 2 then discuss the definition of variation, and also reviews Brahms’s Variations. Finally, chapter 3 analyses the two books of Brahms’s Variations on a Theme of Paganini, Op.35, and examines the interpretation and technique of the work.