TRUMPET IN THE ORCHESTRAL SCORE OF "ODE ON ST. CECILIA`S DAY" (1692) BY HENRY PURCELL

Abstract

The subject of this research is the trumpet parts in Henry Purcell’s "Ode on St. Cecilia`s Day" (1692). The author analyses the role of the trumpet in the context of the general content of the work and its poetic symbolism. In this regard, the issue of using special compositional techniques, in particular sound visualisation and musical rhetoric, is analysed. In addition, questions of trumpet tonality semantics are considered. A large amount of background information on the history of the music holiday origin is provided in the article; opinions of scientists who put forward hypotheses about the fruitfulness of the English cultural soil for the rooting and development of such celebrations are given. The author mentions the names of outstanding trumpeters for whom trumpet parts were created, and whose art served as the foundation for the development of the trumpet style in England in the 17th-18th centuries. Along with the performers who made Purcell's art famous, information on fellow composers, Blow and Draghi, is provided; they also created musical offerings to St. Cecilia and undoubtedly influenced the style of young Purcell. The author believes that a new approach to this instrument’s capabilities and the presence of qualified performers broadened the area for the composer's fantasies and experiments. It was reflected not only in the creation of countless motifs based on fanfare and trumpet trill, expansion of the sound range and the use of “imperfect” harmonics of the natural scale but also made it possible to assign to the trumpet repertoire a certain intonation vocabulary, easily perceived, recognizable and freely used in vocal and various instrumental parts. The author comes to the conclusion that Purcell perceived the trumpet as an instrument with great virtuoso and cantilena potential; he used it in climactic moments, maintaining absolute balance with the winds and strings. With Purcell's work, the future of trumpet music became more distinct. Keywords: natural trumpet, Ode to St. Cecilia, English Baroque.