Concert Performance Research Articles

Visualisation of Images and Performance in Music Genres

The purpose of the article is to analyse the visual component in the musical genre (songs) and musical-theatrical genre (ballet), which is an element for the formation of spectacle. The work methodology includes analytical, structural-functional, generalising scientific methods; techniques of comparative analysis to reveal the specifics of modern artistic practices in revealing the specifics of the visual as a component of spectacle. The scientific novelty of the work consists in the analysis of the song “Smerekova Khata”, the musical and stage performance of the “Gerdan” theatre, the ballet “Signs” with the determination of the visualisation of the images laid down by the authors to form the spectacle. Conclusions. Based on the analysis of M. Bakay and P. Dvorskyi's song “Smerekova Khata”, the dependence of visualisation in musical-poetic composition and music, metaphoricity in musical-poetic images in various performing interpretations with a certain amount of spectacularity according to the definition of “spectacularity” in the dictionary of Efron and Brockhaus is determined as a concert, performance. The analysis of the concert performance of the Chernivtsi City Folklore Theatre-Studio “Gherdan” based on the musical and textual material, stage design and costumes of the performers made it possible to reveal the degree of visualisation of musical and stage images that contribute to spectacle in art according to K. Stanislavska's concept as a spectacle with an artistic structure, which is a system of means of expression with external manifestations. The French-American dancer-choreographer Carolyn Carlson's ballet “Signes” (1997, Paris Opera) with scenery by the French artist Olivier Debre and electronic music by the French composer René Aubry fully meets all the parameters of spectacle: a) unusual events that appeal to history with famous heroes Leonardo da Vinci and Gioconda with her outstanding smile; b) entertainment in the presentation of material with the use of three-dimensional pictures that are constantly moving; c) seven different locations; d) lack of verbal text (words), which are compensated by electronic music and choreographic movements.

Concert activities of Chinese pianists: the history of development

Statement of the problem. The article discusses the formation and development of concert activities of Chinese pianists, starting from the 20th century. The performance art of Chinese pianists, although recognized today as an extremely bright phenomenon, is still the least studied among all areas of music art in the country. Objectives, methods, and novelty of the research. Analysis of the current musicological studies shows that, despite a significant number of the works devoted to the piano music of China and the performance creativity of Chinese pianists, the formation of latter’s concert activity as a whole remains in the shadows. In this regard, there is a need to summarize this experience and forecast the further development of Chinese national piano art, which is the scientific novelty of the proposed study. The purpose of the article is to determine the stages of the formation of the concert activity of Chinese pianists in the context of the development of the country’s national piano performance. The main methods involved in the work were analytical, historical-typological, theoretical, interpretive, and comparative one. Results of the research. The facts of the concert practice of both foreign artists and the formation of national pianistic cadres, which formed the foundation of the Chinese national pianistic art, are analyzed and compared. The factors that contributed to its development or, on the contrary, inhibited it, are determined. The concert performances of M. Paci, B. Zakharov, A. Cherepnin, which became a “performing model” for Chinese pianists at the beginning of the twentieth century, are considered. The first solo concerts of Chinese performers Ding Shande, Li Cuizheng, Zhou Guangren, Gu Shenying, Jing Shi, Liu Shikun, Li Minqing, etc. are analyzed. Their role in the festival and competition movement, which made it possible to announce to the world about the development of Chinese pianistic art, is determined. The article provides historical facts about the biased concert activity and dramatic fate of many Chinese pianists during the “Cultural Revolution”. The trends in the renewal and further development of Chinese piano performing art (since the late 1970s) and its rapid rise (after the 1980s) are determined. The largescale touring and international competition activities of modern Chinese pianists Lang Lang, Li Yundi, Jiang Tian, Du Ning-wu, etc. are analyzed. Conclusion. The assessment of the presented scientific works on the performing activities of Chinese pianists confirms their limitations and inconsistencies regarding some facts and personalities of the artists. The dramatic period of the “cultural revolution” is worse represented in the aspect of hushing up many facts, forgetting the names of outstanding performers because of their tragic fate. A comparison of facts from many different sources made it possible to make an attempt to restore a truly fair picture of the development of piano performance in China, to outline its main trends and prospects. Keywords: piano perf

Concert traditions of choral conducting in China in the second half of the 20th – early 21st century

Statement of the problem. Historically, choral performance and conducting in China got extraordinary development in the late 20th and early 21st centuries. But the artistic achievements of Chinese choral performance, the formation of organizational foundations and concert traditions of leading choral groups, the creative manner and achievements of outstanding conductors have not received adequate coverage and generalization in scientific literature. Only since the beginning of the 21st century, some attention of musicologists has been paid to conducting and choral practice and education (Ma Xu, A. Rastrygina, Liu Zhenyan), the activities of regional choral groups (Gui Junjie), the work of some outstanding artists and their groups (Tang Fang). The insufficient research of the stated problem actualizes the topic of the proposed article. Objectives, methods, and novelty of the research. The scientific novelty is due to the purpose of the article – to highlight the creative achievements of outstanding choral conductors and collectives, to reveal the formation of organizational foundations and concert traditions of Chinese choral art of the second half of the 20th – beginning of the 21st century, which did not become the subject of a separate study. A complex of scientific methods and approaches was used, the main of which are historical and cultural (for identification of the features of development, specifics, stylistics and forms of concert performance), historical and biographical (for covering the creative path of outstanding Chinese choral conductors and groups), musicological (analysis of individual performance style, artistic interpretation, repertoire policy), generalization (historical assessment of concert performance achievements of choral art in China). Research results and conclusion. A review of the development of choral art in China in the second half of the 20th – beginning of the 21st century proved that until the 1980s, the features of its development were determined by the ideology and policy of the Communist Party. It was found that the concert activity of the leading Chinese choirs is characterized by a peculiar manner of performance. The concert programs were analyzed, and it was found that the basis of the repertoire of most choirs are plays by Chinese composers and arrangements of songs of various peoples of China. Works of the world repertoire are mainly performed by Chinese groups during participation in international events. Since the 1990s, the organization of national and international choral competitions and festivals has played a significant role in the development of concert traditions and the spread of choral concert activities in China. At the beginning of the 21st century, the expressiveness of the musical component has been enhanced by theatrical performance. With the spread of Internet networks and computer technologies, new virtual forms of choral concert work are being introduced.

Concert performance as a cultural phenomenon: communicative aspect

Concert performance as a cultural phenomenon: communicative aspect

Exchange and negotiation of value when symphonic music is marketed as a commodity

The overall aim of this article is to investigate how different ideas about classical music are expressed in advertising campaigns and what ideological grounds are used to construct music as a valuable resource. Based on a case study of how the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra (GSO) presents its music and concert performances in marketing campaigns, the article examines how commodification is used as a marketing strategy. A discourse-analytical perspective is used to demonstrate how values that are communicated to a listener are involved in value exchange processes that, although based on neoliberal ideology, also acknowledge traditional norms of aesthetic value. While this value exchange process enables aesthetic value norms to be reproduced, it is also involved in ongoing negotiations about which values should apply today and in the future.

Reform of Teaching Methods for High School Ethnic Music Courses

The reform of teaching methods for ethnic music courses in universities aims to emphasize the spirit of the Chinese nation, enhance the core literacy of contemporary university students, and strengthen their cultural heritage. With the development of the times, universities must recognize the urgent need to cultivate high-quality and sustainable development of professional talents in ethnic music. To achieve this, it is necessary to identify key points of cultivation and formulate corresponding measures to comprehensively reform the ethnic music courses in universities. Firstly, the reform will focus on strengthening the inheritance of traditional music culture. This includes teaching skills such as playing ethnic musical instruments, singing music works, and conducting in-depth interpretation and research on traditional repertoire. Secondly, the reform will cover the development of modern ethnic music. This includes introducing modern works, their creation, interpretation, and diverse forms of musical expression, to deepen students' understanding of the development trends of ethnic music. Thirdly, the reform will introduce interdisciplinary teaching methods, integrating ethnic music with subjects such as history, literature, and art to enhance students' overall understanding and cognition of ethnic culture. Fourthly, the reform will promote practical teaching activities, such as ethnic music performances and campus concerts, to cultivate students' performance abilities and spirit of teamwork. Finally, the reform will introduce comprehensive assessment methods, such as work creation, thesis writing, and music concert performances, to comprehensively evaluate students and enhance their overall literacy. These reform measures will contribute to the formation of a high-quality and sustainable development system for cultivating professional talents in ethnic music, providing important support for the comprehensive development and cultural heritage of contemporary university students.

Composer Eduard Brylin: Universal Nature of Creative Activity

The purpose of the research is to examine the creative path of Eduard Brylin, focusing on the factors that became the foundation for forming his professionalism and ensuring the universal nature of his creative activity. The research methodology is based on the biographical method and the model of a universal creative personality in the aspect of activity universalism (according to O. Komenda). The scientific novelty of the research lies in studying the life chronology of the composer Eduard Brylin as a universal type of musician, namely a universal composer. Conclusions. The basis on which the universal creative figure of E. Brylyn was formed was laid at the initial stage of his life. The musical environment of the family, rooted in national traditions, shaped Eduard’s musical and aesthetic preferences. Hard work, support and assistance from his parents, the professionalism of his teachers and mentors, and his dreams ensured his rapid growth in the piano field. Performing skills enabled the musician to present his work and be a concert performer. His thorough piano training allowed him to create methodical and highly artistic examples of piano pedagogical repertoire for children and youth and to try himself in the piano concerto genre. In the composition E. Brylin continued the traditions of his mentors, choosing to rely on folk song sources, appealing through A. Shtogarenko to the works of M. Lysenko. His intelligence and natural introversion led him to gravitate towards chamber genres, in which the lyrical facets of the composer’s personality were fully revealed. We define the 2000s as an acmeological period of the musician’s creative work because this time was fruitful in the implementation of various types of musical activities, which emphasises the universal nature of the artist’s creative activity. Loyalty to his musical and aesthetic ideals became the starting point for the realisation of Eduard Brylin’s creative potential as a universal composer.

PENGALAMAN PELANGGAN MEMBELI TIKET KONSER COLDPLAY: MENAMBANG ULASAN ONLINE BERDASARKAN PEMODELAN TOPIK DAN ANALISIS SENTIMEN

This study aims to analyze customer experience in buying tickets for the Coldplay Concert in Indonesia using sentiment analysis and topic modelling. Data is collected from online customer reviews about concert ticket purchases via social media platforms such as Twitter. The stages of the research include data collection, data labelling, data pre-processing, topic modelling using Latent Dirichlet Allocation (LDA), sentiment analysis, and interpretation of the results. The results of the sentiment analysis show that most reviews are positive, with customers expressing satisfaction with the ticket-buying process, experience at the concert, Coldplay's performance, and customer service. Several primary topics frequently appearing in reviews have been identified through topic modelling, including ticket-buying, concert experience, ticket prices, customer service, concert performance, concert location, togetherness with fans, accessibility, concert facilities, and supporting events. The interpretation of each topic provides insight into customer preferences and expectations. Recommendations for concert organizers include improving customer service, ensuring performance quality, choosing a convenient concert location, and paying attention to accessibility and the atmosphere around the concert venue. This research provides an in-depth understanding of customer experience and can serve as a guide for concert organizers to improve customer experience in the future.

Concert performance of operas in the educational process: goals, examples, innovations, perspectives

Statement of the problem. A pianist-concertmaster is a well-trained, technically equipped, multidisciplinary, comprehensively developed musician. Accordingly, teachers of concertmaster departments in institutions of higher education are entrusted with a great responsibility for the training of highly professional and competitive specialists. In this context, the study of entire opera works, not individual numbers or scenes, the result of which can be a concert performance of operas, deserves special attention. This is an extremely important area of training for future concertmasters, which allows young performers to acquire the complex of knowledge and skills necessary for further work in the musical theatre. Objectives, methods, and novelty of the research. Various aspects of concertmaster skill are studied in numerous scientific works (Borovytska, 2018; Zub, 2021; Iniutochkina, 2010; Kretov, Novik-Kretova, 2017; Molchanova, 2015, 2017; Pidporinova, 2023). The tasks of this article are to determine the goals of performing operas in the concert version by students of the class of accompanist mastery; to put together methodical instructions regarding the concertmasters’ work on the opera as a whole; to outline the prospects of a special project that has been carried out for many years at the Department of Concertmaster Skill of the Kharkiv I. P. Kotlyarevsky National University of Arts under the leadership of its head Ye. Nikitska. For the first time, on the basis of the application of genre and performing research approaches, methodical guidelines for the work of a student-concertmaster on a concert performance of an opera have been systematized. Research results and conclusion. The purpose of concert performance of operas by student pianists of the class of accompanist skills is to make them ready for future professional activities as concertmasters of musical theatres. That is why concert performances of operas as entire works play an important role in the system of teaching concertmaster skill. In the process of preparatory work on complete opera compositions, practical situations that pianists-concertmasters face in their further professional activities are modelled and reproduced. This allows one to develop a set of knowledge, abilities, skills and competencies that are necessary for a concertmaster in a musical theatre. The work on a concert performance of a complete opera requires a certain algorithm of actions, a teaching method, the components of which are: 1) a careful choice of the opera; 2) selection of soloists; 3) drawing up the compositional and dramaturgical plan-scheme of the opera and, accordingly, making decisions regarding the edition / cut out of the choral and choreographic (mass) scenes and the removal of minor characters; 4) if necessary, compiling the literary basis; 5) work with students on the piano part of the opera in its integrity in various aspects (interaction between concertmaster and vocalist; overcoming pianistic technical difficulties; achieving an “orchestral” sound; supporting the temporhythm of the performance as a whole). The practical worth and viability of the educational and creative project in question has been confirmed by time and numerous successful concert performances of opera works in the halls of the Kharkiv I. P. Kotlyarevsky National University of Arts and on the concert stages of the country; and its life-giving force will be the expansion of the repertoire and the appeal to world and Ukrainian opera art of the 20th–21st centuries.

Leadership dynamics in musical groups: Quantifying effects of musical structure on directionality of influence in concert performance videos.

Music ensemble performance provides an ecologically valid context for investigating leadership dynamics in small group interactions. Musical texture, specifically the relative salience of simultaneously sounding ensemble parts, is a feature that can potentially alter leadership dynamics by introducing hierarchical relationships between individual parts. The present study extended previous work on quantifying interpersonal coupling in musical ensembles by examining the relationship between musical texture and leader-follower relations, operationalised as directionality of influence between co-performers' body motion in concert video recordings. It was hypothesised that the directionality of influence, indexed by Granger Causality, would be greater for 'homophonic' textures with a clear distinction between melody and accompaniment parts than for 'polyphonic' textures with less distinction between melody and accompaniment. This hypothesis was tested by using pose estimation algorithms to track instrumentalists' body movements in a string quartet and a clarinet quintet, and then applying Granger Causality analysis to their head motion to estimate directional influence between instrumentalist pairs for sections of the pieces that varied in texture. It was found that Granger Causality values were generally higher (indicating greater directionality of influence) for homophonic than polyphonic textures. Furthermore, considering melody and accompaniment instrument roles revealed more evidence for the melody instrument influencing accompanying instruments than vice versa, plus a high degree of directionality among accompanying instruments, in homophonic textures. These observed patterns of directional information flow in co-performer body motion are consistent with changing leader-follower relations depending on hierarchical relations between ensemble parts in terms of the relative salience of melodic material in the musical texture. The finding that automatic pose estimation can detect modulations of leadership dynamics in standard video recordings under naturalistic performance conditions has implications for investigating interpersonal coordination in large-scale music video datasets representing different cultural traditions, and for exploring nonverbal communication in group activities more generally.

Hindustani raga and singer classification using 2D and 3D pose estimation from video recordings

Using pose estimation with video recordings, we apply an action recognition machine learning algorithm to demonstrate the use of the movement information to classify singers and the ragas (melodic modes) they perform. Movement information is derived from a specially recorded video dataset of solo Hindustani (North Indian) raga recordings by three professional singers each performing the same nine ragas, a smaller duo dataset (one singer with tabla accompaniment) as well as recordings of concert performances by the same singers. Data is extracted using pose estimation algorithms, both 2D (OpenPose) and 3D. A two-pathway convolutional neural network structure is proposed for skeleton action recognition to train a model to classify 12-second clips by singer and raga. The model is capable of distinguishing the three singers on the basis of movement information alone. For each singer, it is capable of distinguishing between the nine ragas with a mean accuracy of 38.2% (with the most successful model). The model trained on solo recordings also proved effective at classifying duo and concert recordings. These findings are consistent with the view that while the gesturing of Indian singers is idiosyncratic, it remains tightly linked to patterns of melodic movement: indeed we show that in some cases different ragas are distinguishable on the basis of movement information alone. A series of technical challenges are identified and addressed, with code shared alongside audiovisual data to accompany the paper.

Kapellmeister’s activity of J. Jurjāns in musical life of Kharkiv at the turn of the XIX and XX centuries

The purpose of the article is to clarify the specifics and role of J. Jurijāns’ kapellmeister’s activity in the musical life of Kharkiv at the turn of the XIX and XX centuries.
 The methodology of the research is based on a combination of historical, systematic and art-historical approaches, empirical and comparative methods of analysis, the application of which ensures the determination of the specifics and role of the kapellmeister’s activity of J. Jurijāns in the musical life of Kharkiv at the turn of the XIX and XX centuries.
 The scientific novelty lies in the introduction into the scientific circulation of art history of little-known, previously undisclosed facts from the musical history of Kharkiv, which highlight the specifics of J. Jurijāns’ professional self-realization as one of the adepts of academic musical art within the framework of his kapellmeister’s activitiy.
 Conclusions. In the course of the research, it was found out that J. Jurijāns’ carried out his kapellmeister’s activities in Kharkiv from 1890 to 1906 striving for professional self-realization. Having started this path by working with an amateur children’s wind orchestra, the musician then professionalized to lead the wind orchestra of the students of KhMU; the next step was to work out the specifics of leading a symphony orchestra, first with an amateur team and, finally, with a daily practicing orchestra of professional musicians. The specified professionalization was carried out in the context of J. Jurijāns’ development of the kapellmeister’s functions: organizational (selection of talented children, then professional musicians, to the orchestra, solving issues of the rehearsal process and concert practice), pedagogical (preparing children to play in the orchestra), educational (instilling a culture of learning highly artistic repertoire based on the ideological foundations of academic music), repertoire creator (implementation of repertoire policy based on public reproduction of academic music), performing and conducting (direct management of the process of music reproduction during concert performances). The influence of J. Jurijāns’ kapellmeister’s activity can be traced in the context: the spread of musical professionalism in the amateur environment of Kharkiv, its use in KhMU as a type of performance practice of the wind orchestra, the successful continuation of the tradition of summer symphony concerts in the city as an artistic phenomenon.

ТВОРЧЕСКИЙ ПОРТРЕТ ДАЙ ЮЙЦЯНА

The article is dedicated to the creative path of the outstanding Chinese tenor of our time Dai Yuqiang. Attention is focused on the key events of his life that influenced his development as a vocalist. The article covers the versatile activity of Dai Yuqiang as an opera singer, the main phase of which falls on the late 1990s – 2010s, and as a concert performer, teacher and music educator. It reveals the features of his performing repertoire (from Chinese folk songs to Italian verismo operas) and highlights the geography of his performances (from China to the USA). Dai Yuqiang is a singer known outside of China, who is internationally recognised for his exceptional voice and artistry. The name of Dai Yuqiang is inscribed in the world vocal art, he is the first and only student of the great Luciano Pavarotti. In the field of Chinese vocal education today, Dai Yuqiang is one of the leading teachers, engaged in the education of professional vocalists. An important part of his pedagogy is the popularisation of vocal literacy among a wide audience. The information from Dai Yuqiang’s biography is reinforced by excerpts from two published interviews, which allows us to make his artistic portrait more expressive, voluminous, and multifaceted.

Советский исторический роман в зеркале исторического источника («Судьба Плещеевых» А.Н. Глумова и письма А.А. Плещеева к В.А. Жуковскому)

The article examines the Soviet historical trilogy by Aleksandr Glumov about the fate of Aleksey Pleshcheev (1778-1862) and his family; it was published by the publishing house Sovetskiy Pisatel’ (Young Freethinkers, 1959; At the Turn of the Century, 1965; The Fate of the Pleshcheevs, 1973). The involvement of Pleshcheev’s two sons in Decembrist societies prompted Glumov to present the history of this family as a reflection of the first stage of the development of the revolutionary movement in Russia (in accordance with Lenin’s scheme). Pleshcheev, a music lover and composer, is depicted in the trilogy as a secret freethinker, accustomed to silence about his beliefs during his years of study at the St. Petersburg Jesuit boarding school. Anastasia Pleshcheeva, his wife, is represented by Glumov as a victim of Emperor Paul I’s violence, which made her like-minded with her husband in hatred of the supreme power. The constructions associated with the central images of the trilogy are not confirmed by historical sources, with which Glumov was well acquainted. The creation of the trilogy was accompanied by a huge research work of its author in libraries and archives. Glumov was a well-known musicologist, as well as the director of musical and literary concert performances, which testified to his high educational and cultural level. In the trilogy, he managed to give a wide panorama of the life of Russian noble society at the end of the 18th - first quarter of the 19th centuries. In his memoirs, Glumov admitted that the depiction of many scenes, episodes, plot twists and historical figures was dictated not by the biography of the hero, but by the author’s interest in various historical and cultural phenomena and personalities, primarily from the musical, theatrical and literary world. The freedom with which Glumov worked on the biography of the hero was focused on well-known literary samples and justified by the author’ s desire for creativity outside the narrow framework of historical verisimilitude. The trilogy was written as an adventurous historical novel with many events that did not exist in Pleshcheev’s life. Nevertheless, the narrative of Pleshcheev’s incredible adventures was combined with the use of archival documents, which were quoted for the first time on the pages of the trilogy. Thus, the article presents evidence of Glumov’s acquaintance with the unpublished letters of Aleksey Pleshcheev to Vasily Zhukovsky for 1809-1841. Glumov quoted excerpts from eight letters of the poet from 1812-1814. However, his attitude to this historical source was selective, and he did not use those letters that contradicted the ideological structure of the plot and figurative constructions of the trilogy. For example, the ridicule in Pleshcheev’s letter about Zhukovsky’s joining the militia in 1812 turned out to be inappropriate, as well as the call for him to immediately leave the theater of military operations and return to the family shelter. Glumov used another letter to date Pleshcheev’s opera Forced Marriage, but did not mention the contents of this letter, which spoke of Pleshcheev’s wife as a coquette, crossing out the novelist’s constructions about the tragedy she allegedly experienced in the tsar’s palace. Glumov’s trilogy was intended for a highly educated reader, but could not fully satisfy him, since it left behind a lot of questions about the reality of a number of events presented in Pleshcheev’s biography. This can explain the absence of reviews of the trilogy and references to it in research papers, since it is extremely difficult to separate genuine biographical events from fictional ones in the work. The author declares no conflicts of interests.

The Cherubikons of Ukrainian Composers of the 20th–21st Centuries: The Spiritual Genre in Modern Stylistic Interpretation

"There are considered the features of the Cherubikons as a special troparion in the system of Orthodox worship. It is emphasized that the singing of the Cherubikon is characterized by extraordinary splendor and solemnity; historically, it always stood out noticeably from other chants. It is indicated that the style of the Cherubikons of various stages of the development of the liturgical singing was influenced by the general style panorama of that era. It is determined that, despite this, during each of the historical eras, significant samples of the Cherubikon were created, which retain visible connections with the genre invariant, based on the reliance on the text, strophic and melodiousness. It is determined that the Cherubikons performed in churches today are stylistically simple, but very convenient for choral singing. Separately allocated spiritual music, written not for church use, but for concert performances by modern composers. It is revealed that Cherubikons songs written by modern Ukrainian composers belong to sacred music and have no direct links with liturgical practice. They are individual author’s implement of the canonical text. The musical language of these Cherubikons is extremely complex and involves the use of modern composition techniques. This allows composers to embody the symbolism of the content of the liturgical text and a new look at the traditions of Christian singing. Keywords: Cherubikons, sacred choral music, sacred music, music of modern Ukrainian composers, musical style, musical genre, musical language"

O. Mishchenko’s button accordion school in metaphors and realities of creative and pedagogical process

O. Mishchenko’s button accordion school in metaphors and realities of creative and pedagogical process

Specificity of Using Phonograms in Popular Music

The purpose of the research. This article attempts to characterise the interaction of sound directing practices with popular music during stage performances and concerts. The research methodology employed to address the set objectives consisted of a historical-cultural approach to analyse the development process of digital sound recording formats and innovations in concert touring practices, a philosophical-aesthetic approach when considering the aesthetic principles of the music and sound concept in concert performances, and a method of theoretical generalisation to draw conclusions and justify the specific features of the outlined issues. The scientific novelty of this article lies in being the first in Ukrainian science to substantiate and sequentially describe the work on recording playback phonograms in the studio, as well as their subsequent use together with live performances by artists during a long-anticipated concert tour as a unified music and sound image of the creative ensemble, based on teaching and sound engineering experience. Conclusions. With the development of digital means of artistic expression, the use of phonograms in popular music has gained significant momentum, with the main argument in favour being the "the main focus is the show programme". This, to some extent, justifies artists' performances to pre-recorded playback. Therefore, based on analyzed examples, the specificity of the sound engineer's work with a complex scheme of simultaneous use of phonograms from a player-recorder (HDR) and the sound accompaniment of the creative ensemble during stage performances is elucidated. The issues related to this practice and recommended methods to avoid them are highlighted. It is determined that the concert sound director is a central figure in creating a popular music stage performance. The level of artistic and spectacular event, regardless of the chosen performance format (playback or live performance) of the creative performer/ensemble, depends on their professional skills and practical experience in utilising innovative sound equipment. The use of a full or partial phonogram during a concert, presented to an enthusiastic audience, is a matter of professional ethics and the integrity of the artist(s). Failure to uphold these high components results in complete ruin of the performer's or creative ensemble's stage career. The final choice remains with the artists. Keywords: sound directing, popular singing, backing vocals, instrumental performance, studio sound recording, phonogram, sound equipment.

Amateur symphonic performance in an educational environment: the student orchestra of Kharkiv University in the 1880s — 1890s

The purpose of the publication is to determine the specifics of the functioning of the student orchestra of Kharkiv University in the 1880s — 1890s in the context of amateur symphonic performance.
 The methodology. In the process of studying the activity of the orchestra of Kharkiv University, the approach of comparative analysis was applied, thanks to which the peculiarities of developing the repertoire and concert practice of the team were revealed. Determination of the specifics of work with the team of orchestra leaders was carried out within the framework of the application of the systematicity principle.
 The results. Based on the analysis of the materials of the Kharkiv press of the 1880s — early 1900s, the specifics of the functioning of the Kharkiv University student orchestra, led by prominent professional musicians S. Nemetz, A. von Glen and S. Dochevskyi, is investigated. It was determined that the performance activity of the amateur orchestra was influenced by the specifics of the educational process at the university, which caused both the annual renewal of a certain percentage of orchestra members and long breaks in the rehearsal process. During the leadership of S. Nemetz (1881–1885) and A. von Glen (1889–1900), the university music collective met the standards of the instrumental composition of a symphony orchestra; the quality of music reproduction was ensured by inviting professional orchestra performers of Kharkiv theaters and local amateur musicians. The level of performance of the orchestra of that period made it possible to successfully perform symphonic music by L. Beethoven, K. M. Weber, F. Mendelssohn, R. Wagner, etc. at leading concert venues in Kharkiv. During the leadership of the university orchestra by S. Dochevskyi (1890s — 1900s), the concert activity gradually reduced, being limited to episodic participation in university celebrations and charity events organized by students of the educational institution.
 The scientific novelty. It has been proven that the specificity of the functioning of the amateur symphony orchestra of Kharkiv University during the 1880s and 1890s under the leadership of musicians educated on the aesthetic principles of academic musical art is determined by the quality of their performance of the bandmaster functions. S. Nemetz and A. von Glen, who sought to make up an orchestra that meets academic standards of a musical team, provided a symphonic instrumental composition and performance quality, involving professional musicians into concert performances. The limitation of concert practice of the student orchestra during the leadership of S. Dochevskyi to university events led to a gradual decrease in the level of performance skills and orientation in the process of providing the instrumental composition purely to amateur students.
 The practical significance. Prospects for further research are related to the study of the specifics of the functioning of amateur orchestra groups in the cultural centers of Ukraine in the second half of the XIX century.

Contribution of Edward A. Lefebre to the Development of Saxophone Ensemble Performance in the 19th Century (exemplified by K. Florio’s work Allegro de Concert for saxophone quartet)

The paper examines the figure of the famous 19th-century saxophonist Edward A. Lefebvre and his contribution to the development of Western saxophone ensemble performance, the expansion of the saxophone repertoire (as exemplified by the performance of K. Florio’s piece Allegro de Concert for the saxophone quartet). In the paper, it is emphasized that the emergence of ensemble works for the saxophone during the 19th century contributed to the artistic evolution of the instrument (in solo and ensemble aspects), the performing interest to which only increased over time. The constant relevance of ensemble works (for instance, collaboration of performer Edward A. Lefebvre and composer K. Florio) is manifested today in the creation of various transcriptions of ensemble chamber-instrumental works, where the artistic and performing aspects of the collaboration between a composer and performer reverberate in the immersion and reproduction of original ideas and images and meanings. Modern stage performing practice is characterized by the experiments and reproduction of musical expressive means appropriate to the Romanticism, as well as imitation of the manner of virtuoso playing. The stylistic features of ensemble concert performance of the 19th century make an interesting reading for a contemporary concert saxophonists. These features are: technicality, emotional expressiveness, and performing vividness.

Etienne Ozi – «a great bassonist of incredible talent»

Statement of the problem. Etienne Ozi stands out as a bassoonist due to his significant creative achievements in various spheres of his multifaceted activities. As a bassoonist soloist, he successfully debuted in the “Concerts Spirituels” and for more than two decades was actively performed in front of Parisians in the best halls of the capital. An equally significant achievement of Ozі as a teacher was the preparation of the first instructional manual for the specialists “Nouvelle méthode de basson adoptue par le Conservatoire” (1803), which remained the main official publication of the Paris Conservatory for many years. The composer’s work also became an important part of the bassoon repertoire, which was actively used by him and his students in performing and teaching activities. Despite the importance of E. Ozi’s contribution to all spheres of bassoon art, the artist’s multifaceted creative activity still has not been properly assessed by modern researchers and requires a more detailed study. Recent research and publications. Among the works of domestic scientists, there are hardly any publications dedicated to E. Ozi’s creative activity. An outstanding Ukrainian musician, teacher and scientist V. M. Apatsky (2017) in his fundamental reference publication «Bassoon from A to Z» covers only individual episodes of the musician’s biography. The figure of the French artist is considered more deeply by foreign researchers, among which it is necessary to single out the dissertation and monograph of H. E. Griswold «Etienne Ozi (1754–1813): Bassoonist, Teacher, and Composer» (1979), in which E. Ozi’s work is revealed in sufficient detail. However, over the forty-year period of its existence, a certain updating of historical materials took place, which requires clarification and correction of some facts. Among the latest publications, which in one way or another highlight E. Ozi’s work, it is worth mentioning O. Tiffou’s monograph «The French Bassoon in the 19th Century. Theory and Repertoire» (2022) and Á. D. Moreno’s thesis «Bassoon Playing in Perspective. Character and Performance Practice from 1800 to 1850» (2013). In each of the studies, the authors partly consider individual aspects of the musician’s creative work according to the chosen research direction. Objectives, methods, and novelty of the research. The purpose of the study is to identify the main directions of Etienne Ozi’s performance and his role in the process of formation of the French bassoon school of the late 18th – early 19th centuries. The scientific novelty of the paper is determined by disclosing little-known facts of E. Ozi’s performance and his contribution to the formation of the French bassoon school. The study of E. Ozi’s performance required the use of a number of methods, such as historical to reveal the ideological and socio-economic factors of influence of the French Revolution on the development of musical art; historiography analyses to study and interpret musical and critical sources of the 18th century, chronological one to determine the time sequence of E. Ozi’s main concert performances; contextual and biographical approaches to highlight important stages of the artist’s creative work. Research results. The process of becoming Ozi as a performer is related to military brass bands, which, due to the lack of special musical educational institutions in France in the 18th century, remained the only place, where it was possible to learn to play wind instruments. Then, successful bassoon lessons under the leadership of the outstanding German bassoonist G. V. Ritter opened him the door to the concert stage. From 1779, he became an active performer-soloist of the prestigious “Concerts Spirituels” in the royal palaces. After the French Revolution and the overthrow of the monarchy, E. Ozi continued a successful performing and teaching career in the Paris Conservatory, the orchestras of the Théâtre Italien, Théâtre Feydeau and Théâtre de la République et des Arts. An important achievement of the talented musician was a convincing victory in the competition of nominees for the post of soloist of the Grand Opéra Théâtre, which allowed him to take the most prestigious place for a bassoonist in France. Conclusion. E. Ozi is one of the first French musicians who presented the bassoon as a solo instrument and created a multi-genre concert repertoire for it. Regular performances at the most prestigious halls of Paris allowed him to confidently occupy a leading positions not only among the French, but also European bassoonists. Active performing activity of E. Ozi and his fruitful teaching practice at the Paris Conservatory had a crucial influence on the development of European bassoon art of the late 18th and early 19th centuries.