Orchestral Textures Research Articles

“Four words about kolomyika”: author’s experience of orchestration

Statement of the problem. Orchestration is one of the spheres of a composer’s professional activity, and its ways and principles are a special subject of scientific research. There are a sufficient number of examples, when the composer turns to the orchestration of self-own piano works (F. Liszt, C. Saint-Saëns, M. Ravel, H. Villa-Lobos, M. Skoryk and others), but the orchestration of violin works is not widespread phenomenon. The proposed work reveals the ways of orchestrating the four parts of the cycle “Seven words about the kolomyika” for solo violin, written by the author of the article. The main idea of the piece is interpretation of the kolomyika genre as a keeper of the genetic code of the Ukrainian people, through different levels of texture and structure solutions. Objectives, methods, and novelty of the research. Numerous works are devoted to orchestration, among them the guides by Adler, Casella & Mortari, Belkin, Klebanov and others. Another field of research is works on the theory of orchestration by Savchenko, Rakochi, Korobetska, Borodavkin, Kashyrtsev, Bohatyriov. However, the study of the ways and methods of translating a violin texture into an orchestral one has not yet attracted enough attention of musicologists-scientists and practicing musicians, and it is extremely difficult to find works on the orchestration of a violin texture, therefore, the presented work has an innovative focus. The purpose of the publication is to reveal the specifics of the orchestration of the violin texture using the example of the cycle “Four words about kolomyika” through the analysis of the use of orchestral principles and techniques in it. It was required the involvement of such research methods: genre-stylistic to identify the features of the kolomyika genre; structural-functional for researching the functions of instruments in the orchestral texture, the orchestration techniques, the form of the work; comparative one for considering the original violin source and the derived orchestral version; historical to light the context of the writing of the work. Results and conclusion. As a result of the research of the original source and its symphonic, timbre reinterpreted version, the next statements has been revealed. 1. The structural compositional analysis of the texture and form of the original source is of great importance for the creation of an orchestration of both one’s own and someone else’s work – the identification of potential harmony, bass voice, accompaniment, determination of the boundaries of the form, the character and tempo, which helps to understand the way of building timbre drama in the orchestral version. 2. The melody often in a “collapsed” form contains certain orchestral textural and timbre solutions. So, in many sections of the symphonic cycle, textural layers hidden in the initial melodic line are revealed – orchestral pedal, figurations, bass line, counterpoint, et cet. 3. The type, nature of the melody and the form of the piece determine the choice of timbre and orchestration techniques. The cycle uses such techniques of orchestral writing as underlining, the transfer of textural lines from one instrument to another, an orchestral crescendo, timbre mixes, the overlaying of textural layers of different instrumental groups, which creates a sonorous effect. 4. Each instrument of the wooden and brass groups corresponds to a certain line of the texture, is not duplicated in unison according to the “a2” principle, except for a few bars of the bassoons in the first part. This allows us to interpret the orchestra as a large ensemble, which to some extent is due to the neo-folkloric style of the piece. 5. The main idea of the piece in the symphonic version is manifested through the timbre reinterpretation of the theme, the multi-layered texture, the significant role of the woodwinds in the melodic lines and percussion to emphasize the rhythmic pattern and mark the boundaries of the form, as well as through the coloristic effects. The named ways of the piece working create the orchestral style that is a valuable component of composer’s creative activity.

Orchestration as a factor of genre reproduction (on the example of analysing Zoltan Almashi’s Concerto Grosso no. 4 “Seasons”)

Statement of the problem. Among the many trends in the creative search in music of the XX–XXI centuries, one of the leading ones is the appeal to the ideas and models of the past. This has led to the revival of previous centuries musical genres. The accuracy of a genre’s reproduction is determined by its constituent elements, such as musical themes, harmony, form structure, etc. Orchestration plays an important role in this process, as it forms a timbre-textural complex that has structural, organisational and semantic functions in musical work. The considered piece, Z. Almash’si Concerto Grosso No. 4 “Seasons” for violin and orchestra, is an example of the use of the early genre in contemporary music. Despite the genre classification mentioned in the title, the composition has its own unique features that indicate a free interpretation of the genre model. In this regard, it seems necessary to to identify the features characteristic of the concerto grosso genre. Among them, orchestration can be considered the key one. Objectives, methods, and novelty of the research. The existing scientific sources do not pay enough attention to the orchestration in «Seasons» by Z. Almashi, as wee as its role in the reproduction of the genre, which determines the scientific novelty of this study. The purpose of the article is to identify the orchestration features attributable to concerto grosso in Z. Almasy’s work and to determine the specific principles of the structure of the orchestral texture. The study uses: the historical-typological method – to understand the contextual and socio-cultural belonging of Z. Almashi’s piece, the genre method – to reveal its typological and individual features with a projection on the orchestration, the stylistic method – to determine the artistic and aesthetic, linguistic and technological properties, a structural and functional method – to disclose the peculiarities of the organization of an orchestral texture. Recent research and publications. The work is based on sources devoted to the relationship of genre and orchestration (Korobetska, 2011; 2013), the use of contemporary composers with genre models of early music (Tukova, 2003), the formation and development of the instrumental concerto (Rakochi, 2021), to the orchestral style of Baroque composers (Borodavkin, 1998), orchestration as a component of compositional technique (Savchenko, 2021), and to the definition of the position of timbre and texture in orchestration (Kashyrtsev, 2021; Klebanov, 2019). Research results and conclusion. The analysis revealed those features in the orchestration that correspond to the genre of concerto grosso. First of all, it is the availability of two instrumental groups with different orchestral functions. The first ‘concertino’ group includes the principale violin, ocarina, flute, clarinet in B and piano; the second ‘ripieno’ group includes the string orchestra. Nevertheless, instruments from the first group (primarily woodwinds and piano) can be combined with stringed instruments in accompaniment of solo violin. When these groups of instruments interact, there is a juxtaposition of timbres, volumes and sound densities. Also, the contrast is enhanced due to the virtuosity of the parts in the ‘concertino’ group. This creates dialogue and competition, which necessary for the realization of the genre. A variety of orchestration techniques, among which are timbre mixtures, duplication, re-colouring, swinging, and sound painting, embodies the concerto principle. They form a timbre dramaturgy, which is essential for actualising the concert genre and the program title of the piece.

Effectiveness of Music Therapy on Sensitivity, Memory, and Auditory Sequence of 7 to 9-Year-Old Girls with Reading Disorder

Background: This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of music therapy on the components of sensitivity, memory, and auditory sequence of 7 to 9-year-old girls with reading disorders.
 Methods: The selected method for the present study was quasi-experimental with a pretest-posttest design and a control group. The statistical population of the present study comprised 30 volunteer girls aged 7 to 9 (Persian speaking) with reading disorders who were randomly placed in experimental and control groups (15 people each). The experimental group participated in music therapy sessions for 30 minutes twice a week for four months. First, to increase their proportion of focusing on music little by little; second, to increase the speed of the music gradually during the sessions; and third, to replace the active method slowly with the passive approach and move the tendency of the selected melodies from monophonic and vocal-less texture to polyphonic and vocal orchestral texture.
 Results: The data were analyzed using paired t-test. The results showed that the experimental group’s sensitivity, memory, and auditory sequence were significantly higher than those in the control group post-test (p<0.001).
 Conclusion: Music as an applied method can effectively improve the auditory symptoms of children with reading disorders.

Underfoot by Niillas Holmberg

Reviewed by: Underfoot by Niillas Holmberg Graziano Krätli NIILLAS HOLMBERG Underfoot Illus. Inga-Wiktoria Påve. Trans. Johanna Domokos & Jennifer Kwon Dobbs. Buffalo, New York. White Pine Press. 2022. 100 pages. UNDERFOOT may be the "first Sámi poetry translated into English in the U.S.," as the publisher states, but I daresay that its uniqueness and appeal lie more in the book as a creative artifact—and in poetry as verbo-visual communication—than in its linguistic peculiarity. This is a book that questions the limits and limitations (physical as well as intellectual) of the book form, simultaneously exploiting and expanding them (see WLT, Sept. 2022, 16). The reader experiences the text as part of a scenography dominated by an eloquent and haunting graphic theme: a spectral, metamorphic trace that runs throughout the slim and stylish volume, cover to cover, linking the unnumbered pages structurally as well as thematically. Set against a background that changes gradually from pitch-black to dark gray to light gray and then again from light gray to dark gray to pitch-black, this graphic thread assumes various shapes and symbolic identities (esoteric glyphs, electrocardiograms, leaves and other imprint fossils, totemic animals, and shamanic masks), transforming the pages into veritable panels of a looping, folding screen. Some of these panels feature the text of the poem, in the form of couplets, tercets, quatrains, or a combination of two or more of them placed on the lower half of the left or the right page, and occasionally on both. At (more or less) regular intervals, a variable number of pages with no text string the five sections of the poem together. This structure, together with the ratio of written to unwritten pages, the positioning of the text, and the overall color scheme, creates an orchestral texture upon which Holmberg's poetry, like the soloist in a piano concerto, plays a unifying as well as a signifying role. "Time to return to the feet. / Underfoot there's a drum / skin carved with human letters." However, between the feet and what lies underfoot (the complex, earthbound symbolism and mythologies of a traditional culture) are the shoes of forced assimilation, technology, industry and the market, collectively enabling/enforcing progress while eroding "[t]he body's memory / . . . of a linguistic nervous system." Language makes it possible to recognize and interpret the "human letters" carved on the drum skin underfoot, which tell the difference between simple tracks (such as the imprints of forward motion, progress) and the vestigial, transcending power of traces. It is the connective tissue that binds mind and body, body and earth, past and present in the triadic movement of sensing, tracing, seeing ("Sense the touching, trace where the body meets earth, see / the foot"). [End Page 78] Poetry, of course, is the ultimate manifestation of such a language—and of verbal communication in general—and in Holmberg's distinctive and captivating voice (and that of his capable translators) it acquires an almost oracular eloquence, richly allegoric ("children / with ears like leaves, children / with grammar hidden in their bodies") and metaphorical ("Looking through the shoemaker's window / is to mourn stones that can't fly"), but at the same time plain and straightforward, as in the crucial questions that ultimately concern us all: "Is it too late to raise a child / or merely too late to ask?" It is indeed time to return to the feet—if we can still find them. Graziano Krätli New Haven, Connecticut Copyright © 2023 World Literature Today and the Board of Regents of the University of Oklahoma

Особенности инструментовки произведений для плац-концерта духового оркестра: современная практика

The article examines the main structural elements of parade ground concerts, including compositions of various genres and styles which affect the musical stage dramaturgy and the peculiarities of orchestration of the musical set of the program. Very frequently in programs of parade ground concerts the attention of the audiences is drawn towards musical compositions of a pronounced national character, as well as the use of folk instruments, which supplement the program with a special color and emphasize the characteristic features of the performance of a wind band of any particular country. Basing himself on his own experience and on the study of parade ground concerts performed by wind bands in Russia and in European countries, the author has analyzed and formulated the main techniques and principles of orchestration of various elements of orchestral textures, examined the particular features of their interaction, and has highlighted the tessitura principle of the inner organization of the wind band as the predominating element for the preparation and performance of musical compositions in a program of a parade ground concert. In addition, the general and particular peculiarities of orchestration intrinsic to wind music are emphasized here, and some regularities of use of orchestral means are determined.

Articulating Urban Culture with Coach Horns in the Long Nineteenth Century

Postal horns have been associated traditionally with bucolic topics in music. From Mozart to Mahler, the instrument appears in orchestral textures and songs to signify nostalgia for preindustrial rural life. The history of the coach horn, originally the standard postal instrument used on the British Royal Mail fleets, branched unexpectedly away from this paradigm when it was adopted for recreational use by socialites in urban areas in England, France, and other metropolitan hubs during the second half of the nineteenth century. In addition to performing the traditional road signals, driving enthusiasts expanded the musical vocabulary of the coach horn to include elaborate fanfares and stylized ensemble music. Tracing the undocumented recreational history of the coach horn, this article interrogates coach horn manuals, compositions, and essays on coaching that overturn traditional assumptions about the instrument. These sources illustrate how coach horn signals helped reframe driving from a service activity to a healthful sport. Examining the rhetoric surrounding the coach horn during the period of its revival, this study shows how the new signals reflected promenade and salon culture by mimicking polite dialogue. The ensemble repertory written for coach horns also catered to urban popular taste and was cultivated to enhance metropolitan social events. Analysis further illustrates how revivalist fanfares aurally articulated social status in the outdoor urban arena. This case study ultimately traces the cultural evolution of an instrument, a complex process through which old and new musical expectations were negotiated through composition and practice.

«АМЕРИКАНСКИЕ ЭТЮДЫ» — «ПУТЕВОЙ ДНЕВНИК» НИКОЛАЯ СИДЕЛЬНИКОВА: СПЕЦИФИКА СТИЛЯ И ИСПОЛНИТЕЛЬСКОЙ ИНТЕРПРЕТАЦИИ

The article discusses the piano cycle «Twelve etudes-impressions», also called «America is my love», created by N. N. Sidelnikov in 1990. The program names of the etudes, set out, like the Preludes of K. Debussy, a postscript (at the end of each play), according to the author, reflect a living life colored by the perception of a new unusual world, as well as an explosion of nostalgic feelings when meeting a close friend. The originality of the piano technique of composition is noted, largely predetermined by innovative compositional decisions: dizzying virtuosity, originality of piano techniques are designed for great performing capabilities of the performer. The composition is interpreted in the context of the great traditions of piano art: F. Liszt — first of all, his transcendental etudes, etudes by F. Chopin and S. V. Rachmaninov. The «score» orchestral texture, color, piano playing, impressionistic sound recording are the most important signs of the style of the outstanding Russian artist of the second half of the XX century.

ПРЕЛЮДІЯ «ПІСЛЯПОЛУДНЕВИЙ ВІДПОЧИНОК ФАВНА» К. ДЕБЮССІ «ПО БІЛОМУ І ЧОРНОМУ»

The creation of a piano transcription of an orchestral piece does not do without a certain modification of the texture of the original source, because the literal simplification of a symphonic score to a piano arrangement is perceived as an impoverished "imprint" of the original musical material, hardly suitable for concert performance. C. Debussy’s creativity includes both orchestral and piano works, the experience of writing which represents the composer as a master of sound color, which is created by the timbres of both the symphony orchestra and the piano. Prelude «To the Afternoon of Faun» by C. Debussy is such a multifaceted work, the musical images of which can be reproduced in a piano sound in such a quality, which is characteristic of a concert piano opus, that is not inferior in the artistic persuasiveness of the original. The analysis of various transcriptions of С. Debussy’s work revealed prospects for the search for new purely piano textural solutions. In this sense, the experience of the French pianist Alexandre Tharaud, who uses the formulas of romantic pianism for the piano reproduction of orchestral playing techniques and texture, deserves attention. The purpose of the work is to reveal the sound possibilities of the Prelude «To the Afternoon of Faun» performed on a piano, to identify modern textural and timbre solutions for transforming an orchestral texture into an independent piano text. The research methodology is based on the methods of musical comparativistics and organology in its piano branch, as well as on the involvement of music-historical, textological and analytical approaches. Scientific novelty. For the first time, the piano transcriptions of the Prelude «To the Afternoon of Faun» by C. Debussy are considered from the point of view of the transformation of the composer’s orchestral score into a virtuoso concert piano piece. In particular, the specificity of the piano transcription of the modern French pianist Alexander Tharaud is characterized as an example of purely pianistic modification of the texture of an orchestral work. Conclusions. The transformation of C. Debussy’s orchestral piece into a concert piano piece takes place through the search for such pianistic textural solutions that are capable of giving orchestral timbres a piano image-sound equivalent. The creation of an independent concert piano transcription of the Prelude «To the Afternoon of Faun» by C. Debussy is based on the traditions of romantic pianism.

Обґрунтування специфіки оркестрового мислення: теоретичний аспект

Relevance of chosen topic. Seemingly endless space of research devoted to musical thinking includes much lesser studied sphere of orchestral thinking. Despite problems of orchestration and orchestral style being quite discussed, that is proven by numerous scholarly works, the scholars do not pay sufficient attention to rather complicated term “orchestral thinking”, mainly concentrating their efforts on the problems of technical and artistically-aesthetical aspects of orchestration. It causes relevancy of given article. The aim of the article is to comprehend term “orchestral thinking” and to suggest its scholarly definition. Research novelty of the article lies in the fact that orchestral thinking is proven to be a complex phenomenon, capable of reflecting culturally-worldview and axiological paradigms. It is in this aspect that researcher definition of this term is suggested. This approach allows to interpret orchestral thinking not only in technical aspect, but also in worldview, artistically-aesthetic, philosophic, in other words, in the realm of spiritual existence of personality. Methodological basis of the research is constituted by systematic, integrative, analytical and functional methods. Conclusions. Sufficient amount of research on problems, connected with orchestral thinking does not mean that it is exhaustively studied. Orchestral thinking is relatively poorly studied topic; but its study in aspect of worldview premises of culture-context allows to draw attention not only on technical problems of orchestration, but also to formulate a problem about it being determined by meanings and premises of culture-context, as well as about its ability to reflect universals of certain type of thinking. In this aspect we suggest the following definition: orchestral thinking is a way of cognition and reflection of reality and forming holistic view on the world (human, time and space, motion, matter, material and spiritual components of existence, axiological system), a device for embodiment of culturally-contextual universals and modelling of system of relations between subject and world through orchestration and timbrally-textural intonation, which is done in space and time. Objectifying of holistic view in the world is done in timbrallytextural structure of the work through orchestral writing. We understand orchestral writing as an individual system of technological devices and principles, determined by composer’s orchestral thinking, musical language and common, basic rules of orchestration. Orchestral writing is aimed at realisation of timbral and textural structure of the work, conditioned by style, genre and artistic idea through functional interaction of elements constituting orchestral texture.

PRINCIPLES OF ORCHESTRAL STYLE IN SYMPHONIC FRESCOES “TARAS BULBA” BY SERHIY TURNIEIEV

Statement of the problem. The works of Serhii Petrovich Turnieiev – Honoured Artist, composer, professor – have made a significant contribution to the musical culture of Ukraine. His creativity attracts the attention of musicologists from different generations and needs more extensive study. The novelty of the research. The article makes up for the shortage of scientific works covering the orchestral style of S. Turnieiev in connection with his compositional thinking. The work highlights the leading role of orchestration – an important expressive and logical-constructive tool in the music of the twentieth century – in organizing the artistic integrity of the Symphonic Frescoes “Taras Bulba”. Literature review. The theoretical basis of the article is the work on the study of orchestration and orchestral style (Kars, 1990; Blagodatov, 1963; Shabunova, 2008; Korobetskaya, 2011, Halmrast, 2000; Hundsnes, 2010;. McAdams 2019; Monel, 2012; Otto, 1983; Rakochi, 2020; Urniecius, 2018; Wallmark, 2019). In addition, the paper refers to the articles defining the term “Symphonic frescoes” (Tikha, 2009; Tishchik, 2019; Belova, 2020). The aim of the article is to study Symphonic Frescoes “Taras Bulba” by S. Turnieiev from the standpoint of orchestral style. The article uses analytical, genre, style, historical, structural-functional, comparative, systematic generalization methods of research. Results and conclusions. The orchestration of Symphonic Frescoes “Taras Bulba” by S. Turnieiev is characterized by: 1) a variety of orchestral texture as a supplier of semantics, which gives the orchestration semantic and logical-constructive functions in organizing a large-scale work; 2) a combination of functional and coloristic orchestration; 3) orchestral flavor, sound, picturesqueness; 4) large strokes, avoidance of details, which is motivated by the genre of the work. The orchestration analysis of S. Turnieiev’s large-scale symphonic work “Taras Bulba” made it possible to draw the following conclusions regarding his orchestral style: 1) the composer’s orchestration is determined by the principles of his compositional thinking and aesthetic ideas; 2) the orchestration of the work is influenced by the genre of the work and the individual genre decision; 3) the composer chooses the orchestral ensemble сonsidering the practicality of the performance and the concept of the work; 4) there is an interpenetration of functional and coloristic orchestration in accordance with synthetic composer’s thinking. The composer operates with different types of texture, which has an important form-making and dramatic role, and applies traditional and innovative techniques.

І. Stravinsky’s orchestral writing of Neo-Classical and serial (late) periods: comparative analysis

Statement of the problem. Neo-Classical and serial (late) periods of I. Stravinsky’s creativity are marked by the shifts in his musical language, which found their reflection in his orchestral writing. “Universals” of style and genre (term of Savenko (2001: 105–163) retain their relevancy. Constant principles of orchestral writing (multi-figure composition, combinatorics and plastique) are used in different combinations. Analysis of recent research and publications. While there are numerous studies devoted to I. Stravinsky’s Neo-Classical and serial (late) periods, no works have composer’s orchestral thinking and orchestral writing as an object of special examination. Thus, scarce studies regarding aspects of composer’s orchestration become even more valuable: about orchestral texture (Schnittke, 1967; Schnittke, 1973, Savenko, 2001; Kashyrtsev, 2020), or interpretation of timbres (Savenko, 2001; Savenko, 2011, Kashyrtsev, 2020), or interconnection of orchestral and harmonically-modal thinking (Gurkov, 1987), or editions (Timofeev, 2014; Timofeev, 2019). The purpose of this article is an examination of specifics of I. Stravinsky’s orchestral writing from the standpoint of peculiarity of application of constant principles of orchestral writing (multi-figure composition, combinatorics and plastique) in the ballet “Jeu de cartes” and the Variations (Aldous Huxley in Memoriam). The novelty of the article is caused by: 1)reveal of beforementioned principles; 2) examination of their existence in evolutionary perspective; 3) bringing attention to relevant problems of orchestration in I. Stravinsky’s works of Neo-Classical and late periods of creativity; 4) formulation of original scholarly definition of the term “orchestral writing”. Methods. In this article stylistic method is used – to study evolutionary processes of composer’s style in dialectic unity of constant and innovative; functional – to examine specifics of functional organisation of orchestral texture; comparative – to reveal different ways in which constant principles of orchestral writing are used on different stages of composer’s evolution. Results and Conclusions. Constant principles of orchestral writing (multifigure composition, combinatorics and plastique), which have already emerged in the primary period, are present in the works of Neo-Classical and late periods in different configurations of their relations. In the ballet “Jeu de cartes” multi-figure composition loses its role in comparison to the early works and is applied hidden due to: 1) motive variants (with the motives being stressed by timbre, texture or register); 2) textural complementarity (which means that multiple figures are used in timbrally-textural algorithm); 3) creation of “protracted” melody, in which the role of motivic “formula” is reduced (which is typical for I. Stravinsky’s Neo-Classical period). At the same time, continuity emerging in Neo-Classical works meets the tendency towards discretion due to influence of such principles as combinatorics and plastique, which retain their relevancy, being realised in different variants in the conditions of functional “clarity” of a texture, as it is a trait of composer’s Neo-Classical musical idiom. The orchestral writing of the Variations (Aldous Huxley in Memoriam) is defined by the principle of combinatorics with the usage of plastique. Serial technique contributed to its reveal. At the same time, the role of multi-figure composition is reduced to a bare minimum, which was caused by rejection of melodic “formularity”.

B. Tishchenko’s music to the ballet “Yaroslavna” in the context of the revival of Russian symphonic style in the 1960s–1970s

This article analyzes the music to the ballet “Yaroslavna” by the prominent Russian composer of the late XX century B. Tishchenko (1939–2010). The written and staged in 1974 ballet has become one of the most remarkable musical achievements of that time. Emphasis is palced on the fact that Tishchenko composed “Yaroslavna” using all available modern orchestral means of expression on the basis of the Old Russian text “The Tale of Igor's Campaign”. Tishchenko did not seek stylization of his work, but brought the word of the nameless chronicler closer to modern era. He introduces choir to the ballet music to augment its power. The author features Tishchenko's outstanding work with orchestral texture and various instrumental timbres and colors. The novelty of this research lies in studying the music to the ballet “Yaroslavna” in the context of general vector of the revival of Russian symphonic style in the 1960s–1970s. The author notes the leading role of Boris Tishchenko in this remarkable process. The conclusion is made that the composition turned out to be multigenre, consisting of multiple parts; and that Tishchenko has broadened musical lexicon of the Russian music culture to the maximum. The music to the ballet was saturated with truly symphonic content, opened new artistic paths, and enriched modern orchestral palette.

Manifestations of the “non-classical” in the orchestral manner of C. Debussy

The relevance. Multidirectionality of artistic searches in the musical art of the first half of the XX century fully complies with the worldview and values of European culture of that time. The change of perception of the world, matter, time and space is objectified in the sound matter of musical works. Among the composers who have a defining role in paving the ways for new music, we should mention C. Debussy.
 The purpose of the article is to identify and systematize of “non-classical” features in the orchestral manner of C. Debussy.
 The novelty of the article is the study of the orchestral manner specifics of C. Debussy as “non-classical” in certain traits.
 The methodology. The article uses functional, historical, comparative, analytical and complex methods. The theoretical basis of the study are the works of V. Bobrovskyi (2018), H. Golovynskyi (1981), S. Iskhakova (1998), L. Kokoreva (2010), S. Mozhot (2006).
 The result. Extrapolation of scientific statements of V. Bobrovskyi, H. Golovynskyi, S. Iskhakova, L. Kokoreva, S. Mozhot to the sphere of orchestral thinking and orchestral manner of C. Debussy allowed to reveal signs of “non-classical” as the ones that draw a boundary between the principles of classical-romantic orchestration (based on functional harmony) and new music of the XX century. It is the “non-classical” features that allow to create a new sound matter, a new perception of space and time in the orchestral works of the composer. In our opinion, the manifestations of the “non-classical” are: 1) functional restructuring of the orchestral texture on the basis of non-hierarchy as the dominant principle; 2) building a dense, “concrete” in terms of eventfulness and, at the same time, light (massless), broad musical space, 3) levelling the boundary between the exposing (more integral and continuous) type of orchestration and developing (smaller, dialogical, discrete); 4) interpenetration of continuity and discreteness (discrete continuity) at the level of thematics and orchestration as a consequence of erasing the boundary between the functions of background and relief and the exposing and developing orchestration types.
 The practical significance. The results of the work can be applied in the training courses “History of orchestral styles”, “History of foreign music”, which are studied in higher education institutions; in further scientific researches.

Constants and Innovations in the Orchestral Writing of I. Stravinsky’s Ballet “Agon”

The aim of this paper is to identify the specifics of orchestral writing in the later works of I. Stravinsky on the example of the ballet “Agon” (1953–1957).
 Significance of the topic. From 1953 begins the late (serial) period of I. Stravinsky’s work. Due to stylistic “modulation”, the study of orchestral writing in later works at the intersection of constant principles (multifigure, combinativity and plasticity) and innovations found out by us is relevant.
 Research methodology. I. Stravinsky’s late style is studied in various aspects. A topical issue is the composer’s interpretation of serial technique (Glivinsky, 1995; Rogers, 2004; Straus, 1999; Smyth, 2000). N. Kardash (2010) offers a multidisciplinary textological approach in the studying of recent opera and ballet. Renaissance dance forms are studied in “Agon” by M. Richardson (2003). Characteristics of later works are contained in the section of the monograph of M. Druskin (2009). V. Zaderatsky’s monograph (1980) is devoted to the polyphonic thinking of the composer.
 Historical, comparative, functional, systematic research methods are used in the work.
 Results. I. Stravinsky’s original orchestral writing was formed in his early works (1908–1910). They gradually formed the principles of multifigure, combinativity (Savchenko, 2019; Savchenko, 2020) and plasticity, found out by us, as universal principles of the composer’s orchestral writing.
 In the ballet “Agon” the composer applied a serial technique that determines the key role of polyphonic techniques of work with thematic invention, respectively, the dominance of horizontal thinking. At the same time in the creative comprehension and elaboration of techniques of serial technique the composer relies on the methods developed in his works (“formular” thematic invention, motives rotation technique, counterpoint combination of them) (Druskin, 2009, p. 226–227), motive-variant work (Savenko, 2001). Accordingly, ballet acts can be divided into two groups: with horizontal or horizontal/vertical priority in the organization of the orchestral texture.
 Where the priority is horizontal, we highlight the following variants of the composition of the orchestral texture: 1) monophony (unison) or splitting of unison 2) texture based on the counterpoint interaction of short lines (sometimes — sound points); 3) on the basis of contrasting polyphony; 4) on the basis of imitation polyphony.
 Conclusions. 1) In the orchestral writing of acts with horizontal/vertical priority, the constant principles of multifigure, combinativity and plasticity remain dominant; 2) Where the horizontal is a priority, innovative principles of organization of the orchestral texture prevail; constant principles are revealed covertly or in a modified form; 3) At the level of a ballet composition as a whole, the alternation of different types of organization of the orchestral texture is formed, in which different ideas about time and space are embodied; thoughtful timbre strategy and handling of different types of orchestral texture give rise to the original timbre-texture structure of the work.

Оркестрове письмо в опері «Соловей» І. Стравінського як засіб об’єктивації просторово-часових відносин

The aim of the article is to study principles of orchestral writing (that is individual system of technological devices and principles, aimed at objectivation of certain spacetime relations in timbral and textural structure of the work) in the opera “The Nightingale” by I. Stravinsky. In this research the author uses such methods as functional, comparative, stylistic. Scientific novelty of the article lies in the following: 1) in examination of orchestral writing in opera “The Nightingale” from the standpoint of stylistic turning point; 2) in comparative analysis of principles of orchestral writing in C. Debussy’s “Nuages” (“Clouds")” and I act of “The Nightingale”; 3) in revealing of specifics of orchestral writing in the II and III acts of beforementioned opera as a tool to objectify spacetime relations. Conclusions. In the I act the orchestral writing inclines to follow impressionistic writing (C. Debussy’s “Nuages”), which can be seen in creation of the spatial characteristic of the sound matter, obscuring the distinction between the relief and background, simultaneous usage of several elements bearing different functions, constructing of continuity through variant transfiguration of the motive invariants as well as by sustaining texture and timbres. It is stressed, that multi-figure principle functions from the I act. In the orchestral texture of II and III acts (written after acquiring experience of ballet composing) multi-elemental structure is applied, due to usage of timbre mixtures (often presented as rhythmical or intonational variants), splitting of orchestral functions, principle of multifigure composition and complementarity, thematization of the background, causing complex organisation of space and “dense” time, rich with events. Some principles of impressionistic writing are developed by I. Stravinsky in accordance with his individual stylistic beliefs. His orchestration shows further development of such principles, as: 1) modelling of heterogeneous sonic space; 2) obscuring of the border between the relief and background due to thematization of the musical texture.

ДЕЯКІ ОСОБЛИВОСТІ ОРКЕСТРОВОГО ПИСЬМА А. БЕРГА У СВІТЛІ КУЛЬТУРНО-ПАРАДИГМАЛЬНИХ ЗМІН ПЕРШОЇ ПОЛОВИНИ ХХ СТОЛІТТЯ

The purpose of the article is to disseminate features of orchestral writing of A. Berg as one of the most prominent figures of twentieth century music in the context of cultural and paradigmatic shifts. The represented scientific article uses such methods of research as systematic, functional, comparative. Scientific novelty of the article is caused by the fact that it is foremost examination of A. Berg’s orchestral writing in the aspect of incarnation of views on spacetime. Conclusions. A. Berg’s orchestral writing is a phenomenon that has not been sufficiently studied. On the one hand, it continues to develop in accordance with the tradition if the Late Romanticism; on the other hand, it reflects changes in views on time and space, that have transpired in European culture of the first half of XX century through paradigmatic diversity. The means of orchestral writing incarnate (objectify) determined by the culture and the context “non-classical” views on spacetime, intertwined with the classical ones. Space, constructed by A. Berg, has such features, as: 1) being organized from multiple constituents as a result of multiplication of orchestral functions; 2) heterogeneity, caused by almost autonomous increase and decrease of number of voices; 3) instable density on the microlevel and macrolevel of the composition. Diagonal logic of textural and timbre organization of the orchestral texture produces differentiated and diversified time. However, A. Berg’s time reveals its genetic relation to another understanding of time, linear, continual, anthropologic in its essence. Influence of continuity reveals itself in the predominance of horizontal thinking, linearity (even in changes of timbre), incarnated in diagonal dimension of the music texture.

Роль ударных инструментов в оркестровых произведениях Г. Дмитриева

The research objective includes identifying the role of percussion instruments in G. Dmitriev’s orchestral works. The author emphasizes the fact that in G. Dmitriev’s orchestral works, percussion instruments are subdivided into groups, each of which performs its own functions. Percussion instruments with indefinite pitch fully participate in orchestral texture formation and percussion instruments with definite pitch serve to transfer the figurative-associative meaning of a tone. Scientific originality of the study involves revealing functions of percussion instruments in the composer’s works. The conducted research allows concluding that the composer’s use of percussion instruments is determined by his authorial intention; the role of percussion instruments throughout a composition varies.

The Orchestra of Schumann and its Modifications in the Cello Concerto op. 129

Subject of the study and relevance. Musicologists rarely pay attention to Schumann’s Cello Concerto op. 129. Only a few recently published studies of the Concerto reveal the history of its creation, sources of motives, and structural peculiarities. However, there is no analysis of the orchestra and the orchestration specific features of the Concerto until nowadays.Aims of the paper. To clarify the features of the orchestra of Schumann and to consider the particularities of its use in the Cello Concerto.Methodology. The review of the literature allows us to focus on aspects that need further examination. The historical approach reveals the context of the writing of the Cello Concerto. The comparative method makes it possible to compare Schumann’s Piano and Cello Concertos. Score analysis discloses special techniques and particular features of orchestration in order to embody musical images in the orchestra.Discussion. The attitude to Schumann’s orchestration as a colorless and a heavy one because of permanent exact duplications has been widely spread among the researchers. This cliché does not take into account that Schumann’s reliance on timbre mixed colours (thanks to exact duplications) is often combined with careful detailing. The delicate variation of some lines in the orchestra looks even more paradoxical because the eye frequently notices them while the ear does not. The genre of the concerto sets specific challenges for the composer that results in the “experimental” orchestration of the piano Concerto (op. 54) with its “in-the-orchestra soloists”, number of alternations, and re-orchestration of music material as an important method of the development. Obviously, it was Schumann’s “favorite” piano choice as the soloist that has promoted this new approach to orchestration in his Piano Concerto. Its orchestration should be treated as unprecedented in Schumann’s musical career.The comparison of the Cello and Piano Concertos demonstrates Schumann’s continuity in particular approaches to the figurative volume, structural modifications, and different ways to present musical material in the orchestra. Both Concertos have the in-the-orchestra soloists: the oboe, the clarinet, and the woodwind section in the first work and the woodwinds section and the French horn in the second one. The inclusion of this soloistic group on the edge of the form’s sections, at the climax, and in the conjunctions among the movements specify its form-defying, semantic, and dramaturgical functions in the Cello Concerto. The refuse of double exposition and the allocation of soloistic groups enhance a new level of interaction between the instruments in the orchestra, between the cello solo and the orchestra as well as reflect a lyrical psychological Schumann’s concept of the instrumental concerto. Thus, orchestration of the Concerto undoubtedly reflects the individual (the author’s) world outlook.Conclusions. Numerous changes in the density of the orchestral textures, the appearance of the soloistic instrumental group, and the different functions of tutti demonstrate deep changes in the composer’s approach to the orchestra. These features clearly reflect a new role of the orchestra in the instrumental concerto. Therefore, certain clichés towards Schumann’s ability to orchestrate need to be reconsidered undoubtedly. Now it is high time for this.

Combinatorics as a constant principle of I. Stravinsky’s orchestral writing

Combinatorics as a constant principle of I. Stravinsky’s orchestral writing

Multifigure Technique in Igor Stravinsky’s Orchestral Composing of the Neoclassical Period (on the example of the ballet “Apollon Musagète”)

Multifigure Technique in Igor Stravinsky’s Orchestral Composing of the Neoclassical Period (on the example of the ballet “Apollon Musagète”)