CC BY
11
https://doi.org/10.29013/EJA-20-2-65-71
Loshkov Artem Yurievich, Postgraduate student, Department of History and Theory of Music,
Kharkiv State Academy of Culture E-mail: uiloshkov@ukr.net
THE TEXTURE OF PIANO WORKS AS AN EMBODIMENT OF LESIA DYCHKO'S INDIVIDUAL COMPOSITIONAL STYLE
Abstract. The article presents the results of musicological analysis of program piano compositions of the outstanding Ukrainian contemporary composer Lesia Dychko. The objective of research is to reveal the peculiarities of the texture of L. Dychko's piano opuses, inspired by examples of architectural art and frescoes for "Loire Castles" piano composition.
The texture is considered as an important style-forming factor of creativity and embodiment of features of interpretive artistic thinking of the Ukrainian author. The specifics of practical implementation of subjective visual-spatial impressions and artistic associations in the textural and stylistic set of the piano cycle are revealed.
Keywords: Ukrainian music, piano compositions by L. Dychko, artistic thinking, individual style, musical texture.
Introduction. Lesia Dychko is one of the most complex is an important task for modern musicol-outstanding modern Ukrainian composers, a recog- ogy. The solution to this problem will help to ap-nized Creator of sound matter. The multi-genre art proach the understanding of creative processes in work of the famous author of large-scale choral, in- contemporary music, reveal the conceptual foun-strumental, chamber-vocal and musical-stage opuses dations, spiritual and ethical, artistic-aesthetic and demonstrates the diversity of her artistic and aes- musical-technological aspects in the system of au-thetic landmarks and interpretive-creative thinking, thorial creativity.
inherent in the artist of the early XXI century. One of the brightest areas of revealing Lesia
The artistic worlds of the artist's work are Dychko's compositional individuality, a manifesta-formed on the basis of the integration of national- tion of her artistic consciousness and originality of unique and spiritual-religious, philosophical-gen- thinking is piano music, which is an integral part of eralized and lyrical-poetic primitives, appeal to the today's concert-performing practice. This instru-authentic-archaic and modern, legendary-histori- mental sphere, which is not dominant in the genre cal and artistic (pictorial-architectural and musi- palette of the Ukrainian master's work (in compari-cal) cultural layers. L. Dychko's original musical son with the choral one), but is significant in terms compositions are characterized by psychological of expressive properties, reflects a wide range of in-depth, bright colors and intonation versatility, and tellectual and artistic interests of the composer and broadly cover the image-thematic planes. experimental searches for linguistic expression. The
The appeal to the musical space of the Ukrai- piano compositions show the emotional inexhaust-nian artist and understanding of the meaning of ibility and melodic talent of the composer, her talher works through the analysis of their language ent to create original intonation images, to embody
personal experience and integrative artistic, synergistic vision of the picture of the world.
At the conceptual level, piano music reveals the intermedia discourse of the master's work, her onto-logical attitude to inter-artistic relationships and musical interpretation of visual and color impressions and artistic artifacts of national and world culture. L. Dychko confirms this fact: "Music as architecture is the basis that structures all my compositions. These are two phenomena that turn into each other" [7, 314]. At the linguistic level, the experience of accumulated associations and the specifics of artistic cross-sections are manifested in the intonation texture of piano opuses, their timbre-texture complex, in particular the specific means of fixing of piano performances in the piano text.
The review of modern research and publications shows that in the discourse of modern cultur-ology and art history the work by L. Dychko is an open and acutely relevant topic, which attracts scientific thought with its artistic versatility and originality ofexpression of the author's self. (R. Havaliuk [1], M. Hordiichuk [2], S. Hrytsa [3], I. Konovalova [5], E. Pakhomova [8], L. Parkhomenko [9], M. Rudyk [10; 11], L. Tarapata-Bilchenko [12], O. Shamonin [13]), which appeal to the phenomenon of the artist's authorial individuality. Modern researchers study personal and stylistic aspects of L. Dychko's representation [3; 5; 8], synesthesia aspects of artistic thinking [8] and intermediate determinants [13] ofthe Ukrainian composer's work, highlight the genre and style features of certain works (mostly choral) and semantic connections of her music [1; 2; 3; 8].
However, despite the presence of a significant array of theoretical investigations devoted to the study of L. Dychko's work in general, the piano layer of the composer's music still remains understudied. Only some musicological investigations are devoted to the study of this sphere of realization of the author's consciousness of the Ukrainian composer. L. Tarapata-Bilchenko covers the semantics of Lesia Dychko's piano cycle, called "Pysanka", which is part of the
modern pedagogical repertoire. Based on the analysis of the mentioned work, the researcher concludes that her music "correlates with the mystically secret art of Easter painting, voices national archetypes and mental signs, through the symbolism of which the essence of things is transmitted" [12, 122].
M. Rudyk appeals to Lesia Dychko's piano opuses in her works due to the desire to reveal the principles of cyclization in the works of Ukrainian artists [10; 11]. The musicologist considers questions of the embodiment of the signs of fresco painting in the suite composition of the "Loire Castles" cycle [10, 162].
In our opinion, the existing theoretical investigations do not cover the whole range of problematic issues related to the world of piano music by Lesia Dychko. Otherwise, the study of linguistic and expressive specifics of piano works of the luminary of Ukrainian music - clear illustration of her artistic reflection, the scope of the author's thought - now becomes significant in terms of understanding the evolution ofindividual style - a special musical substance.
The poetics of L. Dychko's piano compositions deserves attention, which is the most convincing proof of the affinity of her music with the traditions ofboth global and Ukrainian piano culture. An unsolved part of the general problem is the immersion in the internal logic of artistic crystallization of L. Dychko's piano compoaitions, inspired by artifacts of architectural art, in particular the frescoes for "Loire Castles" and "Alcazar... Bells ofAragon". Coverage ofthe composer's idea of these works, the disclosure of their structural and linguistic organization, means of instrumental expression, etc. leaves a wide space for in-depth and comprehensive analysis, which determines the relevance of the proposed research.
Understanding the specifics of Lesia Dychko's piano compositions, as well as her piano opuses determines the appeal to the individual manifestations of the composer's authorial consciousness, concentrated in the means of musical writing, the textural plane. The objective of this article is to reveal the features
of the piano texture of Lesia Dychko as an important style-forming factor and to embody the features of artistic thinking based on frescoes for "Loire Castles".
Results. The textural aspect of the study of piano art, which is the most important in the analysis of musical works in general, plays a special role in composition and performance. A musician uses means of the texture of the work to model the world, create a musical-image fabric in the system of art - a specific secondary reality. The appeal to the samples of L. Dychko's piano compositions in the perspective of understanding their linguistic semantics, the principles of textural organization - an important component and a vivid evidence of the artist's authorial style - acquires significant significance. The analysis of a musical text provides opportunities to reveal the peculiarities of the composer's inner spiritual world, to identify innovative features of her thinking and to deeply understand the value constants of creativity as an artistic analogue of her personality and expression of individual consciousness.
The question of the texture of L. Dychko's compositions is considered on the example of piano frescoes for "Castles of the Loire" (1994), which focuses on the significant features of the Ukrainian composer's work.
The outstanding artist and thinker of the XX century I. Stravinskyi said that "the work of the composer embodies his feelings, expresses or symbolizes them, although the composer does not do it consciously..., each new piece of music is a new reality" [4, 272]. Realizing this truth leads to the analysis of artistic artifact, which "is not an isolated singularity", and therefore requires comprehension in "all its internal expression and significance, historical specificity", with awareness of style - a specific "expression of artistic power of the work" [6, 219].
The choice of piano frescoes of "Loire Castles" as an analytical material is determined by several factors. On the one hand, it is due to the uniqueness of the concept of the work, inspired by samples of architectural art, and the need to understand the
nature of the linguistic and stylistic embodiment of visual-associative software. On the other hand, it is due to the desire to highlight the specifics of the textural organization of this opus and its role in achieving artistic integrity in the piano cycles of the artist in general.
The monumental cycle - "Loire Castles" is one of the brightest examples of modern piano literature, which is based on the integration of intonation-music and visual-artistic artistic plans, covers various means oftypification offigurative content and embodies the idea of interspecies artistic dialogue in the system "music - architecture". In this sense, "Loire Castles" continues the main line of L. Dychko's work, which began in the 1980 s with a piano cycle called "Impressions" (1983), written under the influence of the architectural and artistic works of Eastern countries -Burma, Thailand, Egypt, India, and Japan [3].
The semantic vector of L. Dychko's piano "Castles" is the awareness of cultural value and relevance of artistic heritage, understanding of the spiritual essence of the experience of the past, viewed through the prism of modernity in order to emphasize the continuity of times and preserve traditions.
The work is based on the suite cyclicity and unites five contrasting plays ("Angers Castle", "Chenonceau Castle", "Villandry Castle", "Ene-les-Vieux Castle", and "Chambord Castle"), combined with the desire to create musical image of the famous architectural buildings of France.
The genre of fresco, chosen as the semantic basis of the work, emphasizes the scale of the artistic concept. Each fresco-part is full ofbright architectural and spatial associations and is a representation of the embodiment of musical-visual artistic synergy. Presentation of different images in different parts, "located on the principle of accumulation of impressions, provide diversity and versatility of the cycle" [10, 163].
A composer interprets artistic impressions through intonation generalization of imaginary and musically reconstructed architectural imagery, various visual and artistic plans, facades, individual
reliefs and fragments of structures of the above buildings. Sensitive and emotionally rich perception of architectural masterpieces, attention to individual elements in the process of their visual contemplation, reflected in the detailed musical texture.
Programmatic figurative associations are embodied in the piano text of the cycle's plays in the form of visual-graphic musical structures (variant melodic-harmonic and melodic-rhythmic segments and colored figurative-ornamental formations). The associative series is emphasized by virtuoso chromatic passages, anti-directional jump-like movements, the use of a number of characteristic texture-performance pianistic techniques (tremolo, martelato, glissando, melismatics, etc.).
Construction of the form and texture of L. Dych-ko's piano frescoes has a special character and occurs due to the technique of variant-variational unfolding of the initially set, single and general image-thematic complex on a serial basis, which is maintained throughout the cycle, acquiring new color and timbre-register filling.
An important role in the musical integrity of the piano work is played by the texture-harmonic complex, which significantly strengthens the associative connections and spatial effects and becomes a factor in the concretization of artistic imagery.
The texture ofL. Dychko's piano frescoes generally embodies the virtuoso-concert pianistic style, which combines liveliness and dynamics with the plasticity and relief of the development of imagery in the process of presenting musical thought. Even a visually transparent piano texture sometimes acquires a melodic richness through the use of small counterpoint lines.
"Loire Castles" presents various musical compositions and types of textures: monoaction, hetero-phonic, polyphonic, harmonic (choral, octave-chord and homophonic-harmonic) and their mixed variants. The use of textured means in each issue of the cycle is due to the semantic context and figurative and expressive artistic task.
Signs of monoaction, monoaction-harmonic and heterophonic texture are found at the beginning of the composition (No. 1, 2) and in the final part. Polyphonic texture is used mainly in large-scale plays of "Loire Castles" (No. 3, 5) and is sometimes synthesized with a harmonious presentation, requiring the activation of musical and auditory representations, differentiated sound perception.
Visual-spatial (artistic-architectural) associations in L. Dychko's piano cycle is created mainly by the textural variability, multi-planeness and richness of the author's text. The use of an extended sound range in the presentation of themes with all register resources of the instrument (including the specifics of the extreme registers) and the strengthening of the role of timbre-phonic factors becomes essential. The formation of special phonic effects with the practice of duplicating phrases at a considerable register distance is noted in № 3 ("Villandry Castle"). The tendency to a wide range of sound, covering the entire sound field of the instrument is observed in almost all numbers of the cycle.
The octave-chord (No. 2 "Chenonceau Castle") and figurative types of texture (from the Latin figurare - to give shape or form, create, do) are of particular importance in the plays of "Loire Castles"; they unite several varieties: chord-figurative (on a harmonious basis, No. 3 "Villandry Castle"), as well as melodic-figurative, which are used in numerous variants and mixed combinations. The figurative type of texture is the main means of expression in cycles No. 1 (fourth variation), 3 and 4 of "Loire Castles".
The basis of the harmonic-figurative movement used by L. Dychko in Angers Castle" and "Villandry Castle" are dissonant combinations, built on tritonic, second-quarter intonations and other more complex formations and individualized sequences corresponding to the sound aesthetics of the XX century.
Significant dramatic activity is provided by the use ofheterophonic formations ofthe quarto and octave-fifth type (chorale № 1 "Angers Castle"; c. 21-23 № 2 "Chenonceau Castle"), chords with side tones (sixth
variation № 1, reprise № 3 - "Villandry Castle"), sonorous layers and clusters (№ 1; c. 6-11 № 4 - "Ene-les-Vieux Castle"), which become typical in the finals, contributing to a distinct mellow sound.
A specific feature of the textural enrichment of the cycle images and the reflection of the monu-mentality of the fresco style of the work announced by the composer in the genre title of the work is the application of the principles of texture layering, the composers appeal in separate episodes to a multi-layered exposition and three-line or four-line fixation of the text (№ 1 "Angers Castle" - variations VI and VII; No. 4 "Ene-les-Vieux Castle" - c. 12-20, 54-63). This textural technique contributes to the dynamization of imagery and the creation of its spatial concept.
Developing musical imagery, the author uses various techniques of sound recording inherent in the modern piano style, appeals to various types of presentation (octave-chord, polyphonic, heterophonic) and lado-harmonic tokens.
The use of a wide range ofpossibilities of dynamic drama and pianistic performance-articulation means in the fresco composition testifies to L. Dychko's appeal to the experience of romantic and post-romantic piano traditions. The timbre specificity of the instrument, interpreted in the aspect of orchestral sound, from the achievement of three-dimensional sound quality (with almost reproduction of tutti) is a consequence of the reflection of F. Liszt's pianistic traditions in revealing piano colors.
The formation of a rich musical and coloristic palette and the desire to bring the acoustic approach of the piano sound to the orchestral one are determined by the conceptual orientation of the work to the colorful and diverse musical disclosure of visual-architectural associations. This creative task is promoted by the composer's involvement in a large number of figurative and ornamental formulas (melismatics), the creation of a multilayered texture (with register-spatial polarization of the components of the piano part).
The quasi-orchestral sound is observed in separate fragments of the work, in which the composer uses interval doublings and octave duplications in the process of thematic development, covers all textured layers and their differentiation (with significant register branching associated with divisi instrumental lines-voices).
The orchestral thinking of L. Dychko in the texture of a multi-part piano opus is largely manifested through the use of advanced counterpoint techniques, techniques of imitation and echo polyphony, which in the process of musical development acquires communicative dialogue nature and acquires a refined color background.
Conclusions. Summarizing the analytical essay on the disclosure of the textural organization of the piano cycle by L. Dychko, we came to the following conclusions.
Frescoes for "Loire Castles" by L. Dychko are intonation-semantic artistic integrity of integrative type, formed on the basis of artistic associations and visual-spatial impressions, which reveals the latest aspects of the composer's interpretation ofarchitectural images.
This opus presents a modern type of instrumental (piano) thinking and the use of modernized piano texture and a set of performing and pianistic means. "Loire Castles" by L. Dychko demonstrates a new level of embodiment of the concepts of cyclicity and programmability and an example of a developed musical composition, which is based on the logic of variant-polyphonic and variational development, melodic-harmonic connections and thematic reminiscences.
The features ofL. Dychko's piano thinking, considered on the basis of the study of the fresco texture peculiarities, make it possible, on the one hand, to consider the musical fabric of the work in terms of continuation and enrichment of classical-romantic and postromantic traditions of concert pianism of musical art of late XX - early XXI century, characterized by radical changes in musical language and genre and style thinking.
Analysis of the textural complex of "Loire Castles" by L. Dychko suggests that the representation of the principles of modern style of thinking in Le-sia Dychko's piano compositions is the complication of musical vocabulary with cluster-sonorous complexes, strengthening of the phonetic function of texture, which is a consequence of the increasing role of the color principle in music, special attention to timbre, coverage of the entire sound space of the instrument and the use of the technique of high-altitude register offsets and duplications. The author appeals to different types of textured organization and maintains a balance between the condensed and sparse sound of the instrument, vertical and horizontal.
Signs of the textured set of "Loire Castles" frescoes by L. Dychko as attributive factors of her piano style are:
1) reliance on serial and sonorous principles of sound organization;
2) polyfunctionality and polymodality as the basis for the formation of pitch space, expansion of
the harmonic complex using pentatonic and whole-tone scales;
3) complication of the vertical by quarto-fifth structures, polyachord chords, involvement of cluster-sonorous layers, which play a coloristic role and enhance the spatial-phonic effect in the embodiment of monumental architectural images;
4) representation of a variety of types of textural presentation based on heterophonic, polyphonic, chord-harmonic, as well as variable-figurative and polylayer organization of artistic texture (using three-line fixation of the musical text);
5) the use of a number of specific means of artistic expression (with a combination of sonorics, temporhythmics, pitch, timbre, as well as agogics, dynamics and articulation);
6) involvement of a number of piano-performing means (wide register coverage of the keyboard of the instrument, predominance of elements of octave-chord technique, virtuoso passages and figurative techniques), which are used in accordance with the implementation of the most important figurative and artistic tasks.
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