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

Abstract

Introduction. By Nazaikynskyi’s (2003) definition, genres are “relatively stable types, classes, kinds and sorts of music works that have been formed historically; they could be сlassified according to the following basic criteria: a) specific function (social, domestic or artistic); b) conditions and means of performing; c) the character of the content and the forms of its embodiment” (94). Besides, genre has a memory concerning its origin and existence, it absorbs whole traditions of realisation of genre types that existed during certain historical periods. In such a way it forms the field of meaning around genre concept itself. We have chosen three pieces of L. Shukailo for our analysis. They have been written in Scherzo, Toccata and Rhapsody genres, tightly linked with different historical traditions, and also with the works of the greatest composers. That’s why we concider the analysis of Shukailo’s music in the context of genre tradition as an interesting and fertile perspective. Theoretical Background. There are no studies, dedicated to L. Shukailo’s works nowadays. So, this one has inevitably been a pioneering work in the sphere. At the same time, a considerable amount of literature is available about different explanations of the conception of genre. Notwithstanding these multiple treatises, we prefer to base our research on Nazaikynskyi’s genre definition. The latest studies, concerning the specificity of some music genres also serve for us as valuable sources of information. These are: the thesis and the papers of E. Belash, where Scherzo is characterized as a genre; the thesis of T. Prodma and O. Bondarenko about Toccata; the article of G. Bazyken, dedicated to Rhapsody genre. The objective of the article is to identify the characteristic features of L. Shukailo’s piano pieces (“Scherzo” (1992), “Toccata-Campana” (1994), and “Rhapsody” (1996)) in the context of the genre paradigm and also – to reveal the specific nature of “the image of the genre” in the composer’s music. Methods. The article explores three concert pieces for piano by contemporary Ukrainian composer L. Shukailo in the context of the genre paradigm. The general genre specificity of the works conerning “the image of the genre”, as well as the characteristic style traits of L. Shukailo’s music, has been revealed. The peculiarities of the texture of each of the pieces regarding the “piano image” are analyzed. The reasons why L. Shukaylo’s works in the genres of Scherzo, Toccata and Rhapsody have been selected for analysis are: their connection with the broad historical context, European and national piano tradition, abundant allusions to the music of the predecessors. The expressions “the image of the piano” and “the image of the genre” need some additional explanation. The concept “the image of the piano” had been used for the first time by L. Gakkel in his book “The 20th Century Piano Music” (1990). Then it was further developed by other scholars (for instance, by E. Belash (2015). It means the specificity and the timbre of the instrument that is an integral part of the stylistic complex of the piece of music, created by a composer and represented by a performer. We are convinced that the images of the genres emerged simultaneously with the image of the piano, especially if these genres had a marked piano specificity. It can be fully applied to Scherzo and Toccata genres, and partly – to Rhapsody. The image of the genre is tightly linked to the image of the piano when it сomes to piano music. Results and Discussion. Scherzo is the most versatile genre among others because of its wide range of expressive opportunities. Thus, E. Belash considers Scherzo as a genre, related to the image of the piano, and also to the conception of virtuosity. She assumes that the desire to demonstrate mastery of the piano different explanations of the conception of genre. Notwithstanding these multiple treatises, we prefer to base our research on Nazaikynskyi’s genre definition. The latest studies, concerning the specificity of some music genres also serve for us as valuable sources of information. These are: the thesis and the papers of E. Belash, where Scherzo is characterized as a genre; the thesis of T. Prodma and O. Bondarenko about Toccata; the article of G. Bazyken, dedicated to Rhapsody genre. The objective of the article is to identify the characteristic features of L. Shukailo’s piano pieces (“Scherzo” (1992), “Toccata-Campana” (1994), and “Rhapsody” (1996)) in the context of the genre paradigm and also – to reveal the specific nature of “the image of the genre” in the composer’s music. Methods. The article explores three concert pieces for piano by contemporary Ukrainian composer L. Shukailo in the context of the genre paradigm. The general genre specificity of the works conerning “the image of the genre”, as well as the characteristic style traits of L. Shukailo’s music, has been revealed. The peculiarities of the texture of each of the pieces regarding the “piano image” are analyzed. The reasons why L. Shukaylo’s works in the genres of Scherzo, Toccata and Rhapsody have been selected for analysis are: their connection with the broad historical context, European and national piano tradition, abundant allusions to the music of the predecessors. The expressions “the image of the piano” and “the image of the genre” need some additional explanation. The concept “the image of the piano” had been used for the first time by L. Gakkel in his book “The 20th Century Piano Music” (1990). Then it was further developed by other scholars (for instance, by E. Belash (2015). It means the specificity and the timbre of the instrument that is an integral part of the stylistic complex of the piece of music, created by a composer and represented by a performer. We are convinced that the images of the genres emerged simultaneously with the image of the piano, especially if these genres had a marked piano specificity. It can be fully applied to Scherzo and Toccata genres, and partly – to Rhapsody. The image of the genre is tightly linked to the image of the piano when it сomes to piano music. Results and Discussion. Scherzo is the most versatile genre among others because of its wide range of expressive opportunities. Thus, E. Belash considers Scherzo as a genre, related to the image of the piano, and also to the conception of virtuosity. She assumes that the desire to demonstrate mastery of the piano technique is inherent in the nature of the genre. Quick tempo, passages, shifting of the sounds from one extreme register to another – all these virtuoso techniques of playing are characteristic of the piano Scherzo. Almost the entire arsenal of virtuoso techniques could be found in L. Shukailo’s “Scherzo”. The piece has a traditional, historically-formed, threepart recurring structure, where the contrast is not on the verge of the parts but in the very process of music development. The great potential of the instrument unfolds itself in the Scherzo. Almost the whole diapason of the piano is covered. The composer uses melodious interweaving as well as the “bell” of chords. The instrument reveals both hammering and singing nature of its sound. L. Shukailo employs rather chamber and playful type of Scherzo, characteristic of Chopin, than concert and symphonic one, typical of Liszt. Although the name of L. Shukailo’s piece is of a genre-generalizing character, the Scherzo has a striking imagery. On creating this music, the author might have been referring to some concrete content or image, but it seems she rather gave the audience complete freedom to interpret the music. The Toccata genre tightly relates to the Scherzo genre. Both genres are based on the principles of the Etude, that is, on the same vigorous movement. It is combined with hammering key-touch in Toccata. The unique feature of the “Toccata-Campana” is that, in addition to all conventional traits of the genre such as hammering key-touch, the way of the unfolding of musical material, and virtuosity, the imitation of the bell takes place here. The name of the piece itself tells us about it. The Italian word “Campana” stands for “the bell”. In its turn, it reminds the listeners of “Campanella”, the piece where the sound of the bells is imitated. The idea of the piano as of a percussion is realized in the piece in a very interesting way. It alludes to the percussion of another kind – the sound of the bell. Naturally the sound of the piano and that of the bells are different, but the piano here not only imitates the timbre of another instrument but it expresses those strong emotions the sound of bells usually evokes. Unlike the previous two genres, the Rhapsody genre is associated not with vigorous movement, typical for the Etude, but with folk music and singing. As a rule, quotations of folk music or its stylization have been used in Rhapsody. It usually consists of several contrasting episodes. Rhapsody, with its narrative character, is a detailed story, told by the singerrhapsod. We can see that the idea of instrumental mastery, virtuosity is also characteristic of this genre. Rhapsody is based on the folk songs. L. Shukayilo’s “Rhapsody” has folk components, too, but its genre affiliation can be defined rather as that of a dance. Characteristic repetitions of the same sound are associated with the percussion instrument that accompanies oriental dance. These three concert pieces for piano were created especially for V. Krainev contest. On the one hand, L. Shukailo continues the traditions of piano music, and on the other – creates its own, recognizable piano style, characterized by deep insight into the specificity of the instrument. Obviously, this explains in a great measure the repeated appeals of the organizers of the music contests to the composer for writing the pieces especially for the contests. Conclusions.The analysis of the three L. Shukailoʼs piano works, made in the article, enables us to do the