Stylization of Baroque genres in the Ukrainian violin miniature of the early 21st century: specifics of musical consciousness formation
Authors: Melnyk Alla 
Published: January 2021

Introduction. Nowadays, continuing the neo-style trend in musical art started in the 20 century, increased attention is being attracted to the intentions of stylization and reinterpretation of a certain historical artistic models, where stylistic allusions (a kind of indirect citation, hint) use. This stylistic phenomenon has special spiritual and ethical preconditions that culturologists interpret in view of the so-called neo-restoration trends in culture. The above also applies to Ukrainian violin music, where the creative method of stylization, which has acquired such great importance in the art of the twentieth century, is actively in demand even today, in the modern postmodern style situation. Thus, the appearance of pieces in the Ukrainian violin repertoire, which even by their name declare its relation with the models of baroque genres, programming a certain creative idea, deserves to be studied in order to explore their direct relation to the original genre form and identify the algorithms for its stylization. All this, at least, will have a positive effect on the practice of the perception of stylization artifacts of a certain genre invariant, including the miniatures of the baroque type. The material of this research is the works of modern Ukrainian composers in the genre of violin miniatures, based on stylization of Baroque genre forms, which have taken a prominent place in academic musical creativity in general and in the history of the formation of the violin repertoire in particular. The stylistic variety of genre reminiscences in the Ukrainian violin repertoire is reflected in a number of materials by Ukrainian researchers (I. Andrievskyi, I. Hrebneva, V. Zaranskyi, I. Karachevtseva, V. Lapsiuk, I. Pilatiuk, S. Sandiuk, L. Skrypnyk, S. Yadlovskyi), where, in particular, the question of the demand for the so-called “violin miniature” (A. Haray, N. Pilatiuk) appears. However, the conceptual definition of a violin miniature today does not look completely methodologically adequate: the stereotypical norms of comprehending this class of genres touch exclusively the side of scale proportions, which contradicts the latest approaches to the interpretation of genre forms by the method of semantic analysis, namely, when the genre invariant is considered as a sign of a certain typed content. However, only taking into account the act of typification, the reference indications necessary for the formation of musical consciousness are established, which serve as a reliable guide in recognizing the genre nature of a work and discovering the cultural, historical and communicative ties necessary for its understanding. Thus, the purpose of this article is to reveal the peculiarities of stylistic modifications of baroque genres in the Ukrainian violin repertoire of the early XXI century and to propose methodological guidelines for analyzing the diversity of interpretations of the genre invariant under the influence of the historically actual style. The complex of the analytical methods (analysis, synthesis, induction, deduction, comparative studies), as well as the historicaltypological and the prognostic approach was used in this research. Results of the research. The examples of stylization of baroque genres prove that in the postmodern stylistic dimension the intention to genre-stylistic allusions to the historically known is an important factor in the expression of the cultureforming ties of distant eras with modernity. Quite often, the very name of the genre used by the composer gives an orientation towards the perception of the range of corresponding historical and stylistic associations. The method of stylizing baroque genres and their rethinking thanks to new means of musical expression (specific melodic development, a special character of sound production and articulation, etc.) gives vivid artistic results. The samples examined demonstrate a variety of interesting author’s solutions based on the involvement of a historical genre model. Thus, Hanna Leonova’s Toccata (2010) is quite consistent with the genre image oftoccata as a “motor” piece. However, we note that the genre form of toccata is by no means associated (at least for today) with the actual violin repertoire, especially with the miniature, since it primarily existed in clavier music (recall, in particular, the clavier toccatas by J. S. Bach), and a row of the samples has a magnificent solemnity of sound and compositional monumentality. Nevertheless, the author found the opportunities to implement the “toccata” style, hinting at the genesis of this genre (etymologically – from “touch”, “sort out”), thanks to the compositional and performance specifics – improvisation, stability of rhythmical “motor” movement and high virtuosity. In “Sarabanda” by Vitalii Manik (2013) we observe only partial keeping of the three-beat meter normative for the chosen genre model, however, with a polyphonic presentation adequate in relation to the primary stylistic modus; in “Minuet” by Oleksii Voitenko (2003) – the stylistics of “music to dance”, but within the compositional boundaries of sonatina without the developing part. Victor Telichko’s “Partita” (2011) demonstrates cyclicality and reliance on dance elements, quite characteristic of the baroque version of this genre, but embodied in Ukrainian folk material. Avoiding quotations, the author preserves the melodic-rhythmic structure of folk-song material and creates his own thematic complex. At the same time, the use of a solo violin in this work is fully consistent with the traditions of the Baroque era, namely, Bach’s partita model; that is why a kind of allusion to the genre invariant arises. That is, applying allusions to baroque genres in violin miniature, contemporary Ukrainian composers demonstrate at least two approaches: the first is stylistic adequacy to the genre invariant (in its baroque version); the second is its actual stylization with the introduction of either a certain stylistic context, or an individual author’s compositional idea. Conclusions. Thus, the new conceptualization of the violin miniature requires an appropriate research approach, the basis of which is the semantic method of analyzing the genre invariant in musical works-stylizations, which has proven its fruitfulness in the postmodern era. Since the method of stylization always provides for a special relation to the genre invariant, the constancy of which has the ability to accumulate ever new typifying meanings, only a combination of analytical discourses that take into account both the genesis of the genre form and its stylistic modifications can form theoretically verified analytical models that are useful, among other things, in the learning process, contributing to the development of the musical consciousness of the recipient – the performer and the listener.