Typology of genres of concert music for violin: classification criteria
Authors: Inna Uspenskaya 
Published: March 2021

The article is devoted to the systematization of the criteria of the classification of concert music for violin, in which, along with the traditional genre criteria, stylistic and textured ones are highlighted It is noted that such a comprehensive consideration allows solving a number of tasks of both research and performance profile. Based on the modern approach to the genre system, the article extrapolates it to concert violin music, which covers the range from solo miniature pieces to concerts for violin and symphony orchestra. It is emphasized that the least researched is the question of the stylistics of concert violin genres, constituted according to the same parameters as the musical texture – horizontal, vertical and depth (E. Nazaikinsky). The article proposes an original classification of the genre-stylistic complex of concert violin music, that is based on the following factors: the style of the highest levels (epoch-making, national, specific), genre (the complex of existing genres of violin music), texture in the aspect of stylistics (the main “identification mark” of the genre) and the style of concretized levels (author’s individual level and separate work). Considering the first classification criterion – the genre one, its universal nature it should be noted, covering two levels of the concert violin music system: functional – performers, the way of performance – and semantic-compositional – genre content and style (I. Tukova). The style criterion acts as a parallel to the genre criterion and means the differentiation of the genre system according to the signs of introversion (style as an introvert category, according to V. Kholopova). Here the phenomena and concepts are formed that cover all levels of the style hierarchy in its distribution to concert music for violin – from the historical to the author’s individual and even the style of a separate piece. It is emphasized that the least explored area of violin concert is its stylistics, which is closely related to its texture – the “external form” of the genre manifestation (L. Shapovalova). The stylistic aspect in violin music-making is reviewed in the article according to the same parameters as the texture aspect, since they largely coincide (E. Nazaikinsky). We are talking about the factors of horizontal (the types of texture that form the stylistic relief of the text of the work), vertical (the combination of textures in their different stylistic meanings), depth (based on the author’s handwriting of his connections with the texture and style sources – historical, national ones, characteristic of certain violin schools and directions). It is noted that this refers to both sides of the genre-stylistic system of concert music for violin (with the participation of a violin) – functional and semanticcompositional – and is realized in the following variants of textured style: solo orchestra (violin or several violins with an orchestra); solo ensemble (the same accompanied by a chamber ensemble); solo piano (violin and piano duet); solo violin (violin without accompaniment). It is proved that all these textured and stylistic varieties of concert violin music are combined on the basis of the idea of a concert style – “competition-agreement” (B. Asafiev) of the participants in the act of playing music. The measure of the correlation of performing forces in a concert dialogue ultimately determines the choice of criteria for classifying its varieties in their extrapolation to a concert violin. The article reveals the features of all four above-named options for this dialogue, taking into account their possible combination. It is noted that this combination is most fully reflected in a violin concert with an orchestra, where other forms of concert appear occasionally – solo without accompaniment (solo cadenzas), ensemble (microdialogues of the violin and other orchestral instruments). The classification criteria highlighted in the article, first of all texture-stylistic ones, together form the following system of genres of concert music for violin (with the participation of a violin), considered from the standpoint of: 1) concert dialogue in its textured manifestations (gradation in the dominance of the soloist instrument over accompaniment or, conversely, accompaniment over a solo part); 2) the principle of intimacy, bordering on concertness, but meaning the parity of the performing parts (a distinctive feature of chamber ensembles, in which it stands out as the leading violin part); 3) the self-sufficiency of the violin as a universal instrument suitable for the implementation of concert dialogue in the solo form of music-making (a wide range of genre forms of violin music – from miniatures and their cycles to suites, partitas and solo sonatas). It is noted that, in the future, the classification patterns identified in this article can be considered using the example of specific samples belonging to a particular genre group. The author of this article plans to do this on the basis of concert genres of violin music created by the composers of the Kharkiv school. Focusing on classical and modern samples, as well as the traditions of the Kharkiv stringbow performing school represented by A. Leshchinsky, A. Yuriev, S. Kocharyan, G. Averyanov, E. Shchelkanovtseva, L. Kholodenko, E. Kupriyanenko and other string players, Kharkiv authors interpret the concert-violin style in various ways, revealing in it both the general (the “image” of the violin in the system of specific instrumental styles), and the special (the styles of the national and regional schools), as well as the unique, individual (the representations of the latter are their best works).