Specificity of performance of Еarly Music: historical aspect
Authors: Kodenko I.I. 
Published: August 2020

Background. In today’s performing arts, more and more musicians are turning to the trends of historical performance. Therefore, musicology is actively searching for new approaches to the detailed study of authentic performance, to the reproduction of the most adequate ways of interpreting the music of previous eras. Among such methods of interest is the correlation of methods of reconstruction and deconstruction considered in this study. The object of the study is historically oriented performance of music works. The aim of the article is to determine the basic approaches of a number of modern scientific works to the reproduction and interpretation of old music and to identify the research position, which will play the role of methodological key to the analysis of the phenomenon of Early music. The methodology of the research based on analytical and comparative approaches applied to historical-stylistic phenomena, and emphasizes the methods of deconstruction and reconstruction for ancient music interpretation. Research results. The study identifies various approaches to studying the specificity of performing early music and to the interpreted compositional object of authentic performance. The latest scientific publications of musicians-researchers are analyzed: N. Sikorska, V. Kachmarchik, E. Kruglova. N. Sikorska (2016) have identified different approaches to musical Baroque legacy, implemented in nonauthorial editions of the Romanticism era. She presents in the form of a hierarchical system the stylistic parameters of the authentic performance of the Baroque style in the works for clavier of the late 16th – early 18th century. V. Kachmarchik (2003), in his scientific work, studied the historiography of flute art and determined the main stages of development of the flute design, also noted the basic principles of the formation of German flute pedagogy and determined the role of outstanding personalities in German flute art of the 18th – 19th centuries. E. Kruglova (2007) in her doctoral dissertation summarizes the artistic principles of Baroque vocal art: the vocal tradition of the Baroque era, the specifics of musical expressive means (dynamic, tempo, vocal-language articulation, ornamentation) and vocal technique (breathing, sound emission). She also conducts a comprehensive study based on the cultural-historical method that represent a culture as the key to interpreting a work of art and helps to understand comprehensively the bel canto singing tradition in the Baroque era. Also, she uses the theoretical and analytical methods, which provides a deep analysis of documents to identify the essence of the singing tradition, a thorough study of the means of musical expressiveness that make up its basis; the method of comparative analysis for determination the features of the most important parameters of performing interpretations of music by G. F. Handel in the period under review. However, these works did not pay due attention to the difference in the basic definitions of the very phenomenon of authentic performance: firstly, of the authentic performance as an instrumental accompaniment of vocal music, and secondly, of the ideas about the essence and nature of the instrumental version of historical performance itself. The author of the article formulates the methodological principles of studying the phenomenon of authentic performance, explains the attributes of the methods of “reconstruction” and “deconstruction” – in relation to the recreation of the historical interpretation of early music. Thanks to the methods of reconstruction and deconstruction, the historical image and meaning of the musical culture of the Baroque and the Renaissance may be recreated adequately. Need to take in account the uniqueness of each historical situation and the importance of the context of the era, in correlation with which the corresponding instruments, canons of musical writing and performance occur, are determined. The use of the reconstruction method led to the comprehension of the change of all means of expressiveness: tempo, motion, instrumentation, touch and strokes – even the tasks and meaning of music as an art form. Note that such an approach as deconstruction involves a “focus shift” to identify small details that will decipher the meaning of the work. The use of this method by authenticity scientists clarifies the incorrectness of the ideas about early music, helps the modern listener to improve the ideas about the relevant cultural era. With the help of scientific discourse, researchers and performers reconstruct the real meaning of early music, a new vision of historical performance as an artistic phenomenon is gradually emerging. Conclusions. The presented analysis of various approaches to the study and authentic reproduction of music by ancient composers reveals, from the author’s point of view, as a fundamental and promising approach based on the correlation of deconstruction and historical reconstruction methods. The Baroque era is characterized by the huge role of conventions and the careful study of details that are inextricably linked with canon and tradition. In this case, the use of the method of deconstruction destroys, first, the incorrect achievements and ideas about ancient music, which prevent the modern performer and listener from reaching its understanding. For an adequate restoration of ancient music, many factors must be taken into account, the main of which is the experience and achievements of pioneers of an authentic direction. The artistic practice of authentic performers should also be based on the achievements and conclusions of the relevant research work. Prospects for further research in this matter are a detailed study of works of ancient musical heritage and ways of their modern reproduction by talented musicians.