Musical Literature. Lectures on the discipline "Analysis of musical works" Module Aesthetic and methodological foundations for the analysis of a musical work Section Musical art as one of the forms of public consciousness Which works unite

Classical composers are known all over the world. Each name of a musical genius is a unique individuality in the history of culture.

What is classical music

Classical music - enchanting melodies created by talented authors, who are rightly called classical composers. Their works are unique and will always be in demand by performers and listeners. Classical, on the one hand, it is customary to call strict, profound music that is not related to the directions: rock, jazz, folk, pop, chanson, etc. On the other hand, in the historical development of music there is a period of the late XIII - early XX century, called classicism.

Classical themes are distinguished by sublime intonation, sophistication, a variety of shades and harmony. They have a positive effect on the emotional worldview of adults and children.

Stages of development of classical music. Their brief description and main representatives

In the history of the development of classical music, stages can be distinguished:

• Renaissance or Renaissance - early 14th - last quarter of the 16th century. In Spain and England, the Renaissance lasted until the early 17th century.
• Baroque - came to replace the Renaissance and lasted until the beginning of the 18th century. Spain was the center of style.
• Classicism is a period of development of European culture from the beginning of the 18th to the beginning of the 19th century.
• Romanticism is a direction opposite to classicism. It lasted until the middle of the 19th century.
• Classics of the 20th century - the modern era.

Brief description and main representatives of cultural periods

1. Renaissance - a long period of development of all areas of culture. - Thomas Tullis, Giovanni da Palestina, T. L. de Victoria composed and left immortal creations to posterity.

2. Baroque - in this era, new musical forms appear: polyphony, opera. It was during this period that Bach, Handel, Vivaldi created their famous creations. Bach's fugues are built in accordance with the requirements of classicism: obligatory observance of the canons.

3. Classicism. Viennese classical composers who created their immortal creations in the era of classicism: Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven. Sonata form appears, the composition of the orchestra increases. and Haydn differ from the ponderous works of Bach by their uncomplicated construction and the elegance of their melodies. It was still a classic, striving for perfection. Beethoven's compositions are the verge of contact between romantic and classical styles. In the music of L. van Beethoven, there is more sensuality and ardor than rational canonicity. Such important genres as symphony, sonata, suite, opera stood out. Beethoven gave rise to the Romantic period.

4. Romanticism. Musical works are characterized by color and drama. Various song genres are formed, for example, ballads. Piano compositions by Liszt and Chopin received recognition. The traditions of romanticism were inherited by Tchaikovsky, Wagner, Schubert.

5. Classics of the 20th century - characterized by the authors' desire for innovation in melodies, the terms aleatoric, atonalism arose. The works of Stravinsky, Rachmaninov, Glass are referred to the classical format.

Russian classical composers

Tchaikovsky P.I. - Russian composer, music critic, public figure, teacher, conductor. His compositions are the most performed. They are sincere, easily perceived, reflect the poetic originality of the Russian soul, picturesque pictures of Russian nature. The composer created 6 ballets, 10 operas, more than a hundred romances, 6 symphonies. The world-famous ballet "Swan Lake", the opera "Eugene Onegin", "Children's Album".

Rachmaninov S.V. - the works of the outstanding composer are emotional and cheerful, and some of them are dramatic in content. Their genres are diverse: from small plays to concerts and operas. The generally recognized works of the author: the operas "The Miserly Knight", "Aleko" based on Pushkin's poem "Gypsies", "Francesca da Rimini" based on a plot borrowed from Dante's "Divine Comedy", the poem "The Bells"; suite "Symphonic dances"; piano concertos; vocalise for voice with piano accompaniment.

Borodin A.P. was a composer, teacher, chemist, doctor. The most significant creation is the opera "Prince Igor" based on the historical work "The Tale of Igor's Campaign", which was written by the author for almost 18 years. During his lifetime, Borodin did not have time to finish it; after his death, A. Glazunov and N. Rimsky-Korsakov completed the opera. The great composer is the founder of classical quartets and symphonies in Russia. The "Bogatyr" symphony is considered the crowning achievement of world and Russian national-heroic symphony. The instrumental chamber quartets, the First and Second Quartets were recognized as outstanding. One of the first to introduce heroic figures from ancient Russian literature into romances.

Great musicians

M. P. Mussorgsky, who can be said to be a great realist composer, a bold innovator, touching on acute social problems, an excellent pianist and an excellent vocalist. The most significant musical works are the operas "Boris Godunov" based on the dramatic work of A.S. Pushkin and "Khovanshchina" - a folk-musical drama, the main character of these operas is the rebellious people from different social strata; creative cycle "Pictures at an Exhibition", inspired by the works of Hartmann.

Glinka M.I. - a famous Russian composer, the founder of the classical direction in Russian musical culture. He completed the process of creating a school of Russian composers, based on the value of folk and professional music. The master's works are imbued with love for the Fatherland, reflecting the ideological orientation of the people of that historical era. The world-famous folk drama "Ivan Susanin" and the fairy-tale opera "Ruslan and Lyudmila" have become new trends in Russian opera. The symphonic works "Kamarinskaya" and "Spanish Overture" by Glinka are the foundations of Russian symphony.

Rimsky-Korsakov N.A. is a talented Russian composer, naval officer, teacher, publicist. Two currents can be traced in his work: historical (“The Tsar's Bride”, “Pskovite”) and fabulous (“Sadko”, “Snow Maiden”, Suite “Scheherazade”). A distinctive feature of the composer's works: originality based on classical values, homophony in the harmonic construction of early compositions. His compositions have an author's style: original orchestral solutions with unusually built vocal scores, which are the main ones.

Russian classical composers tried to reflect in their works the cognitive thinking and folklore characteristic of the nation.

European culture

Famous classical composers Mozart, Haydn, Beethoven lived in the capital of musical culture of that time - Vienna. Genius combines masterful performance, excellent compositional solutions, the use of different musical styles: from folk melodies to polyphonic developments of musical themes. The great classics are characterized by a comprehensive creative mental activity, competence, clarity in the construction of musical forms. In their works, intellect and emotions, tragic and comic components, ease and prudence are organically linked together.

Beethoven and Haydn gravitated towards instrumental compositions, Mozart masterfully managed both operatic and orchestral compositions. Beethoven was an unsurpassed creator of heroic works, Haydn appreciated and successfully used humor, folk-genre types in his work, Mozart was a universal composer.

Mozart is the creator of the sonata instrumental form. Beethoven perfected it, brought it to unsurpassed heights. The period became a period of quartet heyday. Haydn, followed by Beethoven and Mozart, make a significant contribution to the development of this genre.

Italian masters

Giuseppe Verdi - an outstanding musician of the 19th century, developed the traditional Italian opera. He had impeccable craftsmanship. The operatic works Il trovatore, La Traviata, Othello, Aida became the culmination of his composer activity.

Niccolo Paganini - born in Nice, one of the most musically gifted personalities of the 18th and 19th centuries. He was a virtuoso on the violin. He composed caprices, sonatas, quartets for violin, guitar, viola and cello. He wrote concertos for violin and orchestra.

Gioacchino Rossini - worked in the 19th century. Author of sacred and chamber music, composed 39 operas. Outstanding works - "The Barber of Seville", "Othello", "Cinderella", "The Thieving Magpie", "Semiramide".

Antonio Vivaldi is one of the largest representatives of violin art of the 18th century. He gained fame thanks to his most famous work - 4 violin concertos "The Seasons". He lived an amazingly fruitful creative life, composed 90 operas.

Famous Italian classical composers left an eternal musical legacy. Their cantatas, sonatas, serenades, symphonies, operas will give pleasure to more than one generation.

Peculiarities of perception of music by a child

Listening to good music has a positive effect on the psycho-emotional development of the child, according to child psychologists. Good music introduces you to art and forms an aesthetic taste, as teachers say.

Many well-known creations were created by classical composers for children, taking into account their psychology, perception and the specifics of age, that is, for listening, while others composed various pieces for little performers that were easily perceived by ear and technically accessible to them.

"Children's Album" by Tchaikovsky P.I. for little pianists. This album is a dedication to a nephew who loved music and was a very gifted child. The collection contains more than 20 pieces, some of them based on folklore material: Neapolitan motifs, Russian dance, Tyrolean and French melodies. Collection "Children's Songs" by Tchaikovsky P.I. designed for the auditory perception of a children's audience. Songs of an optimistic mood about spring, birds, a blooming garden (“My garden”), about compassion for Christ and God (“Christ the baby had a garden”).

Children's classic

Many classical composers worked for children, the list of works of which is very diverse.

Prokofiev S.S. "Peter and the Wolf" - a symphonic fairy tale for children. Thanks to this fairy tale, children get acquainted with the musical instruments of the symphony orchestra. The text of the tale was written by Prokofiev himself.

Schuman R. "Children's scenes" are short musical stories with a simple plot, written for adult performers, memories of childhood.

Debussy's Piano Cycle "Children's Corner".

Ravel M. "Mother Goose" based on the fairy tales of Ch. Perrault.

Bartok B. "First Steps at the Piano".

Cycles for children Gavrilova S. "For the smallest"; "Heroes of fairy tales"; "Kids about animals."

Shostakovich D. "Album of Piano Pieces for Children".

Bach I.S. Notebook for Anna Magdalena Bach. Teaching his children music, he created special pieces and exercises for them to develop technical skills.

Haydn J. - progenitor of the classical symphony. Created a special symphony called "Children's". The instruments used: clay nightingale, rattle, cuckoo - give it an unusual sound, childish and provocative.

Saint-Saens K. came up with a fantasy for orchestra and 2 pianos called “Carnival of the Animals”, in which he masterfully conveyed the clucking of chickens, the roar of a lion, the complacency of an elephant and its manner of movement, a touchingly graceful swan by musical means.

Composing compositions for kids and youth, the great classical composers took care of the interesting storylines of the work, the availability of the proposed material, taking into account the age of the performer or listener.

The sonata form with an episode is used in different genres: individual pieces, finals of cyclic forms, slow movements.

An episode may have one or the other completed form.

In some cases, a bunch appears from episode to reprise.

In addition, there are combined mids in sonata form that use development with an episode or vice versa.

Dramaturgy in sonata form. The essence of sonata dramaturgy (sonata) lies not in the structure of the sonata form, but in the very process of development. This process is expressed in special relationships and functions of the thematic material. In contrast to the juxtaposition or through development typical of a complex three-part form or rondo, the sonata form is distinguished by a dynamic combination, which is expressed in the intensive preparation of the following themes or sections.

Even more important for sonata dramaturgy is the role and interaction of the functions of the material in the exposition, of which there are three:

1. the main material that plays a major role in the work and focuses the attention of the listener (main topics);

2. preparatory material that causes expectation of the next one (introduction, links, predictions);

3. final material of an affirmative nature (final topics, codes).

In the ratio of the main and side parties, there is always an imbalance in favor of P.P. This is facilitated by the large size of the latter, and especially its tonal fixation by means of material of an affirmative nature and cadence.

The sonata form is used in the sonata-symphony cycle (first movement, finale, slow movement), individual works of an independent nature, overtures, less often vocal music and opera scenes. 41. Connections of parts of an instrumental cyclic work.

Cyclic forms in music are musical forms of a work, suggesting the presence of separate parts, independent in structure, but connected by a unity of intent. In the history of academic music, the cycles "prelude-fugue", suite cycles, sonata-symphonic cycles are known. A cycle can also be called a series of interconnected works (each of which may or may not have a cyclic form) or concert programs. In non-academic music (jazz, rock), conceptual albums and separate major works may gravitate toward cyclical forms.

The two-part cycle "prelude-fugue" has been known since the baroque. It suggests the functionalization of the prelude as an improvisational introduction to the fugue.

The "prelude-fugue" cycles can be combined into larger cycles on the basis of some formal or thematic principle. The most famous example is the Well-Tempered Clavier by J.S. Bach, built on the principle of a certain alternation of modal correspondences. An example from the music of the 20th century is "24 Preludes and Fugues" by D. D. Shostakovich.

The suite, known since the 16th century, is characterized by:

the connection of individual parts of the work with traditional applied (song, dance) genres, the simplicity of the structure of the parts;

contrast juxtaposition of parts;

a tendency towards unity or closest affinity of the keys of the parts.

The peaks of the genre in baroque music are the suites of J. S. Bach and G. F. Handel, in the classical period - W. A. ​​Mozart and J. Haydn. In the 19th century, major composers turned to the genre of the suite mainly for the purpose of stylization (E. Grieg, M. Ravel, and others).

In the 20th century, the genre of the suite was significantly rethought, new techniques were applied to it (for example, dodecaphonic orchestral suites by A. Schoenberg and A. Berg), new material was covered (for example, in P. Hindemith’s suite “1922”, fashionable dances of the corresponding time: shimmy, boston, ragtime).

Some works of non-academic music (mainly progressive rock) also gravitate towards the suite form. Examples include "Lizard" from King Crimson's self-titled album and "Atom Heart Mother" from Pink Floyd's self-titled album. However, "rock suites" are also often called compositions that gravitate more towards free and mixed forms (in traditional musical-theoretical terminology).

The sonata-symphonic cycle includes the most abstract genres of academic music, such as symphony, sonata, quartet, concerto. It is characterized by:

abstraction from the applied nature of music (even if applied material is used as the material of any part);

the possibility of figurative and semantic contrasts between separate parts (up to their direct opposition);

complex tonal development;

established functions and forms of individual parts (characteristic of individual genres of sonata-symphonic music).

The classical sonata was formed during the 18th century, reached its peak in the Viennese classics and remains, with some reservations, a living genre. The symphony as a genre was formed in the middle of the 18th century, it also reached its peak in the Viennese classics and remains a living genre of academic music. (The symphonic form should not be confused with symphonism, which can also be characteristic of works that do not belong to this form). The quartet acquired the form of a sonata cycle in the work of J. Haydn and further developed in the work of the Viennese classics. In the second half of the 20th century, leitmotif and monothematic principles became characteristic of many works of this genre. The concerto, as a kind of sonata-symphonic cyclical work, which is characterized by the opposition of the sound of the entire ensemble and individual groups or soloists, took shape in its now known form by the end of the 18th century.

A musical work may consist of parts united according to a principle different from those in the listed genres, and yet have a cyclical character to one degree or another. Such are many genres of applied sacred music (mass, sacred concert, vigil), cantatas, vocal and vocal-choir cycles (narrative and lyrical).

Entire works can also be combined into a cycle (each of which, in turn, may or may not have a cyclic character). These are the cycles of preludes and fugues mentioned above, R. Wagner's tetralogy Der Ring des Nibelungen, concept albums in non-academic music, as well as individual major works of jazz and rock music. 42. Musical language.

Musical language is, like other language systems, an organization of this kind, the representation of which as a hierarchical system has more explanatory power than a simple taxonomic description. As a result, it is accepted that the musical texts we observe constitute "musical speech", which is the realization, the product of some ideal (not directly observable) system - the musical "language". ... Firstly, the very concept of "musical language" (and, accordingly, "musical speech") requires clarification. The first is understood as a system that is by no means realized only in literary texts, which reduce some patterns of construction. Speaking. for example, "the language of Beethoven's works", we mean a system that generates not only these works, but also all sorts of texts that preserve the patterns that are characteristic of Beethoven's works. . . . Musical speech with this understanding turns out to be open, that is, it consists of an infinite number of texts. .

Next, the concept of style is important to us. This concept can be defined as a set of texts that are postulated to represent the implementation of one system. On the other hand. With respect to different styles, it is assumed that they implement different systems. .

The structure of the musical system is represented as a hierarchy of levels. So, apparently, it is possible to single out the level of individual sounds, the level of sound combinations, the harmonic level (the level of chords), the level (or a number of levels) of formal articulation. Within one level there are units of the same order - sounds, combinations of sounds, chords, various sections of the form. The model of each level, apparently, should generate texts that are correct from the point of view of this level. "43. Musical-lexical structures

Along with purely terminological vocabulary, the dictionary includes an extensive layer of general literary vocabulary used in musical literature to evaluate and describe works of music, as well as to describe their impact on the inner world of a person, on the aesthetic perception of the listener. When preparing the dictionary, English and American explanatory dictionaries on music, a musical encyclopedia, as well as original texts from music books were used. Human life cannot be imagined without sound artistic images that arise in the mental space when perceiving music. This monograph examines the content structure of "musical" fragments of the picture of the world, represented by means of modern English. The cognitive structures underlying the perception of musical vocabulary by both a professional and an amateur are analyzed. Metaphorical models are presented as a cognitive basis for the formation of musical terms and commonly used musical vocabulary of the English language. The functioning of the language of music in texts with different ratios of verbal and visual parts is considered. This book is another step in the study of the relationship between the two worlds - language and music. The book is intended for everyone who is interested in the issues of mental structuring of the linguistic perception of the surrounding reality. 44. Simple musical means and their semantics

The work consists of separate musical phrases - small integral musical fragments. Musical phrases are combined into periods. Periods that sound similar are combined into parts. Fragments (phrases, periods, parts) of a musical work are indicated by Latin letters: A, B, C, etc. Various combinations of fragments form various musical forms. So, a common form in classical music - ABA (song form), means that the original part A disappears when it is replaced by part B, and is repeated at the end of the work.

There is also a more complex structuring: motive (the smallest element of a musical form; 1-2 bars), phrase (a complete musical thought; 2-4 bars), sentence (the smallest part of a melody completed by some kind of cadence; 4-8 bars), period (element of musical form; 8-16 bars; 2 sentences)

Different ways of developing and comparing the elements of a melody led to the formation of various types of musical forms:

One piece form (A)

It is also called the ballad form or air. The most primitive form. The melody can be repeated with minor changes (form AA1A2...). Examples: ditties.

Two-part form (AB)

It consists of two contrasting fragments - an argument and a counterargument (for example, the play "The Organ Grinder Sings" from P.I. Tchaikovsky's "Children's Album"). However, if the fragments are not contrasting, that is, the second fragment is built on the material of the first, then the two-part form turns into a variation of the one-part one. Nevertheless, such works (for example, the play “Remembrance” from “Album for Youth” by R. Schumann) are sometimes referred to as two-part.

Three-part form (ABA)

It is also called song or ternary. There are 2 types of three-part form - simple and complex; in simple, each section is a period, the middle one can be a short transition; in complex - each section is, as a rule, a two-part or simple three-part form.

concentric shape

The concentric form consists of three or more parts, repeating after the central one in reverse order, for example: A B C B A 45. Semantics of musical compositional forms

The musical-compositional system has such a detailed set of concepts that allows it to "see" musical works to the smallest detail. No other science of music has such sharpness and accuracy of "vision" - the history of music, the theory of performance, musical ethnography, musical aesthetics, etc. At the same time, musical and compositional concepts tend to “acquire” semantics, which are formed in the long-term experience of communication between musicians and the conceptual system that explains music. The musical compositions themselves are also semantic - their types, varieties, individual cases. Musical forms capture the nature of musical thinking, moreover, multi-layered thinking, reflecting the ideas of the era, the national art school, the style of the composer, etc. Thus, both the object of consideration - the forms, compositions of musical works - and the methods of analysis should be connected with the expressive and semantic sphere of music.

Theoretical musicology deals with two kinds of languages ​​- the artistic language of music and the scientific language of theoretical concepts about music. There is a categorical difference between these languages, but there is also a similarity - the presence of established semantic meanings. In the musical language, semantics is of an associative-expressive nature, with the admixture of associative-conceptual, in the scientific language, on the contrary, it is associative-conceptual with the admixture of associative-expressive; in music, the unit of language is intonation; in music theory, the word-term. In terms of the methodology of music analysis, it is important that connections are constantly formed between musical intonations and musicological concepts (words), saturating the language of music with increased significance, conceptuality and imagery, expressiveness - the language of the science of music. Let's take "sonata development" as an example. On the one hand, in terms of musical and artistic, the performer is obliged to play this section of the sonata form so unstable, fantasy-like, that a conceptual sign should soar “in the air” of the concert hall: “this is a development”. On the other hand, in terms of theoretical science, the sign, the concept of "sonata development" should evoke the idea of ​​some kind of musical instability, fantasy and be surrounded by some imaginary intonation sounds of a sonata development. In the operation of the “mechanism” of such a connection between the elements of musical-artistic and musical-theoretical languages, it is a guarantee that the operations of musical analysis (with due skill, art) can serve to reveal the expressive and semantic logic of a musical work.

"The doctrine of musical form" (musikalische Formenlehre) historically arose in Germany at the end of the 18th century. and had as its goal to determine the norms of compositional structure for works of various genres - motet, opera aria, sonata, etc. The fundamental fundamental work on musical form, “The Doctrine of Musical Composition” by A.B. Marx (1837-1847), considered "forms" in a systemic unity with genres and all aspects of musical composition - intervals, harmony, polyphony, instrumentation, etc. It was not the word "form" that was placed in its title, but the word "composition". The word "form" had a long philosophical tradition and, among other things, corresponded with the category of beauty - starting from Plotinus, his "Metaphysics of Beauty" (3rd century), revived in the 18th-19th centuries. Shaftesbury and Winkelman. And Glinka said: "Form means the ratio of parts and the whole, form means beauty."

At the same time, the concept of "musical form" is not identical to the concept of "form" in philosophy and aesthetics. "Musical form" is a mono-category, not linked in a dyad or triad with any other categories. It is not opposed to “content”, but has content, that is, the expressive-semantic, intonational essence of a musical work. In the philosophical tradition, "form" is not independent and is understood only in connection with complementary categories: matter and "eidos" (that is, "form" - in Plato), matter, form, content (in Hegel), form and content (in Schiller). , in Marxist-Leninist philosophy and aesthetics). In view of the non-identity of the philosophical and musical "form", and also, in the author's opinion, the obsolescence of the philosophical dyad "content-form", in musicology it is advisable to use a newer, semiotic opposition: "the plane of content - the plane of expression".

I. musical form as a phenomenon;

II. musical form as a historically typified composition;

III. musical form as an individual composition of a work.

The content of the musical form as a phenomenon (I) corresponds to the content concept of music and art in general. In art as a whole, layers are fused, which can be called "special" and "non-special". The “non-special” layer reflects the real world, including its negative aspects. “Special” is the ideal world of beauty, which carries the ethical idea of ​​goodness to man, the aesthetic idea of ​​the harmony of the universe, and psychologically - the emotion of joy. The musical form is primarily associated with the "special" content of art. And the whole system of musical and compositional theories teaches the achievement of harmony, not cacophony, the coherence of voices, not their separation, rhythmic organization, not disorganization, in the end - the formation of forms, the construction of form, and not formlessness. And she seeks to develop universal rules of composition that do not change depending on the specific idea of ​​a particular work. Accordingly, the science of musical form is the science of musical beauty, of the ideal, “special” layer of the content of music.

The content, the semantics of the musical form as a historically typified composition (II) is formed on the basis of the same linguistic mechanism as the semantics of the musical genre. Genre forms are the Gregorian Mass, medieval-Renaissance rondo, virele, ballata, le and others, the genre coloring is classical two- and three-part "song forms", "adagio form" and others. The semantics of musical forms is largely affected by the aesthetic, artistic ideas of that era, which influenced the emergence or led to the flourishing of a particular form. For example, the mixed forms of the 19th century, which appeared in the era of figurative and constructive influence on the music of the poetic genres of ballads, poems, contain the semantics of narration about unusual events, with miraculous transformations (transformations), with a stormy, climactic ending. Establishing the semantics of typical, historically selected musical forms is the methodological feature of this textbook.

The musical form as an individual composition of a work (III) appears in the form of two main cases: 1) concretization of a historically typified form, 2) an individual, untyped form. In both cases, the meaningful meaning of the form is dictated by the vividly original idea of ​​the composition. So, Chopin's Nocturne in c-moll, written in a typified complex three-part form, has a rare feature - a transformed reprise, which was reflected in the romantic plot-poem thinking of the 19th century. And the untyped form, for example, of the Third Quartet by Gubaidulina comes from the unique idea of ​​the interaction of types of sound expression when playing pizzicato and bow.

Of the three content levels of the musical form, the first, the meta level, is universal and is present in all musical works. The second, close to the category of genre in the semiotic sense, the most clear semantically, is historically local. The third level is indispensable, but its gradations range from a minimal deviation from the standard of the standard form to an inimitable, unique musical composition. 46. ​​Texture as an element of musical language.

Faktura (lat. factura - device, structure) is a typical way of designing a polyphonic musical composition in one of the (polyphonic) musical warehouses. In Russian musicology, the (metaphorical) term "musical fabric" is often used as a synonym for texture. For example, the phrase "choral texture" describes the typical addition of musical fabric in monorhythmic arrangements of church songs ("chorals") by I.S. Bach and other baroque composers, "arpeggiated texture" - in the clavier sonatas of D. Scarlatti, pointillism - texture, consisting of "isolated" tones distributed between individual voices or instruments in the music of A. Webern, etc.

The concept of texture is closely related to the concept of a musical warehouse, which is expressed in typical phrases, for example, “old homophonic texture”, “polyphonic texture”, “heterophone texture”, etc. 47. Melody as an element of musical language.

In order to understand music, three things are necessary, two of them are obvious, the third is not.

The first such necessary thing is the ability to distinguish by ear elements of the musical language - dynamic, timbre, rhythmic, melodic, harmonic, polyphonic, structural. You should not be afraid of these special words - everything is not so difficult.

Dynamic elements are the most obvious. The music can be soft or loud, and the sound can fade in or out.

Timbre elements are what, for example, the sounds of various musical instruments differ from each other. We can unmistakably, having minimal musical experience, distinguish the sound of a violin from the sound of a piano. Let's agree, as a first approximation, that the timbre is what makes us recognize various sound sources - the voice of the flute and the voice of the harp, the voice of mom and the voice of dad.

Rhythmic elements are, in their simplest form, ratios of sound durations. Music exists in time, and some sounds last longer than others. In fact, everything is much more complicated, but for a start we will restrict ourselves to such a definition.

Melodic elements are the ratio of sounds in height. In this case, the sounds should not be played simultaneously, but in turn. In fact, again, everything is more complicated, but for now this definition is enough. If it is not entirely clear to you what “pitch” is, then here is an accessible definition: in order for sound to take place, there must be a sounding body - a bell, a string, a column of air in a tube (flute, organ pipe, etc. ). The sounding body oscillates at one speed or another (for example, 100 or 500 vibrations per second). The more oscillations per second, the higher the sound, as they say. Even the so-called "non-musical" people (although there are practically no such people in nature, but they say so) distinguish between sounds "thick" and "thin", "dark" and "light" - this is the fundamental distinction between sounds in pitch.

Harmonic elements are also the ratio of sounds in height, but now the sounds should be played not in turn, but simultaneously. In this case, there are, as a rule, more than two such simultaneously reproduced sounds. And again, in fact, everything is more complicated, but for now this is enough to at least somehow understand the word "harmony".

Polyphonic elements are also the simultaneous reproduction, but not of individual sounds, but of two or more different melodies.

Structural elements are what music especially resembles language and literature. In a piece of music, you can hear individual musical "words", "phrases", "paragraphs", "chapters". But this does not mean that musical "words" are translated into normal language in the same way that we translate, say, from Spanish into Russian. And, nevertheless, the musical flow is not continuous, but is divided into parts - both small and large - and this division can be perceived by ear.

Now, when I suddenly start talking about dynamics, timbre, rhythm, melody, harmony, polyphony and structure, we will already know what we are talking about.

Recall that, as mentioned above, three things are needed to understand music, and so far we have only talked about the first of them - the ability to distinguish elements of musical language by ear.

Modern musicology uses the basic principles of the semiotic approach to music and its language. The language of music can be considered as a set of musical means (elements) that has developed in the process of historical development and has a complex structure, considered as a common heritage of culture, all elements of which are interconnected.

The surrounding world is filled with sounds of various kinds: here are the sounds pronounced by the person himself and with the help of musical instruments to express his thoughts, experiences, as well as sounds that exist directly in nature. Any object can make sound (both animate and inanimate) of various qualities. Sounds are heard from everywhere, they can be heard anywhere: at home, at work, on the seashore, in the forest, etc. Sometimes ordinary sounds are transferred by the composer to a piece of music, then they acquire the status of musical ones, which leads to the idea that scream, the sounds of affects can be called musical if they are included in the flow of a musical message and they are given a musical meaning.

Traditionally, the elements of the language of music as a special sign system include sounds characterized by pitch, loudness, duration and timbre, which make up a melody, harmony (individual consonances, chords). Musical sounds, interacting with each other, form metro-rhythmic patterns, are formed into a work containing a certain musical image.

A characteristic feature of the language of music is the presence in it of different sign levels that interact with each other. There are the following levels of musical expressiveness (musical language), which form a system of levels: pitch (mode, harmony, timbres, registers, tonality, melody); rhythmic (rhythmic patterns); compositional side (the musical process as a whole): all means that create a composition; performance interpretation (agogics, articulation, strokes and performance intonation). The language of music is a heterogeneous system containing elements both highly organized (harmonic side) and less organized (dynamics).

So, the language of music is a complex hierarchical, multi-level system, which is characterized by a tendency to development, consistency and the possibility of updating the parts that make it up. 48. Harmony as an element of musical language.

Harmony (ancient Greek ἁρμονία - connection, order; system, harmony; coherence, proportionality, harmony) - a complex of concepts of music theory. Harmonious is called (including in everyday speech) a coherence of sounds pleasant to the ear and comprehended by the mind (musical and aesthetic concept). In a scientific perspective, this idea leads to the compositional and technical concept of harmony as the combination of sounds into consonances and their regular sequence. Harmony as a scientific and educational-practical discipline studies the pitch organization of music.

The concept of harmony is used to characterize a logically organized pitch system: the type of mode (modal harmony, tonal harmony), musical style (for example, "baroque harmony"), individually specific embodiment of pitch ("Prokofiev's harmony"), characteristic chords (harmony as a synonym for the words " chord, consonance).

The concept of harmony, however, should not be confused with the concepts of "accompaniment", homophony (for example, in the expression "melody and harmony" instead of "melody and accompaniment" or instead of "melody and chord"; "polyphony and harmony" instead of "polyphony and homophony" ).