Journal articles on the topic 'Liszt's transcriptions'

Franz Liszt's transcription of Hector Berlioz's Symphonie fantastique has long been recognized for its innovative approach to musical reproduction——that is, its remarkable ability to recreate the sonic nuances of its model. However, the 1830s were a period of intense artistic and professional collaboration with Berlioz, and the genesis of the Symphonie fantastique transcription can thus also be interpreted as emblematic of this developing relationship. In particular, a gestural analysis of the work's content, as it can be recreated in part through Liszt's meticulous performance notation, indicates that the transcription served to reinforce a public perception of Berlioz as composer and Liszt as performer, whereby Liszt guides his audiences through Berlioz's enigmatic compositions by means of kinesic visual cues. Investigation of heretofore unknown manuscript materials suggests that this dynamic was further emphasized in Liszt's other renderings of Berlioz's orchestral works from the period. For various reasons, the transcription's inherently collaborative nature failed to impress audiences outside of Paris. As Liszt embarked in earnest upon a solo career toward the end of the decade and his concert appearances with Berlioz became less frequent, interest in the work waned on the part of both arranger and audience. Moreover, it was in the late 1830s that Liszt began adding several new works to his public repertory, especially opera fantasies, Schubert song arrangements, and weighty compositions by German composers. This decision effectively removed his earlier material——including the all-too-French Symphonie fantastique——from on-stage circulation. Indeed, when Liszt revised the transcription in the 1870s, he eliminated many of extraordinary collaborative elements found in the 1834 version, thereby disassociating it from the arena for which it was created.

An anecdote circulating among pupils of Egon Petri (1881––1962), a protégé of Ferruccio Busoni (1866––1924), was the story Petri told of how on more than one occasion Busoni's wife was mistakenly introduced as "Mrs. Bach-Busoni." Whether fact or fiction, this social faux pas illustrates how closely Busoni's name has been associated with the names of composers whose works he arranged. Despite his prolific compositional career, he is remembered more as a transcriber and arranger than as a composer of original works. His practice of arranging others' works also affected his own compositions, which frequently contained borrowed material. Busoni's creative art thus blurred conventional boundaries between what is traditionally considered to be primary "original" works and subsidiary transcriptions or arrangements. While Busoni's tendency to blur boundaries between new pieces and arrangements has been already noted, his compositional aesthetics has only been cursorily studied. Relying on the essay "How I Compose," the section on notation from The Sketch of a New Aesthetic of Music (1907), and unpublished sketches from the Staatsbibliothek Berlin, I examine Busoni's idiosyncratic compositional ideology, explain the meaning of his terms Idee, Einfall, Transkription and Bearbeitung in his compositional process, and show that Busoni valued the creativity involved in transforming already existing musical material no less than invention of the new. I illustrate Busoni's compositional aesthetics through analyses of his arrangements of Liszt's sixth Paganini Etude, Mozart's Piano Concerto, K. 453, and his Fantasia nach J. S. Bach.

Liszt's Mélodies hongroises d'après Schubert, a solo piano transcription of Schubert's four-hand Divertissement à l'hongroise, provides an interesting example of the complex relationship between centers and peripheries, and between personal patriotism and public nationalism. The first transcription (S. 425, 1838–39) stands at the very beginning of Liszt's career as a “national composer,” the most significant aspect of this rather overlooked fact being Liszt's transformation of the second movement—a naive, dance-like march—into “republican” heroic music driven toward an apotheosis à la Beethoven. This heralded a new type of national genre, and Liszt deemed the march movement important enough to be published on its own in numerous versions between 1838 and 1883. Yet this Marche hongroise was not merely nationalist: it related to other, non-Hungarian identities, most notably French and Austrian. Later versions (from 1859 onward) allowed Liszt to express a progressive, liberal Hungarian identity in the face of a rising tide of chauvinism. Four transcultural readings of the work, both complementary and conflicting, follow Liszt's revisions in roughly chronological order, interpreting the work as, in turn, a nationalist reclamation of Hungarian music, a republican response to the political status quo, the construction of an Austro-Hungarian identity, and a discontinuous text in which new, modernist ideas often merge or conflict with older ones, forcing a fresh renegotiation of national identity.

"Franz Liszt created a new tradition by playing transcriptions and paraphrasing the most well-known operas and works of his time on his fabulous concerts. This habit created new genres like Transcriptions (Reminiscences de Norma S. 394, Grandes études de Paganini S. 141) and Paraphrases (The Rigoletto Paraphrase S.434, The Ernani Paraphrase S. 432). The Variations on „Weinen Klagen Sorgen Zagen” fits into both categories: On the one hand Liszt paraphrases J.S.Bach’s Crucifixus and the 12th Cantata. On the other hand, he transcribes with a great craftsmanship his piano work for organ. The historical and private background of this work testifies to an extraordinary faith. Keywords: Liszt, Bach, Transcription, Paraphrase, Creed. "

The Black Gondola, John Adams's transcription for chamber orchestra of Liszt's La Lugubre Gondola II, composed in 1989 for the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, Minnesota, shows how – as in the case of Wiegenlied (discussed in an earlier article, Tempo 175) – the composer has been attracted to those aspects of Liszt's late style which inter–connect with minimalism: regular, and fluid, rhythmic textures; economy of thematic material which undergoes ‘minimal’ transformation; extensive phrase repetition in a ‘sequencing’ structure; harmonic ambiguity and elusiveness. In addition, in this case, a strong programmatic element is evident in the symbolism of the original piece which is heightened considerably within Adams's transcription: an expression of the dramatic style which has influenced his recent stage works, Nixon in China and The Death of Klinghoffer.

Целью статьи является исследование такого музыкального феномена как фортепианная транскрипция; выявление терминологии, которая используется при описании данного явления; изучение особенностей развития жанра транскрипции в творчестве Листа. Методы исследования заключаются в активизации исторического и теоретического подходов, которые требуют выявления условий формирования и развития транскрипции, с объяснением терминологического толкования со схожими понятиями. Методологический фундамент работы составляет анализ музыковедческой литературы и терминологии, касательно этого жанра. Использование положений, выдвинутых в монографии Я.И. Мильштейна „Ференц Листˮ и в работах Г.М. Когана, является методологической основой, которая позволяет систематизировать понятия и обобщить развитие транскрипции в творчестве Листа. Научная новизна заключается в концентрировании внимания на малоизученном жанре в музыкальной литературе, а именно фортепианной транскрипции. В статье происходит размежевание жанра с близкими по содержанию музыкальными терминами. Выводы. Исследование жанра фортепианной транскрипции, который возник еще в XVIII веке в виде переложений для клавишных инструментов, имеет важную роль в формировании репертуара исполнителей-пианистов. Начиная с XIX века большое распространение получили переложения для фортепиано. Создаются и исполняются новые фортепианные транскрипции как классико-романтического, так и современного репертуара. Именно этот жанр предусматривает расширение и обогащение средств музыкального языка. Транскрипторы стали обращаться к оперным шедеврам, которые становились основой для произведений в новом преображении музыкального материала. В целях популяризации вокальных шедевров создавались облегченные инструментальные композиции или, напротив, технически сложные пьесы. Создателем фортепианной транскрипции, как особого и самостоятельного жанра с более сложными исполнительскими задачами, был Ференц Лист. Жанр фортепианной транскрипции тесно взаимодействует с жанрами парафраз и фантазия. Относительно четкую границу между этими жанрами можно установить только в отношении к исходному материалу.

Modernism and postmodernism are characterized by their heightened consciousness of the influence of the past on the present. Modernist arrangements of older music, such as those by Schoenberg, Webern, Berg and Stravinsky, frequently display an unconscious tension between composer and arranger in the often veiled interpretation of the past in the light of the present. Postmodern arrangements, on the other hand, are often more overt in their allusiveness to the original: hence it is possible clearly to discern, within arrangements by such composers as Henze and Berio, Maxwell Davies and Birtwistle, an explicitly individual balance of past and present, an attitude which preserves the spirit of the original by means of a consciously creative interpretation.

The first part of the present documentary publishes fifty-one autograph letters and five short notes of Ferenc Liszt from the collection of the Berlin State Library, written in French and German between 1836 and 1886. Some of those written to music publisher Hermann Härtel concern the edition of compositions such as Consolations and Études ďexécution transcendante, while others touch on his transcriptions. Other letters are addressed to various musicians, friends, lady-friends, etc., among them Richard Wagner and C. F. Weitzmann. In the second part there follow sixteen documents from the Library of the Frankfurt University, among them a receipt of 200 francs from the Duchess of Berry to the young artist in 1824.

В статье рассматривается семантика тональности b-moll в произведениях авторов разных эпох — барокко (И. С. Бах), начала XIX в. (Л. Бетховен), романтизма (Ф. Шуберт и Ф. Лист). Комплексный семантический анализ позволил выявить ряд отличительных особенностей, объединяющих трактовку данной тональности в творчестве указанных композиторов, например, использование ими схожих музыкально-риторических фигур (katabasis, epizeuxis). Прослеживаемая преемственность символической трактовки b-moll, а также и других тональностей (например, E-dur), дает возможность приблизиться к интерпретации смысла основополагающих внутритекстовых знаков рассматриваемых музыкальных произведений, что в свою очередь является «отправной точкой» формирования музыкально-художественного образа. Основное внимание в статье уделено анализу трактовки семантики b-moll в творчестве Ф. Листа. Делается вывод о том, что композитор, во многом поддерживая уже сложившуюся ранее традицию в интерпретации тональности, в то же время вкладывал в нее конкретные, подчас поддающиеся вербализации значения. The article deals with the semantics of b-moll tonality in the works of composers of different epochs — Baroque (J. S. Bach), early 19 th century (L. Beethoven), Romanticism (F. Schubert and F. Liszt). Complex semantic analysis thereof allowed us to identify a number of distinctive features shared in the treatment of this tonality in works of the above composers, for example, their use of similar musical and rhetorical figures (katabasis, epizeuxis). The traceable continuity of the symbolic interpretation of b-moll and other tonalities (for example, E-dur) makes it possible to approach the interpretation of the meaning of the fundamental intra-textual signs of the musical works in question, which in turn is the “starting point” for formation of a musical and artistic image. The main attention in the article is paid to the analysis of the interpretation of the semantics of b-moll in the works of F. Liszt. The conclusion is made that the composer, in many respects supporting the previously established tradition of its interpretation also implied specific meanings that could yield verbal explication.

Under consideration are various facets of the creative work of Rostislav Genika, a comprehensively educated musician, universally gifted personality, one of the founders of the Kharkov piano school. The research is based on the study of critical reviews of R. Genika’s and his students’ concerts. Under analysis is the main genre of R. Genika as a composer and pianist – a transcription represented by the piece “Concert Paraphrase” to the motive of “Kupava’s Complaints” from P. Tchaikovsky’s music to the play “The Snow Maiden” by A. Ostrovsky. Rostislav Genika (1859 – 1942?) focused on piano art, which can be considered the key basis of all his theoretical, historical and musical-critical generalizations and conclusions, as well as practical activities as a performer, teacher and composer. The education received by R. Genika in the class of N. Rubinstein at the Moscow Conservatory prompted the Kharkov musician to pay tribute to piano performance in the early stages of his career. The information about the pianist R. Genika, which came to us from publications in the press and the memoirs of his colleagues, gives an opportunity to reconstruct, although not in full, the style of his piano playing as a soloist, ensemble performer and accompanist. All this together constituted the subject of a comprehensive review and the relevance of this article. The research material includes reviews of R. Genika’s concerts and an example of his composer’s heritage in the field of piano music – a transcription “Concert Paraphrase” to the motive “Kupava’s Complaints” from P. Tchaikovsky’s music to the play “The Snow Maiden” by A. Ostrovsky. The purpose of the paper is to reveal the universalism of the composer’s talent, the scale of his work, which was mainly focused on piano performance, through the analysis of various aspects of Rostislav Genika’s creative work. It would be wrong to call R. Genika a concert pianist in the traditional sense of the word. He had few solo concerts in his practice and they refer to the very beginning of his work career in Kharkov. As a concertist, he mostly performed works mastered in the class of N. Rubinstein, as well as piano parts in various ensembles, learnt by him when playing with “K. Gorsky Quartet” and other ensemble performers. The piano repertoire of R. Genika included pieces by I. S. Bach, G. Handel, D. Scarlatti, L. van Beethoven, K. M. Weber, F. Liszt, F. Chopin, R. Schumann, M. Mussorgsky, P. Tchaikovsky and others. Raised on the best examples of piano music, R. Genika appreciated such an interpretation that would meet not only the criteria of "accuracy", but would also be spiritually filled, sublimely emotional, and not outwardly ostentatious. Since the first days of working in Kharkov R. Genika, was able to combine lecturing, performing and correspondent activities with piano pedagogy. The sphere of pedagogy was one of the prevailing and time-consuming in his life. There is quite little information about R. Genika as a teacher and it can be found mainly in the reviews of his students’ concerts, in the notes of the local press as well as in the reports on academic concerts and exams at Kharkov Music College and Conservatory. The personal pianistic experience of R. Genika and the pedagogical style of his teacher N. Rubinshtein affected the choice of virtuoso programs and concert programs for his students. R. Genika’s composing experiments are closely related to his concert-pianistic and pedagogical work, as well as to the study of piano music history. The circle of his genre interests in this area was quite symptomatic. As an ardent supporter of concert pianism traditions R. Genika considered the genre of transcriptions and arangementds in the Liszt-Talberg spirit to be a new wave in piano literature of that time, a promising direction. This is how his transcriptions to the motives from “Parsifal” by R. Wagner, a piano arrangement of the “Arabic Dance” from the “Nutcracker” by P. Tchaikovsky, a fantasy “Abyss” to the motive of E. Grieg appeared. R. Genika also wrote short pieces intended for his concerts, as well as for educational practice. Unfortunately, the score of these works are still either not found or not preserved. An exception is the “Concert Paraphrase” to the motive of “Kupava’s Complaints” from P. Tchaikovsky’s music to the play “Snow Maiden” by A. Ostrovsky (author’s handwritten text dedicated to the pianist V. Timanova). Being a pianist was very important for R. Genika. Understanding pianism as a musical aesthetic phenomenon resulted in a multifaceted and deep understanding of the essence of musical art, which was characteristic of R. Genika as a music educator. The musician thought of himself precisely as a “generalist” who could handle any music profession – a performer’s, teacher’s, or researcher’s one. Hence, further study of the creative and critical heritage of R. Genika will invariably affect the spheres of other areas of musical art (opera, chamber, etc.). Such universal personalities as R. Genika have always been an engine for the musical-historical process, idea generator of the era. Nowadays such universal musicians, who would be a kind of "litmus test" of their time and faithfully served the art, are still in need. One of such outstanding figures in Ukraine, a universal personality was Valerii Oleksandrovych Bohdanov (07/13/1939 㶹– 10/10/2017) – performer, teacher, scientific researcher, composer. His multifaceted activities encompassed a wide range of musical art and were reflected in many years of pedagogical work, a large number of research works, transcriptions, and composer’s experiments. We would like to hope that this anniversary collection dedicated to V. Bogdanov will serve as a prelude to a deep and comprehensive study of the life and work of this bright and extraordinary musician.

Background. From the era of romanticism to the present day there is a stable interest of world-renowned virtuoso musicians to such kind of creativity as transcription, which makes it possible to speak not only as a performer, but also to express themselves in the composer’s perspective. Many prominent pianists of different eras have made a significant contribution to this branch of musical art, we need only recall the names of F. Liszt, K. Tausig G. von Bulow, F. Busoni, L. Godowsky, Vladimir Horowitz, Glenn Gould. Among artists of our time, it should be noted the Canadian piano virtuoso and composer Marc-Andre Hamelin, for which transcriptions are characterized by a harmonious combination of technical complications and modernization of the selected thematic material, which provides his music a wide audience. A striking confirmation of this are the thousands of views of his transcriptions on the channel in YouTube. Perhaps one of the secrets of such popularity is not only the actualization of the musical language of the original, but also The article is devoted to the specifics of the ironic, as one of the manifestations of the comic, in creative heritage of the world-famous Canadian pianist and composer Marc-André Hamelin On material Of “Variations on a Theme of Paganini”, which are the most illustrative example in this perspective, the features of the artist’s work with a quote thematic material. Identifies certain dominants of the composer’s style, among them: the destruction elected canons, their modification and approach to the aesthetics of the modern world perception through the use of the musical language of the XX–XXI centuries, as well as the desire for harmonious unification, combining styles of different eras within one work. Objectives. The object of research is a musical composition; its subject of research is the identification of the specifics of the irony in the composer’s style. The purpose of the article is to consider the trends of manifestation of irony and the stylistic orientations in the composer’s work of Hamelin, referring to the most indicative in this aspect of the work “Variations on a Theme of Paganini”. Methodology. Structural-functional and genre-style methods are applied in the consideration of the compositional and stylistic specificity of “Variations on a Theme of Paganini”. To identify the peculiarities of the composer’s work with quotations, the method of comparative analysis was used. The methodological basis consists of the concepts of postmodern citation put forward by such leading researchers and representatives of postmodernism as Umberto Eco and Sigmund Bauman. Presenting the main material. The figure of Niccolo Paganini, enveloped in a mysterious halo, attracted the attention of contemporaries and many artists of subsequent generations, and his creative heritage found a significant response in the musical environment. One of the most famous works of N. Paganini has a cycle “Twenty-four capris” for solo violin, among which the most frequently used for a variety of composer’s interpretations was the theme of Caprice No. 24. Interesting is the fact that it remains relevant, continuing even in the twenty-first century to attract attention. A striking example of this is the Hamelin’s “Variations on a Theme of Paganini” (2011). This work, written for solo piano, is a dedication to the American composer, pianist, conductor, teacher Yehud Weiner and his wife Susan Dewen-Weiner. In his interpretation of Caprice 24, the composer chooses a free interpretation of his figurative and substantial side. This is evidenced not only by the increase in the number of variations (14 instead of 11), but also many other aspects that appear at different levels of composition of the whole. It turns out the specificity of the composer’s work with the quote material, which permeates the whole work, the tendency to its ironic interpretation, as well as harmonious coexistence within the work of styles of different eras, their combination. Results. This work is one of the most striking embodiments of the ironic in the work of the Canadian artist. Here is typical for his style work with the used material quote, the basis of which – the destruction of the selected sample, bringing atypical for the original harmonic, melodic, rhythmic turns. Most often such “curvature” is used at the first posted quote topics. The composer tends to synthesize several styles within the framework of the work, this is often achieved by combining one of the styles of past eras with the styles of modernity, while not contrasting, isolating, contrasting them, but creating a melodic, tonal-harmonic and compositional integrity. Conclusion. Hamelin’s “Variations on a Theme of Paganini” represent a vivid manifestation of the ideas of postmodern worldview in music, which is based on the ironic attitude to the sample of the past.

Background. Contemporary musical art is an open stage for collision and coexistence of various artistic ideas, landmarks, styles, etc. The work of the recognized Canadian pianist-composer Marc-André Hamelin (born in 1961) raises a particular interest. The fact that the peculiarities of the musician’s performing and composing style are insuffi ciently covered in Ukrainian musicology determines the research rationale. It is also caused by the need to identify the specifi c features of the author’s inheritance, ensuring its consistency with the present time, where the laughter phenomenon becomes an important component of the picture of life. Objectives of the study are the comprehension of Marc-André Hamelin’s composer searches in the aspect of laughing cultural tradition and the defi nition of the author’s proposed ways of its embodiment in music. Methods. The research is based on the principles of complex approach, which involves using the biographical, the systematic, the genre and style, the structural and functional, and the comparative methods, etc. Results. M.-A. Hamelin appears to be a universal personality. He implements his creative intentions in various performing incarnations – as a soloist-pianist, a distinct interpreter and recognized virtuoso and intellectual; a performer who actively collaborates with the orchestra; a piano duo participant; a chamber ensemble participant and a studio musician. The repertoire palette he chose includes world-famous works, opuses of transcendental complexity, rarely performed music, and his own music works. His choosing some of the original works outlines the sphere of laughter as he searches new performing techniques, which has an infl uence on him as a composer. The original style of M.-A. Hamelin aims to create a special “rebus” fi eld, where the multiplicity of artistic perception is related to the degree of immersion into a given playing situation. The piano cycle “12 Études in all minor keys” was intended to be hommage to the samename work by Charles-Valentin Alkan. The iconic ceremoniousness of the title forms a special fi eld of culture, which creates a laughter background. Most of the cycle items correspond to the creativity of a particular artist whose musical image appears through the original style of writing. The synthesizing type of composer’s thinking contributes to the combining the music and the colorifi c etude, that is, the virtuoso music piece and the exercise at the same time, and a graphic sketch-drawing, and to the creation of a musical portrait “gallery” (F. Chopin, N. Paganini, F. Liszt, Ch. Alcan, D. Scarlatti , P. Tchaikovsky, J. Rossini, V. Goethe and the author himself). Using masks, theatrical techniques, bright characters is manifested at all levels and serve as markers of a carnival. The existing playing mode ensures the importance and essentiality of laughter. M.-A. Hamelin refers to the established palette of the piano techniques and formulas, while demonstrating new algorithms of interpreting the existing traditions. A musical rebus is the leading idea. To embody this idea, it is required to use not only artistic ingenuity, but also the competition elements. These are “Triple” etudes Nr. 1 (after Chopin) and Nr. 4 (after Alkan), where counterpoint techniques are enriched by the principle of combination. The other side of “rebusness” is demonstrated in the Etude Nr. 8, where the plot of “The Elf King” ballad by Goethe is very accurately reproduced through the piano means of expressiveness. Competitive ingenuity presides in the Etude Nr. 7 for the left hand (“The Lullaby” by P. Tchaikovsky) and Nr. 3 – an alternative transcription of “La campanella” by N. Paganini, which turns into an evil joke compared to Liszt’s interpretation. This is another side of laughter, a dark one, an enhancement of grotesque imagery. Etude Nr. 5, “Toccata grottesca”, looks similarly. Here, the grotesque images are represented by transcendental pianism, unceasing “drive”, change of metric pulsation and rhythmic groups, and wide dynamic amplitude. The lookalike expressive complex is also used in another music piece – toccata “L’Homme armé”. Another variant of laugher is the creation of a musical “shapeshifter” – re-interpretation of an original source to the point where it is hardly recognized. For example, Etude Nr. 9 (after Rossini) and Nr. 10 (after Chopin), where the principle of transformation is prevailing. The presence of a highly-intellectual play allows us to draw a parallel with baroque inventory. In the latest etudes of the cycle, M.-A. Hamelin uses such genres as “Minuetto” (Nr. 11) and “Prelude and Fugue” (Nr. 12). Therefore, using a certain genre model, the composer places it in different context conditions, creating a special laughter-playing space, where all the main sources of comic elements are involved: a parody, implemented through the stylization or the style dialogue-collision; daily mode of like, which is refl ected in a festive-carnival worldview, and fantasy, which determines the composer’s inventiveness. M.-A. Hamelin chose the same creative strategy when composing “Variations on the theme of Paganini” for piano solo. A playful piece “Waltz-Minute” is another example of the laughter potency. It resembles either a relative transcription of the famous work by F. Chopin, or a music sketch, or a fi xed improvisation. In the reprise, the graceful and airy waltz turns into a friendly caricature through using the dissonant seconds, the change of touche and an excellent artistic presentation. This creates the effect of distance in time, in epochal or individual style, even in the own “Me”. Another area of the laughter direction employment is the actualization of the playing sound image of the instrument. These are music pieces designed for a player piano. It is signifi cant that the composer tends to the theme of circus, which echoes with carnival, stunts, and fun. Conclusions. Being a universal personality, the artist determines the predominance of combinatorics as a guiding principle of author’s thinking. The key to understanding the composer’s style is the laughter tradition. The main artistic ideas are: portrait, character, mask, “rebus”, competition, creation of “shapeshifting” music pieces, “duality”. Talking about the level of musical stylistics, these features appear through the usage of a quoted material, stylization, grotesque, caricature and pamphlet elements. They are also expressed through the transformation of the original themes, re-interpretation, using multiple rhythmic layers, redesign of modes and counterpoint ingenuity.

The article is dedicated to an outstanding personality, Merited Artist of Ukraine, professor of Kharkiv I. P. Kotlyarevsky National University of Arts. Nataliia Olexandrivna Yeshchenko (1926–2015) is the pianist, teacher, artist, scientist, who devoted her entire life to music. In her work she preserved traditions of the Kharkiv piano school, the founders of which were P. Lutsenko, O. Horovyts, M. Khazanovskyi. Her rich and fruitful activity left a noticeable mark in the history of piano performance in Ukraine. The work of the famous performer attracted the attention of reviewers and researchers, but it did not specifically focus on such an aspect as public awareness. The purpose of this article is to consider the educational direction of N. O. Yeshchenko’s performance as an important aspect of the work of an outstanding pianist of the 20th century. In the course of the research, it became necessary to turn to archival materials, in particular personal documents of the pianist, reviews of her concerts in periodicals, audio recordings of her works, her repertoire list. Based on the analysis of the mentioned source base, we support the idea that the performance art of N. O. Yeshchenko had a clearly defined educational orientation. Unforgettable was her concert-educational activity, which manifested itself in various aspects of her performance: numerous monographic concerts dedicated to the works of great composers, performances with a symphony orchestra, playing in a piano duet, accompaniment to vocalists and instrumentalists. She willingly took part in concert lectures, performed in front of a wide audience in sponsor concerts, also took part in various concerts in remote areas of the country. She bequeathed such a broad vision of the musician’s performing mission to her students. Thanks to music she constantly had a dialogue with the audience through numerous publications in periodicals. By including little-known or, unfortunately, forgotten works she showed the audience the layers of beautiful music, and was the first performer of works by Ukrainian composers, including Kharkiv authors. Programs (often organized in collaboration with a musicologist) featuring works of a certain genre, such as waltz, rondo, transcriptions, miniatures, introduced the listener to the world of genres still unknown or little known to them. A significant contribution to the treasure trove of Ukrainian performance was the concert performance of world-famous complex cycles of piano literature: 12 F. Liszt`s “Transcendental Etudes” and “24 Preludes” by S. Rachmaninoff. So, the analysis of N. O. Yeshchenko’s performance art shows that raising public awareness in the performance field was the main direction of her activity.

Background. The peculiarities of the worldview and philosophy of modern contradictory era put forward before the art new requirements and benchmarks, which the Postmodern aesthetics embodies. The phenomenon of «Postmodernism» covers different levels of contemporary life. In philosophy, this concept was first introduced by J.-F. Lyotard in his report «The status of postmodernism». The French philosopher revealed the essence of Postmodernism consisting in «awareness of diversity and pluralism of forms of rationality, activity of life, as well as the recognition of this diversity as a natural positive state» [2], and defined Postmodernism as «the general direction of modern European culture, formed in 1970–80-es» [2]. Now there is no single definition of «postmodern», probably, due to the incompleteness, continuity of formation of this phenomenon. Some philosophers, in particular, J. Habermas, D. Bell and Z. Bauman, consider postmodernism as the result of politics and ideology of neo-conservatism, which is characterized by aesthetic eclecticism [3]. Italian philosopher and writer U. Eco understands postmodernism as a process of changing one cultural era to another, perceiving it as «... the answer to modernism: since the past cannot be destroyed, because its destruction leads to dumbness, it needs to be rethought, ironically, without naivety» [5: 77]. This approach most accurately reveals the essence of postmodern art. In the field of aesthetics, the work of F. Jameson, «Postmodernism or The cultural logic of late capitalism», where postmodernism is represented as a «cultural dominant» is quite indicative. The philosopher defines such typical phenomenon of postmodern culture as a simulacrum, weakening of affects, the consequence of which is «the replacement of alienation of the subject by its fragmentation» [1: 105], the disappearance of the individual subject and the emergence on this basis of the practice of pastiche [1: 108], the loss of historicity. In musicology, the question of the essence of postmodernism has not yet received a sufficient scientific basis. From the latest works of Ukrainian researchers, in our opinion, it is disclosed most complete in the D. Ruzhinsky’s article “Specificity of the manifestation of postmodernism in musical creativity” [4]. The object of presented research is the specificity of postmodernism manifestations in an art; the subject of research are the postmodern landmarks in the individual style of outstanding Canadian pianist and composer M.-A Hamelin. The purpose of the article is to reveal the interrelation of the composer’ and performing style by M.-A. Hamelin with the aesthetic paradigms of Postmodernism. The methodological basis of the research consists of the concepts of postmodern philosophy and aesthetics presented in the works of J. Habermas, D. Bell, Z. Bauman. U. Eco, F. Jameson. For more full understanding of specificity of the postmodern traits implementation in M.-A. Hamelin’s activity, the “creative portrait” genre as well as analyses of some fragments of his music was used. Presenting the main material. The art of postmodernism reflects a fundamentally new attitude to the process of creativity, which includes of such typical features as 1) quoting or using famous plots, which are the realities of the culture of previous eras; 2) intertextuality; 3) the prevalence of the audience interpretation over the composer’s idea, when the author’s position is not decisive (according to M. Foucault, “the death of the author”); 4) syncretism; 5) the irony and the parody-game designing of works. The creativity of Marc-André Hamelin (b.1961) – the world-renowned Canadian virtuoso pianist and composer – is one of the brightest personifications of these principles, as well as their individual understanding. In 1985, he won the First prize at the competition at Carnegie hall, with which he began his ascent to the musical Olympus as a performer. To date, M.-A. Hamelin, an outstanding pianist and soloist, performs with many leading world orchestras, and his discography total more than 60 albums, including both his own works and the works of many composers of different genres and eras. In addition to intensive performance and interpretation activities, the Canadian artist is also engaged in composition, and his artistic search is concentrated mainly within the framework of piano music, which is quite natural. Among the works for piano solo the transcriptions can be identified, such as the “Etude-fantasy ‘Flight of the bumblebee’” by Rimsky-Korsakov (1987), “Waltz-minute, in seconds” (transcription of Chopin’s waltz). Another group of works ‒ miniatures are, for example, the “Little Nocturne” (2007), “Preamble to the imaginary piano Symphony” (1989), “My impressions about chocolate” (2014); the cycles of miniatures – “Con intimissimo sentimento” (1986–2000); the larger-scale pieces – “Barcarolle” (2013), “Chaconne” (2013). The composer wrote the three cycles of variations and the cadenzas for piano concertos by Mozart (K453 and 491), for the Fourth piano Concerto by Beethoven, the Third and Fourth Concertos by Haydn and The second Hungarian Rhapsody by Liszt. In addition to the solo piano music, the composer turned to the chamber genre (“Fanfare” for three trumpets, “Passacaglia”» for piano quintet, «Four perspectives» for cello and piano). His style is characterized by the frequent using of thematic material from the works by other composers of different eras. From the very beginning, Hamelin rethinks this material, not introducing it in its original form, but transforming it. For example, in the “Variations on The theme of Paganini” the theme of the Twenty-fourth Caprice is already “modernized”: maintaining the harmonic basis of it, the author adds the non-chords sounds and the remark to tempo, which notes that the theme should be played “with a groove”, as it is typical for salsa, rock and fusion style. Interpretations of the quoted material are not in the original, but in its creative processing can see although in the Seventh variation with the theme of the Third variation of Sonata No. 30 by Beethoven. Another typical feature of postmodernism of the Canadian artist’s work is manifested in a certain game with the listener, because to catch all the allusions, to understand the quotes and styles of different eras, he must be intellectually well prepared. Some of the noted features of the composer’s creation find their direct projection in the performing pianistic style of M.-A. Hamelin. For example, virtuosity, which is present in his works in both explicit and veiled form, fully manifests itself in the interpretation of the works of other composers. Another characteristic feature of the performing style of M.-A. Hamelin is his aspiring to end-to-end development and cyclicity. In his discography, there are many different cycles, sometimes quite voluminous, performed by him as a whole. In practice of composition this is manifested at the level of the musical form (cycles, parts of which often follow directly one after another, and sometimes even the final harmony of one of the parts becomes the beginning of the next part). Conclusion. The results of the research confirm the idea of the relationship of Hamelin’s individual creative style with the basic ideas of postmodernism aesthetics. Quite typical for the manner of writing of the Canadian artist is the attraction to the throughness of development, to the creation of micro-cycles (as well as to the performing of cyclic works of other composers); the combination of ironic rethinking of thematic material with virtuosity; the playing with the listener on the basis of the introduction of quotation material and work with it; the combination of different styles within one work. Such manner requires a prepared, meaningful perception, that is, to paraphrase U. Eco, the «ideal listener».

The piano transcriptions of Clara Schumann (hereafter ‘Schumann’) and Franz Liszt capture the tensions surrounding the concepts of interiority and virtuosity in nineteenth-century Germany. The two composers’ transcriptions of Robert Schumann’s ‘Widmung’ could not be more different: one draws upon the faculty of the mind with its ‘spirit and depth’, the other prizes ‘spirit over the letter’ with its bodily engagement. Nonetheless, there is an important meeting point to be found between these two differing approaches in Liszt’s transcription of three Lieder by Schumann. In this article, I juxtapose Schumann and Liszt to demonstrate how their ideological differences concerning Werktreue, or ‘fidelity to the score’, problematize received notions of virtuosity and interiority. Alexander Stefaniak’s notion of elevated virtuosity, in which virtuosity can be legitimized with interiority for its attendant spirit and depth, offers a productive starting point to understanding Schumann’s and Liszt’s individual manner of transcription. Yet, it does not fully address how ideas of interiority and virtuosity depend upon ideological conceptions of the Work. To probe the interiority-virtuosity divide as it relates to the Work, I refer to the history of improvisation to nuance nineteenth-century attitudes towards virtuosity and to provide a critical discourse around mental and physical engagement with music. The categories of Work and improvisation prove to be much more separated for Schumann than for Liszt– a separation that is bound up with Schumann’s ideal of faithfulness to the Work.

Статья посвящена сравнительному анализу исполнительской, педагогической и композиторской деятельности Адольфа фон Гензельта и Ференца Листа и основана на газетных и журнальных материалах того времени, мемуарах и воспоминаниях их учеников, а также на сравнении транскрипций увертюр К. М. фон Вебера, сделанных каждым из композиторов для фортепиано. «Состязания» Листа и Гензельта происходили не в реальности, а в пространстве газет того времени и отличались исключительно дружеским характером. Разница индивидуальностей обоих композиторов, заметная при сопоставлении транскрипций увертюр К. М. фон Вебера и их оригинальных сочинений, только оттеняла их родственность, принадлежность к одной, веберовской традиции. Полярность педагогических амплуа дополняла педагогику друг друга, позволяя учить одних и тех же пианистов. Актуальность и новизна статьи определяются новым ракурсом исследования, в котором впервые исполнительская, композиторская и педагогическая деятельность Листа рассматриваются в контексте общих устремлений второй половины ХIX века в сравнении с педагогикой, сочинениями и исполнительством А. фон Гензельта. Цель исследования – выявить сущностные черты и оппозиции романтического мировоззрения в пианизме ХIX века. The article is devoted to the comparative analyses of the performer, pedagogical & composer activity of Adolph von Henselt & Ferenz Liszt & based on the newspaper’s & magazine’s materials of that time, memoirs & reminiscences their pupils and also on the compare of the Henselt’s & Liszt’s transcriptions of the Overtures by K. M. von Weber for piano. "Competitions" of Liszt & Henselt took placed not at the reality, but on the space of the newspapers of that time and had very friendly character. The difference of the individuality of the both composers, which one can see, comparing their transcription of Weber’s Overtures, only shade their affi nity, their belongings to the same Weber’s tradition. Polarity of their pedagogical types complemented teaching methods of the one & another, so they can often teaches the same pupils. The relevance of the article and its novelty are characterized by the new point of view of the research, in that performing, composer’s and teacher’s activity of Liszt deal with the context of the general tendentious of XIX century, comparing with the pedagogical, performing & composer’s activity of A. von Henselt. The purpose of the research is to found of the main characteristics & oppositions of the romantic pianism.

The article is devoted to the issues of interpretation of three fragments from the ballet “Petrushka” by I. F. Stravinsky in transcription for two pianos by V. Babin. The article reveals the genesis of the pianism of “Petrushka” in following the romantic traditions of F. Liszt and M. A. Balakirev. Variants of four-handed transcriptions by B. Koehlen and T. Santo are mentioned. A comparative analysis of V. Babin’s transcription for two pianos with the author’s version of the “Three Fragments” for one piano is carried out. The role of V. Babin as a composer in creating “portraits-types” of piano virtuosity and increasing the timbre and colourful design of the texture is noted. The article shows the basic principles and methods of working on the “Three Fragments” by V. Babin. It is concluded that this composition can not only become an adornment of the repertoire of concert pianists, but also become a school of supreme performing skills for students of higher musical educational institutions.