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Хармонията на Любомир Пипков
Lyubomir Pipkov's Harmony

Author(s): Mariana Buleva
Subject(s): Music
Published by: Институт за изследване на изкуствата, Българска академия на науките

Summary/Abstract: The harmonic organization of Lyubomir Pipkov’s music has been studied in Bulgarian musicology, but so far no theoretical model, which can account for all the diversity of harmonic phenomena, has been developed. The present work studies the composer’s harmonic system on several levels: tonal types and modes, harmonic elements, logical organization (modality and tonality), functionalism and vocal direction. On each of these levels L.Pipkov’s musical thought has impressive variety. The composer makes use of the mode possibilities of the diatonic, mixodiatonic and the entire 12-degree chromatics (with a special preference for the mode ‘’tone semitone”), always presenting his artistic ideas with adequate tonal charging. Pipkov’s chords are also extremely variegated. Besides the presence of verticals with various interval structures, an essential feature of his harmony involves binding some characteristic chords with definite height and location, which reveals his super-sensitivity to the micro-building material of music. L.Pipkov is a master of the possibilities both of the modal and tonal logical sound-height organization. The factor uniting them is the structure-forming role of the melodic principle, of the horizontal. In the conditions of modality the tonic is a melodic phenomenon, it is suggested through one tone, which is included in various multi-vocal environment, and this causes the variety of chord manifestations of the stable function. In the conditions of tonality, where the tonic is a chord, the composer is a master of the art to create different levels of tonic activity and through them -an orderly sound-height dramaturgy. An essential factor in modality is the chords with positioning function. They spread out along the tones of the central element of the modal system, which can be a sequence of tones, a group of basic tones or melodic formula. Lyubornir Pipkov’s tonal music is displayed predominantly in two original contemporary forms: lineal-functional tonality and rhythmic tonality. The rhythmic tonality is an innovating discovery of Lyubornir Pipkov’s. It is manifested through active bonds between pairs of chords, which with the help of the metro­ rhythmic factor and the melodic vocal direction create a continuous feeling of impetus and permission irrespective of the tonal composition of the verticals. All these peculiarities of the musical thought make Pipkov’s harmonic system unique. His harmonic language- evincing typical features of the XX: c. music and organic national specifics- has exceptionally ample possibilities always “to express” the composer’s topical artistic and aesthetic quests, caused by his ever-alert feeling of belonging to the modem time.

  • Issue Year: 2004
  • Issue No: 4
  • Page Range: 3-49
  • Page Count: 47