Фольклорные танцы в структуре сюиты для клавирного дуэта
Folk dances in the structure of suites for piano duo

Summary/Abstract: In the article there is considered the role of a folk dance component in original suite cycles composed for a piano duo. There is performed a complex analysis of music pieces written by musicians of XX – XXI centuries. Among them, there are suites of composers of France, Czech Republic, Greece and Ukraine, based on folklore of Greece, Brazil and Ukraine. There are given recommendations for performers, aimed at creation of artistic interpretation, which reflects peculiarities and coloring of the national dance. Filling in the suite cycle with intonations and rhythmic formulae of folk origin increases composers’ individual stylistic potential. Suite genre principles enable the authors to realize the perspective of panoramic showing of dance-musical traditions of the country or of the region. They often open to a wide circle of readers’ musical intonation-image atmosphere of the countries, whose folklore did not receive reflection in the composers’ professional creative art before. Folk line is developed in suites for piano duo under the influence of artistic views of the most important composers of XX century – B.Bartok, I.Stravinskiy, L.Janacek and others, who demonstrated in their creative art its prospects and actuality. “Brazil dances” Suite by Vlastimil Leisek includes three dances without titles. A characteristic rhythmic pulse, imitating sounds of fingered instruments, is emphasized by accents and syncopes. It provokes piano duo performers for organic use of piano movements, adequate to the impulsivity of Brazilian dances. In Brasileira from “Scaramouche” by Darius Milhaud there have been realized personal impressions of D. Milhaud from dance folklore of Brazil, where he went as a secretary of the Ambassador of France. Use of folklore of other countries along with folk themes of native Provence in the works of Milhaud witnesses about continuity of traditions of French composers J.Rameau , F.Couperin, G.Bizet, whose creativity was based on dance folklore. Suite “Eight dances from Greek islands” by Janis Konstantinidis was written in 1971. There has been realized in it one of creative principle of the composer – to preserve national melodics in its original form. The main tool used for its transformation and development is harmonic enrichment of the material. Having a deep knowledge of tonalities, characteristic of Greek music traditions, every time the composer conveys a special colour to the melody. Laconic, accurate and modest tools in combination with a good knowledge of technical and timbre possibilities of two pianos have enabled the composer to create a peculiar impressionist colouring of sounds of Greek melodies. In Suite №1 Zhanna Kolodub in its title “Folk suite” declares semantic element of the piece, which is based on examples of folk creative art. All five parts of the suite have programme titles, in which song titles are fixed. The composer offers instrumental image of song and dance type of suite, in which dancing element is the main rhythmic and organizing component, whereas singing element is present. In folk tradition dance is often performed with a choir, creating indissoluble unity. Therefore, choreographic elements of dancing movements directly reflect synthetic model of word text of the song. This suite continues developing topics touched upon in the area of solo piano music. Analyzed suites for piano duo with folk dances bring one to the conclusion that organic implementation of dancing folk material in the music practice has a big positive effect for realization of composer’s dance image. There emerge integration processes between two systems of thinking (professional and folklore). Folklore can be used by the author as an integral component of the music piece, but fragmental use of its concentrated intonation, rhythmical and tonality features is more widespread. Unification of several dances in the cycle, functioning in a common “geographic” space, becomes a factor, stimulating programme manifestations, in which regional dance characteristic features are mirrored. By means of conveying peculiarities of timbre characteristics of tools, accompanying folk dances, composers aim to enrich a set of expression tools by non-standard acoustic and color performers’ techniques. Use of dance vocabulary of various national cultures in suites for piano duo with folk dances continues a tradition of an old suite, in which German, French, Spanish, English, Italian and other dances are combined. We consider that the experience of creating cycles based on comparison of several dances of one region is fruitful and enables the composer to form diversified presentations about specifics of its folk and dancing sphere. Basis of characteristic elements of the music language helps to identify new possibilities of performance form of a piano duo in conveying specific dancing rhythms, imitation of folk instruments sounds as well as in retranslation of psychological and emotional component of folk dancing creative work. Expression of composer’s interest towards folklore of his country as well as towards folklore of other countries becomes an important factor of extending repertoire base of a piano duo genre.

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