«Mental cards»: modeling of nationals cultures` images in musical creativity Cover Image

«Ментальні карти»: моделювання образів національних культур у музичній творчості
«Mental cards»: modeling of nationals cultures` images in musical creativity

Author(s): Oksana Tarasova
Subject(s): Fine Arts / Performing Arts, Customs / Folklore, Cognitive Psychology, Geopolitics
Published by: Національна академія керівних кадрів культури і мистецтв
Keywords: mental map; orientalism; Occidentalism; exotism; mental convention; eurocentrism; romantism; impressionism; oriental myth;

Summary/Abstract: The article explores the content of the concept of "the mental map", represented in history, geography, neurobiology, cognitive psychology (E. C. Tolman, R. M. Downes, D. Stea, F.B. Schank). The attributes of the mental map, which represents the processes of collective perception and memories, are: the historical variability, abstractness, the collective character of mental constructing, the conventional borders of imaginary territories. One of such mental conventions is the Western European oriental discourse (late 18 - 19 century). The orientalism is being treated as the manifestation of europocentrism, and the East itself as the homogeneous territory, completely different from the West in aspects of language, culture, and religion. Such point of view on two cultural spheres ("East" - "West"), traditions of which are perceived from the outside as monolithic, is supported by S. Yudkin. The musicologist considers the search of the ways of interaction between them the pressing task. It is worth noting that in the historical perspective, mainly under the influence of the geopolitical factors, the conventional borders of these "spheres" underwent changes. Proposed in the article is the projection of "mental map" into the musical arts sphere, namely into the composership. "The mental map," understood as the collective mental convention on imaginary abstract territories, not developed in the real chronotopos, is close in the meaning to the notion "oriental myth" (E. Gershtein). The notion "orientalism" in music is not so defined: oriental characteristics are applied to such distant european countries, as Spain (mauritan colouring) and Russia (cumans, tatars). Moreover, there are traditions of "Russian," "French," "American" Spain, "Russian" and "French" East, "French" Africa, even "Finnish" or "Carelianistic" East (V. Nilova). For the goals of the present article precious is the notion "oriental myth" (a specific art phenomenon, born on the juxtaposition of european consciousness and personal "image" of borrowed culture), which was developed by E. Gershtein. In the present article "oriental myth" is observed as the variety of "mental map," because among its properties are: collective mental constructing of imaginary "alien" territory: abstractness, conventionalism, and historical fluidity of key model-image; acceptance (by default) of mental convention on the borders of modelled territory, with no attention to the real geographical coordinates. Article tracks the dynamics of musical mental map, which had "changed its shapes" in European consciousness during 18 and early 19 centuries. By means of musicological analysis of the "exotical" pieces put in the chronological order the key factors and tendencies, which influenced their creation, are unraveled. The musical horizons of Rennaissance were limiting the territory of "heart of Europe" with England in the North, Austro-Germany in the North-West, Italy in the South, Spain in the South-West. The idiosyncratic model of Rennaissance Europe in music was the genre of antique suite, with necessary sequence of necessary dances: German (allemande), French (courante), Spanish (sarabande), English (gigue). It is in this period when in the integral cultural space of Europe emerges the "alien dissonance": Hispanic-Turkish colouring, for creation of which the composers develop the complexes of particular methods. Several approaches to the exotic topics were formed: ironic (opera-buff with "opera turks": Grétry, Paisiello); galant (J.-F. Rameau). Huge influence on the development of Eastern colouring was made by yanychar music (turkery style): Grétry, Gluck, Mozart, Beethoven, Weber. Beethoven was guided by other principles: his "Russian quartets" are the compliment to his patron, prince A. Razumovsky; the ouverture "Egmont" is one of the first examples of approach to the Spanish theme in "dark legend" style. The base model for him is the sarabande genre, with several details of semanthic complex are accentuated ("Death dances sarabande"). The line of "inquisitor Spain" is continued in operas of Auber and Verdi. In 1840's, in parallel with emergence of national musical schools, the second (oriental) stage of exotism commences. The realisation of national distinctiveness is brought out by means of juxtaposition of own tradition with "alien" sound space, in context of romantical "two-worldiness". Other sources of new inspirations were the Egyptιan campaign of Napoleon, which had stimulated the growth of interest of composers to African and Eastern music, the theme of Spain as the image of "alien wonderful world" ("The Deserts" by David, "Myrtles," "Paradise and the Peri" by Schumann, "Ruslan and Liudmila" by Glinka, "Spanish Rhapsody" by Liszt, "Islamey" by Balakirev). In the historical dynamics of development of European music the space of "mental map" reveals the tendency of "receding horizon," "draughtsmanship" from the contour (conditional exotic know-hows) to the fill (ethnographic stage, stylistic assimilation). The interest to the "outside" themes is stimulated by historical, political, and cultural events, the aspiration of composers to express in music the impressions of travels, the search of national identity by means of juxtaposition with "alien" culture, the need to refresh the means of musical language and speech, the fashion, the particular events (an order, a dedication, a gift).

  • Issue Year: 2015
  • Issue No: 34
  • Page Range: 323-330
  • Page Count: 8
  • Language: Ukrainian