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The article aims to examine the way in which selected variation techniques are used in Maria Szymanowska’s Nocturne in B-flat Major, with the focus on both conventional thematic modifications and collage-like transformation of shorter motifs. By comparing the work to selected pieces by John Field and placing it within appropriate historical contexts, the author seeks to illustrate how such an approach to variation not only enriches the conventional form of the nocturne as a genre, but also highlights the possibility of programmatic intent being present.
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The second half of the 19th century in the history of Polish music is a neglected period, both in the aspect of performance and the aspect of research on this music. Unfortunately, works of many composers from this period have been forgotten. One of such composers is undoubtedly Aleksander Zarzycki (1834–1895), a composer, teacher, virtuoso pianist; the author of over 40 opuses and the composer of many solo songs with piano accompaniment, which were often compared to the songs of Stanisław Moniuszko. Similarly to the most famous Polish composer of songs, Zarzycki created two songbooks that are part of the trend of egalitarian songs. He was also renowned for his short piano pieces, written in a salon style with virtuoso elements. One of his most famous works was the Mazurka in G major, which was popularised by the Spanish virtuoso violinist Pablo Sarasate. Also noteworthy is his Piano Concerto in A flat major Op. 17, referring to the Piano Concerto in A minor by Fryderyk Chopin and the Concerto in G minor by Józef Wieniawski. Zarzycki’s works are characteristic of his era, including references to folklore, national style, virtuosity and the socalled "Romantic mood".
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The aim of the article is to present the concept of topics in music, which was associated with the presentation of this term in the history of culture and literature. Due to the broader context, it will be possible to present this Greek term more fully in musicology and in relation to the interpretation of selected examples of musical works. The study consists of three complementary parts. The first introduces to the genesis of the concept, which originates from ancient rhetoric and has been described, among others by Aristotle, Cicero or Boethius. The second part of the article is the presentation of the topic in the context of the analyzes of Ernst Robert Curtius, Janina Abramowska and Jacek Jadacki in the field of literary studies. The last and most extensive part of this text is devoted to showing topics in musicology on the example of several authors. The papers on topic theory will be highlighted, which since the 1980s has been mainly developed by researchers from Anglo-Saxon countries.
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The 14 Sonatas for two harpsichords from Sonate per uno o due Cembali con il basso cifrato by B. Pasquini (British Library of London, position: Ms. Add. 31501, I) are unique examples of double partimento. So far, not many performers have referred to these works; therefore, they deserve much more attention. Employing contrapunctual techniques in their realisation seems highly interesting. The author describes and provides her own poliphonic realisation of selected pieces from this collection: Sonata II ms. I, II, III; Sonata V m. II; Sonata VII a due m. I; Sonata X a 2 m. II; Sonata XIII a 2 ms. I and II. This material may be an encouragement for farther studies and performance these works. They are worthy to be a part of the widely known performance of these works.
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The tradition of musical duels harkens back to the days of the ancient Greece. One of the earliest examples of a musical rivalry is the myth of Marsyas and Apollo, which ends tragically for the satyr. Without doubt, the battles of the ancients served as an inspiration for the next generations of musicians. In each era, they took a different form, tailored to the prevailing norms and customs. In the 16th century the singing competitions of the Meistersingers became extremely popular, and along with the development of instrumental music in 17th century, duels, in which the main subject-matter of the dispute was the superiority of one of the performers in terms of interpretation and fluidity in playing a given instrument, gained increased importance. A real boom of musical duels did not came along until 18th century, in which public concerts bloomed and along with it, the demand for virtuoso instrumentalists increased. During that era, musical duels were not only confrontations between specific musicians or their patrons, but also contributed to the exchange of experiences between the artists and the spread of musical news and the works themselves. Additionally, the battles symbolised a confrontation of musical styles, in particular the Italian and French styles. Jean-Marie Leclair, known as the French Corelli, is considered by many researches as the founder of the French violin school. Pietro Antonio Locatelli, an heir to the legacy of Arcangelo Corelli is justifiably considered the Paganini of the 18th century. Their music has shared roots in the tradition of the Italian violin school, yet it differs both in terms of its formality as well as expressiveness. At first glance the French music of J.M. Leclair bears the imprint of standards of the violin concerts of Antonio Vivaldi, whereas the typically Italian works of P.A. Locatelli significantly transcend the norms accepted at that time in terms of requirements imposed on violinists. We know that the first confrontation of the violinists took place on 22 December 1728 at the manor in Kassel. However, some speculate that it was not the only meeting of the musicians. The preserved information suggest that both of them stirred strong emotions among the audiences with their playing. The profiles of the aforementioned composers, despite their immense importance on the development of violin music, still remain underrated. This article outlines the short story of musical duels and sheds light on violin concerts in the first half of the 18th century. Additionally, the author made an attempt of a comparative analysis of selected violin concerts, i.e. Locatelli’s Violin Concerto in G major, Op. 3, No. 9 and Violin Concerto in A minor Op. 7, No. 5 by Jean-Marie Leclair’s from a similar artistic period of both composers and close in terms of the time of their creation to their famous duel.
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The work of Polish composers active at the turn of the 20th century has largely been forgotten, awaiting to be researched nowadays. Józef Wieniawski and his output, which used to attract the attention of Polish and foreign critics, is the case in point. This article seeks to provide a synthetic study of this issue on the basis of 19th century literature.
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My consideration of the historical opera I Medici is based on the analysis of the piece’s dramaturgy. In my opinion, libretto is a key to understanding any operatic dramas; it constitutes their primary foundation on which subsequent semantic layers of this naturally syncretic musical genre are being formed. Therefore, in my paper I have analysed individual components of the libretto, with a special emphasis placed on the characters, their personality traits as well as their musical representation in Leoncavallo’s work. Analytical operations concerning dramaturgic aspects of the opera are an essential first step in consideration of the musical layer, which lies at the heart of my research. In my paper, I follow the path marked out by a musicologist Luca Zoppelli; however, his work is only a starting point for a more detailed study of the opera’s expression and the procedures used in musical representation of veristic ideas. Verity – not only in historical sense – becomes a leading category which unifies the opera at every level: from its original source recorded in the chronicles to composer’s embodiment of the story.
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In 2018, the third opera composition by Aleksander Nowak (*1979), ahat ilī – Sister of Gods had its premiere., The libretto was created by Polish Nobel Prize winner Olga Tokarczuk, on the basis of her own novel. This kind of combination of literature and opera, reinforced by the unique situation in which the author of the text-inspiration and the libretto is the same person, suggests that the work should be defined as a literary opera. The aim of the article is to present the composition in terms of its genres as well as to show the unique path of its content from literary work to operatic, together with the analysis of the libretto from the librettological perspective.
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The article concerns the issue of experiencing spatial music. While discussing movement and space in music, Bohdan Pociej draws attention to two types of the spatiality of a musical work: the “inner” and “outer” spatiality. The first one comes from the nature of the sound material and the interaction of elements, it stays in the sphere of impressions, metaphors. The second one involves the physical parameters and the actual performance of the piece. The author notes that the works of composers of the 20th century tend to break through from the internal space, transforming it into the external one. The issue of the body as a centre is present in the works of Edmund Husserl, Yi-Fu Tuan, Edward Hall, and others. The metaphor of movement – concerning language and music – has become the subject of cognitive science. In the context of spatial music, the metaphorical level is combined with the physical level. During the performance of a composition, the listener may be have various relations with sound sources but always locates them concerning the location of their own body, which they treat as the centre. The two basic types of outer spatiality – the perspective of the observer and the perspective of the participant – correspond to the types of understanding of the metaphor of movement in music (internal spatiality) proposed by Steve Larson and Mark Johnson.
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Much has been said about performance, styles and interpretation. However, we should ask ourselves where they come from, what they depend on, and what factors influence them. The answer is much more complex. This article deals with the problem of piano technique as an element on which interpretation, sound and expression depend to a large extent. The piano is an instrument with incredible tonal possibilities, but it requires fingering skills, the ability to “feel” the key and certain physical strength which is directly related to the technique we use. Achieving a high level in playing requires years of diligent work, perseverance and determination. Technical proficiency, in turn, facilitates the expression and appropriate interpretation, in line with the style of a given musical period and the feelings of the pianist-performer. So we are talking about two things that inexorably influence each other – the workshop and its result, the hape of latter depends largely on the first. This article deepens the knowledge of piano workshop so that in the end nothing comes in the way between performers, listeners and music.
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The current paper strives to discover and reveal the influences of Indian culture and classical Indian music in French operas. At first, the evocation of India was obtained through the subjects of the operas and stunning scenic designs, fulfilling the requirements of exoticism. Gradually, the composers attempted to include in their musical discourses exotic rhythmic and melodic elements, in some instances inspired by Indian classical music, thus aiming to evoke a genuine image of India. At the same time, the use of elements pertaining to Indian music (rāgas, rhythmic patterns, timbres) offered the musicians the possibility to create novel sound discourses. The analysis focuses on several operas, composed between the eighteenth century and the beginning of the twentieth century, following the evolution of Indian representations in several dimensions: dramatic (libretto), visual (scenic representations, dance), and musical (melody, rhythm, timbre). The present paper investigates the way Indian themes influenced the conception of the libretto, and at the same time the visual dimension of the works (setting, costumes), observing how these visual elements were gradually absorbed into the musical discourse (analysis of the melodic structures), through the incorporation of Indian rāgas in works conceived according to the rules of Western music composition.
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The research aimed at a comprehensive retrospective analysis of the development of “consonance and dissonance” as a musical and aesthetic category in physical and mathematical interpretation; defining the notion of consonance as a musical theoretical and aesthetic category, confirming the relevance of its use in physical and mathematical terminology to explain acoustic phenomena. Research methodology is based on the use of the retrospective method (or the retrospection method), which allowed identifying the theories of consonance and dissonance in the historical retrospective. The periodization method was used to find out individual stages in the development of science in order to discover the leading directions of scientific thought, identify new elements relating to various aspects of “consonance” and “dissonance”. The study of the retrospective review of the development of the notions of consonance and dissonance in the physical and mathematical interpretation involved an interdisciplinary method a way of organizing research work, providing for the interaction of music and mathematics in the study of consonance and dissonance. Scientific novelty. This study is the first to reflect the general tendency towards the mathematization of the humanities and the humanitarization of the physical and mathematical areas of modern culture. Some provisions of musical acoustics were clarified in the context of creating a harmonious conceptual structure. The article presents the author’s concept of clarifying the notion of phase in relation to the spectral structure of an audio signal based on the notion “slightly mistuned consonance”. Conclusions. A retrospective review of the development of the notions of consonance and dissonance in the physical and mathematical interpretation was carried out and presented as a comprehensive description and review of the formation of concepts in the temporal sequence of their creation. Retrospectiveness through a review of significant discoveries and achievements in music and natural science allowed tracing the formation of the theories of consonance and dissonance from the standpoint of the interdisciplinarity of modern knowledge in the humanities. The further process of the development of sound musical art technologies requires a significantly higher scientific level of their study, the creation of a coherent conceptual system based on modern physical and mathematical sciences as well as computer science to explain sound acoustic phenomena.
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