The Intonation Image of the World in the Vocal Cycle by J. Massenet “Poème d’Avril” on the À. Silvestre’s Poetry.
Background. Performing interpretation of the musical and poetic work is connected with the secret of penetration into the author’s intonational «image of the world»: in the sound palette of musical and poetic texts, in the semantic and content structure of the work. Until now, these problems are not exhausted itself. The task of examining the general patterns and specific features of the intonational image of the world, encapsulated in J. Massenet’s vocal cycle “Poème d’Avril” seems relevant, since its realization allows one to penetrate into the structure and content of a work of art with the aim of its adequate research and performing re-creation. The importance of chamber-vocal creativity by J. Massenet in the aspect of the “intonational image of the world” is still not disclosed by domestic science. Objectives, methods. The key concept is borrowed from Yu. Chekan’s scientific research [7]. The aim of the study is to study the specifics of the intonational image of the world in the vocal cycle by J. Massenet “Poème d’Avril”. The object of research is the chamber-vocal work of J. Massenet, the subject – the intonational image of the world imprinted in the vocal cycle “Poème d’Avril”. Results. The study is focused on the intonation image of the world of the first J. Massenet’ vocal cycle “Poème d’Avril” (1866). The performed analysis shows that the work of the French composer distinguishes by uniqueness and originality. The cycle from eight parts contains a number of inner cycles. The first from them is contained in No. 1 – the “Prelude”, which also is organized in the form of a miniature cycle in eight parts considered by the composer as a kind of prototype of the future cyclic integrity. In the Prelude’s organization, the principle of contrast between the piano and vocal declamatory fragments plays a fundamental role. “Prelude”, in general, appears as a fragment of the musical and poetic whole, which displays the upcoming development processes. The form-making principles and intonation ideas exposed in the “Prelude”, as well as the figurative meanings contained in the declamatory verses, determine the structure and content of the subsequent development of the musical-poetic cycle. Thus, for example, each of the three inner cycles of “Poème d’Avril”, just like the vocal cycle as a whole, has a“structure of framing” that is programmed in the “Prelude”. Such organization of the inner cycles of “Poème d’Avril” and the composition as a whole is due to the role that the composer and the poet associate with the concept and image of eternity that often finds its graphical expression in the image of a circle. The most important role in the design of artistic content of the Prelude is given to the inclusions of stilo a cappiccio in the piano part of the framing fragments (1st and 4th). It is significant that the author’s remark “tempo a cappriccio” is first introduced by the composer only in the final structure No. 4, where a series of arpeggiated chords is written in a special font (small – arpeggiato, large – top note). The remark “a capriccio” and along with it the corresponding font accompanies the final bar of the cycle – the piano postlude that concludes No. 8 and the whole cycle. However, since a specific font in the design of the musical notation appears in the initial Prelude, it must be concluded that the composer introduces elements of the capriccioso style already in No. 1, resort to which alone forms a “frame” characteristic of the introductory part. As a result, the composer’s desire to create several capriccioso “frames” throughout the whole cycle becomes apparent. One of them embraces Nos. 1 to 4, the second – 4 to 8, the third – 1 to 8. Thus, several internal vocal cycles “capriccio-framed” appear within the eight-part “Poème d’Avril”. At the same time, the capriccio-framed structure is present not only in the extreme sections (Lento) of the Prelude and inner cycles, but also in separate vocal poem lines, where the corresponding author remarks appear. Thus, similarly to number one, capriccio also “framing” the final poem, as evidenced by J. Massenet’s remarks. The dynamics of “capriccioness” implementation from the unexpressed to the expressed forms the basis of the vocal poetic cycle. Both, performing and research logic should be focused on the realization of the capriccio purport based on the method of analogy. Several interpretation principles of the intonation picture of the world manifested in the vocal cycle find their interpretation in the Prelude. One of them constitutes a kind of transformation of anticipatory reflection (the idea of the capriccio style is formed earlier than it reveales in the author’s remarks explaining its meaning). The capriccio stylistics is the evidence of the composer’s improvisational fantasy-prelude style as a way of building an intonation picture of the world in the vocal cycle “Poème d’Avril”. The second one is based on immersion, step by step, in the mystery of the unfolding of artistic content, and on the forming of through images, in particulary, the images-reminiScences that is characteristic of the romantic and impressionistic concept of creation in art. The Silvestre’s text, in fact, represents the symbolism of philosophy, nature and religion. The feeling of nature also gives to poetic text an impressionistic character, i. e. both, symbolism and impressionism – everything that is characteristic of the French culture, starting from the 60-ies of the 19th century, is reflected in number one, which is the prototype of the whole vocal cycle. Conclusion. In “Poème d’Avril”, J. Massenet embodied a law of romantic perception of the world such as a paradoxical interplay of fragmentation and continuity, which symbolizes the spiritual urge to merge with the infinite. The specificity of the intonation image of the world in the vocal cycle of J. Massenet lies in its gradual development – from a small part to the similar to it important whole.