THE PHENOMENON OF TRADITION IN RUSSIAN AVANT-GARDE MUSIC OF THE 1960S–1980S

UDC 7.03
DOI: 10.36871/hon.202302100

Authors

Ke Meili,
Lomonosov Moscow State University, 119991, Russian Federation, Moscow

Abstract

The article reveals the phenomenon of tradition as a leading principle in the music of Russian avant-garde composers of the second half of the XXth century. The author explores this problem based on the works of R. Shchedrin, S. Slonimsky, E. Denisov and S. Gubaidulina, created in the 60s–80s. The choice of these authors is determined by the cardinal differences in the style of their work — from the radical avant-garde of E. Denisov to the relatively moderate style of R. Shchedrin. As criteria for defining the phenomenon of tradition in the compositions of these musicians, the author highlights the use of national folklore elements; the adherence to the creative heritage of Russian composers; the return to the forms and genres of the preclassic era in line with neoclassicism. The term "traditional music" has a corresponding connotation in the article. Within the first criterion, the author discovers the phenomenon of tradition in the works of composers of the New Folklore Wave. According to the second criterion, the continuity of these composers' work with that of the national musical classics is noted. In the context of neoclassicism, the author considers the creation of polyphonic musical works, the return to the genres of preclassical music and the use of polystylistic means. Based on the noted observations, it is concluded that in the work of R. Shchedrin, S. Slonimsky, E. Denisov, S. Gubaidulina the phenomenon of tradition is found as a form of intertextuality manifestation.

Keywords

Russian composers, Russian musical tradition, Russian musical avant-garde, New Folklore Wave, neoclassicism, collage, polystylistics, R. K. Shchedrin, S. M. Slonimsky, S. A. Gubaidulina, E. V. Denisov