UDC 785.7
DOI: 10.36871/hon.202302076
Authors
Wang Xintong,
Russian State Specialized Academy of Arts, Moscow, 121165, Russian Federation
Abstract
The work of English composers of the first half of the XXth century, who actively composed for viola, is little known to music lovers. The now popular English composers L. Tertis and W. Wilton were most prominent in large-form works for viola (primarily in the genres of sonata and concerto with orchestra). One of the pioneers of chamber music for this instrument is the talented, but now almost unknown composer and violist Rebecca Clarke, who established the viola miniature as a distinctive and striking artistic phenomenon. The relevance of the study lies in the urgent need to introduce into musicology the information about the creative heritage of composers who created those works for viola that reveal the multifaceted artistic possibilities of this instrument. The purpose of the article is to illuminate the creative heritage of R. Clarke in the genres of miniature for viola and piano. Objectives of the article — to present the main biographical information about the composer; to show the importance of the viola in the development of the composer's style; to comprehensively analyze R. Clarke's miniatures for viola and piano. The author attempts to explore the composer's language, which is based on romantic traditions and heavily influenced by C. Debussy. The article focuses on R. Clarke's significant contribution to affirming the performance potential of viola in the chamber repertoire. The materials of the article can be used both by teachers of viola class and chamber ensemble as educational and didactic material, and by concert musicians to enrich their own performing repertoire.
Keywords
viola art, miniature, English musical culture, performance
