UDC 78.021
DOI: 10.36871/hon.202304125
Authors
Alisa V. Nasibulina,
Moscow State Tchaikovsky Conservatory, Moscow, 125009, Russian Federation;
Russian National Museum of Music, Moscow, 125047, Russian Federation
Abstract
The article is devoted to the unique twelve-tone technique of Yuri Kasparov (b. 1955), Russian composer and music teacher, Professor at the Moscow State Tchaikovsky Conservatory. Kasparov’s own version of Schoenberg’s twelve-tone technique shows his personal interest in mathematics, for he is not only a professional composer but also an engineer. The twelvetone technique is used in most of his works. In the XXIst century, Kasparov invented his own method consisting of the pitch row and its mutations and rotations. As a result, the number of the rows used in his pieces reaches 1200 variants, which the author calls the “close relatives” of the main row. The prime form of the row doesn’t change the sound of the piece anymore, and sometimes doesn't appear in the piece at all. However, Kasparov creates the pitch row very carefully. His pitch rows are beautiful and songful, often containing triads and sequences. Kasparov’s twelve-tone technique can be called “post-twelve-tone technique” or “postdodecaphony”. The free use of the traditional twelve-tone technique characterises the music of other contemporary Russian composers, members of the New Russian Association for Contemporary Music (ACM). The pieces analysed in this article include “Epitaph in Memory of Alban Berg” (2) for oboe, violin, harp and percussion and “Schoenberg’s Space” (1988) for violin, cello and piano. Engaging in a dialogue with the classical twelve-tone technique, Kasparov maintains his own style and uses his own method.
Keywords
Yuri Kasparov, twelve-tone technique, post-twelve-tone technique, avant-garde, post-avant-garde, Alban Berg, Arnold Schoenberg
