THE DIALOGUE OF GENERATIONS: FROM THE HISTORY OF PERFORMING THE HIGH MASS OF JOHANN SEBASTIAN BACH IN LVIV

Abstract

The aim of the paper is to research the history of performing the High Mass of J.S. Bach in Lviv. The methodology of research includes the use of the historical, the comparative, and the analytical methods, which allowed determining trends in the development of the musical culture of the region and discovering the dynamics of establishing the tradition of performing the Mass and its role in the cultural and artistic life of the city throughout a lengthy historical period. Scientific novelty. The performance of the High Mass in Lviv is regarded as a cultural and historical phenomenon for the first time in this article. Conclusions. The history of performing the High Mass of J. S. Bach in Lviv reflects the creative thinking of Halychyna musicians of different generations. Their dialogue becomes visible in the understanding of cultural values which ensured succession, inheritance, and the prospectivity of the content, the forms and the aims of the musical and performing art of the region. Analyzing the facts of performing the Mass, we can state the continuousness of the tradition, which manifested in the repertoire priorities of conductors and their feeling of requests of the audience that strived for spiritual development. The correlation of such interaction allows realizing the trends of development of the musical culture of the region throughout a lengthy historical period. They are defined by the issues of intercultural communication, the integration of Halychyna musical art in the world’s cultural space, the growth of intellectual and professional activity, and the formation of artistic and esthetical taste in wide circles of listeners. In the process of research, three stages have been defined in the history of presentation of the High Mass in Lviv: 1st stage – before 1939, 2nd – in the period of the Soviet occupation, 3rd – in the times of independent Ukraine. It is worth noting that the period of Ukraine’s independence is characterized by the highest frequency of performances, the productivity of musical forces, and the social stand concerning the discovery of Bach’s heritage. At the same time, the performance of the Mass has always acquired special features, according to which the performing image of musicians and the level of their professionalism were identified. Such forms of creative self-expression remain an indispensable sign of development of the musical culture of Lviv and Halychyna in different historical periods.