STYLISTIC FEATURES OF GENRE OF “MINIATURE I” FOR FLUTE, OBOE, PERCUSSION AND PIANO OF I. M. SONEVYTSKYI

Abstract

At the end of the 20th – beginning of the 21st century Ukrainian culture was experiencing the moment of revaluation of values which was accompanied by a complex process of shaping an artist-musician. National consciousness, revival of primordial and somewhat forgotten traditions and spiritual values was obtaining priority features. The figure of I. M. Sonevytskyi (1926-2006) – a composer, musicologist, critic, pianist, conductor, pedagogue, musical and public figure belongs to a generation of artists who have occupied one of the leading places in cultural environment of their time. He was gaining education at Musical Institute named after M. Lysenko in Lviv, at Music Academy in Vienna and State Music Academy in Munich (diploma, 1950) where his music talent of an artist as a composer, conductor and pianist was shaping and flourishing. Doctor of Philosophy at Ukrainian Free University in Munich (1961). However, the gift of a music and public figure manifested itself in America where he was working, being an active participant in creating Ukrainian Music Institute (New York) and during 1959-1961 he was a director of this institute. In the 80s he founded “Music and art centre” in America. I. Sonevytskyi was an active member of Ukrainian Free Academy of Sciences in the USA and of Shevchenko Scientific Society, a member of American music Society and Association of American composers. With “Studio of artistic word” which repertoire included over 30 plays with music by I. Sonevytskyi, he performed in Lviv and Kyiv in 1990s. There is a lot of scientific debate around creative work of I. Sonevytskyі. Creative work of the composer and features of his individual style have become the research subject of the following musicologists: S. Pavlyshyn, M. Zahaykevych, Yu. Yasinovskyi, D. Duvirak, O. Kozarenko, U. Grab etc. Creative work of I. Sonevytskyi is multi-genre – from opera to solo songs, from piano concert to plays of pedagogical direction where among others there is opera “The Star”, ballet “Cinderella”, cantata “Love Ukraine” to the words of V. Sosiura, church (Liturgy, Requiem, Psalms, Spiritual songs) and vocal works, choral canvases, which are distinguished by emotionality and special plasticity of national melos, that occupied the most significant place in the composer’s heritage. About 30 musical arrangements have been done for theatre, in particular for dramas by Lesia Ukrainka, Taras Shevchenko, Ivan Franko and others (these are “The Forest Song”, “Yaroslav the Wise”, “Ivan Vyshensky”). From the first attempts in composition together with choral and spiritual music in particular I. Sonevytskyi worked in miniature genre. The composer enriched this genre with interesting compositions for the piano, mainly didactic ones, meant for pedagogical purposes. I. Sonevytskyi of his own ethnic environment and time, continuing best traditions and at the same time using artistic achievements of M. Lysenko, S. Liudkevych, V. Barvinskyi, M. Kolessa, N. Nyzhankivskyi, Z. Lysko and others. Miniatures of I. Sonevytskyi are marked significantly by the features of deep spirituality: patriotic feelings and family notes of the author are interwoven here. Artistic experiment and artistic search have played considerable role in popularity of his music for the piano, peculiar “laboratory” of an individual manner of the composer where the findings in the future were becoming the achievement of other genres. Mainly, reproduction of psychologism of characters, emotional and spiritual sensation of the world by a person and philosophical thoughts are the sphere of his miniatures. As a mature author already, starting from the 70s of the 20th century I. Sonevytskyi worked in a chamber genre. Four works by the composer for chamber ensembles among which there are the following: “Miniatures I’ for flute, oboe, percussion and piano; “Miniatures II” for flute, oboe, and piano; “Variations” for flute and piano, “Intermezzo” for cello and piano (1992) are to some extent the imprint of predominant at that time minimalist tendency in music. Genre clearness, consistency, a single development line is typical for the cycle “Miniatures I” for flute, oboe, small and cylindrical drum, cymbals and piano by I. Sonevytskyi, which consists of six parts and finale: I. “Introduction”, II. “Obsessed”, III. “Yohanna”, IV. “Lawyer Martiian”, V. “Sinner”, VI. “Boiarynia” (betrayal), VII. “Boiarynia” (Finale) and naturally calls to one another with the poetry by L. Ukrainka, what favours integrity considerably. In conclusions it is worth to emphasize once again that the world of music and the world of poetry are parallel worlds which are in harmony with each other and their mutual trans-formations are inexhaustible. “Miniatures I” by I. Sonevytskyi is a bright example of program miniatures which brilliantly mirror laid image, content which is consonant with poetic thinking of Lesia Ukrainka whose creative work the author was appealing to quite frequently. In Ukraine first performance of the work took place in Lviv (October 2015) at the concert “Igor Sonevytskyi. Return to Motherland” at Chamber stage of Lviv Philharmonic Hall performed by A. Karpiak (flute), V. Bilas (oboe), D. Oliinyk (percussion), I. Posviatovska (piano). Introduction address was made by a researcher of I. Sonevytskyi life and creative work – Doctor of Art, professor Stefaniia Pavlyshyn. Mrs. Natalka Palidvor-Sonevytska, composer’s wife, was present at the concert. After a while the notes (published) saw the world: Sonevytskyi I. Miniatures I: for flute, oboe, percussion and piano. Lviv: Rastr-7, 2016, with introduction by Doctor of Art Stefaniia Pavlyshyn.