VOCAL WORK OF EMILE JACQUES-DALCROZE: FORMATION STAGES AND GENRE-STYLE PANORAMA

Abstract

The article examines the vocal work of the Swiss composer, teacher, and founder of one of the most popular didactic systems of rhythm plasticity in the 20th century, Emile Jacques-Dalcroze. His teaching method, one of the prominent elements of which is solfeggio, actively corresponds with the voluminous vocal heritage of the artist. E. Jacques-Dalcroze created about 1,200 vocal works, which gained great popularity in his homeland and beyond. However, the significant success of the pedagogical system of E. Jacques-Dalcroze overshadowed almost all achievements of the composer’s creativity (opera, symphonic, instrumental, etc.), including vocal music. Issues of the evolution of the formation of vocal genres in the work of E. Jacques-Dalcroze are highlighted, makes its stratification is carried out in four directions: artistic songs as didactic opuses; songs for children of different age categories; pop-popular samples and artistic songs, which are self-respecting and original in the stylistic aspect, commensurate with the current trends of modernism. These are symbolist and impressionist trends, neo-romantic and neo-classical vectors with an inclination towards the French school. At the same time, there are signs of secession and post-romanticism of the Austro-German type. In many compositions, symbiosis, balancing, and polystylistic play are observed. There is also a perceptible gravitation towards folkloristic tendencies in close cooperation with folk song material, which was manifested in the unique identification of the author’s compositions with authentic tradition. The creation of a huge number of various popular pop songs-chansons corresponded to the urban trends of the 20th century. Characteristic features of the vocal music of E. Jacques-Dalcroze are the tendency to cycle; the creation of a significant part of vocal compositions to one’s own author’s texts, which is an exceptional phenomenon; the combination of an extraordinary melodic gift with original rhythms and plastic expression led to the appearance of innovative vocal works and cycles associated with the use of gestures, facial expressions, dance movements (Songs-Novels with gestures – 10 Callisthenic Songs, Six songs in the folk spirit with gestures, two cycles of 12 songs Love to dance), which became a new word in the development of vocal music. This most voluminous section testifies to the mutual influence and organic connection of creative and pedagogical principles in the composing activity of E. Jacques-Dalcroze.