THE POETICS OF SOUND IN VOCAL-INSTRUMENTAL WORKS BY EUGENIUSZ KNAPIK

Abstract

The article explores the poetics of sound in the vocal-instrumental works of the Polish composer Eugeniusz Knapik within the context of late 20th and early 21st century musical and aesthetic processes. The study focuses on the formation of the composer’s individual style, characterized by the synthesis of post-romantic sound traditions and contemporary compositional techniques. Particular attention is paid to key parameters of sound organization, including timbral dramaturgy, intonational plasticity, harmonic thinking, and the role of sonoristic elements in shaping musical texture. The interaction between vocal and instrumental components is analyzed as an integrated system of artistic expression in which sound functions not only as an acoustic phenomenon but also as a carrier of meaning, emotional intensity, and semantic imagery. Special emphasis is placed on the relationship between word and music, where the poetic text serves as a generative impulse for musical structure, influencing rhythmic organization, intonational logic, and dramaturgical development. The study reveals that the poetics of sound in Knapik’s works is shaped by the interaction of cantilena, timbral differentiation, and sonoristic techniques, which are not opposed to tradition but integrated into it, forming a new quality of musical thinking. It is argued that Knapik’s compositional language demonstrates a tendency toward stylistic synthesis, where harmonic, melodic, and textural elements function as a unified expressive system. The article concludes that the poetics of sound in Knapik’s vocal-instrumental music constitutes a key factor in the formation of his individual style, combining features of late Romanticism, impressionistic colorism, and contemporary musical thinking, while maintaining a focus on expressiveness, emotional depth, and communicative clarity.