Polyphony in D. Shostakovich's a cappella choral work

Koshkareva Natalya Vladimirovna PhD in Art History Professor, Head of the Department of Conducting an Academic Chorus, State Musical and Pedagogical Institute named after M. M. Ippolitov-Ivanov 109147 Marksistskaya street, Moscow, 109147 Russian Federation nkoshkarevav.@gmail.com Other publications by this author

Russian compositional work of the second half of the twentieth century presents a wide panorama of artistic trends and musical styles. This period testifies to the great interest of Russian composers and performers in polyphony. The global impact of polyphony on the system of musical means is a general trend of the era. In choral music, a cappella polyphony performs at all compositional levels: genre, form, writing technique. Composers create original artistic solutions based on numerous composition techniques that have arisen in Western European music (dodecaphony, pointillism, sonorica), combining them with national intonation systems. The technical and stylistic factor determining the essence of these changes was reflected in the form, structure, ways of embodying the poetic text and new timbre solutions, as "updating within the canon" (A. Aranovsky) ^[2]. In the works of the greatest masters N. Myaskovsky, G. Popov, D. Shostakovich, S. Prokofiev, polyphony appears in traditional melodic and intonation forms for Russian music, which receive a new embodiment.

In this perspective, the most important place belongs to the polyphony of D. Shostakovich (1906-1975), where the formation of grandiose symphonic concepts occurs through the cultivation of their initial impulses – "thematic grains". This applies not only to major works for symphony orchestra, musical theater, instrumental music, but also choral opuses. Although there are not so many compositions for the a cappella choir in the composer's legacy of D. Shostakovich, they have become a kind of chronicle of the era: "Ten poems based on the words of revolutionary poets of the late XIX and early XX centuries for unaccompanied mixed choir", Op. 88 (1951) Two arrangements of Russian folk songs, for unaccompanied choir, Op. 104 (1957) and "Fidelity", eight ballads based on the words of E. Dolmatovsky for unaccompanied male choir, Op. 136 (1970).

Monographs by L. Mikheeva ^[10], S. Khentova ^[18], K. Meyer ^[9], L. Hakobyan ^[1], separate articles by V. Protopopov ^[12], Yu. Kholopov ^{[18, 19]} are devoted to the general characteristics of D. Shostakovich's work. Polyphony as a creative method in the major works of D. Shostakovich was studied by N. Gerasimova-Persianskaya ^[3], I. Kuznetsov ^[8]. The analysis of 24 preludes and fugues by D. Shostakovich is presented in the monograph by A. Dolzhansky ^[6].

However, the inexhaustible depth and vivid individuality of polyphony in D. Shostakovich's a cappella choral music has not yet found proper understanding in scientific works, this determines the relevance of the chosen topic. The novelty of the study lies in the fact that it offers a different interpretation of D. Shostakovich's choral legacy from the existing ones. The object of our research will be compositions for unaccompanied choir. The purpose of the study is to determine the stylistic features of D. Shostakovich's polyphonic writing in works for unaccompanied choir. The methodology is based on the synthesis of historical-biographical and musical-stylistic analysis techniques. In this regard, it should be noted that the solution of the tasks set required the study of theoretical works on various issues of polyphony: T. Muller ^[11], V. Fraenov ^[17], S. Skrebkov ^[15], N. Simakova ^{[13, 14]}, I. Kuznetsov ^{[7, 16]}.

Let's turn to the cycle "Ten poems on the words of revolutionary poets" (1951) by D. Shostakovich. It is based on the texts of poets of the late XIX — early XX century: L. Radin, E. Tarasov, A. Gmyrev, A. Kotz, V. Tan-Bogoraz (from W. Whitman). The composer confessed his sincere enthusiasm for the project, as this was his first experience in the field of music for unaccompanied choir (with the exception of small choral episodes from film music).

The appeal to the revolutionary theme was not accidental. In 1948, D. Shostakovich, along with some other Soviet composers, was accused of "formalism". This did not force the composer to abandon his creative principles, but it was absolutely impossible to ignore such accusations in the USSR. D. Shostakovich had to make efforts to rehabilitate himself in the eyes of the authorities. To this end, Dmitry Dmitrievich creates an oratorio based on the poems of Evgeny Dolmatovsky "Song of the Forests", which tells about the creation of forest belts – a very relevant topic for that time, music for films, the ideological orientation of which could not be doubted ("The Fall of Berlin", "Young Guard"). The work on choral works on a revolutionary theme was in the same vein.

The composer told about the history of the creation of the cycle: "In the process of working on music for historical revolutionary films, I studied revolutionary songs a lot and carefully, which resulted in my Ten poems for chorus based on poems by revolutionary poets of the late XIX and early XX centuries <...> Poems are perhaps my first experience in the field of music for unaccompanied choir, except for small choral episodes from film music. I'm going to continue this experience in the future. I am genuinely passionate about working for choirs. The State Choir of Russian Song will be the first performer of my new works. In-depth, subtle work on each poem by this wonderful team and its leader A. Sveshnikov gives me a lot of valuable things as an author" ^{[21, p. 2]}.

Behind the revolutionary texts in the "Ten Poems" lies a complex multiparameter stylistic synthesis. Three genre-style archetypes are clearly traced: Russian revolutionary song, Orthodox tradition and Western European spiritual music. This global approach to synthesis was made possible by the use of polyphony at all levels of composition: from technical to conceptual.

In the choral texture of the cycle, the melodic principle of the connection of voices became the most important, which led to an increased role of non-limiting forms of polyphony. In individual poems (or any sections of the form) focused on the Orthodox tradition (meaning parts: No. 2 "One of many", No. 3 "Outside", No. 7 "The belated volleys stopped", No. 8 "They won", No. 9 "May Song), a sub-vocal is used polyphony, coming from the synthesis of the intonation relief of the Russian revolutionary song and the ornate peasant folk melos. The voices in the choral texture sometimes converge in unison, then form a dense polyphonic fabric (due to divisi in choral parts). In some cases, the principle of "concertina" arises (G. Grigorieva's term) ^{[4, p. 20]}, where the solo choral part and the rest of the voices are correlated in the general sound.

The function of the bourdon, characteristic of folk singing, is performed by sustained sounds in individual voices of a mixed choir. So, in the central episode No. 6 "The Ninth of January", the pure fifth (d-a), which arises vertically between the bass and tenor parts, is the foundation for the lamentation in the viola part (in the words "Goy you, our king father!", c. 42). In No. 7, "Belated volleys have ceased", the mournful epitaph "with honor to the fallen brothers" sounds against the background of the bourdon fifth (gis-dis).

The techniques of imitation polyphony are found in the poems: No. 4 "At a meeting during the shipment", No. 5 "Executed", No. 6 "The Ninth of January". So in No. 5 "Executed" there is a four-voice fugato with a quarto-quinte ascending disposition of theme-response passages. The theme itself, written in a natural minor with the variability of the modal foundations, and the subsequent unrestrained counter-composition are associated in this case with folk song polyphony.

A similar enrichment of Western European imitation technique with Russian melodic intonations is found in No. 4 "At a meeting during shipment":

· accurate imitation, in which, from the point of view of the ratio of vocalization and singing with the text, the usual order of development is violated. Usually in choral music, the musical theme is initially presented with words, and imitations either repeat individual words or phrases, or sound vocalized. Here, the propost sounds like vocalization in a textured "background" (in the bass and soprano parts), and only then, as a rispost, a theme with words arises (in the tenor part). This technique can be compared with the motto technique in early Renaissance writings. The appearance of the cantus firmus or cantus floridus in the tenor was preceded by their separate intonations in other voices of the texture.

· simultaneous sounding of ascending and descending three—tone intonation in octave duplications: basses, alto baritones, sopranos (one bar to c.29);

· imitation of a micromotiv (descending trichord) in different rhythmic patterns: basses and sopranos — like a theme in magnification (half with a dot, quarter with a dot), tenor — eighth (c.32).

In the climax of the poem "The Ninth of January", D. Shostakovich uses contrasting polyphony (polyphony of layers) – the chord structure of the presentation of male voices is contrasted with imitations in the soprano and alto parts.

An interesting example of combining quasi-canonical technique with the verse—variation principle is found in the final issue of "Song" (c. 96 - c. 104). Initially, the theme is presented in female voices ("Fly our song") like Kant: the sopranos and the first violas move in parallel thirds, they are rhythmically contrasted by the part of the second violas. The introduction of the tenors in combination with the soprano part gives the effect of a proportional canon due to their intonation commonality (trichord h-c-d) and rhythmic discrepancy (movement of eighths and quarters in the upper voice and quarters and halves in tenors).

The form described above is only the "theme" of the verse-variation cycle (four verses). While preserving the "canonical" exposition, D. Shostakovich uses a vertically moving counterpoint (in the third and fourth verses, the "theme in magnification" is entrusted to the violas and sopranos). In derivative compounds, due to the complex tonal plan (Ges-dur, es-moll, G-dur, H-dur, Ges-dur), rather tart consonances are formed, composed in a stream of constant motion^[1].

The premiere of "Ten Poems" took place on October 10, 1951. In the crowded Great Hall of the Moscow Conservatory, they were performed by the State Choir of Russian Song and the Boys Choir of the Moscow Choral School under the direction of the outstanding choirmaster A.V. Sveshnikov. He received the score at the end of March, but it took a long time to learn it. According to the memoirs of A. Sveshnikov, the forty-minute work was done brilliantly, but intonation is very difficult, it had to be learned not to sing, but to pronounce. At the rehearsal of the choir "The Ninth of January", the delicate D. Shostakovich, stopping the choir at the words "Bare your heads!", asked: "Shout them out! Scream your heart out!" ^[5]. This poem became the center of the concert: it was then often sung separately, as a dramatic scene. The premiere was a real great success, D. Shostakovich's choral poems quickly became repertory, gained popularity among listeners, and in 1952 "Ten Poems" were awarded the Stalin Prize. After the death of A. Sveshnikov, the cycle was practically forgotten. The revival of the "Ten Poems" based on the words of revolutionary poets of the late XIX and early XX centuries performed by the Chamber Choir of the Moscow Conservatory conducted by Boris Tevlin in 1999 and recorded on CD in 2005 is evidence of the viability of this page of D. Shostakovich's work.

After "Ten poems based on the words of revolutionary poets of the late XIX and early XX centuries for unaccompanied mixed choir", the composer turned to the a cappella choir twice more. In the fifties, D. Shostakovich showed the most complete interest in folklore. In 1950, while working on the music for the film "Belinsky", the composer studied a collection of songs recorded by F. Rubtsov and created choirs close to folk songs. In 1951, ten arrangements of Russian folk songs for choir and piano were written, and in 1957, two more arrangements. There are also arrangements of fourteen Russian folk songs created by Shostakovich for flute and piano; the autograph is kept in the Central Library (f. 2048, op. 2, unit ch. 23; without the opus number, the time of writing is unknown). The continued interest in song folklore is evidenced by the fact that in 1959, the composer, having familiarized himself with the collection of Russian folk songs, V. Odoevsky, selected 50 songs for processing (the idea was not realized).

In 1957, he created "Two arrangements of Russian folk songs for Unaccompanied choir" (Op. 104), which included "Venuli Winds" and "How to Make Me Younger". The treatments used songs recorded in the Novgorod and Kuibyshev regions. Transcripts of these tunes will be published later: "Venuli winds" — in the collection "Russian folk songs of the Volga region" (Moscow, 1959, No. 95); "How I am younger" — in the collection "Traditional Folklore of the Novgorod region" (L., 1979, No. 168). The work was first performed on November 24, 1957 in Moscow in the Great Hall of the Conservatory by the USSR State Academic Russian Choir.

"Venuli winds" is a long‑drawn song of the northern Pomors, part of the circle of ritual songs performed during the pre-wedding week. The pre—wedding week is a period especially richly saturated with wedding song lyrics and various small (often mismatched in different areas) ceremonial and household details performed due to local traditions. One of the details noted during the pre-wedding week in almost all areas of old Russia were the bride's parties, where young people gathered and where special lyrical "wedding" choruses were performed, very often improvisational in nature and had no options in other areas.

The lyrical wedding song (as opposed to the preacher) was always performed by the choir. There are no solo songs in the traditional Russian wedding ceremony. A lyrical wedding song is a broad, polyphonic and generalizing reflection of the ceremony in its main thematic refractions. The poetic speech of the song flows smoothly and contains separate plot motifs and situations. The intonation of the song is calm, the style of presentation is objective, logical and based on descriptive and narrative elements.

Working with the musical and textual primary source, D. Shostakovich sought to preserve its original appearance as much as possible in terms of pitch and structure. With the free and wide development of the melody, the verbal text strictly regulates the musical phrase. The rhythmic structure of the wedding song is also quite clear. The choral performance surrounds the main melody with undertones and creates a rich, elegant festive sound. Since the origins of the ritual song are an incantation formula, the lines of the wedding song are often repeated twice, as if for greater persuasiveness and strength of the "spell".

In this treatment, D. Shostakovich emphasized the high culture of polyphonic singing of the Russian people, its dominant principle ‑ all voices sing a version of one melody. The melody develops simultaneously with the verse and interacts closely with it.

"As I am younger, younger" is a non-ceremonial, frequent song (without chanting, tongue twister). Those motifs that make the characters sad in a long song, and in a ballad make up a dramatic plot, are interpreted in a frequent song as a joke (discord between husband and wife, etc.).

In this treatment of a Russian folk song, the composer tends to the Glinkin type of textured variations on an unchanging melody. In a couplet-variation form (eight couplets), in which the theme is presented repeatedly with changes in texture, harmony, the ratio of contrapuntal voices, timbre (instrumentation). The methods of metrorhythmic variation of contrapuntal voices (emphasizing strong lobes, syncopation) are most actively shown.

The arrangements of folk songs keep the melody and harmonization unchanged. In the choral texture of both treatments, D. Shostakovich demonstrated the artistic potential of sub-vocality and variation, so characteristic of Russian songwriting.

Russian Russian folk song, the life-giving juices of which nourish the Russian professional musical culture, is characterized by the richness and variety of natural modes, which provide inexhaustible opportunities for the creative imagination of the composer, allow him to find new and new harmonic means within the limits of ladotonal thinking" ^{[21, p. 3]}. Shostakovich emphasized the importance of folk art for the development of Russian music: "Russian folk song, the life-giving juices of which nourish the Russian professional musical culture, is characterized by the richness and variety of natural modes, which give inexhaustible opportunities for the creative imagination of the composer, allow him to find new and new harmonic means within the limits of ladotonal thinking" ^{[21, p. 3]}.

In 1970, on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the birth of V.I. Lenin (completed on February 13, 1970 in Repin, in the House of Composers' Creativity), eight ballads were written to the words of E. Dolmatovsky for the unaccompanied male choir "Fidelity" (Op. 136). In many ways, this cycle inherits the principles of the "Ten Poems": intonation nature, polyphonization of chord tissue. However, compared to the poems, the ballads are less symphonized, and the suite principle is more refracted in them. The role of polyphony is also modest: separate imitations are used, there is no complex counterpoint and contrasting polyphony.

It is noteworthy that the tenor part is set out not in the usual treble key for a modern musician, but in a tenor key ^[20] – symbolically emphasizing the connection of times, the constant of timeless, universal values. In April 1970, the composer wrote about the cycle of ballads to the poet E. Dolmatovsky: "Fidelity has been defended by me. I am happy and proud to have written such an essay" ^{[21, p. 8]}. The premiere performance of the ballads took place in Tallinn (concert hall "Estonia") by the Men's Choir of the Estonian SSR under the direction of G. Ernesaks.

Summing up, we emphasize that a characteristic feature of Russian music of the second half of the twentieth century was the basing of linear melodic forms on individual intonation compositional systems. In this perspective, D. Shostakovich's a cappella choral legacy occupies a special position. The artistic consciousness of the composer is universal. A deep synthesis of the secular and the spiritual takes place in him. This position has become a determining factor for polyphony as the dominant principle of the composer's musical thinking. Polyphony became "the basis of the internal processes of symphonism and drama, linking contrasting and conflicting elements into a single whole, creating the artistic appearance of the composition" ^{[8, p. 168]}.

The global impact of polyphony on the system of musical means, which is noted by all researchers in D. Shostakovich, is a general trend of the time. N. Gerasimova‑Persian, in particular, writes: "Finally, we can talk about polyphony of a "higher order" ("metapolyphony"), about the counterpoint of two spheres: so to speak, the "outer" is the sphere of action, and the "inner" is the sphere of thought." ^{[3, pp. 262-263]}.

The study of D. Shostakovich's individual polyphonic style, which arose on the basis of a peculiar correlation of traditional and innovative expressive means and techniques, seems very promising. Here, the connection with the polyphony of the Russian drawl song, with the legacy of the principles of "baroque" polyphony, as well as the use of contrasting polyphony (in particular, the polyphony of layers) acquires special importance as a continuity of the traditions of Russian composers of the XIX century, first of all – M. Mussorgsky.

It is difficult to overestimate the importance of D. Shostakovich's musical heritage. It is the most important milestone in the development of Russian art of the twentieth century. D. Shostakovich's work has formed a new canon of "modern academic music" in the post-Soviet space. The scale of D. Shostakovich's personality determines the idea that any composition by the master of Russian music is so multifaceted that it is undoubtedly promising in scientific and practical terms. This fully applies to compositions for the a cappella choir.