What works belong to polyphony? Polyphonic works of Bach. Plays and ensembles

Yulia Gennadievna Tyugasheva
Methodological development "Principles of working on polyphonic works in the piano class of the Children's Art School"

1. Introduction.

For general musical education, children's students music school, development is extremely important polyphonic hearing. Without the ability to hear the entire musical fabric works, to follow during the game all the lines of musical presentation, their coordination, subordination to each other, the performer cannot create an artistically complete image. Does the student play a homophonic-harmonic or polyphonic piece, he always needs to understand the logic of the movement of texture elements, find its main and secondary lines, and build a musical perspective different plans sound.

2. Types polyphony.

With elements polyphony students encounter problems already in the initial period of training. You need to know what types there are polyphonies and what is their essence. « Polyphony» - Greek word. Translated into Russian it means "polyphony". Every voice in polyphonic music is melodically independent, so all voices are expressive and melodious.

Subglottic appearance (polyphonic Russian songs) based on the development of the main voice (in the song - lead). The remaining voices of its branch are more or less independent. They contribute to an increase in the overall chanting of melodic development ( musical example rus. adv. song "And I'm in the meadow").

Contrasting polyphony based on the development of independent lines, which are not characterized by commonality origin from one melodic source (Bach's works). First one and then another voice comes to the fore (music example by J. Bach "Minuet")

Imitation polyphony is based on the sequential implementation in different voices, or the same melodic line (canon, or one melodic passage - theme (fugue). All voices are generally equivalent, but in the fugue (variety of fuguetta, invention)- the leading role of the voice with the theme, in the canon of the voice containing the most individualized part of the melody (note example by I. Bach "Two-Voice Invention" in D minor).

3. Operating principles over various types polyphony in junior classes DSHI.

For beginners, the most intelligible educational material in terms of content is the melodies of children's and folk songs in single-voice transcriptions. Songs must be chosen simple, but meaningful, with bright intonation expressiveness, and a clear climax. Further, purely instrumental melodies are used. Thus, the student’s focus is on the melody, which must first be sung expressively, then played expressively on the piano. At first work is underway on polyphonic processing folk songs of subvocal type. Tell: the singer started the song, then the choir picked up ( "echo voices", varying the same melody. We need to separate the roles. The student sings and plays the lead singer, the teacher plays the choral part on piano. Then switch roles, having first learned all the voices by heart. The student feels independent life each part and hears the entire piece in its entirety, in a combination of both voices. Next, the student plays both parts, this creates a figurative perception of the voices. A number of other subvocal plays are also learned polyphony. The concept of imitation needs to be explained using examples available to the student. "On a green meadow..." the chant is repeated an octave higher - like "echo", the melody is played by the student, the echo teacher, then vice versa. This is especially useful when the imitation is accompanied by a melody in a different voice. Immediately accustom the student to clarity in the alternate entry of voices and to the clarity of their conduct and ending. The upper voice is f, the echo is p, i.e. a contrasting dynamic embodiment of each voice is necessary. So that the student hears not only the combination of two voices, but also their different colors. After mastering a simple imitation (repeating the motive in a different voice) begins Job over plays of a canonical type, built on strett imitation, which enters before the end of the imitated melody. Here, not just one phrase or motive is imitated, but all phrases to the end works. Overcoming this new polyphonic difficulty - work in stages:

First, rewrite the play in simple imitation, putting pauses in accordance with the corresponding voices;

Next, the entire text is played in the ensemble, but in the author’s version, then the student himself plays everything. This exercise can then be played by ear from different notes. What does the student take away for himself? He gets used to it faster polyphonic texture , clearly understands the melody of each voice, their vertical relationship. He sees and grasps with his inner ear the discrepancy in time between identical motives. Hears the beginning of the imitation, its combination with the same phrase that is being imitated, and the connection of the end of the imitation with a new phrase. This work is very important, since strett imitation in polyphony Bach occupies a large place. Lungs polyphonic pieces I. Bach from "Music notebook of A. M. Bach"- the most valuable material, it actively develops polyphonic thinking of the student, fosters a sense of style and form. IN working on polyphony basic principles of working on a work. Characteristic feature polyphony– the presence of several simultaneously sounding and developing melodic lines, hence the main task is the ability to hear and lead each voice polyphonic development separately and the entire set of voices in their interrelation. In a two-part composition it is necessary work over each voice - to be able to lead it, feel the direction of development, and intonate well. When studying polyphonic pieces main work is conducted on melodiousness, intonation expressiveness and independence of each voice separately. Independence of voices is an indispensable feature of any polyphonic work, and it manifests itself in next:

2. different, almost nowhere matching phrasing;

3. mismatch of strokes;

4. mismatch of climaxes;

6. discrepancy in dynamic development.

The dynamics in Bach's plays are aimed at revealing the independence of the voice. His polyphony is characterized by polydynamics and above all, dynamic exaggerations must be avoided. A sense of proportion in dynamic changes is necessary for a convincing and stylish performance of Bach's music. The peculiarity is that Bach’s works do not tolerate nuanced diversity. Long build-ups, significant climaxes, large constructions performed in one sound plane or juxtaposition of contrasting sections are possible, but not a constant change of colors. Often dynamic growth in the topic is based on like steps. Be sure to pay attention to the special structures of Bach's motifs. They begin on the weak beat of the bar and end on the strong beat. As if they are off-beat in nature, the boundaries of the motive do not coincide with the boundaries of the beat. Dynamic pathos and significance are characteristic of Bach’s cadences, especially if the melody develops in the sound f, this also applies to the cadences in the middle works. Braudo revealed distinctive feature Bach's style is a contrast in the articulation of adjacent durations, that is, small durations are played legato, and larger durations are played non legato and staccato, depending on the nature of the piece (there are exceptions minuet in d minor, all legato is the nature of the song structure, Braudo called it "reception of eight".

4. Common disadvantages when playing polyphonic pieces.

Common disadvantages when playing polyphonic pieces including that the student throws out the sound of a given voice, does not hear its connection with the entire melodic line, and does not translate it into the next meaningful melodic passage, voice. Sometimes, one withstands a sound and does not balance its fading sound with the strength of the next one, as a result the sound line is broken and the expressive meaning is lost. In a two-part composition one must take it seriously work on every voice, be able to lead it, sensing the direction of development, intonate well and, of course, apply the necessary strokes. It is necessary to feel and understand the expressiveness of each voice and when they sound together. The student should know that in different voices, in accordance with their expressive meaning and melodic pattern, phrasing, sound character, strokes can be (and often happen) completely different. This requires not only careful listening, but also special work. You must be able to play each voice from memory, which will help its correct auditory perception and performance. The overall sound will challenge the student to identify the timbre of the sound line.

5. Features work on polyphony in the senior classes of the Children's Art School(polyphony).

In polyphony work The difficulty increases because there are not two, but more voices. Concern for the accuracy of voice guidance makes you pay special attention to fingering. The most difficult formations are those that require good legato. It is necessary to use complex fingering techniques - silent substitution to maintain voices, "shifting", "slip". A new difficulty also appears: the distribution of the average voice between the parts of the right and left hands. The accuracy and smoothness of voice guidance here will largely depend on the fingering.

In polyphonic works knowing each voice from memory from beginning to end is not at all necessary, although it is advisable in some cases. We accept this path work: having familiarized yourself with the essay, carefully analyze each part of it, isolating complex constructions and analyzing their structure. Disassemble each such structure by voice, play separately with the proper fingering, correct phrasing and precise strokes. Next, move on to a combination of different voices and then to full polyphony. The same work hold over the next section, and so sort everything out work. And then return to what seems most difficult. It is useful to train one to listen to the conversation of voices in order to catch vocal and speech intonations; Pay attention to the melodious sound of each voice - this is one of the requirements when performing polyphony.

In the future, always return to the most difficult places and play voices separately, especially where there are two or three voices in one part, in order to maintain accuracy in voicing.

For understanding polyphonic work you need to imagine its form, theme and its character, hear all its implementation. Larger required Job over the first presentation of the theme - the main artistic image of the essay. You need to know whether stretted themes are available in increase and in circulation. Represent the melodic pattern and the nature of the counterposition, know whether it is retained or not. Teach them first separately, then in combination with the topic. Also applies to interludes, know what melodic material they are based on. Identify cadences and their role. Be able to hear not only the horizontal, but also the vertical, that is, the harmonic basis that arises from the combination of melodic voices. When learning to first play with a rich sound, the entire musical fabric should sound well and clearly.

6. Conclusion.

A teacher working with students of any level of preparedness always faces a serious task: teach to love polyphonic music, understand it, with pleasure work on a polyphonic piece. Polyphonic way of presentation, artistic images polyphonic works, their musical language should become familiar and understandable to students.

Mastery polyphony gives a lot students: develops hearing, timbre variety of sound, the ability to lead a melodic melodic line, develops the skill of legato performance, develops accuracy, preciseness of sound, develops special obedience, flexibility of the hand and fingers combined with sound definition.

Development of full perception polyphony unthinkable without Bach's music, which combines features like polyphonic, and homophonic-harmonic thinking. Bach's most striking thematic and clear logic will serve as a starting point for children to become acquainted with polyphony.

I believe that polyphonic music is accessible and interesting for young musicians, and it should be mastered from the initial stage of learning to play an instrument.

7. Music examples.

8. Literature.

1. A. Alekseev « Methods of learning to play the piano»

Moscow. "Music".1971

2. N. Kalinina "Bach's keyboard music" piano class»

Leningrad. "Music". 1988

3. I. Braudo “On the study of Bach’s keyboard works in music school”

Moscow. « Classic XXI» . 2001

Continuing our music theory lessons, we gradually move on to more complex material. And today we will learn what polyphony, musical fabric is, and what musical presentation is like.

Musical presentation

Musical fabric name the set of all sounds piece of music.

The character of this musical fabric is called texture, as well as musical presentation or warehouse letters.

Monody. Monody is a single-voice melody, most often it can be found in folk singing.
Doubling. Doubling lies between monophony and polyphony and is the doubling of the melody by octave, sixth or third. Can also be doubled with chords.

1. Homophony

Homophony – consists of a main melodic voice and other melodically neutral voices. Often the main voice is the top one, but there are other options.

Homophony can be based on:

Rhythmic contrast of voices

Rhythmic identity of voices (often found in choral singing)

2. Heterophony.

3. Polyphony.

Polyphony

We think you are familiar with the word “polyphony” itself, and perhaps you have an idea of what it could mean. We all remember the general excitement when phones with polyphony appeared, and we finally replaced the flat mono ringtones with something more like music.

Polyphony- this is polyphony, based on the simultaneous sound of two or more melodic lines or voices. Polyphony is the harmonic fusion of several independent melodies together. While the sound of several voices in speech will become chaos, in music such sound will create something beautiful and caressing the ear.

Polyphony can be:

2. Imitation. Such polyphony develops the same theme, which imitatively moves from voice to voice. Based on this principle:

Canon is a type of polyphony where the second voice repeats the melody of the first voice with a beat or several beats late, while the first voice continues its melody. A canon can have several voices, but each subsequent voice will still repeat the original melody
A fugue is a type of polyphony in which several voices are heard, each repeating a main theme, a short melody that runs through the entire fugue. The melody is often repeated in a slightly modified form.

3. Contrasting thematic. In such polyphony, voices produce independent themes that may even belong to different genres.

Having mentioned the fugue and the canon above, I would like to show you them more clearly.

Canon

Fugue in C minor, J.S. Bach

Melodics of strict style

It is worth focusing on a strict style. Strict writing is a style of polyphonic music of the Renaissance (XIV-XVI centuries), which was developed by the Dutch, Roman, Venetian, Spanish and many other schools of composition. In most cases, this style was intended for choral church singing a cappella (that is, singing without music); less often, strict writing was found in secular music. The imitative type of polyphony belongs to the strict style.

To characterize sound phenomena in music theory, spatial coordinates are used:

Vertical, when sounds are combined at the same time.
Horizontal, when sounds are combined at different times.

To make it easier for you to understand the difference between free and strict style, let's look at the differences:

The strict style is different:

Neutral theme
One epic genre
Vocal music

Free style is different:

Bright theme
Variety of genres
A combination of both instrumental and vocal music

The structure of music in a strict style is subject to certain (and, of course, strict) rules.

1. The melody needs to start:

with I or V
from any counting fraction

2. The melody should end on the first degree of the downbeat.

3. Moving, the melody should represent an intonation-rhythmic development, which occurs gradually and can be in the form of:

repetition of the original sound
moving away from the original sound up or down in steps
intonation jump of 3, 4, 5 steps up and down
movements according to the sounds of the tonic triad

4. It is often worth holding the melody on a strong beat and using syncopation (shifting the emphasis from a strong beat to a weak one).

5. Jumping should be combined with smooth movement.

As you can see, there are quite a lot of rules, but these are just the basic ones.

The austere style has an image of concentration and contemplation. Music in this style has a balanced sound and is completely devoid of expression, contrasts and any other emotions.

You can hear the austere style in Bach's chorale “Aus tiefer Not”:

And the influence of the strict style can be heard in Mozart’s later works:

In the 17th century, the strict style was replaced by the free style, which we mentioned above. But in the 19th century, some composers still used the strict style technique to give an ancient flavor and mystical touch to their works. And, despite the fact that the strict style in modern music not to be heard, he became the founder of the rules of composition, techniques and techniques in music that exist today.

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POLYPHONY

INTRODUCTION.. 2

Polyphony and its varieties. 2

CONTRAST POLYPHONY.. 4

The formation of contrasting polyphony. 4

Strict writing is melodic. 7

Free style. Varieties of contrasting polyphony. 28

Conditions for matching contrasting melodies. 29

Simple and complex counterpoint. 31

Types of complex counterpoint. 32

Double counterpoint. 34

IMITATION POLYPHONY.. 36

Imitation - composition and parameters.. 36

Types of imitation. 37

Canon. 39

Types of developed imitative polyphonic works. 42

General structure of a fugue. 43

Typical features themes in a fugue. 45

Answer. 47

Counter-addition. 48

Sideshows. 49

The structure of the expositional part of the fugue. 51

Developmental part of the fugue. 52

Reprisal part of the fugue. 53

Fugues of non-three-part structure. 54

Double and triple fugues. 55

INTRODUCTION

Polyphony and its varieties

Music warehouse There are monodic, harmonic (homophonic-harmonic) and polyphonic. The monodic warehouse is the basis of the folklore of many peoples and ancient species professional music. The monodic structure is single-voiced: sounds form a melody, their linear-melodic connection is achieved primarily by means of mode. Harmonic and polyphonic structures, as polyphonic ones, are contrasted together with monodic ones. In polyphony, sounds are correlated and connected not only melodically, horizontally, but also harmoniously, that is, vertically. In the harmonic structure, the vertical is primary; harmony directs the movement of the melody. Here main role performs a melodic line, which is often in the upper voice and is contrasted with chord accompaniment. In the polyphonic warehouse everything is different.

Polyphony (from the Greek poly - many; background - sound, voice; literally - polyphony) is a type of polyphony based on the simultaneous combination and development of several independent melodic lines. Polyphony is called an ensemble of melodies. Polyphony is one of essential means musical composition And artistic expression. Numerous techniques of polyphony serve to diversify the content of a musical work, embody and develop artistic images. By means of polyphony you can modify, compare and combine musical themes. Polyphony is based on the laws of melody, rhythm, mode, and harmony.

There are various musical forms and genres used to create polyphonic works: fugue, fuguetta, invention, canon, polyphonic variations, in the XIV - XVI centuries. - motet, madrigal, etc. Polyphonic episodes (for example, fugato) are also found within other forms - larger, more ambitious. For example, in a symphony, in the first movement, that is, in sonata form, the development can be built according to the laws of fugue.

The fundamental feature of polyphonic texture, which distinguishes it from homophonic-harmonic texture, is fluidity, which is achieved by erasing caesuras separating constructions and imperceptibility of transitions from one to another. Voices of a polyphonic structure rarely cadence at the same time; usually their cadences do not coincide, which gives rise to a feeling of continuity of movement as a special expressive quality inherent in polyphony.

There are 3 types of polyphony:

2. multi-colored (contrasting);

3. imitation.

Subvocal polyphony is an intermediate stage between monodic and polyphonic. Its essence is that all voices simultaneously perform various options the same melody. Due to the difference in options in polyphony, voices either merge into unison and move in parallel unisons, or they diverge into different intervals. A striking example- folk songs.

Contrasting polyphony – simultaneous sound of different melodies. Here voices connect with in different directions melodic lines, and differing in rhythmic patterns, registers, and timbres of melodies. The essence of contrasting polyphony is that the properties of melodies are revealed in their comparison. Example – Glinka “Kamarinskaya”.

Imitation polyphony is a non-simultaneous, sequential entry of voices carrying out one melody. The name imitative polyphony comes from the word imitation, which means imitation. All voices imitate the first voice. Example - invention, fugue.

Polyphony - as a special type of polyphonic presentation - has come a long way historical development. Moreover, its role was far from the same in certain periods; it either increased or fell depending on changes in artistic goals put forward by one era or another, in accordance with changes in musical thinking and with the emergence of new genres and forms of music.

The main stages in the development of polyphony in European professional music.

2. XIII – XIV centuries. Moving to more voices. The huge prevalence of three-voices; the gradual emergence of four- and even five- and six-voices. A significant increase in the contrast of melodically developed voices sounding together. The first examples of imitative presentation and double counterpoint.

3. XV – XVI centuries. The first period in history of the flourishing and full maturity of polyphony in the genres of choral music. The era of the so-called “strict writing”, or “strict style”.

4. XVII century In the music of this era there are many polyphonic compositions. But in general, polyphony is relegated to the background, giving way to a rapidly developing homophonic-harmonic structure. The development of harmony was especially intensive, which at that time became one of the most important formative means in music. Polyphony penetrates into the musical fabric of opera and opera only in the form of various presentation techniques. instrumental works, which in the 17th century. are leading genres.

5. First half of the 18th century. Creativity of I.S. Bach and G.F. Handel. The second heyday of polyphony in the history of music, based on the achievements of homophony in the 17th century. The polyphony of the so-called “free writing” or “ free style", based on the laws of harmony and controlled by them. Polyphony in the vocal genres instrumental music(mass, oratorio, cantata) and purely instrumental (“HTK” by Bach).

6. Second half of the 18th – 21st centuries. Polyphony is mainly component complex polyphony, to which it is subordinated along with homophony and heterophony and within the framework of which its development continues.

The musical development of a child involves developing the ability to hear and perceive both individual elements of the piano fabric, i.e. the horizon, and a single whole - the vertical. In this sense, big educational value given to polyphonic music. The student becomes familiar with the elements of subvocal, contrastive and imitative polyphony already in the 1st grade of school. These types of polyphonic music in the repertoire of grades 3-4 do not always appear in an independent form. We often find in children's literature a combination of contrasting vocalization with subvocal or imitative vocalization.
One cannot help but mention the irreparable mistake of those teachers who, while observing the formal requirements of the program, use polyphonic music in educating a student, which is beneficial only for showing him off. Often these are works where a student can demonstrate his performing achievements not so much in polyphony, but in a moving, toccata-type polyphonic texture (for example, preludes in C minor and F major from the first notebook of “Little Preludes and Fugues” by J. S. Bach). If Considering that only two or three polyphonic works are studied throughout the year, it is clear how much their one-sided selection limits the child’s development.
A special role belongs to the study of cantilena polyphony. IN school curriculum includes polyphonic arrangements for piano of folk lyrical songs, simple cantilena works by Bach and Soviet composers(N. Myaskovsky, S. Maykapar, Yu. (Durovsky). They contribute to the student’s better listening to voice guidance and cause a vivid emotional reaction to music.
Let's analyze individual samples of polyphonic processing of Russian musical folklore, noting their importance in the musical and pianistic education of a child.
Let's take for example the following plays: “Podblyudnaya” by A. Lyadov, “Kuma” by A. Alexandrov, “You Garden” by V. Slonim. All of them are written in verse-variation form. Singing melodies, when repeated, “overgrow” with echoes, “choral” chord accompaniment, plucked folk-instrumental background, colorful transfers into different registers. Working on these pieces, the student acquires the skills of cantilena polyphonic playing, mastery of episodic two-voices in the part of a separate hand, contrasting articulatory strokes, hearing and feeling the holistic development of the entire form.
We find a combination of subglottic tissue with imitations in the Ukrainian compositions arranged for piano by I. Berkovich folk songs, processed by N. Lysenko, N. Leontovich. The plays “Ta mute prshshkomu”, “Oy za za gori kam’yano”, “Plive choven”, “Lantsinonka rustled” became established in the school repertoire. The verse structure is enriched here not only with imitations, but also with a denser chordal-choral texture .
The student comes into contact with contrasting voice leading mainly when studying the polyphonic works of J. S. Bach. First of all, these are pieces from “The Notebook of Anna Magdalena Bach.” Thus, in the two-voice “Minuet” in C Minor and “Aria” in G minor, the child easily hears the voice leading due to the fact that the leading upper voice is intonationally flexible and melodious, while the lower voice is significantly distant from it in register terms and is more independent in melodic-rhythmic pattern. The clarity of the syntactic capture of short phrases helps to sense the melodic breath in each voice.
A new step in mastering polyphony is familiarity with the structures of the continuous, metrically identical Movement of voices characteristic of Bach. An example would be “Little Prelude” in C minor from the other notebook. The expressive performance of the continuous movement of the eighth Pots in the upper voice is helped by the revelation of the intonation characteristics of the blod and the feeling of melodic breathing within long constructions. The very structure of the melody, presented primarily in harmonic

figurations and broken intervals, creates natural preconditions for her expressive intonation. It should sound very melodious with a bright shade of rising intonation turns (for example, in bars 3, 6, 8, 18). In the continuous “fluidity” of the upper voice, the student should feel internal breathing, as if hidden caesuras, which are revealed by carefully listening to the phrasing division into different bar groups. So, for example, at the beginning of the prelude such division is carried out in two-bar groups, in bars 9-12 - in single-bar groups, and then with ever-developing rising intonations - in the wide breath of a complete eight-bar (bars 13-20). Such an internal feeling of syntactic division helps to plastically unite pianistic movements within sound “chains” and prevent stiffness and tightness of the muscles. In the examples considered, the melodic contrast of the voices is usually combined with the bass voice belonging to one or another harmonic function.
The next stage in studying imitative polyphony is familiarization with inventions, fuguettes, and small fugues. In contrast to the contrasting two-voices, here each of the two polyphonic lines often has a stable melodic-intonation imagery.
Even when working on the lightest examples of such music, auditory analysis is aimed at revealing both the structural and expressive aspects of the thematic material. After the teacher has performed the work, it is necessary to move on to a painstaking analysis of the polyphonic material. Having divided the play into large sections (most often, based on a three-part structure), one should begin to explain the musical, semantic and syntactic essence of the theme and counterposition in each section, as well as interludes. First, the student must determine the location of the topic and feel its character. Then his task is to expressively intonate it using means of articulatory and dynamic coloring at the found basic tempo. The same applies to counter-addition if it is of a retained nature.
As is known, already in small fuguettas the theme first appears in an independent monophonic presentation. It is important to develop in the student an internal auditory attunement to the main tempo, which he should feel from the very first sounds. In this case, one should proceed from a sense of the character and genre structure of the entire work. For example, in “Fugetta” in A minor by S. Pavlyuchenko, the author’s “andante” should be associated not so much with at a slow pace, how much with the fluidity of rhythm at the beginning of the theme; in “Invention” in C major by Yu. Shchurovsky, “allegro” does not mean so much speed as the liveliness of the rhythm of the dance image with its characteristic pulsating accent.
In the performance disclosure of the intonational imagery of the theme and counterposition, the decisive role belongs to articulation. It is known how finely found articulatory strokes help to reveal the expressive richness of voice performance in Bach's works. A teacher studying Bach's inventions in the classroom may find much instructive in Busoni's editions. Landshof.
What general, elementary patterns of articulation can we talk about at this stage of training?
Already in two-voice small preludes, fuguettes, inventions, the expressive features of the strokes should be considered horizontally (i.e. in the melodic line) and vertically (i.e. with the simultaneous movement of a number of voices). The most characteristic in the articulation of the horizontal may be the following: smaller intervals tend to merge, larger ones - to separation; moving metrics (for example, sixteenth and eighth notes) also tend to merge, and calmer ones (for example, quarter, half, whole notes) tend to dismember. Using the example of “Hunting Roll Call” by N. Myaskovsky, one can show how the corresponding articulatory strokes were found for a theme that carries two figurative principles. The rhythmically weighted beginning of the fanfare melody with its wide intervals is performed in a deep pop legato with emphasis on each of the four sounds. The triplet eighth notes of the moving final part of the theme are reproduced using a light finger legato technique.
Similarly, in the aforementioned “Invention” by Yu. Shchurovsky, all sixteenth notes, set out in smooth, often scale-like progressions, are performed legato or quasi legato; longer sounds with their wide interval “steps” are divided into short leagues, staccato sounds or tenuto.
In the articulation of the vertical of a two-voice fabric, each voice is usually shaded with different strokes. A. B. Goldenweiser, in his edition of Bach’s two-voice invention, advises performing all sixteenth notes in one voice coherently (legato), while contrasting eighth notes in another voice should be performed separately (pop legato, staccato).
The use of different strokes to “color” the theme and counterposition can be found in Busoni’s edition of Bach’s two-voice inventions (see invention in E major).
One of the characteristic properties of Bach's themes is their predominant iambic structure. Most often, their first performance begins with a weak beat after a previous pause on a strong beat. When studying small preludes (Nos. 2, 4, b. 7, 9, II from the first notebook), the teacher should draw the student’s attention to the indicated structure, which determines the nature of the performance. When playing into a theme without accompanying voices (for example, in a small prelude in C major from the first notebook), the child’s hearing should immediately be included in the “empty” pause so that he feels a natural breath in it before the unfolding of the melodic line. The pianistic technique itself is carried out by slightly raising the hand from the strong beat with its further smooth immersion into the keyboard. The feeling of such polyphonic breathing is very important when studying cantilena preludes.
Unlike inventions and foots, in small preludes the theme is not always clearly expressed by one small melodic structure. Sometimes a short, laconic theme, repeated several times, is carried out in the form of smoothly changing thematic “chains”. Using the example of the same small prelude No. 2 “in C major, it is clear that the first three-bar consists of three links. With an iambic structure, it is important to hear the soft endings of thematic sections on strong beats (A, B, C), followed by an internal feeling of short “breaths” before each new construction. If the theme is based on chord sounds, it is useful for the student to play its harmonic skeleton with chords, directing it auditory attention to the natural change of harmonies when moving to a new segment. For example, in each of the three initial measures of the mentioned prelude, one must try, by delaying the last three sounds, to hear the chord and its gravity in a new function in the next measure. This transformation of the melody into compressed harmonic complexes. When performed monophonically, it allows you to feel the integral line of intonation development within each functionally stable group of sounds.
To more actively listen to the student's two-voice fabric, his attention should be paid to the technique of the opposite movement of the voices. For example, in “Invention” by A. Gedick, “Two-Voice Fugue” in D minor and “Hunting Roll Call” by N. Myaskovsky, the student almost directly assimilates the melodic pattern of each voice with their contrastingly directed pitch movement.
In the performing interpretation of imitations, especially in the works of Bach, a significant role is given to dynamics. The most characteristic feature of the composer’s polyphony is architectural dynamics, in which changes in large structures are accompanied by new dynamic “lighting.” For example, in the small prelude in E minor from the first notebook, the beginning of the two-voice episode in the middle of the piece after the preceding big forte in three voices is shaded by a transparent piano. At the same time, small dynamic fluctuations, a kind of microdynamic nuance, may appear in the horizontal development of voices. Unfortunately, we still see today the unjustified use of wave-like dynamics in short sections of Bach's music as an echo of Czerny's edition. The student does this subconsciously, under the influence of the more directly assimilated dynamics in lyric plays of small forms of homophonic structure.
When thinking about the dynamics of three-voice cantilena small preludes, the student’s auditory control should be directed to episodes of two-voice in the part of a single hand, set out in drawn-out notes. Due to the rapid decay of the piano sound, there is a need for greater fullness in the sound of long notes, as well as (which is very important) listening to intervallic connections between the long note and the shorter sounds passing against its background. Such dynamic features can be seen in small preludes Nos. 6, 7, 10.
As we can see, the study of polyphonic works is an excellent school for the student’s auditory and sound preparation for performance piano works any genres.

Music, determined by the functional equality of individual voices (melodic lines, melodies in the broad sense) of a polyphonic texture. IN musical piece polyphonic composition (for example, in the canon of Josquin Despres, in the fugue of J. S. Bach), the voices are equal in compositional-technical (techniques of motive-melodic development are the same for all voices) and logical (equal bearers of “musical thought”) relations. The word “polyphony” also refers to a musical theoretical discipline that is taught in secondary and higher education courses. music education for composers and musicologists. Main task disciplines of polyphony - practical study of polyphonic compositions.

Accent

The stress in the word “polyphony” fluctuates. In the Dictionary of Church Slavonic and Russian Languages, published by the Imperial Academy of Sciences in 1847, the only emphasis is given on the second “o”. Russian general lexical dictionaries of the 2nd half of the 20th century and beginning of the XXI centuries, as a rule, place the only stress on the second syllable from the end. Musicians (composers, performers, teachers and musicologists) usually place the accent on "o"; The newest (2014) Great Russian Encyclopedia and the “Musical Spelling Dictionary” (2007) adhere to the same spelling norm. Some specialized dictionaries and encyclopedias allow spelling options.

Polyphony and harmony

The concept of polyphony (as a warehouse) is not correlative to the concept of harmony (sound structure), therefore it is fair to talk, for example, about polyphonic harmony. Despite all the functional (musical-semantic, musical-logical) independence of individual voices, they are always coordinated vertically. In a polyphonic piece (for example, in Perotin’s organum, in Machaut’s motet, in Gesualdo’s madrigal), the ear distinguishes consonances and dissonances, chords and (in ancient polyphony) concords, and their connections, which manifest themselves in the unfolding of music in time, are subject to the logic of one or another Lada. Any polyphonic piece has a sign of integrity of pitch structure, musical harmony.

Polyphony and polyphony

Typology

Polyphony is divided into types:

Subglottic polyphony, in which it is played along with the main melody echoes, that is, slightly different options (this coincides with the concept of heterophony). Characteristic of Russian folk song.
Imitation polyphony, in which the main theme is heard first in one voice, and then, possibly with changes, appears in other voices (there may be several main themes). The form in which a theme is repeated without modification is called a canon. The pinnacle of forms in which the melody varies from voice to voice is the fugue.
Contrasting thematic polyphony (or polymelodism), in which different melodies are heard simultaneously. First appeared in the 19th century [ ] .
Hidden polyphony- hiding thematic intonations in the texture of the work. Applied to free style polyphony, starting with the small polyphonic cycles of J. S. Bach.

Individually characteristic types

Some composers, who made especially intensive use of polyphonic techniques, developed a specific style characteristic of their work. In such cases they speak, for example, of “Bach polyphony”, “Stravinsky polyphony”, “Myaskovsky polyphony”, “Shchedrin polyphony”, Ligeti’s “micropolyphony”, etc.

Historical sketch

The first surviving examples of European polyphonic music are non-parallel and melismatic organums (IX-XI centuries). In the 13th-14th centuries, polyphony was most clearly manifested in the motet. In the 16th century, polyphony became the norm for the vast majority of artifacts of composer music, both church (polyphonic) and secular. Polyphonic music reached its greatest flowering in the works of Handel and Bach in the 17th and 18th centuries (mainly in the form of fugues). In parallel (starting around the 16th century), the homophonic warehouse quickly developed, during Viennese classics and in the era of romanticism clearly dominated polyphony. Another rise in interest in polyphony began in the second half of the 19th century. Imitative polyphony, focusing on Bach and Handel, was often used by composers of the 20th century (Hindemith, Shostakovich, Stravinsky, etc.).

Strict writing and free writing

In the polyphonic music of the pre-classical era, researchers distinguish two main trends in polyphonic composition: strict letter, or strict style(German strenger Satz, Italian contrappunto osservato, English strict counterpoint), and free letter, or free style(German freier Satz, English free counterpoint). Until the first decades of the 20th century. in Russia, the terms “counterpoint of strict writing” and “counterpoint of free writing” were used in the same meaning (in Germany, this pair of terms is still used to this day).

The definitions “strict” and “free” related primarily to the use of dissonance and voice control. In strict writing, the preparation and resolution of dissonance was regulated by extensive rules, violation of which was considered as technical ineptitude of the composer. Similar rules were developed in relation to voice acting in general, the aesthetic canon of which was balance, for example, the balance of an interval jump and its subsequent filling. At the same time, listing and parallelism of perfect consonances were prohibited.

In free writing, the rules for the use of dissonance and the rules of voicing (for example, the prohibition of parallelism of octaves and fifths) generally continued to apply, although they were applied more freely. “Freedom” was most clearly manifested in the fact that dissonance began to be used without preparation (the so-called unprepared dissonance). This and some other assumptions in free writing were justified, on the one hand, by the musical rhetoric characteristic of the era (for example, it was used to justify “dramatic” interference and other violations of the rules). On the other hand, greater freedom of voice led to historical necessity- polyphonic music began to be composed according to the laws of the new major-minor tonality, in which the tritone became part of the key consonance for this pitch system - the dominant seventh chord.

The “era of strict writing” (or strict style) includes music of the late Middle Ages and the Renaissance (XV-XVI centuries), meaning, first of all, church music Franco-Flemish polyphonists (Josquin, Ockeghem, Obrecht, Willaert, Lasso, etc.) and Palestrina. In theory, the compositional norms of strict style polyphony were determined by G. Zarlino. The masters of the strict style mastered all the means of counterpoint, developed almost all forms of imitation and canon, and widely used techniques for transforming the original theme (inversion, rakhohod, increase, decrease). In harmony, strict writing relied on a system of diatonic modal modes.

The Baroque era until the 18th century. inclusive, historians of polyphony call it the “era of free style.” The increased role of instrumental music stimulated the development of chorale arrangements, polyphonic variations (including passacaglia), as well as fantasies, toccatas, canzones, ricercaras, from which the fugue was formed by the middle of the 17th century. In harmony, the basis of polyphonic music written according to the laws of free style was the major-minor tonality (“harmonic tonality”). The largest representatives of free style polyphony are J. S. Bach and G. F. Handel.

Polyphony and polyphonism in literature

In the Russian language of the 19th - early 20th centuries. in a meaning similar to modern polyphony, the term “polyphonism” () was used (along with the term “polyphony”). In literary criticism of the 20th century. (M. M. Bakhtin and his followers) the word “polyphonism” is used in the sense of discordance, the simultaneous “sounding” of the author’s “voice” and “voices” literary heroes(for example, they talk about the “polyphonism” of Dostoevsky’s novels).