Stylistic allusions in the composition "11 Etudes in the Form of Ancient Dances" by Victor Kosenko

Abstract

The article is devoted to the theme of stylistic allusions in the piano composition called "Eleven Etudes in the Form of Ancient Dances" created by Viktor Kosenko – the Ukrainian composer of the first half of the 20th century. An overview of musicological research devoted to this cycle has been given. The emphasis is placed on V. Kosenko's pianism and the uniqueness of the composition in the history of Ukrainian piano music. We have presented the structure and dramaturgy analysis of the cycle "Eleven Etudes in the Form of Ancient Dances" which is based on an ancient dance suite of the Baroque period. Stylistic allusions in each etude-dance, embodied through texture, tonality, melodic-harmonic inversions, have been revealed. The connection of V. Kosenko's composition with the traditions of Ukrainian music of the 19th century, neoclassical tendencies of Western European art of the 20s-30s of the 20th century and the situation of postmodernism at the turn of the 20th and 21st centuries is emphasized.