To Sabaneev’s Theory of Rhythm: Instead of a Preface

Main Article Content

Alexander O. Maksimenko

Abstract

The article analyzes Leonid Sabaneevʼs theory of rhythm, which differs from the traditional understanding of rhythm as temporal organization of art. Sabaneev views rhythm as a principle of organizing the form of artworks to achieve maximum impact, based on the psychology and physiology of perception. Sabaneevʼs ideas concern the role of contrasts and analogs as elements of a composition, “aesthetic expectations”, and the “principle of least action in art”, where minimal means create maximum aesthetic impact. The article traces and compares Sabaneevʼs main ideas on rhythm in their early and later versions (the 1917 article “Rhythm” and the 1923 book “The Music of Speech”), as well as the development of these ideas in Sabaneevʼs subsequent works, such as the role of the golden ratio in art and the so-called “taste groups” in the history of music. Sabaneevʼs theory is of interest due to its empirical approach, integrating contemporary psychological and physiological terms, and offers a rich language for analyzing works of art, including modern ones.


Keywords: Leonid Sabaneev, theory of rhythm, physiology of perception, aesthetic element, aesthetic expectation, contrasts and analogs, principle of least action.

Article Details

How to Cite
Maksimenko А. О. (2024). To Sabaneev’s Theory of Rhythm: Instead of a Preface. Music Scholarship / Problemy Muzykal’noj Nauki, 55(2), 7–17. https://doi.org/10.17674/2782-3601.2024.2.007-017
Section
From the History of Domestic Thought about Music
Author Biography

Alexander O. Maksimenko

Musicologist