The Figurative Sphere of Tragedy in Final Movements of Symphonies by Bartok, Honegger, and Hindemith (1930-1950)

Main Article Content

Olga V. Shmakova

Abstract

The concept of Personality consists of
notions of Pleasure, Tragedy and Eternity. The
final movement of a classical symphony is an
expression of celebratory collective energy. It
may include individual images: reflection, irony,
meditation. What distinguishes the 20th century
as a special stage in evolution of a genre of
the symphonic final movements is the fact that
the last movement of a cycle often displays
tragic images. They are present in the Music
for String, Percussion and Celesta and Concerto for
Orchestra by Bela Bartok, in the 1st, the 3rd
and the 5th Symphony by Arthur Honegger, in
Mathis der Mahler and the Harmony of the World
by Paul Hindemith. Images of Tragedy in these
symphonic finals vary in intonational lexicon.
Viewpoints of figurative sphere of Tragedy are
those of "calamity of a life" (motif of shouting,
fanfares of horror), "energy of destruction"
(a mourning march, a militaristic march),
"grotesque plastic" (danse macabre), "mourning
of a life" (crying, requiem, lamento).

Keywords: history of music, the 20th century symphonism, final movement of a classical symphony, musical lexicon

Article Details

How to Cite
Shmakova, O. V. (2008). The Figurative Sphere of Tragedy in Final Movements of Symphonies by Bartok, Honegger, and Hindemith (1930-1950). Music Scholarship / Problemy Muzykal’noj Nauki, 2(1), 57–63. Retrieved from https://musicscholar.ru/index.php/PMN/article/view/763
Section
Poetics and Semantics of the Musical Text
Author Biography

Olga V. Shmakova, Volgograd Municipal Institute of Arts named after P. A. Serebrjakov

Docent at the Volgograd Municipal Institute of Arts named after P. A. Serebrjakov.

Olga V. Shmakova is a graduate student at the Astrakhan State Conservatory