The cultural potential of Modest Mentsinsky's work in the context of the development of the musical culture of the early twentieth century

Abstract

The purpose of the article is to establish the contribution of the opera singer and famous tenor Modest Omelianovych Mentsynskyi to Ukrainian and world music art. The methodology is based on using historical, biographical, and analytical methods, which allows distinguishing and reviewing the special features of the Ukrainian singer‘s ―internationally universal‖ performance style as well as tracking the stages of his creative evolution. The scientific novelty of the research is in the affirmation that the artist‘s work within the mentioned period, on the one hand, led to the ―Europeanization‖ of the Ukrainian music culture, which influenced the formation of the national vocal and opera school, and, on the other hand, his high vocal level and popularization of the Ukrainian music in the walls of numerous European theaters promoted the popularization of the Ukrainian music culture in the world. Conclusions. Relying on the achievements of the three most famous opera schools (Italian, German and French) and his own experience, the signer formed the ―internationally universal‖ performance style, which helped him make a considerable contribution to the development of opera art in at least three countries: Germany (as the most prominent singer of Wagner‘s plays with a vocal role of a ―heroic tenor‖), Sweden (as a performer and pedagogue who stood at the origins of the vocal school in this country) and Ukraine (as a talented interpreter of the Ukrainian chamber repertoire and popularizer of the national music heritage in the world).