F. Chopin's Ballads in Representation of Biedermeier's Ideas

Abstract

The purpose of the work is to identify the Biedermeier features of thinking in F. Chopin’s large forms in the embodiment of the ideas of the spiritualised "light" play of the noble salon gatherings in memory of the historical Greater Poland. Such a heroic and melancholic background of Chopin's presentation of his achievements, especially within large forms, inspired the understanding of the thought orientation (according to I. Belza) of his thinking. The research methodology is the intonation vision of the genetic unity of musical and speech principles in the development of the concept of B. Asafiev and B. Yavorsky based on the works of D. Androsova, O. Markova, L. Stepanova, L. Shevchenko, with an emphasis on the hermeneutical perspective of the intonation approach, as well as with the advancement of methods – biographical and descriptive, with emphasis on the intellectual-biographical aspect for the sake of accuracy of interpretive indicators of the analysis of works, analytical and structural as a concentration of musicological specificity of thematic and constructive features of compositions, interspecies stylistic comparative for understanding the interactions of artistic and scientific-religious tendencies in the environment of F Chopin. The scientific novelty of the work is determined by the reliance on Biedermeier's concept of "the big in the small" in the analysis of the large ballad forms, especially with regard to the initial Warsaw and late periods, the time of the composer’s formation and final search. Conclusions. Biedermeier draws out the underestimated tempo-factual essence of Chopin's presentation of those forms that, in high tempo playing, "dematerialised" the theatrical variegation of expression in favour of bringing the Ballades closer to the thoughtful, i.e. lyric-epic forms. The latter appear prolonged in the hallelujah complex of Chopin's ultra-fast playing as a representative of spiritualised salon light pianism, with its distancing from existential drama in favour of the glorious lyricism of the "pearl" fioriture of sound in the spirit of the passage figurativeness of old church singing. The parallel of F. Chopin's thoughtful thinking with his contemporary and passionate confessor of the national idea T. Shevchenko’s poetic and thoughtful content of the genre expression of large-scale compositions is noteworthy.

Key words: ballad, genre in music, biedermeier, "light" style of piano playing, F. Chopin's thoughtfulness.