Spiritual Paraphrases in the Works of Ferenc Liszt

Abstract

The purpose of the study is to study the spiritual paraphrases of Ferenc Liszt in order to identify Christian worldview motifs in the compositions of this type. The research methodology is based on historical, analytical, comparative methods, cultural interdisciplinary approach, hermeneutic approach, which follows from the intonational vision of the nature of music based on the works of B. Asafiev’s followers in Ukraine – D. Androsova, O. Markova, O. Roshchenko, O. Sokol, and other leading scholars. Scientific novelty. For the first time in Ukraine, Liszt’s compositional landmarks are highlighted with an emphasis on a religiously and morally significant number borrowed from the material of the model on which the paraphrase is written. A classification of spiritual paraphrases by the type of thematic borrowings – from operatic representations of spiritual chants or through references to liturgical music as such – is introduced for the first time. Сonclusions. Among the vast heritage of the composer’s spiritual music, a special niche is occupied by spiritual piano paraphrases. Conventionally, the spiritual paraphrases created by the composer can be divided into paraphrases on opera themes based on models of spiritual music and paraphrases on directly spiritual works. Paraphrases on church music as such are unique in that here music intended directly for service in a church moves into the instrumental secular sphere. The metaphor of the spiritual-secular is derived from this, which gives special significance to Ferenc Liszt’s work, especially in his later years. However, the paraphrases based on Verdi’s workswhich model church sounds, are also significant, and their introduction into the piano composition is despite the emphasis on the popular non-church images.

Key words: spiritual music, paraphrase, musical genre, style in music, modelling of ecclesiasticism in secular art.