Psalm No.8 in Ukrainian Choral Music of the Late 20th – Early 21st Centuries: Analysis of Composer Interpretations

Abstract

The purpose of the article is to identify the distinctive features of the embodiment of the spiritual content of Psalm No. 8 in the choral works “Lord, Our Master” by Yevhen Stankovych and “Psalm No. 8” by Oleksandr Yakovchuk. The research methodology is based on an interdisciplinary approach that includes historical-cultural, religious-philosophical, textual, and musicological aspects. The methods employed include historical, sociocultural, textual, musicological, interpretative, and comparative approaches. Scientific novelty. For the first time, different interpretations of the spiritual content of Psalm No. 8 in contemporary Ukrainian choral music are considered. Based on a comparative analysis of Y. Stankovych’s choral concert “Lord, Our Master” for mixed a cappella choir and O. Yakovchuk’s choral miniature “Psalm No. 8” for solo tenor and male a cappella choir, distinct and common features in the figurative-emotional, dramaturgical, and stylistic aspects of these works are revealed. Conclusions. It was found that the composers revealed the figurative-emotional, substantive, and semantic potential of the psalm text in different ways. The differences in interpretation concern the choice of genre, performance ensemble, text selection, embodiment of figurative content, emotional filling, and textural techniques. The common features of both works are manifested in the use of a cappella choir, a tendency towards harmonic colourfulness, the organic combination of chordal structure, imitative polyphony techniques, and folk polyphony. It is proven that the concept of the choral concert implied an elevated, solemn sound, while the choral miniature aimed for deep meditative concentration in prayer.