The Phenomenon of Toccatility in Ukrainian Music of the 1970s in the Context of the "Ukrainization" Process of the Toccata Genre in the Mid-20th Century

Abstract

The purpose of the article is to explore the process of the ‘Ukrainisation’ of the toccata genre in Ukrainian music from the 1940s to the 1960s, to analyse the piano works of composers from this period in terms of their genre and stylistic transformation, and to identify their characteristic national traits. Additionally, the study investigates the phenomenon of toccatility in Ukrainian piano music of the 1970s. The research methodology is based on comparative, analytical, and theoretical musicological approaches, which allow for tracing the evolution of the toccata genre in Ukrainian music and identifying its distinctive features. The scientific novelty of this study lies in the identification and substantiation of the phenomenon of the ‘Ukrainisation’ of the toccata genre in Ukrainian piano music of the mid-20th century. The study defines the characteristic features of the ‘Ukrainised’ toccata, its connection to folk traditions, and the ways in which it is manifested in the individual styles of the examined composers. For the first time, a comprehensive analysis of the phenomenon of toccatility has been conducted based on three works by Ukrainian composers of the 1970s (E. Stankovych, Yu. Ishchenko, and P. Petrov-Omelchuk), allowing for a deeper understanding of its development within the context of national stylistics. Conclusions. The research demonstrates that during the 1940s–1960s, Ukrainian piano music exhibited a tendency toward the ‘Ukrainisation’ of the toccata genre, which was expressed through the incorporation of folk song intonations, modal-harmonic characteristics, and distinctive textural patterns (as exemplified in works by Yu. Shchurovskyi, I. Shamo, V. Filipenko, and others). In the 1970s, this process took on a new dimension with the emergence of the phenomenon of toccatility, characterised by the active use of toccata thematic material and its further evolution in musical dramaturgy. Further study of the phenomenon of toccatility will provide deeper insights into the genre-stylistic evolution of Ukrainian piano music.