F. Chopin’s Études in the Compositional Reinterpretation of L. Godowsky’s Cycle Studies on Chopin’s Études

Abstract

The purpose of this research is to provide a comprehensive understanding of Leopold Godowsky’s creativity through the prism of the cycle Studies on Chopin’s Etudes as an example of rethinking the étude genre and transforming the Chopinesque artistic-aesthetic model into a new intellectual-performative phenomenon of piano art. The methodological framework is based on historical musicology, analytical-structural, hermeneutic, and comparative approaches. The study also takes into account the perspectives of contemporary scholars, as well as the positions articulated in the research of Y. Kim, which makes it possible to consider Godowsky’s legacy within a broader context of the development of transcription practices and performance culture. The scientific novelty of the study lies in interpreting Godowsky’s études as an independent artistic phenomenon that goes beyond the traditional understanding of transcription. The paper systematises the complex of compositional transformations employed in the cycle, including the redistribution of texture between the hands, the densification of musical material, polytextural layering, and the structural reconstruction of thematic elements. It is demonstrated that these techniques possess a conceptual and artistic character and testify to a new type of pianistic thinking in which interpretation emerges as an independent compositional act, and the étude acquires an expanded artistic and performative potential. Conclusions. Godowsky’s creativity represents a fundamentally new stage in the development of pianistic culture, where technique ceases to be a purely mechanical category and moves into the sphere of intellectual and artistic comprehension. His etudes open new possibilities, extending the boundaries of variation and transcription. Despite the controversial reception by his contemporaries, shaped by the aesthetics of the “urtext” and the idea of the inviolability of the author’s text, today these works are perceived as an important contribution to the development of textural complexity, polyphonic thinking, and performative freedom. In summary, Godowsky’s legacy can be regarded as a unique example of the synthesis of tradition and modernity that significantly influenced the further evolution of piano art.