The embodiment of Chinese poetry in the cycle "Songs of a Traveler" by G. Sviridov

The subject of the study is the vocal cycle "Songs of the Wayfarer" by G.V. Sviridov, set to poems by Chinese poets translated by Yu.K. Shchutsky. The significance of this work extends far beyond a simple reference to Eastern poetry. The article examines the characteristics of the musical embodiment of Chinese poetry in the vocal cycle "Songs of the Wayfarer" by G.V. Sviridov. Taking the song "Return to the Homeland" as an example, a detailed analysis is conducted of the musical and expressive means employed by the composer to convey poetic imagery. Special attention is given to the texture, harmony, and form, as well as the methods of creating a synthesis of Russian musical tradition and Chinese poetic imagery. The role of the piano accompaniment in creating an artistic whole is investigated. Characteristic features of Sviridov's late style are identified in the context of intercultural dialogue. The research is based on a comprehensive approach that includes historical and cultural, textual, and musicological analysis. Methods of comparative analysis, structural-functional analysis, and semantic interpretation of the musical text are applied. The scientific novelty of the study lies in the identification of unique mechanisms for the transformation of Chinese poetic imagery within the context of Russian musical tradition. For the first time, specific techniques that allowed Sviridov to achieve an organic synthesis of Eastern poetic contemplation and Western compositional technique are analyzed in detail. The conclusions of the study demonstrate that the great Soviet and Russian composer Georgy Vasilyevich Sviridov created an original musical language, avoiding direct quotation or superficial stylization of Chinese music. The cycle features a special type of melody that combines the lyrical quality of Russian romance with the conciseness of Eastern poetry, a carefully thought-out textural dramaturgy, flexible metrorhythmic organization, and a particular approach to timbre. The significance of the work transcends the realm of experimentation in intercultural dialogue, touching upon universal themes of human existence.

Georgy Sviridov, Chinese poetry, vocal cycle, musical analysis, intercultural dialogue, piano accompaniment, Melody line, style, Songs of a Wanderer, musical form