WOLFGANG SCHMELTZL – PRIEST, WRITER, MUSICIAN
A.A. Ledeneva
Abstract. The article is devoted to the Wolfgang Schmeltzl, a 16th-century German cultural figure who worked in the fields of pedagogy, literature, and music. Based on an analysis of available foreign studies, it provides historical information about his main literary works, which date from his time serving as a schoolteacher in Vienna, and also reconstructs the key stages of his life, taking into account the discrepancies found in the sources. The quality of his dramatic plays has led scholars to draw parallels between him and the renowned Meistersinger and playwright Hans Sachs. Schmeltzl made a significant contribution to the history of German secular polyphonic song by initiating the publication of the song collection “Guter, seltzamer, und künstreicher deutscher Gesang” (“Good, Rare, and Most Artful German Song”) in 1544, published in Nuremberg by Johannes Petreius. The special importance of this collection lies in the fact that 15 of its 25 compositions are designated as quodlibets. This term appears for the first time in Schmeltzl's collection as an independent designation for a musical work, which allows us to consider the date of its publication as the starting point of the history of the quodlibet as a musical genre. All this provides a basis for presenting Schmeltzl's activity as a key link in the formation and popularization of the quodlibet in 16th-century German music.
Keywords: Wolfgang Schmeltzl, Johannes Petraeus, Renaissance, German polyphonic song, quodlibet
Conflict of interest. The author declares the absence of conflict of interests.
For citation: Ledeneva, A.A. (2026), “Wolfgang Schmeltzl – priest, writer, musician”, Journal of Musical Science, vol. 14, no. 2, pp. 9–19. DOI: 10.63219/2308-1031-2026-2-9-19.
K.N. Chebotareva
Abstract. This article examines the means of musical embodiment of the images of sweetness and bitterness in selected solo motets by Isabella Leonarda (1620–1704), an Italian nun of the Congregation of the «Noble College of the Virgins of Saint Ursula» in the city of Novara. In the religious poetry of her motets, a significant role is played by epithets such as dulcedine / sweetness, amarum / bitterness, est dulce plus melle / sweeter than any honey, dulcoris occeanum / ocean of sweetness, cæli dulcores / celestial sweetnesses, among others. The poetic texts of the motets (presumably authored by Isabella Leonarda herself) are woven from allusions to passages from the Holy Scripture and are consonant with the imagery of the sacred emblemata widespread at the time. An important component of the analysis of Isabella Leonarda’s music, which meticulously follows the text, is the incorporation of emblems and biblical sayings. The author's focus is on the connection of the category of “sweetness” with the image of Christ and the possibility of conveying spiritual experience through gustatory categories. As a result, the author concludes that the use of the images of “bitterness” and “sweetness” serves as a means of revealing the semantic multidimensionality of the spiritual-poetic texts, allowing for a nuanced conveyance of the nun's religious sentiments.
Keywords: Isabella Leonarda, Italian Baroque, the nun-composer, religious poetry, solo motet, gustatory categories, sweetness, bitterness
Conflict of interest. The author declares the absence of conflict of interests.
For citation: Chebotareva, K.N. (2026), “From dulcoris occeanum to paena amara: «sweetness» and «bitterness» as representations of Spiritual Experience in Isabella Leonarda's Motets”, Journal of Musical Science, vol. 14, no. 2, pp. 20–30. DOI: 10.63219/2308-1031-2026-2-20-30.
“ABRAHAM AND ISAAC” BY M.B. BRONNER: ON THE COMPOSITIONAL AND INTONATIONAL FEATURES OF THE WORK
A.S. Sazhneva, S.G. Voitkevich
Abstract. The article examines M.B. Bronner's work “Abraham and Isaac”, created in 1998 and considered by the composer to be one of his most complex opuses. The author refers to the biblical plot and uses an unusual timbre combination of the button accordion and saxophone, which is due to Mikhail Borisovich's personal perception of each instrument. The composition is written in a phase form, which organically conveys the metamorphoses of the emotional reactions of the participants involved in the development of the Old Testament story. The composition can be conditionally divided into two sections. The basis of the musical development is made up of two thematic formulas. The first can be designated as “Abraham's steps”, the second is the composer's musical autograph – "the thematic formula of the cuckoo", symbolizing the countdown to death. Observations of the work allow us to draw a conclusion about a personal reading of the biblical plot, in which connections are seen with the author's concepts and individual interpretations of history, presented in the treatise of the Danish philosopher Søren Kierkegaard and in the work of the British composer Benjamin Britten. Such an understanding of M. Bronner's work is undertaken for the first time, which indicates the novelty of the scientific material. In the process of preparing the article, its main provisions were discussed in personal conversations with the author, which ensures the reliability of the information presented.
Keywords: M.B. Bronner, the plot of “The Sacrifice of Isaac by Abraham”, phase form, musical-rhetorical figures
Conflict of interest. The authors declare the absence of conflict of interests.
For citation: Sazhneva, A.S., Voitkevich, S.G. (2026), “«Abraham and Isaac» by M.B. Bronner: on the compositional and intonational features of the work”, Journal of Musical Science, vol. 14, no. 2, pp. 31–41. DOI: 10.63219/2308-1031-2026-2-31-41.
A.M. Anuchin
Abstract. The author traces the history of the opus dedicated to D.D. Shostakovich, the cycle “Tribute to the Teacher”, written by his students, graduate students of the Leningrad State Conservatory in the 1960s – Gennady Belov, Vadim Bibergan, Alexander Mnatsakanyan, Vyacheslav Nagovitsin and Boris Tishchenko. The author of the article set himself the task of saying that “Tribute to the Teacher” is a complete symphony, and not five disparate works by different composers. A rare example of a collective creative gesture by students to the Master is a complete five–movement symphony, in which, on the one hand, themes from Shostakovich's works are quoted, on the other hand, the individuality of each of the participants in the joint opus manifested itself, which made it possible to pay tribute to, admire and worship their brilliant Teacher and emphasize the idea of creative self-sufficiency of his successors. Dmitry Shostakovich’s tenure as a teacher at the Leningrad and Moscow Conservatoires, saw him mentor a generation of composers who would go on to shape ХХ century music. His students, while navigating their own unique paths, often cited his “spiritual mentorship” as a crucial force in both their professional and personal lives. The article also has some information about D.D. Shostakovich's classes with his graduate students.
Keywords: D.D. Shostakovich, “Tribute to the Teacher”, Gennady Belov, Vadim Bibergan, Alexander Mnatsakanyan, Vyacheslav Nagovitsin, Boris Tishchenko
Conflict of interest. The author declares the absence of conflict of interests.
For citation: Anuchin, A.M. (2026), “The story of one dedication”, Journal of Musical Science, vol. 14, no. 2, pp. 42–51. DOI: 10.63219/2308-1031-2026-2-42-51.
I.D. Porshnev
Abstract. This article is devoted to the repertory of ballet companies of four metropolitan (Moscow and Leningrad) theatres (State Academic Bolshoy Theater of the USSR (the Bolshoy Theatre) and Musical Theatre Under Supervision of Vladimir Nemirovich-Danchenko in Moscow, Leningrad State Academic Kirov Opera and Ballet Theatre (the Mariinsky Theatre) and Leningrad State Academic Maly Opera Theatre (the Mikhailovsky Theatre) in Leningrad) in the second half of the 1930s. The aim of this research is to discover the finalized tendency of the 1930s: the main sources of the searches for scenarists, composers and ballet-masters (while creating new ballets) were themes from the Russian and West-European classical literature (Aleksandr Pushkin, Nickolay Gogol, Michail Lermontov, Honoré de Balzac, Lope Felix de Vega, William Shakespeare and others), but these weren’t themes relevant to the present time (the Soviet times). The author concludes that the “Sovietization” process in the native musical theatre failed by the end of the 1940s – the beginning of the 1950s. In the middle of the 1930s the routine practice fundamentally changed the way the ballet genre was developing by the end of the 1950s and lifted Russian ballet art to the dominating position in the world.
Keywords: Soviet ballet, the 1930s, the “Sovietization” process (in Soviet Musical Theatre), Platon Kerzhentsev, Boris Asafiev, Art Committee at the Council of People’s Commissars of the USSR, State Academic Bolshoy Theater of the USSR (the Bolshoy Theatre), Leningrad State Academic Kirov Opera and Ballet Theatre, (the Mariinsky Theatre), Leningrad State Academic Maly Opera Theatre, (the Mikhailovsky Theatre), Musical Theatre Under Supervision of Vladimir Nemirovich-Danchenko
Conflict of interest. The author declares the absence of conflict of interests.
For citation: Porshnev, I.D. (2026), “«There aren’t any ballets of Soviet themes»: the ballet repertoire of Moscow and Leningrad theaters in the mid-1930s and early 1940s”, Journal of Musical Science, vol. 14, no. 2, pp. 52–71. DOI: 10.63219/2308-1031-2026-2-52-71.
“THE WINTER PETERSBURG WAY” IN CHAMBER VOCAL MUSIC BY GEORGY SVIRIDOV
Chen Zhuo
Abstract. The main subject of the analysis in the article is the last vocal cycle of G.V. Sviridov “Petersburg”. Having emerged as a result of “secondary cyclization”, which absorbed songs from a noticeably earlier time, he nevertheless embodied ideas that were important precisely for the late period of the composer's work. These features are revealed when compared with F. Schubert's “Winterreise”, another late cycle that entered the golden fund of world culture. Despite the distance between epochs and national schools, the works are brought together by the common worldview of artists who are at the final stage of their lives. Belonging to different stylistic paradigms and relying on a dissimilar poetic basis, the compositions reveal a deep kinship at the level of imagery, musical language and the choice of specific expressive means. Despite the absence of obvious evidence of conscious borrowing, the presence of such allusions indicates the author's involvement in the aesthetic discourse of that time, where the figure of Schubert and his music acted as significant cultural coordinates. The sequence of songs in the Petersburg cycle developed gradually, and since it was this order of numbers that became important for the composer and performers, it is preserved in the analysis of the cycle in this article.
Keywords: G.V. Sviridov, F. Schubert, “Petersburg”, “Winterreise”, W. Müller, A. Block
Conflict of interest. The author declares the absence of conflict of interests.
For citation: Chen Zhuo (2026), “«The Winter Petersburg Way» in chamber vocal music by Georgy Sviridov”, Journal of Musical Science, vol. 14, no. 2, pp. 72–83. DOI: 10.63219/2308-1031-2026-2-72-83.
ON THE MANIFESTATIONS OF DIALOGICITY IN THE INSTRUMENTAL CONCERTS BY M. TARIVERDIEV
N.V. Khorobrykh
Abstract. This article explores one of the key characteristics of M. Tariverdiev's instrumental writing: dialogism. Reflected in film music, vocal music, and theatrical performance, the principles of dialogue naturally permeate the fabric of instrumental concertos, becoming the genre's defining characteristics. Since dialogism appears alongside related concepts in Russian musicology (concerting, the principle of competition, the concept of playing, and concert dialogue), this article presents scholarly perspectives on the theoretical understanding of this phenomenon. The dramatic laws of the instrumental concerto genre, in one way or another, revolve around the dialogue between instruments. Therefore, the author examines the manifestation of dialogism in M. Tariverdiev's instrumental concertos from the perspective of the implementation of functional relationships between soloist and orchestra, as well as from the composer's use of the technique and principle of concerting. M. Tariverdiev's instrumental concertos exemplify the continuous development and renewal of the quality of interaction between soloist and orchestra. The coordination of functional types in concertos is gradually significantly updated through the differentiation of the alliance type (Second Violin Concerto) and the use of concertante and contrasting polyphony to create juxtaposing dialogues (organ concertos). The author of the article comes to conclusions about the evolution of M. Tariverdiev's concert writing: an open clash in the spirit of a competitive genre in early compositions (Concerto for Voice and Orchestra, First Violin Concerto) is replaced by the soloist's leadership (Viola Concerto), concerting in the form of contrasting /conflict interaction moves to the level of internal dialogue, and the dialogic nature of the genre obeys the logic of monologue a type of utterance.
Keywords: Mikael Tariverdiev, instrumental music, organ music, instrumental concert, dialogicity, concertation, types of functional relationships, sonoristics, internal dialogue
Conflict of interest. The author declares the absence of conflict of interests.
For citation: Khorobrykh, N.V. (2026), “On the manifestations of dialogicity in the instrumental concerts by M. Tariverdiev”, Journal of Musical Science, vol. 14, no. 2, pp. 84–95. DOI: 10.63219/2308-1031-2026-2-84-95.
ON THE QUESTION OF CONCEPT OF QUARTET'S TEXTURE
K.S. Khrapov
Abstract. The string quartet is one of the leading genres of chamber and instrumental ensemble, attracting composers, performers and researchers. Most musicians rightly note the multifaceted nature of its internal structure. This article attempts to define quartet texture, which is invisibly flickering in scientific works and statements by musicians of various eras. Based on the methodology of Yu.N. Tyulin, an example of determining the specific parameters of a quartet texture is demonstrated. In the process of their identification, the harmony of the quartet ensemble is noted, which is related to the auditory nature of human perception, for which the differentiation of a certain complex phenomenon into 3-5 functional groups is most appropriate. The main chronological stages of the string quartet's existence are briefly mentioned, on which this genre takes place spiral development from the point of view of musical texture: from amateur music-making, where the «primaries» (the performer of the first violin part in a quartet) acts in the status of “first among equals” through the classical model with a noticeable influence of the symphony to a real equal ensemble. In the final part of the article, we are presented one of the possible definitions of quartet texture, and it is also suggested that it may facilitate the potential analytical work of musicologists with the string quartet – the very difficult to study genre.
Keywords: string quartet, quartet’s texture, double-pairwise functional textural organization, personification
Conflict of interest. The author declares the absence of conflict of interests.
For citation: Khrapov, K.S. (2026), “On the question of concept of quartet's texture”, Journal of Musical Science, vol. 14, no. 2, pp. 96–101. DOI: 10.63219/2308-1031-2026-2-96-101.
I.G. Yaskevich
Abstract. The article substantiates the need for a typology of the modern Russian musical, which is due to the emergence of many hybrid subgenres that arose at the junction of musical and dramatic theaters. On the example of the play “Romeo and Juliet” of the Novosibirsk Drama Theater “Red Torch” (2024, director M. Bukin), the influence of modern inter-genre experiments is considered, the causes and origins of new trends in Russian musical and theatrical art that has developed as a result of the processes of hybridization of various musical performances models, musical and drama theatrical forms, actuality stage performances. The original version of the classical play is analyzed as a cross-genre phenomenon that combines poetics and significant features of musical and dramatic theater. The study is based on analytical methodology with the use of musicological and theatrical tools, and attracts the principles of the contextual approach. To summarize, the author states the fact of the creation of a new model of musical show in the Russian theater, proposing to define it as “a musical for drama theater”, and also emphasizes that the features of this variety are determined not only by the influence of the Western musical form, but also by the experience of the Russian drama theater of the last fifty years.
Keywords: musical, musical performance, genre hybridization in the theater, “Romeo and Juliet”, Evgenia Terekhina, theater “Red Torch”
Conflict of interest. The author declares the absence of conflict of interests.
For citation: Yaskevich, I.G. (2026), “Musical performance «Romeo and Juliet» at the «Red Torch» Theater: to the issue of typology of musical-theatrical genres”, Journal of Musical Science, vol. 14, no. 2, pp. 102–110. DOI: 10.63219/2308-1031-2026-2-102-110.
O.V. Novikova
Abstract. The article is devoted to the description of invariant structures of various levels found in Buryat musical and folklore genres connected with the word - folk songs, epics, cattle-breeding incantations, lullabies. These invariant structures indicate the existence in the minds of the carriers of the tradition of some ideal patterns, clichés, according to which all musical and folklore texts that exist in culture are produced. Invariant structures of the elementary level include pitch and rhythmic segments identified during segmentation of the sound stream for the purpose of notating it and creating written texts that make it possible to study culture. An examination of modal melodic patterns allows us to identify invariants of the modal thinking of the Western Buryats, whose song and epic melodies are based on anhemitonic scales with wide zones of steps, as well as regularities that appear in the pentatonic songs of the Khorin and Selenga Buryats. A study of the variants of typical melodies, as well as the processes of variation in epic melodies, allows us to identify invariants of higher levels related to the architectonicrhythmic and melodic aspects of the organization of melodic lines, testifying to the manifestation of rhythmic and melodic thinking of the carriers of the tradition. The contrasts between the realization of invariants in different genres testify to the genre thinking of ethnophors. The presence of invariant structures of different levels in the musical organization of Buryat folk tunes must be taken into account when creating musical texts executed in the traditions of analytical, and in some cases, complex notation (according to E.E. Alekseev). This is all the more important because it allows the researcher to penetrate into the “text-forming activity of the ethnophor” (I.I. Zemtsovsky), revealing the mechanisms of the generation of musical texts in culture.
Keywords: Buryat musical folklore, Buryat folk songs, Buryat epic, typical melodies, folklore invariant, variability in folklore, musical thinking, intonation model, modes of folk music, rhythm of folk melodies
Conflict of interest. The author declares the absence of conflict of interests.
For citation: Novikova, O.V. (2026), “Hierarchy of invariants in the musical organization of Buryat folk tunes: methodological and anthropological aspects”, Journal of Musical Science, vol. 14, no. 2, pp. 111–123. DOI: 10.63219/2308-1031-2026-2-111-123.
V.E. Dyakonova, N.N. Varlamova
Abstract. This article explores the musical traditions of the Northern Sakha people of the Verkhoyanskiy ulus (district) of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia). Drawing on studies of 20th and 21st century Yakut (Sakha) musical folklore, as well as their own fieldwork, the authors focus on song genres with distinctive sound production tech niques, such as throat singing (khabargha yryata). The researchers introduce previously unpublished materials collected during expeditions and examine them within the context of existing scholarly approaches. The aim of this article is to present new materials, introduce recordings of traditional Northern Sakha musical folklore made in recent years, and analyze specific timbre techniques. The authors provide detailed descriptions of song forms that incorporate specific timbre techniques characteristic of the northern Sakha, such as the singing with guttural wheezes khabargha yryata, the vocal embellishment kylyhakh and others. They also characterize the intonation and rhythmic variations of these songs. The study revealed that chants with guttural wheezes (khabargha yryata) have a ritualistic function and were performed by the older generation in an intimate setting, in a quiet voice within a narrow range, preserving ancient intonation techniques. Modern performers are characterized by louder sound delivery, a departure from ritual, and a transition to "open" broadcasting to a wide audience. The article emphasizes the importance of preserving and promoting traditional musical heritage, which reflects the cultural identity and spiritual values of the region's indigenous peoples.
Keywords: Northern Sakha, Verkhoyanskiy district, musical folklore, field research, singing with specific timbre techniques, khabargha yryata, kylyhakh
Conflict of interest. The authors declare the absence of conflict of interests.
For citation: Dyakonova, V.E., Varlamova, N.N. (2026), “Field research of musical traditions of the Northern Sakha of the Verkhoyanskiy ulus of the Sakha Republic”, Journal of Musical Science, vol. 14, no. 2, pp. 124–133. DOI: 10.63219/2308-1031-2026-2-124-133.
Zhang Yu
Аннотация. In the context of globalization and intense cultural interaction, the issue of the authenticity of traditional musical culture is particularly pressing. Traditional music serves not only as a form of artistic heritage but also as a vital carrier of cultural memory, values, and national identity. In the contemporary artistic landscape, traditional musical practices are increasingly being reinterpreted, transformed, and integrated into new art forms, raising the question of preserving their authenticity and semantic integrity. Traditional Chinese musical art has evolved over many centuries in close connection with philosophical, ritual, and aesthetic concepts rooted in Confucianism, Taoism, and folk beliefs. The sound organization, timbral characteristics of traditional instruments, performance principles, and symbolic content of music reflect a specific understanding of the harmony between man and nature. However, in contemporary musical culture, these elements are often incorporated into the contexts of academic, stage, media, and popular art, leading to changes in their functions and modes of perception. The concept of authenticity in musical culture is not a static category and requires a comprehensive understanding. In contemporary art, authenticity can be viewed as the result of a dynamic interaction between tradition and innovation, historical memory and current artistic practices. In this context, an analysis of the forms and modes of expression of the authenticity of traditional Chinese musical culture in contemporary artistic contexts is of particular interest. The purpose of this article is to identify the characteristics and primary modes of expression of the authenticity of traditional Chinese musical culture in contemporary art. This study examines theoretical approaches to the concept of authenticity, analyzes the representation of traditional music in contemporary artistic practices, and identifies key trends and contradictions that arise in the process of its actualization.
Keywords: traditional Chinese music, authenticity, cultural identity, contemporary art, musical heritage
Conflict of interest. The author declares the absence of conflict of interests.
For citation: Zhang Yu (2026), “The authenticity of traditional Chinese musical culture in contemporary art: features and forms of manifestation”, Journal of Musical Science, vol. 14, no. 2, pp. 134–141. DOI: 10.63219/2308-1031-2026-2-134-141.
ON THE EMBODIMENT OF NATIONAL THEATRICAL TRADITIONS IN YIN QING'S OPERA “THE LONG MARCH”
Zhang Hongmei
Abstract. Using Yin Qing's opera “The Long March” as an example, this article examines the embodiment and integration of the musical and stylistic principles and expressive means of traditional Chinese theater, particularly Peking opera (jingju), in contemporary Chinese grand opera. Key artistic characteristics of Peking opera, the stages of its historical formation and development, are presented. The article examines the specific characteristics of Peking opera: the performance system sigong wufa (“four skills and five methods”), musical accompaniment (wenchang and wuchang), and the system of roles (handan), based on established roles: sheng, dan, jing, and chou. Based on an analysis of the specific stage practice of “The Long March”, it is demonstrated how the traditions of Peking opera are creatively applied in a work on a contemporary historical and revolutionary theme. The study reveals a clear correspondence between the opera's main characters (Commissioner Peng, Commander Zeng, Doctor Hong, Wan Xia, and others) and the roles of Peking opera (laosheng, wusheng, qingyi, huadan, and others). The minimalist scenography, symbolic stage movements, and heightened attention to diction and articulation in vocal performance are deeply rooted in the aesthetic system of jingju. The conclusion is that such a conscious approach is not merely a decorative device, but rather an effective way to root the traditional musical-theatrical model in a new cultural context, demonstrating the enormous potential of contemporary Chinese musical-dramatic creativity.
Keywords: Yin Qing, Beijing Opera, “The Long March”, theatrical roles, Pi Huangxi, Sigong Wufa
Conflict of interest. The author declares the absence of conflict of interests.
For citation: Zhang Hongmei (2026), “On the embodiment of national theatrical traditions in Yin Qing's opera «The Long March»”, Journal of Musical Science, vol. 14, no. 2, pp. 142–154. DOI: 10.63219/2308-1031-2026-2-142-154.
ON THE REFRACTION OF IMPRESSIONIST STYLISTICS IN THE PIANO WORKS OF CUI SHIGUANG
A.S. Molchanov, Qi Xinyu
Abstract. The article analyzes the piano works of the outstanding Chinese composer Cui Shiguang (b. 1948), whose oeuvre is characterized by a unique synthesis of profound national traditions and innovative mastery of European musical language techniques, including an interest in Impressionism. The study aims to identify the specific features of the synthesis between national tradition and the refraction of musical-Impressionist means, taking into account philosophical and aesthetic content. The article focuses primarily on the composer’s main works: the pieces “Drizzle” (1979), “Mountain Springs” (1980), and “Birds on the Hill” (1998). In analyzing these pieces, the authors note the timbral treatment of the piano, attention to textural details, the use of parallelisms and “empty” harmonic intervals, modal variability in melody, and imitation of traditional Chinese instruments. The authors conclude that the techniques employed by the composer are not ends in themselves but serve as a means to generalize subtle landscape imagery and fundamental categories of Chinese aesthetics and philosophy, such as xu and shi (“emptiness” and “fullness”), qing and yuan (“clarity” and “distance”). In conclusion, it is noted that Cui Shiguang’s piano works constitute an integrated artistic system in which the compositional methods of the European tradition are organically fused with an Eastern worldview. His works are rightly regarded as exemplars of musical painting in the global piano literature of the 20th century, making a unique contribution from the perspective of Chinese academic music to the treasury of world musical art.
Keywords: Cui Shiguang, Chinese piano music, musical Impressionism, cultural synthesis, sound painting, aesthetics of xu and shi, qing, yuan, xie-yi
Conflict of interest. The authors declare the absence of conflict of interests.
For citation: Molchanov, A.S., Qi Xinyu (2026), “On the refraction of impressionist stylistics in the piano works of Cui Shiguang”, Journal of Musical Science, vol. 14, no. 2, pp. 155–165. DOI: 10.63219/2308-1031-2026-2-155-165.
Shi Xuze
Abstract. Based on Russian and Chinese scholarly and memoir sources, this study examines the pedagogical activities of members of the Russian émigré community in Shanghai in the 1920s–1940s who worked in the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra and the Shanghai Conservatory. The article is timely because of the significance of the history of Russian-Chinese musical ties in the context of growing cooperation between the two countries. The aim of the study is to reflect on the role of the Russian diaspora in Shanghai in training the first generations of performers of Western wind instruments in China. Biographical information is provided on Russian wind professors who taught at the Shanghai Conservatory during this period; many of these data are introduced into Russian musicology for the first time. Teaching methods, repertoire policy, and connections with the general traditions of the Russian school are examined. The creative careers of outstanding students of the Russian masters after completing their studies are traced. The fundamental importance of their activities for the development of the national wind-music culture is demonstrated. By comparing the pathways through which the Russian wind tradition took root in China as a result of the activities of Russian diaspora musicians in Shanghai and Harbin, the study concludes that the Shanghai model-characterized by more active cooperation with local and Western communities and by the institutional base of the conservatory-proved more effective for the formation of the Chinese wind school. The necessity of further archival work to expand biographical information and deepen methodological conclusions is emphasized.
Keywords: Russian wind school, Chinese wind school, Russian musical diaspora, Shanghai Conservatory of Music, Shanghai Symphony Orchestra
Conflict of interest. The author declares the absence of conflict of interests.
For citation: Shi Xuze (2026), “Russian wind musicians of the Shanghai diaspora and their influence on the formation of the Chinese wind school”, Journal of Musical Science, vol. 14, no. 2, pp. 166–174. DOI: 10.63219/2308-1031-2026-2-166-174.
N.V. Aristova
Abstract. The aim of the article is to provide a theoretical observations concerning the intentional (phenomenological) meaning of piano texture. The material chosen for study is the piece “The Montagues and the Capulets” from Sergei Prokofiev’s cycle “Ten Pieces from ballet «Romeo and Juliet»”. The methodological basis consists of the ideas of M.G. Karpychev and M.A. Arkadiev regarding the reflection, in the texture of a piano composition, of the pianistic principles of its author and, consequently, the use – to varying degrees – of clichéd methods of exposition. Behind these methods lie specific signals pointing to motor-performative, pianistic actions, which are deciphered by the performer in the process of music-making. This openness of piano texture to performative-creative interpretation provides a key to determining the principal performing task and contributes to revealing the musical image. A number of factors influence this process: first, the particular features of Prokofiev’s pianism (conditioned by the antinomic nature of his personal compositional aspirations and his pianistic “background”); second, the interaction within Prokofiev’s piano writing of Baroque, Classical, and Romantic lexemes, which in many ways determine the specificity of twentieth-century music and reflect its urbanistic tendencies; and third, the performer’s need for a “conductor-like” sense of time, dictated by a multi-level “Baroque” metric pulsation and the decisive role of the marking pesante. On this basis, a hypothesis is proposed regarding the reason (i.e., the artistic logic) for Abstract. This article is devoted to the problem of eliminating muscle clamps, which manifest themselves in the process of mastering elementary conducting skills and techniques for novice choir conductors. The relevance of the article is due to the widespread problem of muscle clamps in the modern generation of student conductors. The elimination of this disadvantage is a necessary part of the teacher's work with the student in the conducting class. The article discusses the possible causes of muscle clamps, suggests ways to overcome them. A special place in solving this problem is given to the game method. Such a method has effectively proven itself in the process of practical classes with choral students. While the method is applying the students had been uncovering their creative potential, releasing emotional and physical clamps, gaining positive motor experience, developing correct motor sensations. The article presents special exercises, game tasks borrowed from the practice of training actors in drama, puppet theater, as well as from the experience of training specialists, active game training in the field of personal development techniques. The article is based on the author's long–term practical experience of working with students-conductors of the Novosibirsk Murov College of Music.
Keywords: conducting, choral conducting techniques, musicians' muscle freedom, conductors' muscle clamps, conductor's motor sensations, conductor's skills
Conflict of interest. The author declares the absence of conflict of interests.
For citation: Aristova, N.V. (2026), “Muscle clamps in the conducting practice of choirmaster students: a systematic analysis and practical recommendations”, Journal of Musical Science, vol. 14, no. 2, pp. 175–187. DOI: 10.63219/2308-1031-2026-2-175-187.
DIGITAL INTERFACE AS AN OBJECT AND SUBJECT OF RESEARCH
I.S. Starostin
Abstract. The article examines the phenomenon of digital interface in the context of its transformation from a passive tool into an active subject of human-machine interaction. The relevance of this work is due to the need to rethink traditional approaches to the analyzing of such interaction in view of the development of adaptive technologies and artificial intelligence. The aim of the study is to provide a theoretical justification for the dual nature of digital interface as both an object of analysis and an actor capable of shaping users’ experience and cognitive processes at the same time. The methodological base of the work includes: an actor-network theory by Bruno Latour (1947–2022), a cognitive approach to the study of interfaces, and an analysis of users’ experience (UX). The study has revealed that digital interfaces enjoy the ability to program users’ behavior through some pre-set interaction scenarios, as well as via both semiotic organization of visual space and feedback mechanisms. Particular attention is paid to musical digital interfaces capable to make creative processes transformed. The results of the study demonstrate a necessity to integrate the subjective role of interfaces into the methodology of both human-computer interaction analysis and the development of new research paradigms that take into account the acting nature of digital intermediaries in both creative and educational environments.
Keywords: digital interface, actor-network theory, human-computer interaction, users’ experience, adaptive systems, cognitive processes, music technologies, artificial intelligence
Conflict of interest. The author declares the absence of conflict of interests.
For citation: Starostin, I.D. (2026), “Digital interface as an object and subject of research”, Journal of Musical Science, vol. 14, no. 2, pp. 188–200. DOI: 10.63219/2308-1031-2026-2-188-200.
