Genre and style specifics of Sonata for Double Bass and Piano by Paul Hindemith

Abstract

Statement of the problem. The works of Paul Hindemith, one of the most outstanding composers of the twentieth century, is distinguished by its universality. P. Hindemith is known as the author of a large number of sonatas for various instruments, among which is Sonata for Double Bass and Piano. The genre and style specificity of P. Hindemith’s chamber sonatas cannot be considered in isolation from the peculiarities of the instruments chosen by the composer, the sound image of which contributed to the formation of certain specific genre features. Sonata for Double Bass and Piano, which became the culmination of the development of double bass music in the composer’s work, can be considered indicative in this respect. Analysis of recent research and publications. There is a great deal of research works devoted to P. Hindemit’s compositions, particularly chamber sonatas, as well as to the peculiarities of his style. One of the most fundamental works is the monograph by T. Levaya and O. Leontieva (1974), which deals with the works of the composer. Among other researchers who turned to the work of Hindemith, we should mention B. Asafev (1975), V. Polyakov (1987), T. Morgunova (2000), V. Batanov (2016). Despite the fact that the stylistic and genre principles of P. Hindemith’s work are outlined in detail in the works of domestic musicologists, most researchers have overlooked the Sonata for Double Bass and Piano by P. Hindemith, which certainly deserves a detailed analytical understanding both in the context of the genre and in terms of the development of double bass performance. Main objective of the study. Today, Sonata for Double Bass and Piano by Paul Hindemith, the performance of which requires significant technical and artistic skill from double bass players, occupies an important place in the double bass repertoire, which is why this article is relevant. The purpose of the article is to determine the genre and style specifics of Sonata for Double Bass and Piano by P. Hindemith in order to further understand the development of solo and orchestral double bass means of expression and rapidly increase the repertoire for double bass in modern art. The scientific novelty of the article lies in the insufficient study of P.Hindemith’s double bass work in the context of Ukrainian double bass school. As a result of the structural-compositional and genre analysis it was possible to conclude about the uniqueness of Sonata for Double Bass and Piano by P. Hindemith as a vivid example of the composer’s search for non-standard means of expression, which lies in choosing the timbre of the solo instrument and the specifics of formative factors. The research methodology includes the following scientific methods: ● historiographic approach (in the aspect of clarifying the data on the double bass compositions by P. Hindemith); ● stylistic approach (in connection with the study of the composer’s work); ● genre approach (which is necessary for referring to certain genres of P. Hindemith’s work); ек ● structural and functional approach (which is used in analytical descriptions); ● comparative, which is applied in connection with the study of different editions of Sonata for Double Bass and Piano by P. Hindemith. Results. In the course of the study, a detailed structural and compositional analysis of P. Hindemith’s Sonata for Double Bass and Piano was carried out, as well as a comparative analysis of two editions of this sonata. The filling of the classical sonata form with modern musical language, the appeal to the means of polyphonic music, the introduction of the genre features of the instrumental concerto, the traditional German song Lied and operatic intonations make this work a vivid example of neoclassicism in the repertoire of double bass players around the world. The varied palette of lines and the flexibility of the imaginative sphere of the Sonata generalize the long-term composer’s search for individual means of expression in contrabass music. Conclusions. The result of the evolutionary path traversed by the double bass from a modest instrument of a symphony orchestra to a brilliant solo instrument was Sonata for Double Bass and Piano – a vivid example of P. Hindemith’s chamber work, which embodied the features of the composer’s mature period. Sonata for Double Bass and Piano by P. Hindemith poses difficult technical and artistic tasks for the performers, the solution of which must be associated not only with the use of all the skills and abilities of the musician, but also with a deep understanding of the internal structure and specifics of the compositional and dramatic solution of the author’s intention.