М. Lysenko's Christmas Kontakion “Today the Virgin Gives Birth to the Transcendent One”: Technical Characteristics, Performance Features

Abstract

The purpose of the research is to introduce into scientific circulation one of the most significant spiritual and musical works of Mykola Lysenko, the Christmas kontakion “Today the Virgin Gives Birth to the Transcendent One”. The research methodology. The author of the research uses a structural-functional method to analyse the musical material, as well as a comparative-historical method to explain the original transformation of biblical texts by the composer, which fits into the general spiritually oriented methodological system. The scientific novelty of the research. The article offers a musicological and performing analysis of one of the composer's brightest spiritual works, the Christmas kontakion “Today the Virgin Gives Birth to the Transcendent One”, with the aim of introducing it into scientific circulation. Conclusions. The analysis of the structure of the work, musical and performing means has shown that M. Lysenko, in his work on the ancient church melody of the Christmas kontakion in the chant version of the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra, significantly changed the melody of the original. So much so that he completely rethought the content concept of church chanting. In the composer's version, the festive chant of the Nativity of Christ took on the meaning of a world event that changed the world order due to its significance. The church singing turned into a choral concert with vivid contrasting episodes in which the events of Christmas are conveyed as separate pictures, emphasising their significance for humanity and depicting the nativity characters in a pronounced and almost cinematic way. The composer used a wide range of musical means: original interpretation of the form (fugue elements), extensive use of textural contrasts (solo episodes, choral unisons), strong tonal movement (deviation to the third degree of kinship), expressive choral fingering.