Hugo Wolf’s Embodiment of Johann Wolfgang Goethe’s Humanistic Views in the Vocal Collection Goethe-Lieder

Abstract

The purpose of the research is to study the basic principles of G. Wolf’s embodiment of J. W. Goethe’s humanistic views in the songs from the vocal collection Goethe-Lieder written for baritone voice – three songs of the Harpist and the monologue “Prometheus”. The research methodology consists in the analysis of musical and expressive means and their symbolism, with the help of which Hugo Wolf created the images and characters of J. W. Goethe’s heroes. The scientific novelty of the research. For the first time in Ukrainian musicology, the characteristic musical and expressive features of H. Wolf’s vocal works from the collection Goethe-Lieder for baritone voice, with the help of which the composer embodied the humanistic ideas of J. W. Goethe, are investigated. Conclusions. Through the depiction of the inner world of his heroes, the poet illuminates important moral and humanistic themes. In the Goethe-Lieder collection, the composer implements the humanistic ideas of J. W. Goethe with the help of means of musical expressiveness. He embodies his main worldview ideas in the poetic images of the suffering Harpist and the rebellious Prometheus. Every image created by Goethe gets a new meaning from Wolf. For him, the main source of the embodiment of musical thought is the poetic word. For the composer, the persuasiveness of vocal writing lies in the original melody. Harmony, texture, dynamics, and agogics, which he gives a certain meaning, acquire special importance in the creation of musical and poetic images. As a result, these tools acquire a symbolic meaning for revealing the created images. Developing the traditions of his predecessors (R. Schumann, F. Liszt, R. Wagner) with musical and expressive means, the composer strengthens the poetic word and gives it a deeper interpretation.