Musical language of Prokofiev. Sergei Sergeevich Prokofiev - the greatest children's composer
MBOU DOD "GDD (U) T im. N. K. Krupskaya
MHS "VITA"
Analysis piano pieces S. Prokofieva
"Children's Music"
Performed by Tikhonova I. M.,
piano teacher
2015
"Children's Music" by S. Prokofiev
Piano works by S. Prokofiev are one of the most interesting pages of his work. They are characterized by light and joy, youthful enthusiasm and energy, as well as deeply lyrical features.
The Children's Music cycle, opus 65, created in 1935, consists of 12 easy pieces. “Children's Music” is pictures of nature and children's fun, a sketch of a summer day from morning to evening. Following the example of children's plays by R. Schumann and P. Tchaikovsky, they all have program titles that help to better understand the content of the works. The music attracts with its novelty of style, captivates with the intonation structure of melodies, harmonic colors, and modulations characteristic of a mature composer. All pieces are written in three-part form with elements of sonatinity.
S. Prokofiev is very inventive in creating a piano presentation. He uses jumps, crossings, clusters, organ point, ostinato rhythmic figures.
The whole cycle is permeated with Russian song color, folk intonation turns.
World piano children's music has rich long-standing traditions, so Prokofiev faced tasks of great artistic complexity. He handled them brilliantly. S. Prokofiev managed to convey the worldview of the child himself, and not create music about him or for him.
No. 1. "Morning".
The picture of the day, filled with walks and games, stories and songs that make up the content of the Children's Music cycle, opens with the play Morning. S. Prokofiev creates an expressive musical image through clear harmonies and light melody. Silence, peace, the joy of meeting a child who has awakened from sleep with a new day - this is the content of this beautiful play.
A sense of sonic perspective is achieved here by using the extreme registers of the piano. Important role while playing the right pedal. It must be remembered that the pedal should be pressed after a sound or chord is heard, and the pedal must be removed exactly together with the removal of the sound or chord.
C major triads in both hands should sound soft but deep; in the bass, the lower sound is emphasized, in the right-hand part, the upper sound is emphasized.
Expressive remarks in the second half of bars 1, 3, 5, 7 are performed strictly legato.
The middle episode is divided into two parts. The first one is built on a coloristic juxtaposition of the full-sounding, slowly flowing gravemente melody in the bass and the softly swaying background of gentle eighths in the middle and high registers. These eighths can be represented as if in a violin sound. Leagues of two notes should not break the continuous melodic thread of the accompaniment: creating a wave-like and measured movement is the goal of the performance.
The right hand in this episode should move smoothly and flexibly. Chopin in such cases liked to say: "The brush must breathe." The fingers gently touch the keys without digging deep into them. On the contrary, the fingers of the left hand, leading the main melody, penetrate deep into the keyboard, feeling the bottom of the key.
It is necessary to ensure that each long note is not accentuated, the performer must have enough "breath" for large melodic segments (they are marked with leagues).
In the second part of the middle, the right and left hands change roles. Despite the low register and constant pedaling, a heavy sound should be avoided.
No. 2. "Walk".
How wonderful to take a walk on a warm sunny morning! You can walk along the paths for a long, long time, see a lot of new and interesting things, you can even get a little lost and get lost in unfamiliar places, but then safely return home and tell about your adventures with a laugh.
The work is permeated with a lively rhythm that creates a sense of movement.
All non-league quarter notes are sung non-legato, and eighth-note triplets that are not slurred are nonetheless legato.
An important condition a good performance of this piece is a sense of the two-bar nature of the musical material. Specifically, this means that the first beat in bars 1, 3, 5, and other bars is slightly accentuated, while in bars 2, 4, 6, and similar, it is easy to play. Underlined long notes in the right hand should be sung. From the 20th bar, a two-voice appears in the right hand; the first statement of the theme, sounding piano, is interrupted in the 24th measure by the introduction of an imitating voice, sounding mezzo forte. Both voices are played extremely legato with exact observance of dynamic instructions.
The student's attention should be drawn to the fact that the a tempo episode (bars 32-33) sounds truly orchestral, where the soft cues of the cellos respond to the melodious expressive phrases of the violas.
The sonority of the part of the left hand in the first part of the work is soft, flying, the performer's fingers easily play on the surface of the keys. A completely different feeling must be developed to perform the melodic line in the right-hand part. The pads should merge with the keys and not strike, but sink together with the keys until the deepest pressing is possible.
No. 3. "Fairy tale".
One of my favorite childhood hobbies is listening to stories. How nice it is to sit down next to your grandmother and be carried away in dreams to another, magical world, as if in reality, experiencing amazing events, becoming one of the fairy-tale heroes!
"Fairy Tale" from Prokofiev is really a fairy tale in the children's sense. Russian melodies dominate here, unfolding against the background of a clearly rhythmic movement. How stingy and laconic are the strokes, and how correctly the growing threat that breaks into the worldly narrative is depicted in the music!
When working on a work, you need to achieve the correct execution of the rhythmic figure two sixteenth and eighth. It should be clear in rhythm, but soft, unobtrusive. Each group should be separated by an almost imperceptible withdrawal of the hand. In bars 9, 10, 14, 22, 26, 27, legato applies to all notes. The hand is nowhere to be removed.
In the 15th and 16th measures, the seconds in the parts of both hands are played softly and on the pedal. Notes marked with a dash sound especially deep and full.
The last two chords that complete the piece are played non legato and piano.
No. 4. "Tarantella".
Like P. Tchaikovsky, who included dances and songs of different peoples in his "Children's Album", S. Prokofiev devotes space in his collection "Children's Music" to the tarantella, a Neapolitan folk dance.
The energetic, sunny, cheerful nature of this number is conveyed by the elastic rhythmic pulsation of triplets in eighths and a fast pace.
Emphasis everywhere belongs to the author; unnecessary, additional accents should be avoided. After the accented sound, you should immediately reduce the volume of the sound and perform the rest of the sounds easily. The accents often do not match in the parts of both hands, which is some difficulty for the performer. Eighths, marked with a staccato sign, are removed sharply, but easily.
The figures in the left-hand part present a significant difficulty, when there is a continuous triplet figuration in the right hand (in bars 6, 18, 22, 26 and others). These places must be taught separately, following the exact match of the eighths in both hands.
In no case should the middle part be slowed down; a single tempo should be maintained throughout the piece.
The final part is the solemn finale of the national holiday; jubilant fanfares sound joyfully.
No. 5. "Repentance".
“Repentance” is, perhaps, the only play in the cycle that touches on the realm of serious, sad, even gloomy feelings. This miniature subtly and expressively draws a psychological drama, a difficult moment in a child's life. He is ashamed and bitter about his misdeed, but sincere repentance brings forgiveness and the play ends peacefully and tenderly.
Be careful not to go too slow. The expressive performance of this piece, warmed by a warm feeling, does not imply sentimentality or protracted movement. In bars 9-12, the melody sounds in octave doubling at a distance of two octaves. This technique was loved by Schumann. In such cases, the selection of the lower voice sounds beautiful.
The reprise is somewhat varied. Through the movement of the eighths, the theme should clearly emerge.
The last eight measures express peace. Harp-like moves in the part of the left hand alternate with expressive remarks in the part of the right hand.
No. 6. "Waltz".
This captivating, lyrical waltz is all imbued with extraordinary grace and freedom. This is high poetry. Amazing in its beauty, the melody strikes with a huge range. The middle part is distinguished by greater tension, excitement, the melody in it becomes more fractional, in the form of sequences against the background of active eighths of accompaniment.
The student is given not only sound, but also technical tasks. The characteristic waltz accompaniment formula must be carefully worked out: the bass sound is always taken with the movement of the hand from top to bottom and, as it were, held by the finger, and the chords are taken with a slight movement of the hand from the keyboard upwards.
The feeling of melodic phrasing makes us consider the first sound of the sixth measure as the end of the first phrase, and the second sound of the twelfth measure as the end of the second phrase. The sounds of the melody, marked with a dash, should be especially melodious and lingering.
Great attention should be paid to caesuras. In the middle part, it is desirable to phrase in large segments, feeling the eight-bar length of the phrases.
No. 7. "Procession of grasshoppers."
The composer paints a picture of a fabulous procession of grasshoppers. The extreme parts are like a fast mass march; in the middle, the general rapid movement turns into a solemn procession.
Brightness, brilliance, energy, humor - all these qualities characteristic of Prokofiev are presented here in full.
When performing the first theme, it is necessary to feel the attraction to the fourth measure of each phrase and not to emphasize the previous strong beats.
The teacher's attention should also include monitoring the student's accurate transmission of the sharp rhythmic pattern of the musical fabric; it is especially important to play sixteenth notes briefly in bars 1-2, 9-10 and other similar measures.
To create a clear and light character in the extreme parts, a short, straight pedal is needed.
No. 8. "Rain and rainbow."
In this musical picture there is nothing of the traditional imagery in rain music; there is no flow of staccato eighths alternating in both hands, no stormy passages throughout the keyboard and other simple attributes of the naturalistic school. Here the author rather conveys the state of mind of the child in dull, rainy weather and the joyful childish smile with which the child meets the appearance of a beautiful rainbow encircling the sky.
This piece is very idiosyncratic with its phonic effects and bold layering of spots. Numerous cases of the composer using dissonant chords and intervals should be perceived as a means of coloristic influence on the listener. These harmonies should not be taken abruptly, but in a melodious touch.
The play reveals to the performer the interesting coloristic possibilities of the instrument.
No. 9. "Fifteen".
Fifteen is a fun children's game. She brings a lot of joy to the children, everywhere laughter, vanity, running around ...
This number is essentially a highly artistic etude, in which the composer set a number of specific technical tasks for the performer. There are many touches of Prokofiev's pianism in "Pyatnashki" with its bold leaps and use of various registers. There are basically two tasks here: mastering the rehearsal technique in fast movement by changing fingers on one key and mastering the texture of the toccata type with elements of jumps and crossing of the hands. The piece is useful for developing finger fluency.
For a satisfactory solution of both problems, rhythmic endurance is a prerequisite. The tempo of the piece is determined according to the student's ability to perform the piece, having heard each sound quite clearly and distinctly.
No. 10. "March".
"March" - a masterpiece of conciseness and accuracy of intonation - belongs to the best pages of the collection. He is full of vivacity, clarity, a kind of Prokofiev's humor.
To convey the character of this piece, it is necessary to achieve the utmost accuracy in the execution of all, even the most insignificant details of the musical text. The student should understand all the fingering instructions, the distribution of large and small accents, and the features of the dynamics.
The movements of the performer's hands should be subordinated to the sound image of this episode. For example, in bars 7-8, separate small leagues of two notes (with emphasis on the first one) are performed by plunging the hand into the keyboard (on the first ligated note) and removing the hand (on the second).
The middle episode is divided into two phrases of 4 measures each. It is desirable that the underlined notes should not be accentuated exaggeratedly, but would form a melodic line.
No. 11. "Evening".
The last two issues of the collection "Children's Music" are transferred to the setting of an evening landscape. The play "Evening" is unusually good! S. Prokofiev made the melody of this play one of the leitmotifs of his ballet “The Tale of stone flower". Calmly melodious, clear melody, tinged with unexpected turns, at first glance, complicating the tonality, but in reality emphasizing and strengthening it.
In order for a thoughtful, tender theme to sound beautiful, you need to take care of the second sound plan. The student will have to seriously study the part of the left hand, which in the first twelve measures should resemble in sonority a choir singing softly behind the stage.
A small interlude with replicas imitating each other (next eight measures) prepares a brighter performance of the main melody, and the left-hand part is given in a somewhat varied form.
The middle part is built on long organ points, which should not be intrusive, but at the same time should be constantly felt, giving the impression of wide space and calm contemplation.
No. 12. "The moon walks over the meadows."
The last piece in the Children's Music cycle is one of Prokofiev's most poetic pages. The day ended, night fell on the earth, stars appeared in the sky, sounds subsided, everything falls asleep. This piece is similar in character to the previous one. Its melodic melody is perceived as a truly folk song.
The ligature is not phrasing here. The end of a slur does not always mean the end of a phrase and does not necessarily involve taking your hand off the keyboard. The teacher must find the boundaries of phrases, guided by a musical flair; thus, the caesura is naturally felt at the end of bars 5, 9, and 13. So, you need to “remove” your hand, “breathe” before starting a new phrase.
The first measure of the piece is a short introduction. Here is given the beginning of a measured, swaying movement, which passes into the part of the left hand.
The syncopated execution of the theme in bars 22-15 from the end is very difficult to perform. While observing the maximum legato, one must be attentive to the smoothness of the melodic line and avoid jerks on individual chords.
Work on the piece "The Moon Walks Over the Meadows" will be of great benefit for the development of the student's musicality and his sound mastery.
References
1. Delson V. Yu. Prokofiev's piano work and pianism. M., 1973.
2. Nestiev I. V. Prokofiev. M., 1957.
3. Musical encyclopedic Dictionary. M., 1990.
Twelve Easy Pieces for Piano
“In the summer of 1935, at the same time as Romeo and Juliet, I composed light pieces for children, in which my old love for sonatinity woke up, which here, it seemed to me, reached complete childishness. By autumn, there were a whole dozen of them, which then came out in a collection called "Children's Music", op. 65. The last of the plays, "The Moon Walks Over the Meadows", is written on its own, not folk theme. I lived then in Polenov, in a separate hut with a balcony on the Oka, and in the evenings I admired how the moon walked through the glades and meadows. The need for children's music was clearly felt ... ", - the composer writes in" Autobiography ".
Twelve Easy Pieces, as Prokofiev labeled his Children's Music, is a programmatic suite of sketches about a child's summer day. The fact that we are talking about a summer day is evident not only from its headlines; the orchestral transcription of the suite (more precisely, its seven numbers) is called by the composer: "Summer Day" (op. 65 bis, 1941). Here, as it were, “twice” were synthesized in Prokofiev’s creative laboratory concrete impressions of the “Polenov summer” and distant memories of the summer in Sontsovka, on the one hand, and the world of childhood experiences and thoughts, children’s fantasy and “were” in general, on the other. Moreover, for Prokofiev, the concept of "childish" is inextricably linked with the concepts of summer and sunshine. Prokofiev is right when he asserts that he has achieved "complete childishness" in this suite. Twelve Pieces, op. 65 is an important milestone on the composer's creative path. They open the whole world his delightful creativity for children, the world in which he creates masterpieces that never fade in freshness and immediacy, in sunny joy and sincere sincerity.
All this is quite natural and deeply symptomatic. Prokofiev - a man and an artist - always passionately gravitated towards children's world, lovingly and sensitively listened to this psychologically subtle and peculiar world and, observing, he himself succumbed to its charm. In nature, the composer lived - never fading, but, on the contrary, asserting itself more and more over the years - a tendency to perceive the environment from the positions of cheerful youth, spring-like light and adolescently pure and direct. Therefore, the world of Prokofiev's children's images is always artistically natural, organic, completely devoid of elements of false lisping or sentimental prettiness not characteristic of a healthy child's psyche. This is one of the sides of the inner world of the composer himself, which at different times found a different reflection in his work. The desire for purity and freshness of the children's worldview can, however, only to a certain extent, explain Prokofiev's inclination towards the sonata style.
It is also easy to establish well-known parallels between the world of children's images and the sphere of charmingly fragile girlish characters in his musical stage works. The Seventh Symphony and the Ninth Piano Sonata are filled with elegiac memories of childhood, summing up the composer's work.
Prokofiev's "sonata style" underwent, however, a significant transformation in his cycle of children's plays. First of all, he is completely freed from elements of neoclassicism. In place of graphics comes a concrete representation, realistic programming. Neutrality in the sense of national color gives way to Russian melodicism, the subtle use of folk phrases. The predominance of trisonance embodies purity, serenity, calmness of images. Instead of refinement with "playing" with new simplicity, a crystal-clear view of the world appears with the wide-open, inquiringly inquisitive eyes of a child. It is the ability to convey the worldview of the child himself, and not to create music about him or for him, as noted by many musicologists, that distinguishes this cycle from a number of children's plays, seemingly of the same purpose. Continuing in the main the best traditions of children's music by Schumann, Mussorgsky, Tchaikovsky, Prokofiev not only follows them, but creatively develops them.
The first play is Morning". It is, as it were, the epigraph of the suite: the morning of life. In comparison of registers space, air is felt! The melody is slightly dreamy and crystal clear. The handwriting is characteristically Prokofiev's: parallel movements, jumps, coverage of the entire keyboard, playing through the hand, clarity of rhythm and definiteness of sections. Extraordinary simplicity, but not primitive.
Second play - Walk". The baby's work day has begun. His gait is hurried, albeit somewhat lumbering. Already in the first measures, its initial rhythm is transmitted. You have to have time to see everything, not to miss anything, in general, there is a lot to do ... The graphic contour of the melody and the nature of the continuous movement with the tapping of fourths are designed to create the color of a childishly naive concentrated "businesslike". However, the lightness of the slightly waltzing rhythm immediately translates this "efficiency" into the appropriate framework of childish "diligence". (The contemplative theme of the second part of the Fourth Symphony is close to the music of "Morning" and "Walks" and, apparently, is their forerunner.)
Third play - fairy tale"- the world of uncomplicated children's fiction. There is nothing amazing, terrible, monstrous here. This is a soft, kind fairy tale-narrative, in which reality and dream are closely intertwined. It can be assumed that here the images are embodied not of a fairy tale told to children, but their own ideas about the fantastic, always living in the minds of the children, very close to what they saw and experienced. In fact, genuine fantasy appears only in the middle section on the sostenuto note, and in the first and final sections, a dreamy narrative with a simple melody predominates against the backdrop of invariably repeating rhythmic turns. These rhythmic repetitions, as it were, “cement” the form of the “Fairy Tale”, restrain its narrative tendencies.
Next comes " Tarantella”, a genre-dance, virtuoso piece expressing the perky temperament of a child captured by the musical and dance element. Lively and lively rhythm, elastic accents, colorful halftone tonal juxtapositions, shifts of one-pitch tonalities - all this is fascinating, easy, joyful. And at the same time, childishly simple, without a specific Italian witticism, undoubtedly incomprehensible to Russian children.
Fifth piece - " Repentance"- a truthful and subtle psychological miniature, previously called by the composer "I felt ashamed." How directly and touchingly the sad melody sounds, how sincerely and "in the first person" the sensations and thoughts are conveyed, embracing the child at moments of such psychologically difficult experiences! Prokofiev uses here the type of "singing-speaking" (by L. Mazel's definition, "synthetic") melodies, in which the element of recitative expressiveness is not inferior to the expressiveness of cantilena.
But such a mood is fleeting in children. It is quite naturally replaced by contrast. The sixth piece - " Waltz”, and in this kind of patterns one can feel not only the logic of suite diversity, but also the logic of Prokofiev’s musical stage thinking, the theatrical laws of the contrasting sequence of scenes. Fragile, tender, improvisationally direct in A major "Waltz" speaks of the connections of children's images with the world of fragile, pure and charming female images. theater music Prokofiev. These two lines of his work, or rather the two lines of his artistic ideals, intersect and enrich each other. There is a childish immediacy in his girlish images. In his children's images there is a feminine softness, a charming love for the world and life. Both of them amaze with spring freshness and are embodied by the composer with extraordinary excitement and inspiration. It was in these two areas that the dominance of the lyrical principle in his work was most clearly expressed. From the naively charming children's "Waltz", op. 65 you can draw a line to Natasha's fragile waltz from the opera "War and Peace" - the pinnacle of lyrical waltz in Prokofiev's music. This line runs through the Es-dur "th episode of the "Big Waltz" from "Cinderella", even intonation reminiscent of a children's waltz. It also passes through "Pushkin's Waltzes", op. 120 and "Waltz on Ice" from "Winter Bonfire", and through “The Tale of the Stone Flower”, where the theme of “Waltz”, op.65, is exactly embodied in the scene (No. copper mountain. Finally - but already indirectly - it continues in the waltz-like third movement of the Sixth Piano Sonata, and in the waltz from the Seventh Symphony. Prokofiev develops here an in-depth lyrical-psychological line of Russian waltz, which differs, for example, from Strauss, more brilliant, but also narrower and more external in its somewhat one-sided joyfulness.
Despite the features of childishness, Prokofiev's creative style in this waltz is felt very clearly. The traditional structure of the graceful gentle waltz is, as it were, renewed, the intonation and harmonic deviations are far from the pattern (for example, a very unusual end of the period in a subdominant key), the texture is unusually transparent. This waltz quickly became widespread in pedagogical practice and successfully competes with "generally recognized" works for children.
The seventh piece - " Procession of Grasshoppers". This is a fast and cheerful play about joyfully chirping grasshoppers, which always arouse the interest of the children with their amazing leaps. The fantasy of the image here does not go beyond the usual children's inventions and in this respect differs markedly from, say, the mysterious fantasy of Tchaikovsky's The Nutcracker. In essence, this is a funny children's gallop, in the middle part of which you can even hear the intonations of pioneer songs.
Next comes the play Rain and rainbow”, in which the composer tries - and very successfully - to paint the huge impression that every bright natural phenomenon makes on the children. Here are natural-sounding bold sound “blots” (a chord-spot of two adjacent seconds), and, like falling droplets, slow rehearsals on one note, and just the “Theme of Surprise” before what is happening (a gentle and beautiful melody descending from a height) .
Ninth piece - " Fifteen"- is close in style to "Tarantelle". It is written in the character of a quick study. So you can imagine the guys enthusiastically catching up with each other, the atmosphere of a fun, mobile children's game.
The tenth play was written with inspiration - “ March". Unlike a number of his other marches, Prokofiev in this case did not follow the path of the grotesque or stylization. There is no element of puppetry here (as, for example, in Tchaikovsky's "March of the Wooden Soldiers"), the play quite realistically depicts marching guys. Children's March, op. 65 was widely used, became a favorite piece of the Russian piano repertoire for children.
Eleventh piece - " Evening”- with its broad Russian song and soft color once again reminds of the great lyrical gift of Prokofiev, of the soil of his melody. The music of this charming piece is saturated with genuine humanity, purity and nobility of feelings. Subsequently, the author used it as the theme of love between Katerina and Danila in the ballet "The Tale of the Stone Flower", making it one of the most important leittems of the entire ballet.
Finally, the last, twelfth play - " A month walks over the meadows» - is organically connected with folk intonations. That is why the author considered it necessary to clarify in the Autobiography that it was written not on folklore, but on its own theme.
Regional state educational institution of secondary vocational education
Voronezh College of Music
Course work
Subject: Harmony
on the topic of: "Innovative features of harmony in piano cycle
"Children's Music" S.S. Prokofiev"
Performed:
1st year student
theoretical department
Kondaurova Ekaterina
Supervisor
Mikhailova N.N.
Voronezh 2010
Introduction
Identification of innovative means in the cycle of S. Prokofiev "Children's Music"
Conclusion
Bibliography
Introduction
The world of childhood with its naivety, spontaneity, curiosity and indomitable energy is reflected in the work of many great composers. J.S. Bach, J. Haydn, L. Mozart, R. Schumann, P. Tchaikovsky, M. Mussorgsky wrote about children and for children. Creating children's repertoire collections and individual plays, they set various tasks. J.S. Bach and L. Mozart in their works sought to teach children the tricks of performing on various instruments; J. Haydn wanted to entertain and give pleasure; in albums for children by R. Schumann and P. Tchaikovsky - an attempt to look at the world through the eyes of a child, and by M. Mussorgsky - to understand the child's soul and protect it from injustice.
In the 20th century, S.S. Prokofiev picked up the "baton" of children's music. Dmitry Kabalevsky remarkably said about this facet of his work: “Many composed for little music lovers ..., but few paid so much attention to this area of \u200b\u200bcreativity, as much serious thought and warmth of heart as Prokofiev paid” . According to V. Blok, great composer possessed a talent of a special kind to "pick up the magic keys to children's hearts, find patterns that are consonant with the childish worldview and, in turn, enrich the children's perception" .
Prokofiev's children's music is represented by a wide variety of genres. These are the symphonic fairy tale "Peter and the Wolf", the suite "The Winter Fire", songs, cycles of piano pieces. The images of childhood are imbued with the ballet Cinderella and the Seventh Symphony.
The subject of this work is the cycle of miniatures for piano "Children's Music" by S.S. Prokofiev. The creator of the aforementioned cycle approached its writing as a composer of the 20th century - an innovative composer. The purpose of the work is to analyze innovative techniques in the harmonic language of these pieces in comparison with classical harmony. The task of the study is to search for specific chord colors, revolutions, tonal comparisons.
The cycle "Children's Music" was written in 1935. Recalling the work on this cycle, the composer wrote: “In the summer of 1935, simultaneously with Romeo and Juliet, I composed light pieces for children, in which my old love for sonatas woke up, which, it seemed to me, reached complete childishness here.” By autumn, a whole dozen of them had accumulated, which then entered the cycle called "Children's Music".
The composer very accurately felt the images and intonations close to the children. And this, perhaps, is the main secret of the popularity of "Children's Music", which seems to have become akin to the perception of children for several generations.
All pieces included in the collection have program titles. These are watercolor landscape sketches (“Morning”, “Evening”, “Rain and Rainbow”), live scenes of children's games (“March”, “Fifteen”), dance plays (“Waltz”, “Tarantella”), subtle psychological miniatures, conveying childhood experiences ("Fairy Tale", "Repentance").
Interestingly, all twelve pieces have a clearly defined three-part structure. It is clear that the three-part form, which combines contrast and repetition in the presentation of the main musical ideas, contributes to the "convenience" of perception of music intended for young listeners and performers.
Considering the suite as a whole, one can notice one interesting regularity of this cycle - many of its parts seem to have something in common in their figurative content. So, the music of “Evenings” with its soft “watercolor” coloring is somewhat close to “Morning”, “Fairy Tale” and “A Moon Walks Over the Meadows” subtly and unobtrusively introduces the little listener into the magical world of fabulousness and song. This "roll call" of the extreme parts of the cycle (two initial and two final ones) forms a kind of double frame. It is known that the compositional technique of framing exists not only in music, but also in literature (framing a story with a narrative “from the author”), in epic folklore (the beginning and completion of an epic by a narrator), in dramaturgy (the prologue and epilogue of a play).
The pieces of Prokofiev's suite are compositionally related, they are united by story line a musical narrative that describes the events of a child's day - from morning to evening.
Identification of innovative means in cycle C. Prokofiev "Children's
music"
The cycle opens with the play " Morning". This miniature work tells the listener about the awakening of everything on earth: plants, animals, people - on a bright, perhaps summer morning. One can imagine that the sun has not yet risen, but its first transparent rays gently illuminate nature.
The composer uses many tricks to embody a bright morning mood: here is a transparent texture, where low and high registers are separated, and admiring the clear sounds of consonant triads, here is a quiet dynamics, from mp before pp, showing all the silence and tranquility of a fresh morning. slow pace andante tranquillo creates the impression of awakening after a long sleep: everything wakes up - both nature and people.
As E. Trembovelsky notes, “Prokofiev does not resort here to such acute means as polyaccordia, polyfunctionality, polymodality or polytonality, but invents his own version of “poly” - polyregistration. (…) The “poly” effect is ensured by showing each of the combined layers separately in advance.”
Consider some of the musical means of expression used by Prokofiev to convey the morning mood.
First 2 chords piece of music are very revealing in their position. The contrast between the high and low registers gives the listener an extraordinary feeling that he is confronted with the symbols of day and night, light and darkness, sleep and awakening. Despite the fact that both chords are the same in structure, key and function (tonic major triads in C-dur), however, they sound completely different. Due to the contrast of the registers, they seem to belong to different timbres: one of them is light, soft, peaceful, while the other absorbs with its dark color, density and alertness.
These chords, as well as 2 more submotives, make up the phrase, which is the basis of the whole work. During the first eight measures, its rhythmic and functional variation occurs three times. With each stage of variation, there is a "clarification" of functional coloring. Having listened to the motive for the first time, we cannot accurately recognize its harmonic functions (T-SII-T or T-D-T), only gradually, over three "variations", these functions are explained to us by adding undertones in the melody, creating more complete harmony. The last theme harmonization option: T–S–DD–D–T. It is noteworthy that the “clarification” of the functional meaning of the chords is very similar to the effect of awakening, when the consciousness clears up, and objects that have fuzzy outlines in the dark acquire certain forms with dawn.
The new section of the work opens with a "creeping" theme with chromatic moves in the lower voice, symbolizing the rising sun. Starting in a low register, the theme rises higher and higher with each measure.
Against its background, a chord figuration appears in the upper voice, built according to the sounds of the C major triad and at the same time including the sixth intonations of the initial phrase. It gives a feeling of light and volume. If we consider the functional basis of the new section, we can see a certain pattern in the use of chords in the first four measures. Functions are arranged strictly by thirds (T–III–D). After the sound of the first tonic chord, each next one differs from the previous one by one sound, forming a gradual rebirth of harmonies. In the fifth measure, after the sound of the dominant harmony, the subdominant function (SII) suddenly follows. It is known that such a harmonic move in classical harmony is unacceptable, but it is quite appropriate for a composer of the 20th century, the move sounds fresh and modern. The SII chord ends the first phrase of the new section.
The beginning of the next construction is based on subdominant harmonies (II and VI chords). The plagality of this turnover gives the sound softness and non-conflict. This sequence leads to a culmination of a special kind - a “quiet climax” (instead of the usual ff composer introduces pp And dolce). The sharpness of the harmony is given by the chord introduced by Prokofiev himself - the so-called "Prokofiev dominant" (dominant non-chord with an increased seventh), which successfully resolves into the tonic.
The second section of the middle section represents the new "awakening" phase. The composer uses the same melodic means, with only a few changes: the upper and lower voices are now interchanged - the harmonic figuration on the sounds of the C major triad appears in the bass, and a light descending melody passes in the soprano, similar to the one that took place for the first time in the lower voice. The functional solution of the section is somewhat similar to the previous one, however, there are also differences (T3 5 –D3 5 →VI 7 –S3 5 –D6 5 –SII3 5 –D 7). The construction also ends on the “Prokofiev dominant”, but this time the composer uses not D 9 , but D 7 with a split seventh.
The reprise brings us back to the previous mood.
Summarizing the innovative techniques used by Prokofiev in the first play of the cycle, we list the main ones:
1) The composer uses the phonic coloring of consonances as a powerful expressive means - by revealing the colorfulness of the registers, it is possible to create the effect of the sound of different timbres (light, transparent and thick, dark) as symbols of day and night, sleep and awakening;
2) The use of the “quiet climax” technique, rarely used in music of the 18-19th centuries (on pp And dolce);
3) "Clarification" of functional coloring - a musical and artistic technique, due to which the composer realizes the artistic intent of the work;
4) The composer mainly uses classical chords, but despite this, new, non-classical harmonizations are often found in the work, which were widespread in the 19th century, in the era of romanticism, for example, elliptical revolutions. Prokofiev also adds a lot of his own, individual, to the music, for example - the "Prokofiev" dominant (dominant with an increased seventh).
The last chords of "Morning", as if sun glare, are replaced by a measured and smooth tread "Walks ».
The walk brings morning vivacity and joy. All around brightened and cheerful. So you hear the elastic childish gait and the unpretentious morning song.
From the first bars of the work, the composer gives a cheerful mood. A small introduction, built on the sounds of a tonic triad (C-dur), and then a stepwise scale on the dominant function convey the whole fervent intention of the composer. Starting from the 4th measure, the light, sinuous, slightly sly melody beckons the listener along, as if inviting him for a walk.
Let us pay attention to the technique used by the composer: instead of a gradual scale, Prokofiev uses expressive descending moves to the seventh. This innovative technique in musicological literature is called " open stepping". The first sentence is built on classical chords (T3 5 -SII 2 -D3 5 -T3 5 -D3 5 -SII 2 -D4 3 -T3 5). However, here the composer also uses non-classical transitions - an ellipsis from dominant harmonies to subdominant ones (in the previous piece "Morning" this has already been observed). The second sentence has a functional similarity with the first, however, in it the composer uses the bright possibilities of the major-minor system, “mixing” the keys of the same name - the main C major is suddenly “invaded” by chords from C minor - VI and III degrees. For a major key, these steps become lowered (this technique can be considered one of Prokofiev's favorites, since the composer used such bright unusual harmonies in his other works, for example, in symphonic tale"Peter and the Wolf"). The sentence ends quite traditionally - on the functions DD–D–T.
The middle part of the piece has a light, dance character. Second and third harmonies alternate in the waltz texture.
Let's summarize the innovative techniques:
1) “Open gradation” - a technique “invented” by Prokofiev himself, becomes an individual feature of the composer’s style;
2) Using the means of the major-minor (of the same name) system. This technique cannot be called completely new, it was intensively used composers of the XIX century, in romanticism. Prokofiev's is one of his favorites. The composer uses all its varieties - the same name, parallel and one-terts (the most innovative of them - one-terts - we will meet it in this cycle, in the plays "Tarantella" and "Repentance").
"Fairy Tale". Prokofiev introduces us to one of the most mysterious and interesting topics for children - the realm of fabulousness. Only in two plays of the cycle does a bright and joyful feeling give way to thoughtfulness and narrative - in "The Tale" and "Repentance".
The epic character of the work is revealed from the first notes. A slow, quiet two-bar intro swirls within a minor third in the lower voice. The touching, artless melody is reminiscent of a Russian song, expressively shaded by the overtone of ostinato repetitions in the accompanying voice.
Throughout the first section of the work, the melodic A minor is used, with its typical manifestations, when the ascending melodic movement captures the raised VI and VII steps, and when descending, the natural look of the scale. Segments with gamma-like movement along the natural scale are quite numerous. At this moment, the music seems to take on a Russian, epic character. Russian features are also manifested in the texture of the composition, where one-voice, contrasting two-voice, a two-voice line doubling into a third or sixth are replaced. In the spirit of a Russian fairy tale, the appearance of an episode with a contrasting texture and thematic material (the echoes of sharp-sounding seconds create the image of a mysterious, and maybe even scary character).
As for the functional coloring of the piece, here the composer uses a lot of "Russian" harmonies - natural dominant and VII degree, mediants, plagal phrases (t3 5 -SII 7 -t 6 -VII 6 -t 6 -III3 5 -t 6 -t3 5 - VII 6 –t 6 –t3 5 –D6 4 –t 6 –t3 5 –VII 6 –III3 5 –t3 5 –d 6 –VI 7 –d3 5 –S3 5 –d3 5 –d 2 –t 6).
The innovation here lies in Prokofiev's ability to stylize Russian music in a new, very original and modern way. On the one hand, all the features of Russian song folklore are successfully implemented by the composer in the play, but the music is perceived as a creation of the new 20th century. At the same time, it is quite difficult to find distinctive innovative techniques. Firstly, not immediately, but only after a rigorous analysis, it turns out that the range of this “Russian song” is not at all singing (undecima), not every singer can cope with it.
Secondly, the textured drawings used by Prokofiev are not common in European instrumental music XVIII-XIX centuries. They are typical for Russian folk song folklore. Their use in a piano piece can be considered a rather bold technique.
"Tarantella"- Italian dance with rapid movement. To convey the character of a dynamic dance, the composer uses a lot of sharp accents, unexpected changes in tonalities. Everything here is fun, colorful, like at a carnival!
The music of the extreme sections of the "Tarantella" is marked by the elasticity of the rhythm and the swiftness inherent in the temperamental Italian dance. From the very first notes, the continuous movement of triplets gives a pulsation to the whole piece.
The first four-bar motif is based on tonic harmony, but the listener does not get bored, since the nature of the work sets the pace and rhythm. These 4 measures sweep past us brightly and with lightning speed. The next motif is similar to the first in almost everything: in terms of the number of measures, and in harmony, and in melody.
But let's pay attention to the tonality of these two motifs: d-moll and Des-dur. A sharp juxtaposition of these two unrelated keys introduces unusualness into the harmonic layer of the section. The juxtaposition of one-tertz keys is one of the innovative techniques used by the composer in this work. Let's pay attention to the tonal plan of the first section, where there is a modulation from the key of d-moll to Es-dur (bars 1-16). Its first phase, as already noted, is the comparison of one-tertz keys. Then the modulation builds up as a gradual one: Des-dur - As-dur - Es-dur. A new sentence from c-moll (through deviations in the key Es-dur - B-dur) again returns to the original key of d-moll. Particular attention is drawn to the unusual nature of these deviations. For example, c-moll and Es-dur are keys that are related in degree I, however, the composer deviates into a new key in a very unusual way - through an increased triad. A similar situation develops with the transition from Es-dur to the key of B-dur (through a reduced seventh chord of the 7th degree).
A striking contrast is brought to the music of this piece by the charming melodies of the middle section, full of gentle humor and a smile. At the same time, the pulse of lively movement remains the same continuous, tirelessly energetic. However, it is not only the melody that brings such contrast to the new section. It is also given by the tonality that first appeared in this work - D-dur. It was no accident that Prokofiev chose it precisely - after all, the main tonality of the work is d-moll. These tones are identical to each other. Thanks to this technique, the composer was able to vividly embody the change of mood, but despite this, there is still a connection between the sections (rhythmic and textural).
Innovations:
1) The tonal plan, methods of transition to other keys, their comparison and the speed of key changes as a whole come to the fore of the work.
2) The use of the means of the one-tertz system (relative to the new, giving birth to an extended tonality).
"Repentance"- the most "serious" of the 12 pieces. The composer is trying to convey the feelings of a child, perhaps for the first time in his life thinking about some very important issue and for the first time sternly reacting to his misdeeds. The play is dominated by the psychologism of the musical narrative, the deep disclosure of the inner world of the child.
The melodious melody of this miniature is not devoid of expressive declamation. If you pay attention to the harmonic layer of the initial section, you can immediately notice that it does not differ in complexity.
The tonic function lasts for four measures, only multiple delays in the upper voice add variety. Descending second intonations, as in the distant times of the formation of “rhetorical figures” in music, create a feeling of crying and sighing of a repentant child. The lower voice is built on the sounds of the tonic triad. With the appearance of the Phrygian turnover in the fifth measure (VII 6 -VI 6 -d 6 -S 6 -D), a shift occurs, the development of a melodic figure, both in the upper voice and in the lower one. The descending line of both voices can also be mistaken for a "rhetorical figure" - the drooping mood of a thoughtful child. With the second sentence, the upper voice of which is located an octave higher, there is a variation - the appearance of chants, chants, the lower voice now "sings" in unison with the upper one. The construction ends on the dominant function, which gives the work a clear tension.
The middle short section, consisting of only eight measures, is a slight contrast to the "weeping" intonations from the first section. The lower voice leads its own melody, based on chromatic moves, full of reflection and reflection. The upper voice, which is set out on arpeggiated moves, as if sets off long reflections, gives free rein to break through other bright thoughts that interest the child. But, in the end, serious thoughts still turn out to prevail over bright and joyful ones.
As for the functional coloring, the composer uses harmonies that are not characteristic of classical music (VI-III-DDVII 7 with an increased third - D). As you can see, the section begins unstable, from the VI stage, which requires a certain development. This episode can be compared to some extent with the middle section “Morning”, but not in terms of character, not in terms of functions, but in terms of melodic structure (the lower voice leads its theme, thereby coming to the fore. The upper voice in these cases is an accompaniment) .
In reprise, variation occurs again initial theme. In the first sentence, instead of stretching quarters, eighth durations appear, giving the work development. In the second sentence, the climax of the whole work takes place. Even though it is currently being used pp, the culmination is achieved due to a sharp juxtaposition - instead of VII 6, a new chord appears, not previously used either in this piece or in another work of this cycle, - a VI chord of an increased degree (reception of a one-pitch major-minor system) This technique of a sharp shift is clearly innovative. It can be assumed that the composer took this chord from the key of D-dur to convey clarity and contrast. As for the technique of quiet climax, it was also already used by Prokofiev in this cycle (in the play "Morning"). But the composer does not stop there - in conclusion, he uses one more of the techniques already familiar to us, which he probably fell in love with - a combination of one-terts keys (after using a chord in g-moll (S), he uses a chord in the key of Ges-dur, which is for the main tonality d-moll IV with a lower step).
Innovations:
1) Use of a one-height major-minor system.
"Waltz". The graceful waltz immediately makes us remember the best pages of Prokofiev's ballets.
A special flight, airiness of the melody gives an upward movement. The off-beat beginning of short phrases creates the impression of a whirling, soft turn.
Even a bright dissonance on a strong beat (major seventh in A-sol-sharp) does not give a feeling of sharpness due to the repeated tonic harmony in the accompaniment and the technique of holding the leading tone in the melody. Thanks to these delays, the melody becomes even more expressive. Falling thirds smoothly complete the initial construction. The next elliptical whorls are D→(II); SII6 5 →(II); D2→(D); D6 5 →(S) - give the theme of the waltz some understatement, excitement, impetuousness.
The chain of deviations (cis→fis→h→E→A) returns the waltz to its original key. The first theme of the waltz sounds again, however, with a slight change: an open gradation is included in the process of shaping (we are already familiar with this technique of the composer - it was used by Prokofiev in The Walk). It "expands the spatial possibilities of music."
The second theme of the waltz resembles a small ballet solo. It is graceful and somewhat whimsical thanks to the insistent rhythmic figures of the accompaniment.
“Flights from register to register of melody and accompaniment form overlaps, violate the free field of sound and other rules of classical voice leading.” This technique, along with the "open step" is an innovative feature of Prokofiev's piano style.
"Procession of Grasshoppers"- a miniature scherzo with marching features. Energetic fanfare intonations prevail here. The perky piece resembles a cheerful, somewhat angular gallop.
The main means of musical expression used by Prokofiev in this work is a dotted rhythm with short pauses, creating the image of grasshoppers jumping on long, angularly curved legs. From the very first bars, the composer ingeniously embodies the idea of his work. Prokofiev's approach to the harmonic side of the play is very interesting.
The sharp chord in the third measure confuses listeners and performers a little. At first glance, it belongs to the main key of B-dur, where it is a reduced introductory terzquartakchord (mind DVII4 3), consisting of the sounds of E-flat-G-flat-A-C. However, the question arises, why does Prokofiev use F-sharp instead of the G-flat note in the musical text? Indeed, in the key of B-dur, according to the rules of the chromatic scale, such a note is not used. The answer may be the following chord, into which this mysterious mind is resolved DVII4 3 . The chord resolves to SII 6, which completely changes its purpose. Now we can say with certainty that this colorful chord is a diminished double dominant second chord in the key of c-moll. And here it is F sharp, not G flat, that is part of this chord.
With the second sentence, the appointment of the upper and lower voices changes.
Now the theme of nimble grasshoppers is moved to the bass line. As for the functional plan of this sentence, it is unchanged in relation to the first one (T-mind DDVII 2 →SII 6 −D−T).
The middle section of the piece is very wary and reserved. Perhaps our grasshoppers are now playing hide-and-seek with curious boys who are watching them with great interest and would love to catch them! But grasshoppers are very dexterous, and it is not so easy to deal with them!
To convey greater mystery, the composer uses tempo poco meno mosso, as well as a very quirky melodic pattern with lots of jumps. Both voices are in unison, which suggests even greater wariness. To convey this character, the composer again uses quite interesting harmonies (T–DD +1 –T–VI–D–S–T). As we have already noticed, one of the most striking is the double dominant with increased prima, which gives the piece the greatest mystery.
"Rain and Rainbow" perceived as a small intermezzo, which is an interesting example of Prokofiev's coloristic sound recording. At the beginning of the piece, the music draws a dull, sad mood - you can’t go outside because of the rain! And then the whimsical patterns of the melody suddenly illuminated this dull landscape with their iridescent highlights. The melodious, wide melody is indeed involuntarily associated with the rainbow.
Falling raindrops are depicted using chords composed of seconds, repetition of sounds, a combination of sharp chromatic harmonies and clear, transparent diatonic. Such chords, consisting of three or four notes, are called clusters. They blend seamlessly into each other, leaving the impression of washed-out watercolors. Impressionist artists used such techniques, because their paintings do not have clarity, but, on the contrary, seem to consist of separate bright strokes. It is noteworthy that the tonal plan of the play is also blurred. From the very first notes, the tone of the work is completely unclear to the listener. Maybe here d-moll? After all, it is with the note “re” that the work begins. Or maybe G-dur? The first measure can be taken as a dominant to this key. And another listener, perhaps, will say that there is no tonality here at all. And only in the fourth measure of this miniature work, finally, there comes a clarification, both in terms of tonality and in the very idea of the piece. We can clearly hear all the sounds of a C major chord. One can imagine that the rain has finally stopped, and the sun's rays now illuminate everything around!
Both here and in the work "Morning" the composer uses the game of distant piano registers. This creates a feeling of a huge space between the earth and the sky, trees and clouds.
As noted in the study by E.B. Trembovelsky, in the play "Rain and Rainbow", along with clusters, "there are original signs of other modern techniques - replenishment of the scale, economy of tones, complementarity of consonances ... which serve as means of expanding and modifying the traditional C major" .
"Fifteen"- one of the most fun and energetic works of the cycle. It can be compared to an uncontrollably playful running around. By the nature of the music and melodic pattern, as well as by the texture of the presentation, "Fifteen" echoes the "Tarantella". But if in "Tarantella" the dance captures everyone, then in "Fifteen" we can imagine how children are running, trying to catch up with each other and constantly changing direction. There is a lot of merry mischief, humor, smiles, unexpected melodic turns and accents in this play - “pricks” (in this case, “Fifteen” has some similarities with “Procession of Grasshoppers”).
The character of "Fifteen" remains unchanged throughout the work. This is facilitated by the dynamic "triol" rhythm, which gives the piece a certain pulsation (the feeling of triplets arises due to the fact that the piece in 6/8 time sounds at a very fast pace). Rhythmic figurations in the upper voice are repeated throughout the piece, but at the end of each phrase there is still a “stop”, where pauses or longer durations are used. A sound-pictorial moment arises, drawing with the help of rhythm a fussy children's running around, interrupted by short pauses. Swift vivo gives "Fifteen" the character of a fun game.
The form of this piece is a combination of three-part and rondality. The main theme occurs 3 times in the work. The final four-bar is also built on its material. Variability, inconstancy of playful children's games Prokofiev conveys with the help of numerous modulations and sharp comparisons.
In almost all the pieces of the cycle, Prokofiev uses keys with a minimum number of key signs, but enriches them with the introduction of major-minor, altered dominants and double dominants, and sharpening of chord gravity. Similar phenomena can be found in this play.
The first part of "Fifteen" is written in the form of a period of repeated construction of a square structure (A). Already in the initial phrase of the first sentence, there is a modulation from the key of F-dur to C-dur through DDVII4 3 ; the second phrase, as an answer, returns us to the original key. In the next sentence, the tonal plan is enriched with a contrast juxtaposition of C-dur - Es-dur and subsequent modulation in B-dur.
The second section consists of several contrasting episodes and introductions of the main theme in C-dur (with its usual modulation into the dominant). The first episode (B) is an 8-bar period, the theme of which is built on the unstable harmony of the mind DVII 2 to the main key.
The next episode of the march character (C) combines elements of major and minor with the tonic C. Bright accents, shifted to the 2nd share, are enhanced by multifunctionality (combination of S and D). At the end of the construction, both diverse chords simultaneously resolve into the tonic, and several times, emphasizing the cadence of the turnover. This is the first time this technique has been used in this cycle.
The next section of the middle section is the return of the main theme. To balance the form, Prokofiev follows him with the ai episode (C), but in a higher register. At the same time, the resolution of accented chords occurs in violation of the rules of voice leading, at a distance.
The third, reprise part of the form is the holding of the theme (A) in the main key, but the structure of the reprise differs from the structure of part I, since Prokofiev introduces 2 more new episodes into it. The first episode (D) is built on the harmony of the low sixth seventh chord and its resolution to the dominant.
The melody of the second episode (E) is built on a descending gamma-like movement, again leading to polyfunctionality (combination of D and DD +1).
This construction is open, through it the composer returns the theme to the main key. Its last execution takes place in a compressed version (4 x measure).
The main innovative features of this piece are multiple modulations, the use of major-minor and bright polyfunctional chords in cadence turns. In the form of the work, a clear three-part structure is violated, there are signs of a rondo form (the based theme “Fifteen” takes place not only in the extreme parts, but also in the middle, representing a refrain). The structure of the play can be represented by a conditional scheme:
"March". World and Russian classical music has a lot of puppet-toy marches (for example, Tchaikovsky has a march from the ballet The Nutcracker, March of the Wooden Soldiers from the Children's Album, Schumann's Soldiers' March). Developing these traditions, Prokofiev does not lose the unique qualities of his own style.
The march combines a kind of “toylike” coloring (especially in the middle section) with subtly transformed intonations of a daring soldier’s song. The mood of the march is set by a continuous, non-stop pulsation and the rhythms and strokes corresponding to this genre (use of a dotted line, emphasis on strong beats), as well as moderate pace. To feel the atmosphere of a child's game, the most accessible key for children - C-dur, mischievous grace notes and angular non-chord sounds, persistently repeating chromatic moves help to feel the atmosphere of a child's game.
The march is written in two-part reprise form. Part I of the play is a period of re-building. The second sentence of the period begins with a sharp juxtaposition (F-dur), as if new characters. The alternation of Tonic and Dominant with a split fifth gives the march both clumsiness and enthusiasm.
In the harmonic sequence, there are a wide variety of chords of the dominant group, including: D, D 6, D 7, D -5, D -5 +5, DVII 2. At the end of movement I, the original C-dur returns with an unusual cadence turn (a lowered III chord is superimposed on the dominant bass, which can be considered as a kind of coloristic delay to D 7).
Part II of the piece begins with the gradual formation of A-dur. The main melody is overgrown with second "clusters". When it is repeated, sweeping octave moves are added. The climax falls on the second sentence, which acts as a recapitulation. The main theme now sounds more insistent due to the shift in register (compared to the initial build) and the new rhythmic figuration in the bass.
An innovative feature of this piece is an organic combination of diatonic and chromatic, a variety of dominant harmonies, including dominants with a split fifth, the gradual transformation of one note into a multi-layered cluster, an unusual delay to D 7 using III-5 steps.
"Evening" reminiscent of a small poetic nocturne, characterized by the tenderness of watercolor musical colors. The music of "Evening" is not at all similar to the music of "Morning", but it clearly intersects with it. There - the first rays of the sun dispersed the night shadows, here - the evening twilight comes to replace the last rays of the evening sun.
Prokofiev in this play strives for the utmost clarity. It is based on tripartiteness. But the main expressive means is the tonal juxtaposition of parts - F-dur-As-dur-F-dur.
Transparency of sound in the I part is achieved by using the middle and upper registers and muffled dynamics. The diatonic of the initial period is only occasionally broken by sharp consonances with a forked tone.
An even rhythm, bearing the character of a narrative, is replaced by figurations of polyfunctional chords (T and DDVII; SVI and DDVII).
The tonality of the II degree of kinship As-dur is introduced in the middle part by contrasting comparison. There is also a register contrast here - a tonic organ point appears in the lower register. Then there is another sharp change in tonality - the saturated As-dur is replaced by a light C-dur. The final bars of the middle section are open. There is a stop at the dominant to a-moll, as if the author is asking us a question, or is it an exclamation of surprise.
In the reprise, the melody returns in its original form, but the texture of the accompaniment changes slightly. It becomes like a waltz.
Unlike other pieces, Prokofiev does not seek here to saturate the musical fabric with altered chords, multifunctionality, and complex relationships within the mode. Bright dissonances appear here only sporadically, as if reserved by the composer for the moment of detention in the melody. All expressive means are aimed at showing the national features of Russian melody and harmony.
"Moon walks over the meadows"- this is a wonderful picture of nature, calm and poetic, sleeping quietly, slightly illuminated by the cold brilliance of the moon floating in the night sky. In terms of purity of melodic pattern and calm, smooth rhythm, this small piece is close to Russian round dance songs.
In the play “The Moon Walks Over the Meadows”, the composer created an image close to Russian folk lingering songs, there is a light, fabulous, magical color. The dreamy, thoughtful nature of the music is created by a melodious, smooth melody, soft viscous accompaniment. At the beginning of the composition, due to musical expressive means, the composer creates a light, gentle image of the work, but later the attention of the listeners is captured by sad, sad, serious music. The second part of the piece begins in a low register, mysteriously, warily. Probably, the month hid in fog or clouds, only its reflection remained, and the melody became sadder, frowned, darkened. But then the music brightened up for a while, sounded high, quietly, transparently, as if the moonlight again illuminated nature, and the stars sparkled in the sky.
S. Prokofiev's music is also very light, unhurried, calm, dreamy, bewitched.
A small one-bar introduction sounds very simple - the composer uses an extended Tonic triad. The theme of the work is built on tonic-subdominant harmony (T–S–S–T). Such plagal phrases are largely characteristic of Russian music. If we compare such a harmonic structure with the classical one, then we can find something in common, but the classics use the question-answer structure (T-D-D-T), and the initial turn of this piece is, according to E. Trembovelsky, its plagal modification, which is innovative feature of Prokofiev's style. The first period of the work is based on other harmonic functions, as simple and light as in the main theme, but more characteristic of classical music (T–D–VI–D–T–D).
Conclusion
pioneering harmonic piano by Prokofiev
In musicological literature, it is recognized that Prokofiev's harmony is a vivid example of modern harmonic style, which widely uses new expressive possibilities and at the same time maintaining a clear line of succession.
In the cycle "Children's Music" S.S. Prokofiev uses many of the latest techniques, including:
1) The use of phonic coloration of consonances as a powerful expressive means;
2) Using the technique of "silent climax";
3) "Clarification" of functional coloring - implementation artistic intent works;
4) The use of non-classical harmonization, including the introduction of the "Prokofiev" dominant;
5) Reception of "open gradation";
6) Using the means of the major-minor (of the same name) system;
7) Peculiar and modern stylization of Russian music;
8) Ways of transition to other keys, their comparison and the speed of changes of keys;
9) Use of the means of the one-tertz system;
10) Reception of a one-height major-minor system.
According to Y. Kholopov, “Prokofiev convincingly proved that the new harmony allows us to express the new content of the art of our time with greater emotional force and immediacy, with greater sharpness and penetration than the old harmony can do. Rejecting the conventions of the forms of the old harmony, the new music reaches the perfection that the old harmony achieved, in its time refusing the conventional norms and restrictions of the era that preceded it. The new harmony in the person of Prokofiev also proved that, having abandoned harmonious system means of the logical organization of the old harmony, it finds in itself new possibilities similar organization, reaching musical logic and beauty with new means.
Bibliography
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8. Kholopov Yu. Essays on modern harmony. − M.: Muzyka, 1973.
Methodical development
"Children's Music"
Performed by Tikhonova I. M.,
piano teacher
"Children's Music" by S. Prokofiev
Piano works by S. Prokofiev are one of the most interesting pages of his work. They are characterized by light and joy, youthful enthusiasm and energy, as well as deeply lyrical features.
The Children's Music cycle, opus 65, created in 1935, consists of 12 easy pieces. “Children's Music” is pictures of nature and children's fun, a sketch of a summer day from morning to evening. Following the example of children's plays by R. Schumann and P. Tchaikovsky, they all have program titles that help to better understand the content of the works. The music attracts with its novelty of style, captivates with the intonation structure of melodies, harmonic colors, and modulations characteristic of a mature composer. All pieces are written in three-part form with elements of sonatinity.
S. Prokofiev is very inventive in creating a piano presentation. He uses jumps, crossings, clusters, organ point, ostinato rhythmic figures.
The whole cycle is permeated with Russian song color, folk intonation turns.
World piano children's music has rich long-standing traditions, so Prokofiev faced tasks of great artistic complexity. He handled them brilliantly. S. Prokofiev managed to convey the worldview of the child himself, and not create music about him or for him.
No. 1. "Morning".
The picture of the day, filled with walks and games, stories and songs that make up the content of the Children's Music cycle, opens with the play Morning. S. Prokofiev creates an expressive musical image through clear harmonies and light melody. Silence, peace, the joy of meeting a child who has awakened from sleep with a new day - this is the content of this beautiful play.
A sense of sonic perspective is achieved here by using the extreme registers of the piano. The right pedal plays an important role in this. It must be remembered that the pedal should be pressed after a sound or chord is heard, and the pedal must be removed exactly together with the removal of the sound or chord.
C major triads in both hands should sound soft but deep; in the bass, the lower sound is emphasized, in the right-hand part, the upper sound is emphasized.
Expressive remarks in the second half of bars 1, 3, 5, 7 are performed strictly legato.
The middle episode is divided into two parts. The first one is built on a coloristic juxtaposition of the full-sounding, slowly flowing gravemente melody in the bass and the softly swaying background of gentle eighths in the middle and high registers. These eighths can be represented as if in a violin sound. Leagues of two notes should not break the continuous melodic thread of the accompaniment: creating a wave-like and measured movement is the goal of the performance.
The right hand in this episode should move smoothly and flexibly. Chopin in such cases liked to say: "The brush must breathe." The fingers gently touch the keys without digging deep into them. On the contrary, the fingers of the left hand, leading the main melody, penetrate deep into the keyboard, feeling the bottom of the key.
It is necessary to ensure that each long note is not accentuated, the performer must have enough "breath" for large melodic segments (they are marked with leagues).
In the second part of the middle, the right and left hands change roles. Despite the low register and constant pedaling, a heavy sound should be avoided.
No. 2. "Walk".
How wonderful to take a walk on a warm sunny morning! You can walk along the paths for a long, long time, see a lot of new and interesting things, you can even get a little lost and get lost in unfamiliar places, but then safely return home and tell about your adventures with a laugh.
The work is permeated with a lively rhythm that creates a sense of movement.
All non-league quarter notes are sung non-legato, and eighth-note triplets that are not slurred are nonetheless legato.
An important condition for a good performance of this piece is a sense of the two-bar nature of the musical material. Specifically, this means that the first beat in bars 1, 3, 5, and other bars is slightly accentuated, while in bars 2, 4, 6, and similar, it is easy to play. Underlined long notes in the right hand should be sung. From the 20th bar, a two-voice appears in the right hand; the first statement of the theme, sounding piano, is interrupted in the 24th measure by the introduction of an imitating voice, sounding mezzo forte. Both voices are played extremely legato with exact observance of dynamic instructions.
The student's attention should be drawn to the fact that the a tempo episode (bars 32-33) sounds truly orchestral, where the soft cues of the cellos respond to the melodious expressive phrases of the violas.
The sonority of the part of the left hand in the first part of the work is soft, flying, the performer's fingers easily play on the surface of the keys. A completely different feeling must be developed to perform the melodic line in the right-hand part. The pads should merge with the keys and not strike, but sink together with the keys until the deepest pressing is possible.
No. 3. "Fairy tale".
One of my favorite childhood hobbies is listening to stories. How nice it is to sit down next to your grandmother and be carried away in dreams to another, magical world, as if in reality, experiencing amazing events, becoming one of the fairy-tale heroes!
"Fairy Tale" from Prokofiev is really a fairy tale in the children's sense. Russian melodies dominate here, unfolding against the background of a clearly rhythmic movement. How stingy and laconic are the strokes, and how correctly the growing threat that breaks into the worldly narrative is depicted in the music!
When working on a work, you need to achieve the correct execution of the rhythmic figure two sixteenth and eighth. It should be clear in rhythm, but soft, unobtrusive. Each group should be separated by an almost imperceptible withdrawal of the hand. In bars 9, 10, 14, 22, 26, 27, legato applies to all notes. The hand is nowhere to be removed.
In the 15th and 16th measures, the seconds in the parts of both hands are played softly and on the pedal. Notes marked with a dash sound especially deep and full.
The last two chords that complete the piece are played non legato and piano.
No. 4. "Tarantella".
Like P. Tchaikovsky, who included dances and songs of different peoples in his "Children's Album", S. Prokofiev devotes space in his collection "Children's Music" to the tarantella, a Neapolitan folk dance.
The energetic, sunny, cheerful nature of this number is conveyed by the elastic rhythmic pulsation of triplets in eighths and a fast pace.
Emphasis everywhere belongs to the author; unnecessary, additional accents should be avoided. After the accented sound, you should immediately reduce the volume of the sound and perform the rest of the sounds easily. The accents often do not match in the parts of both hands, which is some difficulty for the performer. Eighths, marked with a staccato sign, are removed sharply, but easily.
The figures in the left-hand part present a significant difficulty, when there is a continuous triplet figuration in the right hand (in bars 6, 18, 22, 26 and others). These places must be taught separately, following the exact match of the eighths in both hands.
In no case should the middle part be slowed down; a single tempo should be maintained throughout the piece.
The final part is the solemn finale of the national holiday; jubilant fanfares sound joyfully.
No. 5. "Repentance".
“Repentance” is, perhaps, the only play in the cycle that touches on the realm of serious, sad, even gloomy feelings. This miniature subtly and expressively draws a psychological drama, a difficult moment in a child's life. He is ashamed and bitter about his misdeed, but sincere repentance brings forgiveness and the play ends peacefully and tenderly.
Be careful not to go too slow. The expressive performance of this piece, warmed by a warm feeling, does not imply sentimentality or protracted movement. In bars 9-12, the melody sounds in octave doubling at a distance of two octaves. This technique was loved by Schumann. In such cases, the selection of the lower voice sounds beautiful.
The reprise is somewhat varied. Through the movement of the eighths, the theme should clearly emerge.
The last eight measures express peace. Harp-like moves in the part of the left hand alternate with expressive remarks in the part of the right hand.
No. 6. "Waltz".
This captivating, lyrical waltz is all imbued with extraordinary grace and freedom. This is high poetry. Amazing in its beauty, the melody strikes with a huge range. The middle part is distinguished by greater tension, excitement, the melody in it becomes more fractional, in the form of sequences against the background of active eighths of accompaniment.
The student is given not only sound, but also technical tasks. The characteristic waltz accompaniment formula must be carefully worked out: the bass sound is always taken with the movement of the hand from top to bottom and, as it were, held by the finger, and the chords are taken with a slight movement of the hand from the keyboard upwards.
The feeling of melodic phrasing makes us consider the first sound of the sixth measure as the end of the first phrase, and the second sound of the twelfth measure as the end of the second phrase. The sounds of the melody, marked with a dash, should be especially melodious and lingering.
Great attention should be paid to caesuras. In the middle part, it is desirable to phrase in large segments, feeling the eight-bar length of the phrases.
No. 7. "Procession of grasshoppers."
The composer paints a picture of a fabulous procession of grasshoppers. The extreme parts are like a fast mass march; in the middle, the general rapid movement turns into a solemn procession.
Brightness, brilliance, energy, humor - all these qualities characteristic of Prokofiev are presented here in full.
When performing the first theme, it is necessary to feel the attraction to the fourth measure of each phrase and not to emphasize the previous strong beats.
The teacher's attention should also include monitoring the student's accurate transmission of the sharp rhythmic pattern of the musical fabric; it is especially important to play sixteenth notes briefly in bars 1-2, 9-10 and other similar measures.
To create a clear and light character in the extreme parts, a short, straight pedal is needed.
No. 8. "Rain and rainbow."
There is nothing in this musical picture from the traditional methods of depiction in rain music; there is no flow of staccato eighths alternating in both hands, no stormy passages throughout the keyboard and other simple attributes of the naturalistic school. Here the author rather conveys the state of mind of the child in dull, rainy weather and the joyful childish smile with which the child meets the appearance of a beautiful rainbow encircling the sky.
This piece is very idiosyncratic with its phonic effects and bold layering of spots. Numerous cases of the composer using dissonant chords and intervals should be perceived as a means of coloristic influence on the listener. These harmonies should not be taken abruptly, but in a melodious touch.
The play reveals to the performer the interesting coloristic possibilities of the instrument.
No. 9. "Fifteen".
Fifteen is a fun children's game. She brings a lot of joy to the children, everywhere laughter, vanity, running around ...
This number is essentially a highly artistic etude, in which the composer set a number of specific technical tasks for the performer. There are many touches of Prokofiev's pianism in "Pyatnashki" with its bold leaps and use of various registers. There are basically two tasks here: mastering the rehearsal technique in fast movement by changing fingers on one key and mastering the texture of the toccata type with elements of jumps and crossing of the hands. The piece is useful for developing finger fluency.
For a satisfactory solution of both problems, rhythmic endurance is a prerequisite. The tempo of the piece is determined according to the student's ability to perform the piece, having heard each sound quite clearly and distinctly.
No. 10. "March".
"March" - a masterpiece of conciseness and accuracy of intonation - belongs to the best pages of the collection. He is full of vivacity, clarity, a kind of Prokofiev's humor.
To convey the character of this piece, it is necessary to achieve the utmost accuracy in the execution of all, even the most insignificant details of the musical text. The student should understand all the fingering instructions, the distribution of large and small accents, and the features of the dynamics.
The movements of the performer's hands should be subordinated to the sound image of this episode. For example, in bars 7-8, separate small leagues of two notes (with emphasis on the first one) are performed by plunging the hand into the keyboard (on the first ligated note) and removing the hand (on the second).
The middle episode is divided into two phrases of 4 measures each. It is desirable that the underlined notes should not be accentuated exaggeratedly, but would form a melodic line.
No. 11. "Evening".
The last two issues of the collection "Children's Music" are transferred to the setting of an evening landscape. The play "Evening" is unusually good! S. Prokofiev made the melody of this play one of the leitmotifs of his ballet The Tale of the Stone Flower. Calmly melodious, clear melody, tinged with unexpected turns, at first glance, complicating the tonality, but in reality emphasizing and strengthening it.
In order for a thoughtful, tender theme to sound beautiful, you need to take care of the second sound plan. The student will have to seriously study the part of the left hand, which in the first twelve measures should resemble in sonority a choir singing softly behind the stage.
A small interlude with replicas imitating each other (next eight measures) prepares a brighter performance of the main melody, and the left-hand part is given in a somewhat varied form.
The middle part is built on long organ points, which should not be intrusive, but at the same time should be constantly felt, giving the impression of wide space and calm contemplation.
No. 12. "The moon walks over the meadows."
The last piece in the Children's Music cycle is one of Prokofiev's most poetic pages. The day ended, night fell on the earth, stars appeared in the sky, sounds subsided, everything falls asleep. This piece is similar in character to the previous one. Its melodic melody is perceived as a truly folk song.
The ligature is not phrasing here. The end of a slur does not always mean the end of a phrase and does not necessarily involve taking your hand off the keyboard. The teacher must find the boundaries of phrases, guided by a musical flair; thus, the caesura is naturally felt at the end of bars 5, 9, and 13. So, you need to “remove” your hand, “breathe” before starting a new phrase.
The first measure of the piece is a short introduction. Here is given the beginning of a measured, swaying movement, which passes into the part of the left hand.
The syncopated execution of the theme in bars 22-15 from the end is very difficult to perform. While observing the maximum legato, one must be attentive to the smoothness of the melodic line and avoid jerks on individual chords.
Work on the piece "The Moon Walks Over the Meadows" will be of great benefit for the development of the student's musicality and his sound mastery.
References
1. Delson V. Yu. Prokofiev's piano work and pianism. M., 1973.
2. Nestiev I. V. Prokofiev. M., 1957.
3. Musical encyclopedic dictionary. M., 1990.
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