FEATURES OF SERGEY BORTKEVYCH'S COMPOSITIONAL STYLE: SYNTHESIS OF NATIONAL AND EUROPEAN TRADITIONS

Abstract

The article attempts to define the peculiarities of the compositional style of Serhiy Bortkevych, a prominent representative of the Ukrainian diaspora’s musical culture. Some aspects of the artist's biography, his creative activity in Ukraine and abroad are analyzed. The composer’s piano style, which was influenced by cultures with different stylistic and national backgrounds, is described. The conditions of the composer’s creative personality formation and development are discussed. Particular attention is paid to the fact that the formation of S. Bortkevych's individual compositional style took place in the cultural and artistic environments of different countries. It is emphasized that the artist combines in his work the best artistic elements of the musical language of Western European and Ukrainian cultures. It is noted that in S. Bortkevych’s compositional work there are signs of being influenced by trends typical for musical art of the early twentieth century, namely impressionism, neoclassicism, and neo-romanticism. The presence of well-defined motifs in most of his works demonstrates his loyalty to the Romantic traditions. The combination of the Romantic basis and modernist ideas in the composer’s music was caused by the formation of a new artistic thinking and worldview. The article addresses the performance peculiarities of some of S. Bortkevych's works that are based on immersion into the thematic and figurative basis of the composition. The use of diverse piano techniques, which recreate the tone and emotional mood of the compositions, is analyzed. Among the distinctive features are the prevalence of minor keys and the sequential unfolding of the music, which is considered to be one of the folk song features. The texture of the compositions is very diverse: polyphony, figurations, unison unfolding of voices, the use of chords, etc. The thematic diversity, expressiveness and sincerity of the musical style, and unique reinterpretation of national origins show that the composer's piano works acquired a new meaning and resonated with the European trends of his time. S. Bortkevych's reliance on folk motifs proves the authenticity and uniqueness of the composer's musical style, which connects the artist with Ukrainian musical culture. S. Bortkevych's music goes beyond one national and stylistic school or one culture; it is an original example of the composer's own musical world as a result of the synthesis of national and European traditions..