A. Pompeyeva

The principle of opera one-actness in «The Lucky Hand» by A. Schoenberg: «music-making by means of stage»

The article is dedicated to the features of oneact opera composition carrying into «The Lucky Hand», drama with music by A. Schoenberg. The researcher for the first time proposes a combined analysis of the opera proceed from correlations between three components of the genre – music, stage action, solo singing. The different points of view on the approach to music and scenic realization of expressionistic drama (compressed to the one-act scale) peculiar to A. Schoenberg are emphasized. Particular attention is paid by author to innovative arts synthesis principle embodied by A. Schoenberg in «The Lucky Hand» on the basis of ideas by the founder of abstract painting V. Kandinsky. The art conception of the mentioned work expounded by A. Schoenberg himself, which defined the meaning of his intention as «music-making by means of stage» (or «music-making by terms»), is analysed. The function of solo singing in «The Lucky Hand» correlated with the only character (Der Mann, baritone) and realized along the opera by the use of occasional solo intoning, timbre dramaturgy of instrumental parts, set designs (light, color, costumes, decorations), mimic mise-en-scenes is described. The author of the article notes also the successive connections between A. Schoenberg’s opera aesthetic and romantic one-act opera, a model of the latter is presented in «The Lucky Hand». Besides the individual realization of the named model is connected with the twelve-tone technique that is interpreted by the composer as a regulating factor («the illusion of integrity»).

Key words

one-act opera, expressionism, A. Schoenberg, «The Lucky Hand», twelve-tone technique, «music-making by means of stage», vocal intoning.

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