Ru
EnK. Zhabinsky
“I decided to protest… By mention”: Towards the sources of conceptual idea and the modern interpretation of “Elegy for J. F. K.” by I. Stravinsky – W. H. Auden
The published article is devoted to one of the memorial works composed by I. Stravinsky in the 1960s which has relatively rarely been attracting the attention of researchers. “Elegy for J. F. K.” (1964) was a response to the tragic events of the recent past – the assassination of U. S. President J. F. K. Kennedy. “A quiet little lyrical piece” for a singer (baritone) and an accompanying trio of clarinets, according to the composer’s idea (which has also been a basis for a specially created poetic text by W. H. Auden), was supposed to contain a definite “mention” to contemporaries. The prior component of this “mention” was, first of all, the specified verbal text; in it according to Stravinsky, some genre and compositional patterns of Japanese haiku were refracted in line with the traditions of Christian homiletics (moral sermons and conversations, funeral speeches, etc.). Considering the above, the researcher emphasizes the special importance of the initial “references” to the Old and New Testaments (“When a just man dies”), found in the opening line of the poem by W. H. Auden. The majority of the Russian translations have not represented this reference adequately. Another important aspect considered in the article is related to the choice of a specific performing staff. Stravinsky named the baritone the “main” solo voice, noting that the version of “Elegy...” for mezzosoprano is the latest “version” (or “Bearbeitung”). This distinction is undoubtedly important, since this “piece” was subsequently positioned by the composer along with his sacred compositions of the post-war period, in which the use of female voices (“appealing to feelings”) was deliberately avoided.
Key words
I. Stravinsky, memorial works of the 1960s, “Elegy for J. F. K.”, W. H. Auden, Christian homiletic, sacred works, performer’s versions.
For citation
“I decided to protest… By mention”: Towards the sources of conceptual idea and the modern interpretation of “Elegy for J. F. K.” by I. Stravinsky – W. H. Auden // South-Russian Musical Anthology. 2023. No. 3. Pp. 25-32.
