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EnZ. Alieva
Violin etudes by E. Ysaye in the dialogue with traditions and innovations of the genre
The article is devoted to one of the little-studied spheres of E. Ysaye’s creative heritage, which quite rarely attracts the attention of modern Russian violin teachers and methodologists. “Caprice by Etude in Waltz Form by Saint-Saëns” (1900), as a rule, is considered among the transcriptions for violin and piano intended by the author for his own concert performances. Meanwhile, the originality of the “duet” concert arrangement is not limited to the rather rare “transcription” of a virtuoso piano piece for a bowed instrument. Version by E. Ysaye, in contrast to the original – Etude op. 52 No. 6 by C. Saint-Saëns, is characterized by very active and diverse textural varying, which brings it closer to the traditions of the violin caprice of the romantic era. Equally characteristic of the 19th century is the programmatic interpretation of the etude, which is reminiscent of a veiled quotation from F. Liszt’s “Mephisto Waltz” No. 1, woven by the author of the transcription into the piano accompaniment part. Another notable example is the collection Preludes (“Exercises”) op. 35 for solo violin, dating from the second half of the 1920s and published posthumously (1952). In this opus, the stated didactic orientation is combined with a non-trivial compositional design of the plays (in the spirit of “cadence-like” caprices) and a character of presentation close to a romantic prelude. In addition, the intonational content of the Preludes (the material for mastering the technique of double notes are dissonant intervals – seconds, sevenths, ninths, as well as “disharmonious” fourths and fifths) evokes direct associations with the creative “experiments” in the piano etudes by the greatest masters of the early 20th century (A. Scriabin, C. Debussy). Thus, the works under consideration by E. Ysaye are among the brightest examples of “creative dialogue” with traditions and innovative interpretations of the genre in violin music of the first half of the last century.
Key words
E. Ysaye, genre of violin etude, “Caprice by C. Saint-Saëns’ Etude in Waltz Form”, concert transcriptions, program tendency, Preludes op. 35 for Violin solo.
For citation
Alieva Z. Violin etudes by E. Ysaye in the dialogue with traditions and innovations of the genre // South-Russian Musical Anthology. 2023. No. 4. Pp. 119-125.
