Macrosemantic rhythmic structures in the songs of A. Mirzayan

The study of the not always obvious connection between literary and social processes requires certain specialized algorithms. Thus, when considering the texts of the author's song of the 1950s-80s, we developed a method of macrosemantic categorical structures. How does this toolkit work? If we divide the song text into semantic blocks-fragments of the stanza-verse order, we can sometimes see the interaction of two dialectically opposite semantics. For example, in a work, the desire for something more is expressed in spite of particular factors, or the universal is displayed through particular elements - thus the first structure we found, the rhythm of the particular and the universal, or the PM rhythm, is manifested ^{[2, 5, 6]}. The second revealed structure is expressed in the conflict of entropic and non-entropic processes, conventionally designated by the opposition "order-chaos" (PH-rhythm) ^[4].

Previously, the total number of these structures in the songs that are most resonant for the social group of the bard song was calculated. For this purpose, a complete set of 487 popular works from all 5 all-Union text collections is considered. As a result, 43.4% of PM-rhythmic and 23.4% of PH-rhythmic were detected ^[3]. It is important to note that the presence or absence of macro-semantic rhythmics is not a criterion of the artistic value of the text. This structure only reflects the type of thinking of the author. If a work with this structure becomes popular in a certain environment, then this society is very likely to own this type of thinking or gravitate towards it. If we take into account the dependence of the type of thinking on the type of activity ^[18], we can cautiously assume that the basis of the Bardic society of the 1950s-80s were people engaged in specific intellectual activity.

We also applied the method of macro-semantic structures to compare the bard song with the cultural trends of Russian rock and Soviet song ^[7], compared the dynamics of the indicators of structures in these directions. Thus, low indicators of rhythmic structures in the Soviet pop song are indicators of mass culture or pop culture. The high values in the author's song indicate the alternative of the Bardic direction in relation to the Soviet song.

No less interesting were the correlations between social processes and songwriting. Thus, the analysis of dynamics allowed us to find an interesting phenomenon: around the beginning of the 1970s, a bifurcation zone or a period of uncertainty was discovered in the Bardic environment ^{[3, 7]}. This period is expressed in the growth of the creation of bard works with a PH-rhythm with a synchronous decline of two factors: the overall productivity of writing popular songs, as well as the creation of resonant texts with a PH-rhythm. This phenomenon can be interpreted as follows: certain social processes pushed the participants of the bardic environment to rethink, reassess values.  And through writing songs with entropic rhythms, the authors expressed their reaction to these processes.

At the same time, the bifurcation period did not affect the Soviet song in any way. However, during this time period, the first successful works of Russian rock appeared with indicators of structures close to the indicators of the author's song. By the early 1990s, this trend had become a subset of pop culture, as can be seen from the downward dynamics of the values of Russian rock. At the same time, the structures in the author's song consistently adhered to high indicators, despite the mentioned processes in the 1970s.

Thus, the above factors allow us to suggest the presence of a special social group in the author's song. This community certainly belonged to the Soviet intelligentsia. However, a more precise definition of this group requires further research.

So, earlier we used our method to study cultural phenomena in general. Now let's try to consider with the help of our approach the creativity of a particular author. For example, the Bardic creativity of A. Mirzayan has practically no specialized studies as such. The works of this author are only mentioned in various dissertations ^{[1, 16]}. The only research work devoted to the work of this author is the "Bardic Account of Alexander Mirzayan" by S. Orlovsky ^[15]. This article focuses on the musical component in the bard's work, as well as on his theoretical conceptions of the author's song as a cultural phenomenon.

At the same time, the bardic work of A. Mirzayan is interesting from the point of view of literary criticism, including because of the numerous song adaptations of poems by I. Brodsky, V. Sosnora and other poets. Taking up Mirzayan's works, we will try to consider the structures of the works, identify the principles of selecting texts of other poets, ways of their song adaptation, as well as compare Mirzayan's texts with the works of other authors.

To fulfill our tasks, we need as correct a source of works as possible. Practice shows that the larger the sample, the more reliable data we can get. When working on Mirzayan's work, we tried to collect a number of songs close to the general population. Since there is an extremely small sample of songs in the disc editions, it was decided to turn to online sources. Thus, all the published texts from Alexander Mirzayan's page on the author's song website served as a source for the material bards.ru . The final selection includes 90 works.

Before proceeding to the structural analysis of the songs, it should be recalled that the PM and PH rhythms are. So, in works with a PM structure, the movement towards something great, global, in spite of the private, lowly, is often displayed. Also, within the framework of the private, the author sometimes focuses on concreteness, which eventually gather into a single image in a universal block. Moreover, this structure can manifest itself in the form of a conditional fable, when the narrative about certain heroes ends with comprehension, conclusions. PH-rhythmics, in turn, reflects the entropic and non-entropic processes of the universe in various guises. Moreover, the author himself can perceive these processes as negentropic or entropic purely subjectively.

It is worth noting that these processes can be expressed in the form of a conflict of social systems, communities, groups. In this case, the system should be considered as an integral conglomerate of interconnected and interacting individuals. The basis for the reunification of the segments of the system is a certain activity ^[19].

It should also be noted that the BW- and PX-structures may overlap in the same work, sometimes coinciding in the block division of the text. In these songs, the particular and the universal can manifest themselves in the form of opposite structures or processes. As a rule, the universal in these works is also a system or a process of order, and the particular is a chaotic phenomenon or a hostile community.

And now we will proceed to the structural analysis of Mirzayan's songs, in which one or another macro-semantic structure is most clearly manifested. To begin with, let's turn to the song "Wanderers" ^[14], the text of which was written by Mirzayan himself.

In block 1, the author refers to the system ("dear wanderers"), the elements of which he accentuates ("your moss-covered hermitages", "epics"). The factors uniting the community of "wanderers" also include certain activities ("pray", "save the souls of the slain"). In addition, it is worth considering the author's obvious sympathy for these characters ("cute", "with the majesty of the Russian plains"). Thus, this fragment displays a conditional "order" from the position of the author.

In block 2, the author displays a certain environment hostile to the "dear wanderers" system. The author notes that the principles of "wanderers" are not viable within this environment ("Your wisdom is not in use"). Through the image of a "drunk man", the meaninglessness of the current reality is emphasized ("He will call an unknown person"). Thus, we can say that this fragment expresses destructiveness, chaos from the position of the author.

As a result, this song has the following structure: block 1 — order, block 2 — chaos.

We can also consider this song from the point of view of the PM structure. At the same time, the separation of stanzas-couplets remains in the same form.

As we can see, block 1 shows the movement towards the highest, which is reflected by the images of "distant lightning", "a look with the majesty of the Russian plains", as well as the previously mentioned activity: "saving the souls of the slain." At the same time, block 2 demonstrates a profane reality, sharply contrasting with the ascending theme from the previous fragment. Thus, we can designate block 1 as "universal" and block 2 as "particular".

Now we turn to the adaptation of the texts of I. Brodsky, whose poems occupy a special place in Mirzayan's bardic work. It should be noted that earlier we conducted a structural analysis of the poem "Still Life" by I. Brodsky and found one interesting, repetitive structural feature. The relative order is displayed at the beginning of the block, which gradually turns into chaos by the end of the fragment, then the author instantly returns to the neutral order at the beginning of the next block. This subspecies of PH-rhythmics can also be traced in the song adaptations of I. Brodsky's poems: "Letters to a Roman Friend" by A. Mirzayan, as well as "The Romance of a Liar" and "The Romance of the Devil" by E. Klyachkin ^[4]. Since this structure is often found in Brodsky's works, we have designated it as "Brodsky's saw" ^[4].

So, we will analyze one of the songs based on the poems of I. Brodsky, "Mexican Tango" ^[9]. In this text, two desired structures intersect. Moreover, the original poetic text was transferred to the song form without changes. To begin with, we will analyze the song from the point of view of the PM structure. For greater clarity, we will look at the semantic structure of the song in two passes or readings.

In block 1, concreteness is displayed ("In the night garden … Maximilian dances"), an illustration of a certain environment ("A white vest lining flashes") in various aspects ("A mulatto melts with love"). We will conditionally characterize the current fragment as "dancing Maximilian".

This fragment displays an environment that is aggressively tuned in comparison with the "night garden" from block 1 ("And in silence… Juarez is handing out new rifles"). The picture is filled with aggressive elements ("Shutters click"). Since the current block illustrates the new environment, we designate this fragment as "Juarez with rifles".

In this fragment, the global inevitable processes covering the whole of Mexico are comprehended ("in the tropics ... death, alas, spreads like a fly — infection"). In this case, we will designate this fragment as "death".

So, at the first reading, the semantic structure of the song looks like this: block 1 — dancing Maximilian, block 2 — Juarez with rifles, block 3 — death.

As we can see at the level of such a structure, blocks 1 and 2 are more specific, private against the background of block 3. Now we will revise the song taking into account the information received.

So, in blocks 1 and 2, various individual images, episodes related to Mexico are displayed. In the final block 3, the essence of the entire Mexican environment is expressed through the parrot's song ("in the tropics, where death, alas, / spreads like a fly — infection", "where the skull always has three eyes in the bushes"). As a result, we can build a song as follows: blocks 1, 2 — private, block 3 — universal.

Also, this work can be considered from the point of view of the PH structure. At the same time, we will try to keep the previous block division. So, in block 1, the relative order is built from the author's point of view ("Maximilian dances", "temperature thirty-six", "Mulatto melts ..."). Then, in block 2, the space expands, the neutral image of Mexico is complemented by some destructive, entropic elements that precede the destructive process ("Juarez distributes new rifles", "The shutters click"). As a result, the song ends with a description of the chaotic state of the system ("death, alas, spreads like a fly - infection"), for which there is no more prosperous alternative ("Contempt for one's neighbor among those sniffing roses / let it not be better, but more honest than a civil pose."). Thus, we see throughout the song the transition from a neutral state to a chaotic one. Consequently, the "Mexican Tango" has not just a PH structure, but its subspecies, previously mentioned by Brodsky's saw.

Sometimes Mirzayan adapted V. Sosnora's poems for his songs. In these works, we can also observe a conflict between the dominant and alternative author's system. So, this theme is manifested in the song according to the text of V. Sosnora "The Death of Boyan" ^[13]. We will analyze this work from the point of view of the PM structure.

The current block contains a narrative ("Boyan was executed, appointing me an executioner."). The author illustrates the decadent image of Russia ("In sandy Chernihiv, the market is like a sewer pit"), through direct speech shows the hostile attitude of society towards the lyrical hero Boyan ("And the people! we talked about paradise. / That heaven is not Afraid, Boyan is a notorious hell."). Since this fragment displays concreteness, we designate block 1 as a particular.

In block 2, the narrative from the previous fragment is comprehended: through the metaphor of the "decapitated song", the author presents a private death as a historical episode important for the whole country. Therefore, we designate the final block as "universal".

As a result, "The Death of Boyan" acquires the following semantic structure: block 1 — private, block 2 — universal.

It should be noted that Mirzayan has thoroughly edited the original text for this song. There is no introductory passage in the adaptation about how the hero of the story Patok grieves about the perfect execution of Boyan. This episode is about 5 stanzas. Separate fragments from the narrative are also cut out, as a result of which the song focuses on the conflict between Boyana and society. In addition, if the ending in the original poem is tragic ("but the time of badass songs has gone forever") ^{[17, p. 34]}, then Mirzayan's song expresses hope for the best ("but has the time of badass songs really gone?"). Although the song itself ends with a state of stagnation in the reflected society ("but there was no turmoil...").

I would also like to touch upon a rare case of Mirzayanov's adaptation of a foreign poem. So, on the basis of T. Klangsor's work "A Song about Sleeping Cats", translated by M. Kudinov, an "Almost children's song" was created ^[12]. We will consider this work, built in a PH-rhythm, in two passes.

In this block we see a kind of community, a system ("all cats in the world sleep", "someone snores on his bed"). Its basis, the conditional "glue" for unification is a common action — sleep ("they sleep and do not hear", "he also does not see, he also does not hear"). At the same time, the author hints at the existence of an alternative system ("they don't hear what the mice are doing"). Thus, we can conditionally designate this fragment as a "system".

In this block, the previously mentioned alternative system is praised, within which the rebellious process manifests itself ("mice jump"). The fragment is key because it reveals the author's attitude to both systems. So, in block 2, the author displays the system from the current block in a favorable way ("and the mice jump", "they have a lot of fun"). Since mice have to hide their existence in secret ("and there is no music"), we can say that the system of "cats" from block 1 is hostile to this alternative system. Consequently, the author sympathizes with the "mice" from the current fragment. At this stage, we will temporarily characterize this block as an "alternative system".

Since block 3 displays the previous system from block 1 ("all cats have been sleeping for a long time"), enhanced by the image of the "sleepy guards", we will designate the current fragment, according to the first fragment, "system".

So, this song shows the coexistence of two systems. As we can see, they are directly opposite to each other. There is a system from blocks 1 and 3, which is characterized by a chaotic process, since it does not fulfill its intended functions ("cats sleep", "sleepy guards walked and did not even know ..."). Within the framework of the alternative system from block 2, we observe, from the author's position, a frankly rebellious process ("mice dance"). Given the non-functioning system of "cats and guards", this process should be defined as non-entropic.

It is also worth recalling that in block 2 the author's sympathy for the alternative system of "mice" can be traced. Thus, we will denote block 2 as a conditional order. As already mentioned, the system of blocks 1 and 3 is hostile to the alternative system. Consequently, the action of the "cats" system is perceived by the "mice" system as an unacceptable or chaotic process. Thus, the system of blocks 1 and 3 is chaos from the position of the author. As a result, the semantic rhythm of the "Almost Children's Song" is manifested as follows: block 1 — chaos, block 2 — order, block 3 — chaos.

It should be noted that from the point of view of macro-semantic rhythmics, the song is identical to the original poem by T. Klangsor. However, during the song adaptation, the French poet's text underwent some changes. So, Mirzayan repeats the last lines of some verses in the song itself to stylize the lullaby ("they have a lot of fun, but there is no music, and there is no music, and there is no music..."). In addition, the original text of T. Klangsor ends with the following line: "All the cats of Paris are sleeping sweetly!" ^[8] — in while this line in Mirzayan's song is deleted. To emphasize the scale of the struggle of the described systems, Mirzayan adds the recurring line "a long time ago, a long time ago ...". Thus, through the modified ending, the bard hints in his song at the confrontation of certain systems directly in his country.

As we can see, the texts of Mirzayan and third-party authors are united by the theme of the conflict of different systems. In these works, contradictions between a person engaged in exalted activity and profane reality ("The Death of Boyan", "Wanderers") can be touched upon. These oppositions are also shown in other songs of Mirzayan (for example, "The Magi"). Also, the songs of the bard under study reflect the conflict between the ruling and some alternative system ("Almost a children's song", "Mexican Tango", as well as "We" are not on the Jam"). Moreover, this theme manifests itself in both of our structures, sometimes with different types of intersection. The need to write entropic songs with elements of generalization is obviously connected with the processes of the 1970s. So, the image of mice dancing "without music" or the lyrical hero Boyan can be an allegory for the bard community. As you know, during the 1970s, relations between the state and amateur song clubs worsened. Bard communities gradually moved to a semi-legal existence, holding various events in neutral territories, including in forests.

The question also arises, how did the previously mentioned bifurcation zone in the Bard community affect the work of Mirzayan himself? It is known that the first songs were created by the author in 1969, which falls into our period of uncertainty. Thus, we can say that it was the systemic bifurcation that pushed Mirzayan to write songs.

And now we will take a more general look at the work of Alexander Mirzayan from the point of view of macro-semantic structures. So, within the framework of our research, 90 of Mirzayan's works were analyzed, including his song adaptations. The total number of macrosemantic structures in Bard's works is calculated: 43% of PM-rhythmic and 25% of PM-rhythmic. If we compare these figures with the general values of the author's song, which we previously received from popular works (43.4% of PM structures and 23.4% of PH structures) ^[3], then we can notice that Mirzayan's work almost exactly falls into the mainstream of the author's song.

Now we will try to compare the presence of semantic structures in Mirzayan's purely authorial works and in his song adaptations. So, 51% of the songs are based on the lyrics of the bard himself. At the same time, 24.4% are songs based on the poems of I. Brodsky and 5.5% are based on the work of V. Sosnora. To search for patterns, we classify the available songs by the authorship of the lyrics and calculate the general values of rhythmic structures for each poet individually. Also, the remaining small sample of songs based on poems by other authors (M. Tsvetaeva, D. Harms, O. Chukhontsev, A. Tarkovsky, A. Kushner, N. Zabolotsky, T. Klangsor, O. Wilde) will be considered separately.

So, the results of calculations of macrosemantic rhythms in separated subsets are given in the summary table (see Table 1). It should be remembered that in some songs there are rhythmic structures (hence the percentages of songs) they may overlap.

Table 1. Summary table of the average values of rhythmic structures

As you can see, in the sample of adaptations based on the poems of Brodsky, Sosnora and the conventionally designated "other poets", the indicators of PM-rhythmics exceed the percentages of the same structure in the sample of Mirzayan's own texts. How can this phenomenon be explained?

Earlier, we noted that the general society of the bard environment tends to works with a PM-rhythm — the structure of comprehension, philosophizing. This way of thinking may well be common among people engaged in specific intellectual activities. First of all, we can count scientists in this group of people, which includes Mirzayan himself, who worked as a physics engineer at the Institute of Theoretical and Experimental Physics. To one degree or another, Mirzayan sought to comprehend modern processes in an artistic form. Moreover, his philosophizing is based on a special culture of dialectical thinking, characteristic of scientific activity: the formulation of the problem is an analogue of the universal, the research part is an analogue of the particular, the conclusions are again an analogue of the universal. But the comprehension of reality within the framework of their own texts is insufficient. Therefore, Mirzayan refers to the texts of poets who correspond to him according to various criteria. So, it was noticed that in the songs based on the texts of Mirzayan and other poets, the general theme of the struggle of the power system and some alternative community of their own is manifested. And this theme can manifest itself both in the arrhythmic structure and in the macro-semantic rhythms known to us.

Moreover, the adaptation of third-party lyrics for songs may vary. Some verses are transferred to the song without changes, i.e. the macro-semantic rhythm from the original text is identical to the rhythm in the song. Sometimes Mirzayan edits the work, while maintaining the same macro-semantic rhythm in the original texts. However, the following situation is also observed: in some works there is initially no semantic rhythm (or it is indistinctly expressed), but Mirzayan processes these texts in such a way that the desired structures appear in them (for example, "Letters to a Roman friend" to the poems of I. Brodsky, "Prayer to Mary Magdalene" to the poems of V. Sosnora). Consequently, Mirzayan adjusts the third-party work to the type of thinking to which he himself tends.

As a result, we examined the bardic creativity of A. Mirzayan from the point of view of semantic pulsations and found that his works correspond to the mainstream of the cultural phenomenon of the author's song of the 1950s-80s. A structural analysis of the works from a meaningful point of view showed one of the criteria for selecting poems for song adaptation is the theme of conflicts between the ruling system and some alternative system in which Mirzayan covertly displays the bard community. However, the method of categorical macrosemantic structures helped to identify an additional principle of text selection. As it turned out, almost half of his work consists of songs based on the poems of poets, in whose works the PM rhythm prevails. Moreover, this structure can be initially laid down in the poet's literary work. But sometimes Mirzayan adjusts the text to the type of thinking to which he unconsciously tends, being a scientist by type of activity.

So, a considerable part of the works in the author's song are made up of works with PM-rhythmics, which prevails in the bardic works of physicist Mirzayan. In this case, we can at least guess what kind of people were the driving force of the bardic community. However, to confirm our hypothesis, additional research is required beyond the cultural phenomenon of the author's song. The question of the system-wide influence of the scientific vector on the movement of the author's song remains open.