Sonorism in Compositions by Soviet Composers for Non-Register Button Accordion

Eshchenko Aleksei Borisovich Associate professor of the Department of Orchestral Instruments at the Far Eastern State Institute of Arts 690091, Russia, Primorsky Krai, Vladivostok, Peter the Great str., 3a ealeksey@rambler.ru

The appearance of a musical instrument in Russia, later called the "bayan", dates back to 1897 ^{[1, pp. 178-179]}. Later, in the Soviet Union (Approx. 1), the accordion became widespread, including thanks to government support (Note 2). At the same time, in the first half of the twentieth century, the most popular type of instrument was the unregistered accordion (Note 3) with ready-made chords on the left half-body (Note 4). The repertoire for such an instrument consisted mainly of treatments of folk melodies, arrangements of orchestral and piano music (Note 5). Its certain qualities also contributed to the wide spread of the accordion: mobility, unpretentiousness, suitability for accompanying solo and choral singing, accompanying dancing, the ability to play monophony and polyphony, a melody and at the same time an accompaniment to it. This made it possible to perform folk melodies and masterpieces of academic music on the accordion for a wide range of listeners both in the field and on the stages of concert halls. Thus, the accordion acted as a "conductor of good music to the masses" [cit. according to: 4, p. 109] and put into practice the words of V. I. Lenin – "art belongs to the people" ^{[6, p. 124]}.

In the second half of the twentieth century, a ready-made multi-timbre accordion began to spread among professional performers (Approx. 6), which was significantly superior to a non-register instrument in terms of timbre capabilities. However, the unregistered accordion does not disappear from the performing activities of bayanists and continues to exist in parallel with the multi-timbre instrument due to its lower cost and lower weight. For such an instrument, Soviet composers created a repertoire in the first and second half (until 1991) of the twentieth century, which, basically, is not as technically and conceptually complex as the original compositions for the ready-made multi-timbre accordion.

The study of sonorics in the works of Soviet composers for the unregistered accordion is associated with a number of problems:

1. Many compositions that could contain sonorous sonorities have not survived to this day in musical, audio or video recordings; (Note 7)

2. The author of the arrangement for the accordion is not always indicated in the published notes;

3. For a huge number of essays, it is impossible to accurately determine the year of writing, since it was not recorded (Note 8).

In works for a non-register accordion, sonorous sonorities are much less common than in works for a multi-timbre instrument. This is due to the following reasons:

1. Often the household function of a non-register accordion implies the performance of music intended for relaxation, easy to perceive, melodic, and ear-caressing. Works of this kind are not suitable for the use of a large number of clusters and other sonorous sonorities;

2. In the first half and the beginning of the second half of the twentieth century, composers who are well versed in the technique of sonorous writing did not write for the unregistered accordion.

The diverse sonorous sonorities found in the works of Soviet composers for the unregistered accordion are mostly low-pitched and short-lived. They can be conditionally reduced to the following types:

1. Glissando lines (Approx. 9) from the sounds of the reduced seventh chords on the right keyboard of the instrument (Approx. 10);

2. Three-, four-, five-tone clusters (less often with a large number of sounds) and clusters with side tones, embodied in textured shapes of spots and stripes that are formed:

a) on the right keyboard;

b) on the left keyboard with ready–made chords as a result of a paired combination of buttons (less often - more);

c) the bass of the left keyboard;

d) as a result of a combination of the parties of the right and left hands of the accordion player.

3. Sonorous noises: blows on the body of the instrument, noise sliding on the keys of the right keyboard without pressing them.

The sound of the sonorous texture, realized by the right half-body of the unregistered accordion, always corresponds to the recording (Table 1) (Note 11):

Table 1

Let's consider the textural, dramatic and pictorial meanings of sonorous sonorities in the works of Soviet composers for the unregistered accordion (Note 12).

1. Cluster sonorous sonorities, which are part of the musical theme, are occasionally found in homophonic pieces. So, in one of the elements of the theme "Buffoons" (Approx. 13) N. Ya. Chaikina (1915-2000) they add a barb to the sound (Example 1) (Note 14).

Example 1

2. Sonorous sonorities accompanying melodic voices and used for rhythmic filling of large durations and pauses both in melody and in sustained harmonies on the principle of complementarity have become widespread in homophonic compositions. To accompany the melody, sonorities taken on the right keyboard, on the left keyboard, and a combination of sounds from both keyboards are used. For example, in the treatment of the Russian folk song "Come, guests, to us" (Approx. 15) (t. 4-5, 7) P. P. Londonov (1928-1981) the melody in the left-hand part is accompanied by three-sound clusters in the right-hand part, and in variations on the theme of the Russian folk song "Our Leafy Birch" (t. 17, 66, 68) V. N. Motova (1925-2011) a close combination of melody and accompaniment creates three-sound clusters in the right-hand party.

On the left keyboard, sonorous sonorities are usually formed by paired combinations of buttons with ready-made chords. For example, in the treatment of the Russian folk song "I'll pinch the hops" (Approx. 16) (tt. 47-50) Yu. N. Naimushina (b. 1948).

Combinations of the sounds of the right and left half-corps create sonorous accompanying sonorities in the plays "Evening Sevan" (vol. 5-7) by A.M. Zargaryan (1934-1978), "Gentle Janat" (vol. 14, 18) by B. P. Karamyshev (1915-2003). In the foxtrot "Little Friend" by D. L. Lvov-Companeets (1918-2002), they represent three-sound whole-tone formations (Example 2).

Example 2

In the treatment of the Estonian song "In the coastal collective Farm" (vol. 5, 42) by A. A. Shalaev (1925-1997), glissando lines fill sustained harmonies and maintain a harmonious flavor. In the first part of the Concerto for Accordion with an orchestra of folk instruments (Approx. 17) F. A. Rubtsova (1904-1986) the pauses between melodic phrases in the piano part (clavier, t. 219, 221) are filled with rapidly ascending lines-glissando in the accordion part.

3. Sonorous sonorities are often used to prepare climaxes. For example, in the play "River Distances" by K. A. Myaskov (1921-2000), the glissando line prepares the culmination of the theme in a bass voice (Example 3).

Example 3

The glissando line prepares the climax zone in "Toccata" (vol. 10) by A. L. Repnikov (1932-2007).

4. In compositions of a cantilevered nature, sonorous sonorities are used to convey vocal glide (Note 18). In the play "At sunset of the day" (vol. 7-8, 13-16) S. S. Konyaeva (b. 1928) glissando lines "connect" distant sounds in a melodious melody. In a similar sense, they are used in the waltz "In the Frontline Forest" (vol. 42) by M. I. Blanter (1903-1990), arranged by I. Ya. Panitsky (1906-1990), in variations on the theme of the Russian folk song "You can't hear the noise of the city" (vol. 55) by A. A. Shalaev.

5. Sonorous sonorities imitate the sound of musical instruments (Note 19). So, in the play "Friendly Work" by K. A. Myaskov, the sonorous noise received by blows on the right half-body of the accordion imitates the sound of a drum (Example 4).

Example 4

6. With the help of sonorous sonorities, the sounds of a rural courtyard are transmitted. For example, at the beginning of the play "The Hen and the Cockerel" by K. A. Myaskov (Example 5).

Example 5

A similar example is present in the "Russian Game" for one accordion (vol. 46-49) by A. F. Danilova (1901-1965).

7. Sonorous sonorities can evoke associations with the movement of an object in space. In the "Dance of the Frogs" by K. A. Myaskov, multidirectional glissando lines can evoke associations with multidirectional jumps of frogs (Example 6).

Example 6

In the play "Tula Samovar" (vol. 5-8, 49-52, 109-112, 129-132) by V. V. Kuprevich (1925-2005), alternating clusters in high tessitura can evoke associations with a swinging lid and the whistle of a boiling samovar.

8. Sonorous sonorities are used to depict characters. In the play "The Wolf and Little Red Riding Hood" (vol. 12, 18) by Yu. N. Naimushin, the bass clusters in the left-hand part clearly symbolize the Wolf (Note 20).

9. Sonorous sonorities can evoke associations with the movement of colors and outlines. For example, the sonority from the play "In the Shade of Palm Trees" by M. A. Partskhaladze (1924-2008) (Example 7).

Example 7

The expanding whole-tone cluster at the end of the Prelude (vol. 30) from the cycle "Prelude and Fugue" by N. Ya. Chaikin's a-moll can also evoke similar associations.

Summing up, we can conclude that the sonorica by Soviet composers was used sporadically in works for the unregistered accordion, but it was an important stage in the evolution of the accordion sonorica. The directions of application of this compositional technique identified in this article are further rapidly developing in works for the ready-made multi-timbre accordion, the powerful sonorous and technical potential of which attracts the attention of the largest composers of our time to this day.

Notes

^[1] The Soviet Union existed from 1922 to 1991 ^{[2, p. 1478]}.

^[2] The People's Commissar of Education A.V. Lunacharsky announced state support for the accordion in 1929 ^{[3, p. 25]}.

^[3] According to the definition of the author of this article, "unregistered accordion" is an accordion without timbre register switches on the right and left half–shells.

^[4] At that time, there were also elective and ready-to-be-elected bayans ^{[4, pp. 99, 100, 106]}, but they became less widespread.

^[5] A huge number of arrangements of piano and orchestral works in the repertoire of the bayanists of the 1920s and 1930s are noted by A.M. Mirek ^{[4, pp. 100, 105, 116, 120]}, and A.M. Mordukhovich reports on the importance of treatments of folk melodies in the 1940s and 1950s ^{[5, p. 22]}.

^[6] Such a tool was first manufactured in 1951 ^{[7, p. 44]}.

^[7] For example, according to V. M. Galaktionov, not more than 1% of the total volume of I. Ya's creativity is reflected in musical editions, recordings on records, broadcasts on radio and television. Panitsky ^{[8, p. 62]}.

^[8] Sometimes the time of creation of a work is known only approximately. For example, the musical picture "Seeing off recruits", in which sonorous sonorities imitate the sounds of a marching column, a drum and a train, was created by I. Ya. Panitsky in the period from 1932 to 1944 ^{[9, p. 7]}, and published in 1978 ^{[10, p. 36-46]}.

^[9] The classification of types of sonorous texture was proposed by A. L. Maklygin ^{[11, pp. 393-398]}. In the works for the unregistered accordion, there are such types of it as lines, spots and stripes.

^[10] When sliding along the vertical rows of the right accordion keyboard of any type, lines are formed from the sounds of reduced seventh chords ^{[12, p. 78]}.

^[11] Unlike the sound on a multi-timbre accordion, such sonorous sonorities are devoid of timbre diversity and duplication, which are created by the inclusion of two-, three- and four-voice registers of the right half-body of a multi-timbre instrument. (For more information about the implementation of the sonorous texture on a ready-to-choose multi-timbre accordion, see: ^{[13, 14]}). Therefore, V. A. Semenov warns against excessive use of multi-timbre accordion registers when performing works by Soviet authors of the 1930s and 1950s: "All works of this time period were created for instruments without register switches – music by N. Ya. Chaikin, A. N. Kholminov, Yu. N. Shishakov, concerts by F. A. Rubtsov, T. I. Sotnikov, A. L. Repnikova, V. Ya. Podgorny, V. P. Vlasov, as well as a large number of popular treatments of folk melodies. The performance of this music on modern instruments requires special delicacy in the choice of registers" ^{[15, p. 201]}.

^[12] All works for the unregistered accordion, considered further as examples, were published by Soviet publishing houses in the period from 1947 to 1991.

^[13] The play was written in 1965.

^[14] Here and further, the sonorous sonorities considered in the musical examples are marked with dotted frames.

^[15] This treatment of a Russian folk song was written in 1968.

Works based on folklore encourage the use of sonorous sonorities. In particular, this is noted by such researchers as E. V. Kovrikova, N. H. Nurgayanova ^[16] and M. V. Shatrashanova ^{[17, pp. 143-156]}.

^[16] The work was written in 1975.

^[17] The score of the Concert was completed in 1937.

^[18] Sonorous sonorities of pictorial significance have been widely used in works for a ready-made multi-timbre accordion. For more information, see ^{[13, 18]}.

^[19] The strengthening of the trend in Russian music of the second half of the 20th century, in which some musical instruments imitate the timbres of other musical instruments, including sonorous means, notes O. V. Usacheva ^{[19, p. 177]}.

^[20] In Soviet music, the use of "Western" compositional techniques to show negative characters and evil fairy-tale-fantastic images, which, in this case, is the image of a Wolf, has been considered quite justified since the 1960s ^{[17, pp. 75-76]}.