Translate this page:
Please select your language to translate the article


You can just close the window to don't translate
Library
Your profile

Back to contents

PHILHARMONICA. International Music Journal
Reference:

The string quartet in the works of Beethoven and Shostakovich: thematic and intonation links

Balshin Vladimir Vladimirovich

Honored Artist of Russia, Associate Professor of the Chamber Ensemble Department of the Moscow State Conservatory named after P. I. Tchaikovsky

101000, Russia, Moscow, Bolshaya Nikitskaya str., 11/13

vb-cello@mail.ru
Other publications by this author
 

 

DOI:

10.7256/2453-613X.2023.4.69533.2

EDN:

AMRFRM

Received:

15-11-2023


Published:

16-11-2023


Abstract: The article explores the genre of string quartet on the example of Beethoven and Shostakovich in the aspect of intonation and thematic connections, as well as the parallels of creativity of both composers. The author gives examples of thematic, interval, intonation and textural-melodic quoting of Beethoven's works in Shostakovich's quartets. Russian culture and Beethoven's influence is revealed, in particular, in relation to working with the material of Russian songs in quartets written by order of Count Razumovsky. The author reveals Shostakovich's attraction to Beethoven's work, the closeness of his compositional style and ideas in terms of conceptuality, architectonics, the use of musical and expressive means and a tendency to dynamic onslaught. The methodology of the research is based on the analysis of historical materials, musical articles, concepts of outstanding historians and music theorists. The main contribution of this study is the identification of thematic and semantic connections between the quartets of Beethoven and Shostakovich. The author concludes that Shostakovich often turned to Beethoven's work, used his methods and techniques of working with the material, the structure of the cycle, included allusions to themes, intonations in his quartets, and even used whole textured excerpts from Beethoven's music – and he made it through the prism of his creative style. The novelty of the article lies in the identification of the connection between Beethoven's work and Russian music, the composer's use of melodies of Russian songs in "Russian Quartets", as well as intonation-thematic parallels between the quartets of Beethoven and Shostakovich. In addition, the article reveals the special role of the performer in the work on the quartet of both Beethoven and Shostakovich.


Keywords:

Borodin Quartet, Beethoven Quartet, Russian quartet, chamber performance, semantic parallels, thematic connections, genre, string quartet, Shostakovich, Beethoven

The string quartet genre occupies an important place in the history of Russian and Western European music. Its formation begins in the works of Mozart, Haydn and Beethoven and goes through a revolutionary path from "pleasant music for amateurs" to a serious genre "designed for connoisseurs and professionals" [6, p. 114].

Based on the traditions laid down by the Viennese classics, a modern type of string quartet is being developed, which has individual features and an updated figurative and semantic series. Over the years, a certain repertoire has developed in performing practice, in which D. D. Shostakovich's quartets stand apart. They become a model of dialogue of epochs, styles and trends, close interaction of traditions and innovations.

As one of the most complex and at the same time subtle types of musical art, the string quartet genre is a litmus test of the musical style, compositional language and skill of the author, therefore, it is most often addressed in the mature period of creativity. The string Quartet sets the composer a difficult task to convey the full depth and richness of the inner content in a very concise, transparent and filigree genre, and the performers, in turn, will have to solve the most difficult tasks from a performing point of view.

There are a number of studies of the string quartet genre, such as "Quartet Art" by R. Davidyan [2], "Questions of Quartet Performance" by L. Raaben [9], "String Quartet in Russian Music: 1790-1860" by L. Sinyavskaya [10], G. Feldgun [12; 13; 14], etc. Important information about the performing side of the quartets can be found in the works of musicians: "Shostakovich's Quartets through the eyes of the performer" by F. Druzhinin, V. A. Berlinsky's memoirs in V. Teplitskaya's book "A Priceless Gift" [11], etc.

The creative Union of Shostakovich and the quartet. Beethoven has a half-century history, which is reflected in the diaries of violist V. Borisovsky and in the letters of D. Shostakovich to the second violinist V. Shirinsky. Important information is contained in the book about the first violin of the quartet. Beethoven's "D. M. Tsyganov" [15] by A. Shirinsky.

In this regard, despite the variety of literature devoted to the genre of string quartet, it is of interest to study in more depth the internal thematic and semantic connections present between the quartets of Beethoven and Shostakovich.

The object of research of this article is the quartet creativity of Beethoven and Shostakovich in their relationship. The aim of the study is to identify parallels between string quartets in the works of Beethoven and Shostakovich in relation to their thematic and intonational connections. Russian Russian Quartets The main objectives of the article were to identify the connection of Beethoven's creativity with Russian music and the composer's use of melodies of Russian songs in "Russian Quartets", as well as intonation-thematic parallels between the quartets of Beethoven and Shostakovich. In addition, the article reveals the special role of the performer in the work on the quartet of both Beethoven and Shostakovich – this emphasizes the similarity of the creative process of the two authors – representatives of different eras.

One of the distinctive features of the quartet was the role of a particular musician-performer in the creative process of the composer. Often both domestic and foreign composers created string quartets, counting on certain performers. So, Beethoven created quartets, focusing on the virtuosity of the first violinist I. Schuppantzig[1]. The skill of the violinist has left its imprint on the score of the composer's string quartets, which have reached a new level both in terms of technical complexity and in terms of content, compared with earlier examples of the genre. Shostakovich also created his quartets based on specific musicians of the quartet. Beethoven (in those years, the quartet consisted of Dm. Tsyganov, V. Shirinsky, V. Borisovsky and S. Shirinsky), "whose performing skills contributed to the creation of many chamber compositions by Russian composers" [3, p. 160]. Shostakovich took into account not only the peculiarities of the sound of each musician, but also the manner of playing. The Quartet named after. Almost half of all string quartets are dedicated to Beethoven: Nos. 3 and 5 (the whole composition), No. 11 (V. Shirinsky), No. 12 (Dm. Tsyganov), No. 13 (V. Borisovsky), No. 14 (S. Shirinsky).

Up to the XIX century, Beethoven's works in Russia "were not performed in concerts, were not heard in private homes, the composer's name does not appear in memoir literature and personal correspondence" [8, p. 126]. At the beginning of the XIX century, Beethoven's music became famous. By the middle of the century, the perception of the Viennese classical music and his personality is changing. In the 50s and 60s, he was perceived not as an "outcast genius-hermit, but as a leader pointing the way to the future for all progressive humanity" [7, p. 333]. By the twentieth century, Beethoven's late compositions are still perceived warily even by some professional musicians. However, the recognition of Beethoven's work as outstanding in the world of musical art is gradually coming. It was in Soviet Russia that Beethoven's music became an object of worship, and his Third, Fifth and Ninth Symphonies, as well as the Sonata Appassionata, were in tune with the ideas of the October Revolution and its initiators.

In turn, the relations between Beethoven and Russia (in particular, Russian folklore) developed more successfully. Among Beethoven's string quartets, the so-called "Russian" quartets Op. 59, written by order of Count Razumovsky, stand apart. They got their name not by chance: the thematic material of the quartets is closely connected with Russian music. The first and Second quartets, written in 1806, contain melodies from the "Collection of Russian Folk Songs with their Voices" (published by N. A. Lvov and I. B. Pracha) – the song "Ah, is my talent, talent" (the finale of the First Quartet) and "Glory to the High Sun in heaven" (scherzo from The Second quartet).

Russian Russian quartets' music is not only associated with the quotation material, but also has a "Russian spirit" in general, contains intonations of the Russian drawl. Researchers of Beethoven's work (in particular, L. Kirillin [5]) pay attention to the fact that the music of the "Russian" quartets is not only associated with the quotation material, but also has a "Russian spirit" in general.

In the finale of the Quartet Op. 59 (No. 1) by Beethoven, this Russian melody sounds, which is ideally integrated into the general intonation "framework" of the composition. It intonationally echoes the main theme of the first movement, which has a masculine character created by the timbre of the cello. It is interesting how the composer interprets the song "Glory" ("Glory to the high sun in the sky"). It also goes well with the main theme, because it corresponds to it in spirit and melody. Beethoven uses it in the middle section of the Scherzo, so the tempo of the theme is fast. The Russian song becomes the theme of polyphonic variations, it sounds enthusiastic, then solemn. Perhaps Beethoven associated the word "glory" with the opening exclamation of the Latin text of the second part of the Mass: Gloria in excelsis Deo — "Glory to God in the highest". Hence the unexpected "learned" contrapuntal style of processing of the Russian song grows.

Between the chamber works of Beethoven and Shostakovich, one can find many parallels and deep connections concerning methods of working with thematism, interpretation of polyphonic forms [1, p. 352]. As F. S. Druzhinin noted, "music historians and theorists rightly attribute Shostakovich in his quartet work to composers who continue Beethoven's traditions. This also applies to the quartet writing itself, the variety of form and scale of the composition" [4, p. 110]. Attention is drawn to the scope and internal development of Shostakovich's quartets, the basis of which is symphonism, as well as the increased role of expressive recitatives of solo instruments, as in Beethoven's last quartets.

Shostakovich dedicated the finale of the Sonata for Viola and Piano to Beethoven's memory, which was based on the theme from Beethoven's "Moonlight Sonata", which received a new meaning – "mourning for a doomed high culture" [1, p. 352]. We should also note the significance of Beethoven's piano music, which Shostakovich, the pianist, highly appreciated and often performed (the Sonata in B-flat Major Op. 106 was performed by the musician at the final exam at the Conservatory). Shostakovich, the composer, was close to "conceptual clarity and architectonic balance, a tendency to reasonable economy of means and at the same time a noticeable tendency to dynamic onslaught" [1, p. 354], characteristic of Beethoven's style. Another important bonding element is a sense of humor from light irony to the grotesque.

On the other hand, it was thanks to Shostakovich that both listeners and performers in Russia changed their perception of Beethoven's music, which often anticipated a number of important aspects of Shostakovich's art.

The Taneyevskaya line was closely connected with the style of Beethoven's late quartets, which penetrated into the creative searches of D. Shostakovich. Of particular importance were the five quartets by Beethoven, written in the late period of creativity — the pinnacle of the chamber creativity of the genius — in which some features of the musical thinking of the XX century were anticipated [3, p. 163]. Both Taneyev and Shostakovich were artists of universal thinking, striving to merge together the polyphonic writing style like Bach's, the perfection of structural proportions like Mozart's, the scale and depth of the idea like Beethoven's.

Speaking of thematic connections, it is important to mention the numerous allusions and even quotations from Beethoven's quartets that are present in Shostakovich's quartets. For example, in the First Movement of Shostakovich's String Quartet No. 2 Op. 68 (vol. 262-263), there is a rhythmically or melodically similar motif in the cello part from the First Movement of Beethoven's String Quartet Op. 59 No. 1 (the melody sounds an octave higher):

Example 1. Beethoven. The first part of the Quartet Op. 59 No. 1 (vol. 1 – 7)

Example 2. Shostakovich. The first part of the Quartet No. 2 op. 68 (t. 262-263).

Another interesting example of textural and melodic quoting is the Third Movement of Shostakovich's Quartet No. 4 Op. 83 (c. 53), in which the unison of the second violin, viola and cello from the Second (slow) Movement of Beethoven's Quartet Op. 18 No. 6 (t. 61-65) is repeated:

Example 3. Beethoven. The second (slow) movement of the Quartet Op. 18 No. 6 (tt. 61 – 65)

Example 4. Shostakovich. The third part of the Quartet No. 4 Op. 83 (tt. 140 – 141).

Note that Shostakovich often not only retains the original melody, rhythmic pattern, texture, but also tonality and even dynamics.

Shostakovich knew Beethoven's music well and appreciated it very much, therefore in his works there are quotations and allusions not only from quartets, but also other works belonging to chamber-instrumental creativity. For example, at the beginning of the Finale of Shostakovich's Quartet No. 2, the same fifths appear in the cello part as in the Finale of Beethoven's Sonata for Cello and Piano No. 4 Op. 102 No. 1:

Example 5. Beethoven. Finale of the Sonata for Cello and Piano No. 4 Op. 102 No. 1.

Example 6. Shostakovich. The Finale of the Quartet No. 2 Op. 68.

In addition to intonational connections, we can also see structural ones: for example, in the First Quartet Op. 49 by Shostakovich, there is also no slow movement, as in the Quartet Op. 18 No. 4 by Beethoven.

So, Shostakovich often turned to Beethoven's work, used his methods and techniques of working with the material, the structure of the cycle, included allusions to themes, intonations in his quartets, and even used whole textured excerpts from Beethoven's music – and he refracted all this through the prism of his creative style.

 

[1] I. Shuppantzig served K. Lichnovsky from 1794 to 1799, and in 1808 he joined the service of Razumovsky.

References
1. Akopyan, L. O. (2020). What Beethoven was for Shostakovich (and what Shostakovich became for Beethoven). Bulletin of the Russian Christian Humanitarian Academy, 21, 352–364.
2. Davidyan, R. (1984). Quartet art Text. Moscow: Muzyka.
3. Dekhtyarenko, E. V. (2009). Implementation of the traditions of the Russian classical quartet in the work of Dm.Shostakovich. Problems of musical science. Ufa, 2(5), 161-164.
4. Druzhinin, F. (1997). Shostakovich’s quartets through the eyes of the performer: to the composer’s 90th anniversary: collection.articles. Comp.E. B. Dolinskaya. Moscow: Composer, 110-116.
5. Kirillina, L.V. (2006). On the history of Beethoven’s “Russian” quartets. Bulletin of history, literature, art, 2, 161-172.
6. Kirillina, L. V. (2019). Beethoven. Moscow: Young Guard.
7. Kovalevsky, G.V. (2020). Russian receptions of Beethoven of the 19th century: transformation of the image of a genius. Bulletin of the Russian Christian Humanitarian Academy, 21, 4-2, 342-251.
8. Musical Petersburg (2000). Century XVIII.Encyclopedic Dictionary. St. Petersburg: Composer. Vol. 1.9.
9. Raaben, L. (1960). Questions of quartet performance. Moscow: Soviet Composer.
10. Sinyavskaya, L. (2004). String quartet in Russian music: 1790-1860. Ekaterinburg: Scientific edition of the UGK.
11. Teplitskaya, V. (2004). A priceless gift. Dialogues with V. A. Berlinsky. Voronezh: Center for Spiritual Revival of the Chernozem Region.
12. Feldgun, G. (2000). History of the Western European Bow Quartet (from its origins to the beginning of the 19th century). Novosibirsk.
13. Feldgun, G. (2006). History of bow art from its origins to the 70s of the XX century: lecture course for students of the orchestral department.music universities. Novosibirsk: Novosibirsk state Conservatory.
14. Feldgun, G. (1993). Czech quartet in the process of development of European music (XVII-XIX centuries). Novosibirsk: Publishing house NTK.
15. Shirinsky, A. (1999). D. M. Tsyganov-violinist, artist, teacher. Moscow.

First Peer Review

Peer reviewers' evaluations remain confidential and are not disclosed to the public. Only external reviews, authorized for publication by the article's author(s), are made public. Typically, these final reviews are conducted after the manuscript's revision. Adhering to our double-blind review policy, the reviewer's identity is kept confidential.
The list of publisher reviewers can be found here.

The subject of the research in the article submitted for publication in the journal Philosophy and Culture under the heading "The genre of string quartet in the works of Beethoven and Shostakovich: thematic and intonation connections" is a set of thematic and intonation connections of individual fragments of string quartets by L. Beethoven and D. Shostakovich. It should be noted that the topic chosen by the author corresponds to one that is being systematically developed in domestic and foreign musicology, therefore it would be advisable to submit an article to a specialized scientific journal: for example, in "PHILHARMONICA. International Music Journal». In general, the topic of this article could be focused on the study of one of the problems corresponding to the topics of such columns of the journal "Philosophy and Culture" as "Dialogue of cultures" or "Connection of Times". However, in the presented study, attention is paid exclusively to a special musicological problem (the presence of thematic and intonation connections in individual fragments of string quartets by Beethoven and Shostakovich). The inconsistency of the subject is a sufficient reason for rejecting the article and recommending that it be published in a more appropriate journal. At the same time, a number of comments can be made that are aimed at improving the quality of the publication planned by the author and can be useful regardless of the scientific specialization of the journal. First of all, an understatement in the presentation of the research program is unacceptable: the author intended (in order to hide the thematic inconsistency of the article with the topic of the journal "Philosophy and Culture") or inadvertently did not explain either the object, the scientific problem, the purpose of the study, or the logic of solving a set of cognitive tasks. As a result, the article loses an essential scientific component – transparency of verification of planned and achieved results. A brief review of the special literature by the author clarifies the situation somewhat: the subject area of research formed around systematic studies of the string quartet genre in the works of Beethoven and Shostakovich is defined; the subject of the study is clarified – "a deeper study of the internal thematic and semantic connections between the quartets of Beethoven and Shostakovich is of interest." The subject area indicates an exclusively artistic interest of the author, however, the brevity of the literature review did not allow the author to assess the degree of study of the designated subject. The author did not summarize whether his colleagues touched on the thematic and semantic connections between the quartets of Beethoven and Shostakovich, or is he problematizing the topic for the first time? The author ignored the need to identify an area (problem) unexplored before him and substantiate the relevance of the new scientific knowledge that he brings to musicology (or cultural studies). By the way, the author missed the opportunity to problematize philosophical and cultural interest, which would justify the publication of an article in the relevant sections of the journal "Philosophy and Culture" ("Dialogue of Cultures" or "Connection of Times"), especially since the author in the main part of the article concerns the fact of L. Beethoven's appeal to the intonation material of the treatments of Russian song folklore and then , based on the analysis of fragments of musical works, the reverse process reveals (Shostakovich's interest in Beethoven's intonations). Such a prospect of finalizing the article is quite likely. To implement it, it is necessary to focus research interest on integration processes in academic musical culture, which includes the work of outstanding composers. In this case, it is necessary to clarify the object of research (academic musical culture) and interpret the result obtained by the author (the discovered intonation connections in the works of composers) in the aspect of adding scientific knowledge to the field of cultural studies of the dialogue of cultures and the connection of various historical epochs (which requires inclusion in the review of scientific literature on these topics and significant refinement of the final conclusion). In the final conclusion, the author summarizes: "Shostakovich often turned to Beethoven's work, used his methods and techniques of working with material, the structure of the cycle, included allusions to themes, intonations in his quartets, and even used whole textured excerpts from Beethoven's music – and he refracted all this through the prism of his creative style." For the problematic field of musicology or cultural studies, the presented conclusion is quite banal, although it follows from the author's analysis of individual fragments of the quartets of Shostakovich and Beethoven. The reviewer emphasizes that the absence in the article of the author's assessment of the novelty of the result obtained by him, as well as its theoretical and practical significance, does not allow it to be sufficiently unambiguously attributed to the field of cumulatively accumulated new knowledge in some industry. Thus, it has to be stated that the subject of the study is not disclosed clearly enough by the author. The research methodology is based around the basic technique of comparative analysis (comparison). At the same time, the author does not justify his choice of theoretical and methodological grounds and ignores the need to refer to the source of the tools he has chosen (there is no such literature in the bibliography). There is also no author's assessment of the sample of empirical material he conducted in the article: it is not clear from the text of the article whether the fragments analyzed by the author are a complete and exhaustive list of thematic and semantic connections between the quartets of Beethoven and Shostakovich, or whether the examples given somehow complement the part of the string quartets of the composers already studied by colleagues? Given the methodological significance of the illustrations (musical examples) used by the author, it is necessary to note the unsatisfactory quality of their visualization: the number of bars indicated by the author in the captions of the examples is not fully reflected in the figures, in examples 3, 4 the fragments highlighted by the author are not visible (perhaps this is an exclusively technical problem, but it significantly reduces the quality of the author's argumentation). Again, as noted above, the logic of the sequence of solved cognitive tasks and the scientific methods used to solve them is not transparent enough. This, in all likelihood, did not allow the author to formulate intermediate conclusions in the main part of the article and summarize them in the final conclusion. The author justifies the relevance of the chosen topic by saying that "the string quartet occupies a prominent place in the history of Western European and Russian music." On the one hand, the above argument justifies the author's appeal to a certain empirical material, on the other hand, this thesis is clearly insufficient to substantiate the necessity and timeliness of the research presented to the reader's attention. For example, if the author nevertheless decides to focus on cultural issues, then such comparative studies become particularly acute in the modern conditions of the civilizational confrontation between the West and Russia, when destructive practices of cultural abolition or strict censorship on ideological grounds are justified under the slogans of preserving some values. The scientific novelty expressed in the author's reference to specific empirical material is certainly present in the presented study, but it would be appropriate to place the result in the actual context of systematic musicological or cultural studies. The style in general in the presented text is scientific, although according to the technical regulations, captions to figures should be placed under the examples given and designated in accordance with the accepted standard (Figure 1, Figure 2 ...). The structure of the article to some extent corresponds to the logic of presenting the results of scientific research, but, as noted above, questions remain regarding the completeness of the content of the introduction, the main part and the final conclusion. The bibliography generally reflects the problematic area of studying the string quartet in the works of Beethoven and Shostakovich (the weak point remains the lack of literature of a theoretical and methodological nature); correction of the list in a single standard is required. The appeal to opponents is generally correct, although the author avoids discussions with colleagues and theoretical criticism of their work.
The interest of the readership of the journal "Philosophy and Culture" in the presented article can be guaranteed only if the research program is finalized and the final conclusion is taken into account the subject of the journal. Although, perhaps, it would be easier for the author to make small edits in terms of methodological support of the achieved result based on publication in a specialized musicological journal (for example, "PHILHARMONICA. International Music Journal»).

Second Peer Review

Peer reviewers' evaluations remain confidential and are not disclosed to the public. Only external reviews, authorized for publication by the article's author(s), are made public. Typically, these final reviews are conducted after the manuscript's revision. Adhering to our double-blind review policy, the reviewer's identity is kept confidential.
The list of publisher reviewers can be found here.

The author submitted his article "The genre of string quartet in the works of Beethoven and Shostakovich: thematic and intonation connections" to the journal Philosophy and Culture, which analyzes the relationship of quartet creativity in the works of two great composers. The author proceeds in studying this issue from the fact that, as one of the most complex and at the same time subtle types of musical art, the string quartet genre is a litmus test of the musical style, compositional language and skill of the author, therefore, it is most often addressed in the mature period of creativity. The string quartet sets the composer a difficult task to convey the full depth and richness of the inner content in a very concise, transparent and filigree genre, and the performers, in turn, will have to solve the most difficult tasks from a performing point of view. The relevance of the research is due to the fact that the modern type of string quartet, which has individual features and an updated figurative and semantic range, is developed on the basis of traditions laid down by the Viennese classics. D.D. Shostakovich's quartets are an example of the dialogue of epochs, styles and trends, the close interaction of traditions and innovations. The aim of the study is to identify parallels between string quartets in the works of Beethoven and Shostakovich in relation to their thematic and intonation connections. Russian Russian Quartets To achieve this goal, the author sets the following tasks: to identify the connection between Beethoven's work with Russian music and the composer's use of melodies of Russian songs in "Russian Quartets"; to identify intonation-thematic parallels between the quartets of Beethoven and Shostakovich. The object of the study of this article is the quartet work of Beethoven and Shostakovich in their interrelation. The methodological basis was the general scientific methods of analysis and synthesis, as well as comparative and musicological analysis. The scientific novelty of the study was the study of the internal thematic and semantic connections present between the quartets of Beethoven and Shostakovich. The theoretical basis of the study was the works of G. Feldgun, L. Sinyavskaya, L. Raaben, R. Davidyan, and others. The empirical material was the works of Ludwig van Beethoven and Dmitry Dmitrievich Shostakovich. Having analyzed the degree of scientific elaboration of the problem, the author notes a sufficient number of theoretical studies and practical recommendations on the genre of string quartet. However, the author also notes the absence of works highlighting the mutual influence of the works of composers Beethoven and Shostakovich. As the author notes, in Soviet Russia, Beethoven's music became an object of worship, and his Third, Fifth and Ninth Symphonies, as well as the Sonata Appassionata, were in tune with the ideas of the October Revolution and its initiators. The author conducted a detailed comparison of the works of two great composers according to several main parameters: the role of a particular musician-performer in the creative process of the composer, thematism, interpretation of polyphonic forms. The author concludes that the relationship between Beethoven and Russia, in particular, Russian folklore, was developing well. Among Beethoven's string quartets, the so-called "Russian" quartets Op. 59, written by order of Count Razumovsky, stand apart. Russian Russian quartets' music is not only associated with the quotation material, but also has a "Russian spirit" in general, contains intonations of the Russian drawl. Shostakovich, in turn, often turned to Beethoven's work, used his methods and techniques of working with material, the structure of the cycle, included allusions to themes, intonations in his quartets, and even used whole textured excerpts from Beethoven's music. All the theses and arguments of the author are supported by a variety of graphic material. In conclusion, the author presents a conclusion on the conducted research, which contains all the key provisions of the presented material. It seems that the author in his material touched upon relevant and interesting issues for modern socio-humanitarian knowledge, choosing a topic for analysis, consideration of which in scientific research discourse will entail certain changes in the established approaches and directions of analysis of the problem addressed in the presented article. The results obtained allow us to assert that the study of the development and mutual influence of musical and performing genres is of undoubted theoretical and practical cultural interest and can serve as a source of further research. The material presented in the work has a clear, logically structured structure that contributes to a more complete assimilation of the material. This is also facilitated by an adequate choice of an appropriate methodological framework. The bibliography of the study consisted of 15 sources, which seems sufficient for the generalization and analysis of scientific discourse on the subject under study. The author fulfilled his goal, received certain scientific results that allowed him to summarize the material. It should be noted that the article may be of interest to readers and deserves to be published in a reputable scientific publication.