Ukrainian School Drama of the 17th–18th Centuries: the Problem of Musical Component Interpretation

Author

Korniy Lidiya

a Doctor of Art Studies, a chief research fellow at the Department of Screen-Stage Arts and Culturology of the NASU M. Rylskyi Institute for Art Studies, Folkloristics and Ethnology

Ukrainian School Drama of the 17th–18th Centuries: the Problem of Musical Component Interpretation

Abstract

The article is about the fact, that the emergence of school theatre in Ukraine from the late 16th century has been the result of formation of Ukrainian culture of the public model and the creation of conditions of rapprochement and its interaction with Latin cultures. It is shown in the new-type school – the Slavic-Greek-Latin. School performances are introduced in it. At the same time the experience of Polish and West European schools is used. It is emphasized, that in Ukrainian schools of the 17th–18th centuries, like in the Latin ones, mainly the    ecclesiastical drama with the use of musical component is presented. It is also important, that the problem of this component interpretation in Ukrainian school drama requires a special consideration, in particular, in the baroque culture context. Such research gets complicated with the lack of specialized music records in the dramas manuscripts. It is ascertained, that numerous stage directions in the dramas and verbal texts of musical numbers enable to form complete notion on the music significance in dramas. According to the analysis of the stage directions in 28 dramas the information on the main markers of music sounding in them, the characters, singing and playing on the instruments and also dancing in them, are proposed. The facts of Ukrainian ecclesiastic music use in the works are suggested. The Chorus singing sounds in each of the dramas. The chorus is used mainly as the character. It is emphasized, that in the approach to the Chorus use in drama the authors have based themselves on the principles of poetical courses, following the classical theory. Significant dramatic importance of the Chorus singing in the Comedy on the Christmas Day by Dymytriy Tuptalo is shown. It includes Chorus close connection with the drama plot and the main themes, the execution of various dramatic functions by it, like the glorification, notification, compassion, mourning, condemnation, entertaining. The use of some principles of musical drama, leitmotifs in particular, by the plays author is established. It is concluded, that the work by Dymytriy Tuptalo is referred to the genre drama with music. The Italian opera has been started from such a genre in the 16th century. The Comedy by Dymytriy Tuptalo can be considered as the Ukrainian opera forerunner.

Keywords

school drama, drama with music, interpretation, Chorus singing, drama, classical theory.

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