Balakirev’s “The Lark”: Interpretation and Performance

Julian Hellaby

doi:10.18290/rh247212sp.16

Published : 2024-08-23

Vol. 72 No. 12 Zeszyt specjalny (2024)

Balakirev’s “The Lark”: Interpretation and Performance

Julian Hellaby

https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2345-6524

DOI: https://doi.org/10.18290/rh247212sp.16

Abstract

Following on from work carried out by Márta Grabócz, John Irving, Julian Hellaby and others, this article examines ways in which a piece of music can signify in terms of its structure, its dynamic and expressive trajectory and its topical content, and shows how a grasp of these aspects can be a valuable tool for the performer. Focusing on Balakirev’s arrangement of Glinka’s song “The Lark”, a particular beginning-middle-end design (Agawu 1991, 2009) is identified and shown to support and interact with dynamic, expressive and topical features. Recommendations for performance are drawn from these hermeneutic observations.

Keywords:

interpretation, reworking, performance, topics, arrangements

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