THE GENRE DIFFUSION OF CHAMBER-VOCAL AND OPERA GENRE (ON THE EXAMPLE OF C. GOUNOD’S OPERA “FAUST”)

Abstract

The article is devoted to the peculiarities of the vocal style of the outstanding French composer C. Gounod, in particular, to those that arose and were formed due to the effect of genre diffusion. We are talking about a special multi-level interaction in the creative work of C. Gounod of chamber-vocal and opera genres and the corresponding genre-stylistic result, which has both a composing and performing dimension. The purpose of the presented article is to reveal the effect of genre diffusion of chamber-vocal and opera genres in the creative work of C. Gounod (on the example of the opera “Faust”). As the main methods of research we have chosen the genre-based one, which allows to single out, describe and analyse the peculiarities of the interaction of chamber-vocal and opera genres; the stylistic one, with the help of which we are able to convert genre diffusion into a stylistic principle; and the performing one, which provides a practical and creative evidence base for verifying the research results. The article examines the specifics of the genre-stylistic nature of C. Gounod's vocal music through the prism of the results of the effect of genre diffusion. Two levels of this interaction and its direction are distinguished; the practical prospects of such interaction through the prism of vocal performance are outlined. The most important feature of genre diffusion in C. Gounod's vocal creative work is its multilevelness, which is stipulated by the manifestations of the laws of this diffusion not only between the chamber-vocal and opera genres, but also within the composer's chamber-vocal creative work itself. The specificity of the chamber-vocal genre in C. Gounod's vocal creative work is related to the genre diffusion of academic chamber-vocal music and the composer's contemporary urban song-romantic practice. This is manifested both in genre definitions (song, romance, couplets, etc.), and in the corresponding intonation, artistic imagery, emotional line, structure, and other genre features. As a rule, it is precisely this special style of chamber and vocal music of C. Gounod that is noted by researchers. In his opera creativity, the composer uses these genres in his style, which has a noticeable impact on the genre nature of the opera, as well as on the perspectives of performance and interpretation. This second level of genre diffusion of chamber-vocal and opera music in C. Gounod's creative work thus has a mutually directed movement, which gives the composer's music richness and perspectives.