ORIENTAL IMAGES IN EUROPEAN THEATRICAL BAROQUE MUSIC

Abstract

The process of Western European and Eastern cultures dialogue at its early stage is considered on the example of theatrical music by Western European composers of the 17’th century. The author pays attention to two conditional vectors of the Eastern themes’ development in the theatrical music of Europe during the Baroque period – Middle Eastern and Far Eastern. The comedy-ballet by J.-B. Lully and Moliere “Le bourgeois gentilhomme” (the first vector) and the opera “The Fairy-Queen” by H. Purcell (the second vector), which can be considered one of the first examples of the embodiment of Eastern images in music, are analyzed. Means of expressiveness for creating an image of the East in each of the works are studied, stylistic parameters of oriental scenes, their dramatic function, semantic load are determined. On the basis of a complex analysis, it’s found out that at the early stage of the development of the integration process in music-theatrical art, oriental images have been created primarily by visual means. There were scenery, props and costumes. The famous “Turkish scene” from the fourth act of Lully’s comedy-ballet is scenographically close to an oriental painting. At the same time, the composer made an attempt to give his music an oriental coloring, actively using percussion instruments (timpani) and flute. In the creation of the musical image of the Turks, the principle of characterization through genre (march and prayer) was also applied. However, according to stylistic parameters, the musical language of the “Turkish” numbers corresponds not to the Eastern, but to the Baroque style. In Purcell’s “Fairy Queen” the attention is focused on the analysis of the “Chinese Scene” from the fifth act of the opera. Author notices that China is presented as a fairy-tale paradise country with the help of scenery and costumes, it’s indicated by extensive remarks in the score. With regard to the musical embodiment of the China’s image, it’s found that its style characteristics nave been also created in European traditions. But the appearance of a Chinese couple on the stage as happy representatives of Eden, as has been seen China in Europe, neutralizes the stylistic contradiction.