The influence of oratory art on music is rhetoric, typical of the Baroque era (XVI - XVIII centuries). In these times, even the doctrine of musical rhetoric arises, representing music as a direct analogy to the art of eloquence.
Musical rhetoric
The three tasks expressed by rhetoric in antiquity - to persuade, to delight, to excite - are resurrected in the art of Baroque and become the main organizing force of the creative process. As for a classical speaker, the most important thing was the formation of a certain emotional reaction of the audience to his performance, so for a baroque musician it was mainly to achieve the maximum impact on the feelings of the audience.
In the music of the Baroque style, the solo singer and concert instrumentalist occupy the place of a speaker on the stage. Musical speech seeks to imitate rhetorical disputes, conversations, and dialogues. The instrumental concert, for example, was understood as a kind of competition between the soloist and the orchestra, with the aim of revealing to the audience the possibilities of both parties.
In the XVII century. vocalists and violinists began to play the leading role on the stage, for the repertoire of which were such genres as the sonata and a big concert (gorcet, based on the alternation of the whole orchestra and the group of soloists).
Musical rhetorical figures
Sustained stylistic turns are characteristic of rhetoric, which make an oratorical statement especially expressive, greatly enhancing its figurative and emotional impact. Certain sound formulas (musical and rhetorical figures) appear in the music of the Baroque era, intended to express various feelings and ideas. Most of them received the Latin names of their rhetorical prototypes. The figures contributed to the expressive impact of musical creations, provided the instrumental and vocal works of semantic and figurative fullness.
For example, rising second created a sense of question, and, combined pairwise descending secondsexpressed sigh, mourning. Pausing could paint a sense of surprise, doubt, imitate intermittent speech.
Rhetorical techniques in the works of I.S. Baha
The works of genius JS Bach are deeply connected with musical rhetoric. Knowledge of this science was important for the church musician. The organist in Lutheran worship played a peculiar role of a "music preacher".
In the religious symbolism of the High Mass, I.S. The rhetorical figures of descent, ascent, and circle are very important.
- Circle shape the composer applies for the glorification of God, the image of heaven.
- Rising scales symbolize ascension, resurrection, and falling intonation associated with dying, sorrow.
- Chromatic Moves in the melody, as a rule, were used to express sadness, suffering. The sad feeling creates the chromatic theme of the fugue in F minor (I. S. Bach "The Well-Tempered Clavier" Volume I).
- Ascending move on sixth (the figure is an exclamation) in the subject of Fugues in C Sharp Major (Bach "CTC" Volume I) conveys joyful excitement.
By the beginning of the XIX century. the influence of rhetoric on music is gradually lost, giving way to musical aesthetics.
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