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From editor

S.S. Zengin

pp. 7-15

Classical Crossover in the Context of Interactions of East and West Trends

The article, based on a review of the literature on the problem, identifies the features
of the classical crossover and determines its characteristics in the Eastern and Western
traditions. The choice of the phenomenon of classical crossover as the object of research
determined the focus of the article – the identification of the role of citation material in
academic music as a component of crossover. The aim of the article is to show the general
principles of structuring song compositions representing classical crossover through the
introduction of quotations from academic music into pop compositions based on the analysis
of several vocal works of Chinese and Russian popular music. The material for the analysis
was the opuses of the Chinese singer Jay Chou “Piano of Sorrow”, “Dream Started”, the
song “Chopin” by Elena Vaenga, and the vocal composition “Stitches-Paths” performed by
Pelageya. The authors come to the conclusion that vocal works representing classical
crossover have common characteristics in the Eastern and Western traditions, which is
associated with the idea of globalization, socio-cultural processes. Classical crossover is
based on mixing different-style musical material, the interaction of different performing
manners, a commercial way of presentation in the modern cultural space. All this allows
considering it at the level of the composer, performing creativity, and in the aspect of
production. Classical crossover is relevant in the light of postmodern trends in contemporary
art. This is manifested in the citation and collage principle of structuring a musical composition.
Being in the stage of formation and development, classical crossover develops new forms,
the study of which is relevant for academic musicology.

Keywords: classical crossover, popular music, academic music, style.

Lin Jeffu, Tatiana F. Shak

pp. 15-23

Music for the Bayan and the Accordion in Domestic Cinema: A Historical-Style Excursus

The article considers the features of the functioning of music for the bayan and the
accordion in the historical dynamics of Russian cinema. Representing an original layer of
Russian musical culture, music for these instruments included in the structure of a film text
has not become an object of a separate study and has not received theoretical justification
as an independent branch of bayan-accordion performance and creativity. The aim of the
article is to identify the specifics of the composers’ interpretation of selected instruments
at different historical stages of the development of Russian cinema (the 1930s–1940s – the
2020s). The author characterizes the embodiment of the image of the instrument in domestic
films, establishes the genre and style specifics of film music for the bayan and the accordion,
determines the instruments’ functions and role in the dramaturgy of film production. Based
on the analysis of the music of films directed by L. Bykov, I. Vyrypaev, N. Gubenko,
I. Pyryev, S. Rostotsky, E. Ryazanov, I. Savchenko, Yu. Chulyukin and composers
B. Alexandrov, I. Dunaevsky, A. Gainullin, A. Lepin, B. Mokrousov, K. Molchanov,
A. Pakhmutova, Ya. Frenkel, the author substantiates the historical-chronological, figurativepoetic,
musical-psychological principles of a functional interpretation of music for the bayan
and the accordion in cinema. The stylistic origins of film music for these instruments are
determined as a reflection of the trends of modern culture. The author proves that, one of
the main ways to use music for these instruments is to include it into the media text of
popular mass genres (e.g., song, dance) that specify the events and the time frame of the
plot. Music for the bayan and the accordion in films is used both via genre generalization
and via a direct quotation of vocal and instrumental material. One of the forms of presentation
of the bayan and the accordion in domestic cinema was the image of a musician (bayan
or accordion player) as the main character of the film. Music that sounds in such films
contributes to the disclosure of the inner world of the character (the films Man with an
Accordion, My Seawoman, The Daughter of the Accordion Player). In recent decades,
there has been a tendency to psychologize music for the bayan and the accordion that is
used in domestic films as a counterpoint to the visual text (the film Euphoria with music
by A. Gainullin).

Keywords: film music, media text, button accordion, accordion, timbre, style, national cinema.

Dmitry A. Skudnev

pp. 24-31

The Category “National” in the Musical Setting of the Film The Flowers of War by Zhang Yimou

The work focuses on manifestations of the category “national” in the film The Flowers
of War by Zhang Yimou. The object of the study of the composer Chen Qigang’s work
with national musical material in the analyzed film. The research methodology includes
complex, systematic approaches; historical-stylistic, cultural approaches; methods of
hermeneutics and semantic analysis. The novelty of the study lies in the definition of
“national style” in the form of various kinds of preservation, representation and transmission
of the cultural values of the people in the music for The Flowers of War. The authors
substantiate the fact that the fusion of the religious forms of Western culture – the Catholic
chant and Chinese folk tunes, which have historical significance, give the musical design of
the film a tremendous power of generalization. As a result of the study, the assignment of
specific musical-thematic complexes to individual scenes of the film is substantiated. At the
same time, the film does not contain the “friend-or-foe” opposition. The musical-thematic
complexes of the Catholic chant and Chinese folk melodies complement each other. It is
concluded that the uniqueness of the musical arrangement of The Flowers of War is
created in the skillful stringing and enrichment of the meanings of these musical symbols
with the visual content and meanings of Chinese traditional musical culture. It is concluded
that such a universal cultural mutual enrichment extends the category “national” to the
“global” level that symbolizes universal values of civic and moral duty, humanism, that is
a full-fledged representative of the traditions and cultural and historical values of the Chinese
people.

Keywords: “national”, “global”, Zhang Yimou, The Flowers of War, Chen Qigang, pipa,
dramaturgy, Chinese folk tune “Qin Huai Jing”.

Svetlana A. Mozgot, Hao Wenting

pp. 31-40

Figurative and Dramatic Functions of Tango in Film Music

In the article, on the example of the analysis of film music from different periods of
the development of cinema art and national schools: domestic and American, the role of
tango as a component of film music is considered. In the analysis of films, tango is
considered in the context of the entire musical material as a whole and in conjunction with
the visual and sound (verbal text, sound effects) series of media text. The parameters
associated with the methods of introduction, the meaning of using the tango genre, the
relationship with the storylines of films, the significance in the formation of imagery and
dramatic functions are revealed. It is proved that the musical thematicism represented by
borrowed material – “Tango of the Nightingale” (music by Y. Bogoslovsky), “I’m Infinitely
Sorry” (music by A. Tsfasman, lyrics by B. Timofeev)” in the film Wounded Wounds
(Mosfilm, 1976, dir. N. Gubenko, comp. V. Panchenko) – and created especially for the
film Frida (Miramax Films, 2002, dir. D. Taymor) by composer E. Goldenthal, recreates the
era, specifies the characters, conveys the national flavor, forms the emotional and psychological
atmosphere of films, acts as leitmotifs, becomes a means of creating climaxes and an
important factor in dramaturgy through the representation of the key idea of the works. At
the same time, in Frida, the tango in its authentic performance creates a national flavor
to a greater extent and characterizes the passion of the main character’s nature, hence the
soloing of the rhythmic beginning, sharp accents, and the transfer of the ethnic color of the
sound. In Wounded Boys, the borrowed tango material characterizes the era, social
atmosphere, childhood memories, nostalgia, which is conveyed through tango in its lyrical
content with expressive melody and ensemble instrumental composition, typical for the
European existence of this genre.

Keywords: tango, genre, film music, dramaturgy, thematics, functions, climax.

Maria S. Prachenko

pp. 40-49

Jazz in Counterpoint With Poetry: From Bernd Alois Zimmermann to Jazz-Rap

The aim of the study is to determine the role of jazz in the synthesis of poetry and
music in the culture of the 20th century. The “traces” of the contrapuntal interaction of
poetry and jazz are found in many works of the authors of the second wave of musical
avant-garde. The author finds the most striking examples in the Symphony by Luciano
Berio, Requiem to a Young Poet by Bernd Alois Zimmermann, Concerto for Two
Orchestras: Symphony Orchestra and Symphony Jazz Band by Sophia Gubaidulina, and
others. Such works reflect a new stage in the development of the synthesis of poetry and
music. Among the “non-academic areas” a special place is occupied by “jazz-poetry”, born
from the collaboration of the American poet and novelist Kenneth Patchen and Allyn
Ferguson’s sextet. This original phenomenon in the history of jazz art appears to be very
distinctive and reflects many features of the culture of Beatnik poets. Another phenomenon
under consideration is associated with another non-academic musical and poetic direction –
hip-hop. At the end of the last century, directions are found in hip-hop culture that aim to
bring rap closer to “high” art. Thus, jazz-rap appears, in which the digitalized idioms of jazz
and the specific version of the rhythmic recitation of a poetic text are originally combined.
Even at present, this direction does not lose popularity among the mass listener. However,
it was not consecrated in the domestic musicology. In conclusion, the idea is substantiated
that such a synthesis was equally in demand both in academic avant-garde music and in
non-academic areas: from jazz to hip-hop. As a result, there have emerged many new
original forms of non-academic art, which at the moment require more serious consideration.

Keywords: jazz, poetry, rap, jazz-rap, synthesis of arts, Bernd Alois Zimmermann, Luciano
Berio, Kenneth. Patchen.

Vsevolod S. Chuvilkin

pp. 50-57

Characters of Medieval Novels in the 20th-Century Cinema: Gawain as an

French cinema of the 1970s received a lot of contradictory assessments and thoughts
in art history. Until now, the methods and mechanisms of the New Wave directors’ appeal
to the medieval epos have not received theoretical explanations. The article focuses on the
image of one of the central characters in the medieval epos – Knight Gawain – in the
movie Perceval le Gallois (1978) by Eric Rohmer (1920–2010). Using techniques of a
cross-disciplinary analysis, the author for the first time compares the film and the medieval
chivalric romance Perceval, the Story of the Grail by Chretien de Troyes (c. 1135–1180/
1190). The author makes original observations. In terms of expressive means, the director
freely varies artistic touches of the medieval epos, the era of the modernist style and
postmodernism, thus forming a vertically multidimensional text lying in the plane of conceptual
art. The author determines the artistic landmarks of the film: hypermannerism is manifested
in the ironic treatment of the “lavishly” described episodes of battles, shortening the “rich”
and lengthy dialogues of the original romance. Neo-expressionism is also observed in
references to the German cinema of the 1920s through characteristic scenery. The author
uses the methods of semiotic, comparative, and historical-film analysis developed in the
works of such classics of art criticism as Siegfried Krakauer, Georges Sadoul, Gilles Deleuze.
The author concludes that the image of Gawain in the text of the romance seems almost
flawless. For Gawain, the concept of knightly honor is defining and the most important. At
the same time, Gawain’s behavior can be described as “courtly philandering”. In the film,
Gawain is even more perfect: he is not a hedonist, but a knight without fear and reproach.
The means of expression indicate a connection between Gawain and the main character
Perceval – they are both the strongest knights of the Round Table. At the same time, calm,
reasonable, always true to himself, Gawain acts as the opposite of the ardent, passionate,
changing protagonist in the course of the narrative. The director of the film clearly
demonstrates a break with the traditions of big historical films, presenting an original
interpretation of the medieval epos.

Keywords: Eric Rohmer, French cinema, “New Wave”, postmodernism, Perceval le Gallois,
King Arthur, knights of Round Table, chivalric romance, Chretien de Troyes, epos, Middle
Ages, cinema music.

Mikhail E. Zolnikov

pp. 57-65

Revisor by Crystal Pite: A Choreographic Interpretation of the Play by Nikolai Gogol

The article analyzes the play Revisor (2019) choreographed and directed by Crystal
Pite and written by Jonathon Young, based on Gogol’s comedy of the same name, within
the scope of the problem of the literary works embodiment in choreography. In order to
evaluate the choreographic interpretation, the author compares dramaturgic decisions,
composition, and characters’ structure of the original play and the new production. The
research mentions the two-act ballet The Government Inspector choreographed by
O. Vinogradov and composed by A. Tchaikovsky, staged in 1980. The author also pays
attention to the problem of translation from Russian into English by quoting characters’ lines
written by Jonathon Young and interpreting their meaning. There is a conclusion that Pite
and Young’s Revisor is a comedy masterfully executed using theatrical and choreographic
methods, where grotesque characters expose the social and moral conflicts in the same way
as in Gogol’s play. The author attaches special importance to the voiceover narrative of the
performance and to the off-plot dance scene, which contains the core idea of the play. The
conclusion is that Revisor is an exciting multi-layered and modern work that explores the
interaction of verbal and plastique languages. The author of the article comes to the
conclusion that such artistic decisions help preserve the subtext of the source material and
put the play into a new context without taking away the usual perception of the word.

Keywords: Nikolai Gogol, Crystal Pite, literary plot, drama, choreographic interpretation,
modern dance, choreographic drama.

Elizaveta S. Priezzheva

pp. 65-71

Features of Kuban Graphics of the 1910s–1920s

Kuban graphics in its historical development and up to the present time has not been
in the researchers’ field of view. The established Kuban school of fine arts showed the
need to study it in retrospect. Graphics adapted to the historical changes that occurred in
the twentieth century. A feature of the formation and development of graphics in Kuban
was the continuity of academic traditions against the backdrop of the development of avantgarde
artistic movements. New techniques for the execution of graphic works also appear,
and the local art school is finally taking shape. The aim of the study was to explore the
history of the emergence and development of graphics in the first decades of the 20th
century in the Kuban region and Yekaterinodar, subsequently Krasnodar.

Keywords: Kuban graphics, Russian graphics of Soviet era, Russian drawings of first
decades of twentieth century, Russian landscape, Soviet art of first decades of twentieth
century.

Sergey M. Gontar, Galina N. Sologub

pp. 72-79

Contrast as a Communicative Principle of Organizing a Literary Text (On the Example of Fine Arts)

The article aims to specify the communicative role of contrasts in art and fine arts
in particular. The relevance of the study lies in the fact that, despite of all the obviousness
of the significance of contrast in art, its status has not yet been clarified, and the confusion
between substantive and formal contrasts has not been eliminated. Contrast is considered
at both conceptual and formal levels of reflection in different genres and types of fine arts.
The authors demonstrate that any visual information becomes accessible just on account of
contrasts, and the existence of any artwork is possible only due to their nomenclature. Such
types of visual contrast as the contrast of magnitudes, color and tonal contrast, the contrast
of forms, the contrast of the whole and the fractional are analyzed with the help of
extensive cultural material. Binary oppositions in art and beyond it are also represented as
a nomenclature of contrasts. In connection with it, the author examines a nuance that
opposes contrast in art. Examples of using the nuance in visual arts are given. Special
attention in the research is paid to delimitation of the formal and conceptual contrast in art.
The authors show and prove that conceptual contrast is primary, since formal contrast is
by all means its expression, apart from the specific nature of art and the type of reception.
The authors compare the image of a visual text and a literary text in the part that rests
on contrast. The translating of the literary expressive language into the expressive language
of the image (ekphrasis) is analyzed. As a result, this study leads to the conclusion that
contrast, as a basic principle, is universal and certainly underlies every work of art.

Keywords: color, contrast, form, nuance, plot, principle, reception, ekphrasis.

Ekaterina L. Balkind, Ekaterina Yu. Puntus

pp. 79-86

The Piano Ensemble in the Works of Johannes Brahms

Anniversaries are often the occasion for a new look when considering even renowned
phenomena. The 190th anniversary of the birth of Johannes Brahms, the greatest composer
of the 19th century, which will be celebrated in 2023, has become the starting point for
discussing the role of piano ensembles in his work. It should be mentioned that the piano
was the center of attraction for Brahms. He performed a lot as a soloist and an ensemble
player, often in piano duets. Proximity to one of the famous pianists of the past century,
Clara Schumann, undoubtedly contributed to the appearance of many of his piano
compositions, Clara Schumann was both the first performer of Brahms’ music and a real
propagandist of his chamber and instrumental works. About 500 works, including chamberinstrumental
and vocal music with the participation of the piano, were written specifically
for this instrument. According to the requirements of the time, when preparing for the
publication of a work for orchestra or chamber ensemble, it was also necessary to submit
its four-hand version. An enlightened audience got acquainted with new compositions by
playing them in an ensemble for piano four hands. Thanks to this practice, adaptations of
most of Brahms’ masterfully made works have come down to us. The repertoire for piano
ensembles or two pianos four hands also includes original duet works by Brahms: his very
first ensemble work, Variations on a Theme by Schumann, Op. 23, written to the “last
musical thought” of the seriously ill Robert Schumann; Waltzes Op. 39. The wonderful
cycles of waltzes Songs of Love, Op. 52A, and New Love Songs, Op. 65A, are written
for piano four hands and vocal quartet ad libitum. The desire to create a four-hand composition
often seizes Brahms, and then the most popular Hungarian dances arise, which made young
Brahms famous. Or, being dissatisfied with a string quintet, the composer creates a version
for two pianos four hands – the Sonata in F minor, which later became a piano quintet.
The history of the creation of both original compositions and their adaptations is complemented
by our discussion of the piano ensembles of Johannes Brahms. A huge surge of interest in
such a type of performance as a piano duet in recent decades in our country and abroad
requires updating and enriching the repertoire for four-hand ensembles. It is noticeable that,
when compiling programs, musicians focus on transcriptions of famous works. In the light
of this circumstance, it is worth paying attention to the original ensembles of Brahms and
his excellent arrangements of his own first-class works, which remain undeservedly forgotten
today. Close attention to the piano ensemble genre in the work of Johannes Brahms,
specifically to a huge number of author’s arrangements, the history of creation and analysis
of this music became the object of this study.

Keywords: piano, ensemble, transcription, piano duet, choral preludes, counterpoint,
arrangement, Brahms.

Tatiana V. Sorokina,

pp. 86-92

The Dawns Here Are Quiet Opera by Kirill Molchanov: Characteristic Features of Artistic Images

The aim of the work is to identify the characteristic features of the artistic images of Kirill Molchanov’s opera The Dawns Here Are Quiet in the aspect of the national cultural code. The material of the study was the text of the opera, as well as a set of circumstances associated with its creation and features of its stage interpretation. The methodology involves the widespread use of historical-comparative and structural-analytical methods. In his artistic conception, the composer uses the principle of combining mise-enscиnes, which is characteristic of the cinematographic tradition. The leading artistic images of the opera work are consistently analyzed; the characteristic features of their monologues are revealed; the meaning of the characters is discovered in the aspect of symbolism inherent in Russian culture. Attention is also paid to small parties – supporting roles; their influence on the disclosure of the author’s intention is shown. The characteristic features of the artistic images of Molchanov’s opera are revealed: clarity of musical dramaturgy, musical texture based on Russian songwriting, a widespread use of recitation, effective intonation, a system of leitmotifs that characterize each image separately, a concretized form of stage costume, laconic scenography, including the “montage” principle of mise-enscиnes, minimal natural make-up, organic and realistic stage plasticity. The richness of the artistic images of Molchanov’s opera and the accessibility of the perception of the musical and textual material determine the constant interest in this production among singer actors, conductors, stage directors, as well as among the mass audience.

Keywords: opera art, Soviet opera, Russian musical culture, Kirill Molchanov, The Dawns Here Are Quiet, artistic images, cultural code. 

Elisey S. Laptev

pp. 93-100

The Problem of a Methodological Approach to the Study of Sport as a Cultural Phenomenon

The study examines the problem of methods of a scientific approach to the phenomenon of sport. Actualizing the problem of the methodology of cultural studies, the authors consider the objective possibilities of a particular scientific method in the cultural understanding of the socio-cultural phenomenon of sport. The novelty of the authors’ approach to the problem lies in the need to understand sport in the field of modern cultural knowledge. Using a comparative analysis of the methods proposed by foreign and domestic researchers, the authors consider the possibilities of this methodology in relation to the phenomenon of sport. Based on the analysis of the methodology of research on the phenomenon of sport, the  authors come to the conclusion that the method itself largely determines the result of the study and its productivity. The authors assert the need to master the methodology of cultural studies of the phenomenon of sport in general, since the priority given by the researcher to one, albeit proven, method of considering the phenomenon of sport impoverishes the actual humanitarian essence of this phenomenon in its cultural, anthropological dimensions. The conclusion about the use of two or more methods in the study of the phenomenon of sport, as a way to overcome the narrow focus of special scientific disciplines in favor of a culturological approach, seems practically significant. The study of methods of cultural approaches to the socio-cultural phenomenon of sport can objectify the integrating function of cultural knowledge in relation to this phenomenon. This is the novelty of the authors’ position and the prospects of this research in the field of cultural studies of sport.

Keywords: sport phenomenon, methodology, cultural studies.

Elizaveta A. Naidenko, Anna V. Tonkovidova, Larisa G. Bitarova, Tatiana V. Mishina

pp. 101-110

Gamification as a Mechanism of Digital Transformation of Personnel Training in the Field of Culture and Art

This article presents new specialties that an applicant can learn in higher educational
institutions of culture and art. Most of these specialties were futuristic until recently, but the
COVID-19 pandemic revealed an urgent need for training specialists in areas that were not
previously digitalized. Due to the increasing demand for IT specialties, it is possible to
predict a decrease in budget places in creative educational institutions. It is the digitalization
of the labor market that brings specifics to the educational process of higher educational
institutions in the field of culture and arts. The object of this research is the process of
digitalization of higher education. The focus is gamification as a mechanism of education
digitalization. The aim of this article is to substantiate the digitalization of training in the
field of culture and art through gamification. To achieve the aim, the author sets the
following objectives: to identify the current trends of the labor market in the field of culture
and art; to characterize a number of specialties in the areas of higher education in creative
universities; to consider gamification as a mechanism of digitalization of creative personnel
training. When writing the article, the author used the method of comparative analysis in
the study of modern labor market demands, as well as the method of observing the
educational process in the field of culture and art. As part of this study, the author touches
on key areas of training that may be changed in the foreseeable future. At the same time,
the development of such areas of training as “musical and instrumental art” or “choreographic
art” requires an even more detailed analysis. Today, the increase in the economic growth
of the Russian Federation directly depends on the successful digitalization of the labor
market. Based on this, the author assumes that in the near future the demand for specialists
in IT will sharply increase, and, as a result, applicants will choose educational institutions
of technical and engineering profile. However, thanks to the campaign of the state concept
for the development of creative industries, universities of culture and arts will be in demand.

Keywords: gamification, digitalization, STEAM, culture, art, digital modern, labor market.

Nikita S. Normansky

pp. 110-118

Ornamentation of Balkar and Karachay Prayer Rugs

Balkar and Karachay namazlyks are felt ritual prayer rugs used in Islamic religious
practices. The study of the ornamentation of namazlyks makes it possible to reconstruct the
processes of development of the religious systems of the Balkars and the Karachays.
Earlier, the religious views of the Balkars and the Karachays were analyzed in works by
L.I. Lavrov, M.M. Kovalevsky, I.I. Ivanyukov, G.K. Azamatova, and others; the traditional
ornamentation of various products of their folk art, except for the ornamentation of namazlyks,
was considered by A.Ya. Kuznetsova, and the symbolism of prayer rugs of other peoples
was explored by K.G. Guseynov and E.G. Tsareva. The works of these domestic scholars
became the basis for this study, which aims to analyze the ornamentation of Balkar and
Karachay namazlyks as a coded worldview of the ancestors. The object of the research
are the changes in the ways of decorating Balkar and Karachay prayer rugs. The author
analyzes the ornamentation of prayer rugs of the Balkars and the Karachays, traces and
compares the options for using pre-Muslim and Muslim symbols in the ornamentation of
namazlyks, the options indicating the syncretism of the Balkars’ and the Karachays’ religious
beliefs. With all the abundance of studies on Balkar and Karachay carpets, the analysis of
the ornamentation of namazlyks, as their separate type was carried out for the first time.
Its results will be of interest not only to specialists in Caucasian studies, religious studies,
and regional studies, but also to everyone interested in the culture of these peoples. The
main research method is comparative. It is used to compare the Balkar and the Karachay
prayer rugs’ ornamentation, which changed in different historical periods. The search and
collection of field materials by the author, which made it possible to carry out this research,
were of essential importance. This research presents the results of the analysis of the
Karachay prayer rug from the monograph by A.Ya. Kuznetsova, who collected and studied
part of the cultural heritage of Balkaria and Karachay, and the Balkar prayer rug, which
was discovered by the author in the collection of the regional museum of the Elbrus region
(Tyrnyauz, Kabardino-Balkarian Republic).

Keywords: Turkic-speaking peoples, religious syncretism, prayer rugs, eclectic, paganism,
Tengrism, Islam.

Galina V. Semina

pp. 119-130

Stylistic Transformation of Ma Sicong’s Compositional Works

The article explores the creative path of the Chinese composer and violinist Ma
Sicong (1912–1987), who played an important role both in the development of the professional
violin school in China and in the formation of the professional violin repertoire. His name
is not actually known in Russian musicology; there are only separate sources in Chinese
and English. In the course of the research, Ma Sicong’s compositions of different years are
analyzed to trace the evolution of his creative paradigm: from the development of European
harmony and academic instrumental forms to the manifestation of national identity through
the borrowing of folklore material. Ma Sicong received his academic education at the Paris
Conservatory. While studying, Ma Sicong composed mainly in academic genres, such as
string quartets, piano trios and sonatas (mainly violin). Many of his early compositions
represent an assimilation of the classical heritage. For instance, in String Quartet No. 1, the
similarity with Beethoven’s quartets is obvious. During his studies, Ma Sicong got acquainted
with the heritage of outstanding European composers of the classical and romantic eras. He
was also fascinated by the work of composers of the late 19th and early 20th centuries,
in particular, he found Debussy’s harmony bright and original. The harmonic turns of Debussy
and Ma Sicong often look very similar due to the use of the pentatonic scale for traditional
European instruments. Ma Sicong used it in the most “organic” way and included authentic
Chinese folklore material. For example, the second part of the Violin Concerto in F Major
is a pentatonic Cantonese folk melody. Ma Sicong also studied Russian music: works of the
composers of the Mighty Bunch, P.I. Tchaikovsky and I.F. Stravinsky. In the music of the
Violin Concerto of Ma Sicong in F major, there are features of a Russian romantic concert,
in particular, some elements resemble the Introduction to Tchaikovsky’s First Violin Concerto.
In the 1920s, Ma Sicong studied ancient Chinese literature and folk songs with great
interest. He incorporated folk melodies with incredible sophistication into European musical
forms. 

Keywords: professional violin school in China, Chinese music, Ma Sicong, composer’s
evolution.

Bu Yanfeng

pp. 130-137

Tan Dun’s Opera Marco Polo in the Context of Postmodernism

The article examines the opera Marco Polo (1996) by the Chinese-American composer Tan Dun in the context of postmodern culture. Offering a perspective of a structural and stylistic analysis, the author, using the example of this work, considers the mechanism of interaction between various representatives that include intertextuality, timbre and stylistic attributions of traditional cultures, and representations of avant-garde musical culture. The libretto of the opera created by Paul Griffiths based on his own novel Myself and MarcoPolo is characterized. The multi-level structure of the opera is considered, which combines a spiritual journey, a physical (geographical) journey and a musical journey. Particular attention is paid to the influence of the Peking Opera, both in the field of singing and in the field of instrumentation. The role of national musical instruments included in the orchestra is emphasized. The presence in certain episodes of the opera of the style of Bartok, Mahler, and Cage is noted. The conclusion from the study is that Marco Polo is, first of all, a postmodern opera that combines many texts of culture and cultural attributions. This is facilitated by both quotations and allusions – literary, musical, timbre, stylistic, and a complex polyphonic composition that predetermines the postmodern rhizomorphism of the modern anti-narrative opera.

Keywords: postmodern opera, Tan Dun, Marco Polo, intertextuality, quotations, allusions,
timbre representations.

Si Yang

pp. 138-144

The Fine Arts of Dagestan as a Text of Culture (On the Example of Dagestan Artists’ Works on Everyday Topics)

Fine arts of Dagestan (genre paintings by Dagestan artists) are a unique example of
a cultural text that reveals the specifics of social transformations in the first decades of
Soviet power. The empirical basis of the study is the paintings of Dagestan artists of the
1920s–1950s. This little-studied material has a significant value for cultural knowledge in the
aspect of studying the culture of everyday life. Genre paintings, on the basis of which the
topic is studied, are a genre of fine arts dedicated to depicting scenes of everyday, private,
and public life, usually contemporary to the artist. The works of the first artists of Soviet
Dagestan clearly reflect the cultural context of such events as the industrialization of the
republic, the modernization of its educational system, and the overcoming of the remnants
of the past. The paintings complement many of the observations of Dagestan scientists
about the contradictory nature of the historical and cultural development of Dagestan in
those years. In terms of the cultural text, two periods can be distinguished in the development
of fine arts in Dagestan in the first years of Soviet power. The first is from the late 1920s
till the early 1930s, which coincided with the formation of painting in Dagestan. Taking into
account the underdevelopment of photography in the republic at that time, drawings and
paintings are not only works of art, but an important source reflecting the culture of
everyday life. The second period is associated with a later time, the time of directives of
the authorities for the development of social realism in art and culture, with the authorities’
requests to cultural figures for ideologization and romanticization of complex and contradictory
social phenomena. Artists tried to fulfill such tasks. At the same time, they created many
realistic, truly real-life paintings with themes that reflected the complexity of life and the
everyday life of people in all its diversity and difficulties.

Keywords: text of culture, fine arts of Dagestan, 1920s–1950s, genre art, painting as text
of culture.

Amirbek Dj. Magomedov, Zaripat A. Akhmedova

pp. 145-146

Information About the Authors (in Russian)