Some Special Characteristics in the Vocal Melodics of Vatroslav Lisinski. A Contribution to the Analysis of the Composer's Style
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.4312/mz.7.1.39-47Abstract
In the vocal melodics of Vatroslav Lisinski we find a series of analogic yet at the same time characteristic elements which could be defined as relevant personal components of his style. Analysing the vocal melodies of his recently published 30 solo songs, we discover, in a relavitely narrow frame of lyrical form in which he was able, according to his creative affinity and artistic temperament, to find his most authentic expression, a richly differentiated scale of musical content, which reveals its many-layered structure only after detailed analysis. The melodies of these solo songs reveal a real master of miniature; they are expressed in an organised interplay of details which convey a specific stamp of identity to Lisinski's musical expression. The general diatonic physiognomy and periodic structure of his melodies are determined by the Classical-Romantic basis of Lisinski's personal style. Their profile, on the other hand, is also determined by a characteristic component of the composer's creative process: they are formed by means of the development and expansion of the basic musical idea. The emphasized flexibility of these melodies has its origin in a series of processes, by means of which the creative principle is realised: in variation of the basic material, in diminution of note values, in the introduction of melismas, in changed interval relations, in rhythmic nuances, in augmentation or diminution etc. It is characteristic that there are definite types of the melismatic enrichment of melodics, which types are in Lisinski an integral part of the melodic flow and by means of which the expression of this flow is enhanced. These elements are often developed in the fragments of a scale and the frequency of binary and ternary groups is characteristic for their rhythmic structure, so that this melodic flow has a flexible, rolling character. Lisinski's vocal melodics, which are predominantly singable and only seldom have recitative tendency, are also characterized by tipical interval flections and by the appearance of relative melodic elements, even in some temporary remote works by the composer.Downloads
Download data is not yet available.
Downloads
Published
01.12.1971
How to Cite
Kos, K. (1971). Some Special Characteristics in the Vocal Melodics of Vatroslav Lisinski. A Contribution to the Analysis of the Composer’s Style. Musicological Annual, 7(1), 39–47. https://doi.org/10.4312/mz.7.1.39-47
Issue
Section
Articles
License
Copyright (c) 1971 Koraljka Kos

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:
- Authors are confirming that they are the authors of the submitting article, which will be published (print and online) in journal Musicological Annual by Znanstvena založba Filozofske fakultete Univerze v Ljubljani (University of Ljubljana, Faculty of Arts, Aškerčeva 2, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia). Author’s name will be evident in the article in journal. All decisions regarding layout and distribution of the work are in hands of the publisher.
- Authors guarantee that the work is their own original creation and does not infringe any statutory or common-law copyright or any proprietary right of any third party. In case of claims by third parties, authors commit their self to defend the interests of the publisher, and shall cover any potential costs.
- Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work.