THE FACTOR OF THE 19TH CENTURY ROMANTICISM IN THE GENESIS OF LATVIAN SYMPHONY MUSIC AND IN THE FIRST PERIOD OF ITS STYLISTIC DEVELOPMENT

Abstract

This article focuses on the problem, concerning the long-lasting influence of the style and aesthetics of the 19th century romanticism on the history of Latvian symphony music within 1880–1940. The above period witnesses the prevalence of the so-called national romanticism as one of the features of the 19th century romantic art in diverse symphony music by Latvian composers alongside with instrumental chamber music, choral works and operas. The most outstanding symphony pieces by composers of different generations (Jurjānu Andrejs, Jāzeps Vītols, Emilis Melngailis, Alfrēds Kalniņš, Jāzeps Mediņš, Jēkabs Mediņš, Jānis Mediņš, Ādolfs Ābele, Jānis Kalniņš, Volfgangs Dārziņš, Ādolfs Skulte, Jānis Ivanovs) mostly represent such genres as programmatic poems, illustrative music and suites. Most of Latvian composers, striving to be more or less original in their music, had adopted both the aesthetically elaborated principles of tonal harmony, homophone and poliphone texture by foreign composers of the 19th century, mostly French, Russian or German, as well as the notions of music dramaturgy and form. They also borrowed the intonation codes inherent to such music, making it possible to recognize their either formal or at the same time also deeply contextual identity, pertaining to one aspect of romantic style, namely, basic notions of the aesthetics of national romanticism. However, we find almost no traces of the branch of aesthetics and style of romanticism which reflects sharp contrasts, grotesque and dramatic pathetics within the context of music imagery. Such tendencies turn up mostly in the thirties and in the forties of the 20th century. Best examples of symphony music of the time are the following: the Second (Romantic) symphony (1938) by Pēteris Barisons and the Fourth symphony Atlantis (1941) by Jānis Ivanovs.