"The Bells" by Sergei Rachmaninov: The poem "The Bells" by Edgar Allan Poe in the translation by Konstantin Balmont as a source for the birth of an individual musical form. Part I: background and history of creation
Svistunenko Tatiana Anatolevna
Saratov State Conservatoire
Submitted: 09.05.2023
Abstract. The aim of the research is to substantiate that Edgar Allan Poe's poem "The Bells" in the translation by K. Balmont served as the basis for the birth of the individual musical form of the poem "The Bells" for symphony orchestra, choir, and soloists, Op. 35 by S. Rachmaninov. The first part of the article extensively analyzes the background and content of Poe's poem "The Bells," where the richness of rhythmic melody in the verses is creatively imitated to represent the various sounds of bell ringing. It also characterizes Balmont's translation of the poem "The Bells," and explores the history of the creation of Rachmaninov's musical poem "The Bells" for symphony orchestra, choir, and soloists, as well as the audience's perception of Rachmaninov's musical poem in 1913-1914. It is argued that in his musical poem, Rachmaninov reflected the essence of human life, including the serene and bright youth, the prime of life and belief in happiness, hardships, struggles, and inevitable death and used a variety of bell sounds that symbolize the different stages of a person's life journey as portrayed in Poe's composition.
Key words and phrases: «Колокола» С. В. Рахманинова, «The Bells» Э. А. По, музыкальная поэма для симфонического оркестра, звучание колокольного звона, "The Bells" by S. V. Rachmaninov, "The Bells" by Edgar Allan Poe, musical poem for symphony orchestra, bell ringing
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