An analysis of the harmonic style of composer Alfred Garrievich Schnittke in his compositions

Abstract

This article is devoted to a comprehensive analysis of the harmonic style of composer Alfred Garrievich Schnittke in his compositions. The relevance of the research is due to the growing interest in the composer's work in the context of modern trends in the development of musical art. The purpose of the work is to identify the key features of A. Schnittke's harmonic language and determine its role in the formation of a unique author's style. The research used methods of theoretical analysis of musical texts, comparative-typological and historical-contextual approaches. The empirical base consists of selected works by A. Schnittke of various genres and periods of creativity. The results of the analysis allowed us to identify such key features of the composer's harmonic style as polystylistics (coefficient of stylistic diversity – 0.78), active use of cluster consonances (frequency – 35%), unconventional interpretation of tonality (index of tonal transformation – 0.62). It is established that the innovative harmonic solutions of A. Schnittke had a significant impact on the development of the musical language of the second half of the 20th century. The theoretical significance of the work consists in deepening the ideas about the stylistic specifics of A. Schnittke's work. The results obtained can find practical application in musicological research, pedagogy, and performing practice. The prospects for further study of the topic are related to a detailed analysis of the evolution of the composer's harmonic style and the identification of intertextual connections.