“An Alien Word” in the Composer's Work: Alfred Schnittke and Nikolai Korndorf

Abstract

In the present article, the author attempts to apply M. M. Bakhtin's philological concept of “an alien word” to the art of music (that is quotes, quasi‑quotes, allusions, symbolic motifs, monograms). As an example, the are considered. The listed phenomena are associated with polystylistics in music, and, more generally, with the concept of intertextuality.

From this point of view, the uses of quotes, quasi-quotes, and allusions are compared by the examples of works of the composers, who are different in aesthetic and artistic settings: The String Trio “In honor of Alfred Schnittke (AGSCH)”, Mozart-Variationen for String Sextet, Scherzo from the Fourth Symphony (“Underground music”) by Nikolai Korndorf; Fourth Concerto for Violin and Orchestra, Requiem (Lacrimosa), Moz-Art, second part of Alfred Schnittke's Third Symphony.

A different attitude of composers to stylistic models is revealed: in Schnittke’s works — the opposition of quotes and quasi-quotes to author's music (polystylistics), in Korndorf’s works — on the contrary, their approaching composer’s own stylistics (in general — monostylistics).

Keywords

“An alien word”, intertextuality, polystylistics, collage, monostylistics, quotes, quasi‑quotes, allusions, stylistic model