The sonata for the trombone and piano opus 41 by Paul Hindemith: a monumental and concert representation of the genre.
The present article is devoted to disclosing the features of the trombone sonata genre in its monumental and concert version. The dominant features of the concert type sonata, which differs by its dialogicality in the construction of texture, by the presence of a cyclic form that reproduces the main features of sonata-symphonic logics, have been distinguished and systematized. Such sonatas belong to the category of the “classical”, and in the modern implementation they are typical for neoclassicism as a stylistic trend of the 20th century, represented by P. Hindemith. The article presents the performance analysis of his Sonata for the trombone and piano op. 41. It is noted that it refers to the type of sonata-concerts, which is reflected through the “competitiveness” of parts based on the principle of “dialogue-continuation”. At the same time, the trombone part is periodically saturated with cadence, which is characteristic for the genre of the concert, from which a spectacular thematic feature comes along with clearly perceptible theatrical influences (Swashbuckler’s Song – “a hooligan’s song” – in 3 parts). It is noted that the Sonata, which has long been understood as the type (genre) of a chamber instrumental composition, created, as a rule, for one or several (more often for two) instruments, has undergone a number of metamorphoses in its historical development. As a result, several types of instrumental sonatas, differing both in structure (sonata-cycles, one-part sonatas-poems) and in the kind of music presented in them, were developed. Under the latter one should understand the correlation between the two kinds of musical thinking – concert-ness and chamber-ness. In instrumental sonatas, including trombone sonatas, there is always a solo-virtuosic beginning and that is reflected in the very names («sonatas for…» piano, violin, bayan, etc.). However, in its nature, the sonata is a chamber-type composition, where the solo function does not act as a dominant one, but is coordinated on an equal principle with other parts of the sonata ensemble (or with other voices and layers of texture, if it is a sonata for one instrument). As a result of the merger of these two principles, specific “hybrids” are created, the most common of which is a “sonata concert” or “a sonata of a monumental and concert type”. The sonata for the trombone and piano op. 41 by P. Hindemith, created within the fames of a series of instrumental sonatas written by the composer during the 1930s–1950s, represents exactly this type of the genre. Its distinctive features at the functional level (the way of performing, the participants) is the “union” of the melodic instrument, in this case, the trombone, with the harmonic, polyphonic piano, acting not only as a chamber ensemble partner, but also as a mini-orchestra, like in a concert. At the semantic-compositional level, singled out alongside the functional one, presented through the genre style, the genre from, the monumental and concert model is characterized by: a) a cyclical form (from two to four parts) with the obligatory presence of the sonata form in at least one of them, as a rule, in the first part, b) the dramaturgy of the “final goal” (M. Aranovsky), in which each part has its own, strictly delineated, function in an integral form. The type of the sonata model is also influenced by the style of the instrument, which appears in the “alliance” with the piano. Such an instrument as the trombone, which has a loud and full sound, immediately predetermines the main features of the thematic complex of the sonata composition. All the themes of the melody entrusted to the trombone in the Sonata by P. Hindemith, are performed with the active sound support from the piano and in the dialogue with it. P. Hindemith uses the antiphonal roll-calls of the instrumental parts in all the parts of the Sonata. And although the trombone as a melodic “voice”, directly related to the performer’s breathing, is given the preference, the piano acts as an equal ensemble member, which has a division into relief and background functions (sometimes the latter goes over to the trombone as well according to the laws of the chamber-sonata) within its texture. It is noted that the Sonata under consideration, created by P. Hindemith in 1941, has long become a textbook one in the extensive literature for the trombone, created by the composers of the 20th – early 21st centuries. This composition contains not only typical “neoclassicist” features, but as well the author’s original finds, indicating aboutthe composer’s desire to “modernize” the genre style, and for this purpose him creating a whole panorama of genre shifts – from the baroque instrumental sonata-fantasy to the romantic sonata of the program type. At the same time, the program nature of this composition appears on a generalized level and is included in the character of the themes and images, each of which has its own unique appearance and can be defined as a “theme-character”. A particular attention in the present article is given to P. Hindemith’s use of resources of the trombone in its balance with the ensemble partner – the piano. It is noted, in particular, that, without resorting to any unconventional approaches of playing the trombone, but confining himself to the resources of the orchestral instrument, in his sonata-concert interpretation the composer presents a number of additional difficulties, including: a) the abundance of “sweeping” declamatory moves requiring a flexible embouchure and the precise fixation of the slide at certain positions, b) a large expenditure of the breath while performing the unfolded phrases in the cantilena and playful themes, c) the observance of the metro-rhythmic and dynamic balance among the parts, which correlate in a polyphonic way, and here polyphony is understood not only as a type of texture, but also as a polyphonic dialogue in the duet of the performing instruments.