Boris Asaf'ev and the Soviet Musicology - E-thesis

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at the time of the given statement, it was already dangerous to admit of having been influenced so strongly by a Western scholar, i.e. the influences needed to be curtailed. As it was a custom in the Soviet Union, Asaf’ev’s and Kurt’s connection points were explored in detail but only to point out the superiority of the Soviet science. According to Lev Mazel, theories of Asaf’ev and Kurth developed independently from each other, but their simultaneous development reflects the general tendencies in philosophy of the era. Yet Mazel has illustrated quite thoroughly the similarities between the theories by excusing himself with a clime that recognition of the principal differences between the two conceptions helps to understand Asaf’ev’s scholarly output. In a general philosophical sense Stasov’s influence on Asaf’ev was probably most crucial. He was a link to the history. Stasov had personally met Glinka and he had been in close association with the ‘Mighty Five’. Asaf’ev followed him in many respects: he was interested in Russian nationalism and folklore in music; one of his major achievements was his life-long study on Glinka. 186 Also his interest in Musorgskij and admiration towards Shakespeare were due to Stasov. 187 Asaf’ev inherited his mentor’s equally broad interest on both the tradition and the modern. 188 Yet another important trait of Stasov was his vision of different arts as something unified and total, not isolated from the spiritual life of a human being. 189 As Stasov had done, Asaf’ev developed a manner of making parallels, mostly between music, paintings and poetry. He used ‘interartistic’ 190 terminology and quotations when analysing music. Asaf'ev also made a point of importance that he was widely interested in all arts and had an equal passion for visual arts, poetry and for music. He chose to focus on music only 186 It was published in 1947 and dedicated to the memory of Stasov and Ljadov (Asaf’ev: Glinka 1950). 187 Biography, p. 51; Tull 1976, p. 5. 188 As Orlova (Biography 1984, pp. 75–76) has emphasized, Asaf’ev indicated already in his early articles a special respect towards the Russian classics such as Rimskij-Korsakov (although Rimskij-Korsakov was hardly “a classic” at that time having died only recently), Musorgskij etc. Next to the operas of Rimskij-Korsakov Asaf’ev placed the operas of Glinka, Musorgskij, Borodin, Glazunov, Sergeij Taneev, Ljadov, Aleksandr Skrjabin (1871–1919), but also lifted up the future promises: Mjaskovskij, Prokof’ev, Igor Stravinsky, Nikolaj Čerepnin (1873–1945) and Vladimir Rebikov (1866–1920). The biggest attention was directed to the major talents Stravinsky and Prokof’ev. (Asaf’ev’s article in Muzyka, [1914] No. 203, pp. 94, 209, 634; quoted in Biography 1984, pp. 75–76.) 189 Ibid., p. 55; Tull 1976, p. 33. 190 By this term I refer to what was typical for the time period. Literature adapted musical terminology and vice versa. 53
ecause of his personal gifts. 191 Late in his life, Asaf’ev wrote that three men from the “old generation” played particularly important role in his life and had influenced on his way of looking at art and life: Stasov, Kastal’skij and Nikolaj Kaškin (1839–1920). 192 The philosophers noted by Orlova were not all accepted in the Soviet Union. Russian modernists, especially symbolists, French philosopher Henry Bergson, German philosophers Hegel, Theodor Lipps (1851–1914) and neo-Kantian Ernst Cassirer had a deep impact on Asaf’ev’s thinking. 193 David Haas (1992, 1998) has written about Bergson’s influence on Asaf’ev’s theory, especially on his most essential aesthetical concepts. 194 Yet a more original notion by Haas is the comparison with Mihail Bahtin (1895-1975). 195 However, it needs a more detailed investigation, as Haas himself has noted: Whatever his inspiration, Asaf’ev’s application of a musical term to literature reflects larger trends in the humanities at that time. Metaphorical speech derived from common musical terminology was nothing less than epidemic in the years 1917 to 1930 in the Soviet Union. 196 191 Asaf’ev: Mysli i dumy 1966, p. 25. 192 A. D. Kastal’skij: Stat’i, vospominanija, materialy. (Moscow, 1960) quoted in Biography 1984, p. 89. 193 “At the time when Symphonic Etudes were written, Asaf’ev already had in mind the fundamental premises for the theory of Intonation. Particularly the problems of “melos”, “symphonism” and “an artistic form in music” started to get shape already in the articles of the book Melos. The leading role in the psychological aspect of the Symphonic etudes was at the theory of Intuition by French idealisticphilosopher H. Bergson and the theory of Včuvstvovanija which means a theory of empathy by German philosopher T. Lipps. Maintaining mystical capacity of intuitive view of Bergson, his study of “organic worldview” leads to the understanding of “vital impulse” (élan vital) – which was Asaf’ev’s first interest that [Bergson’s] philosophy. N. Losskij propagandized the philosophy of Bergson in Russia and especially the book which Asaf’ev mentions many times in his work.” (Orlova in Asaf’ev: Simf.E 1970, pp. 6–7; Orlova in Asaf’ev: Muz.Form. 1971, p. 6.) 194 See his articles “Boris Asaf’ev and the Soviet symphonic Theory” (1992) and “Boris Asafyev and Form-as-Process Aesthetic” (1998). 195 Haas 1998, p. 423. 196 Ibid., p. 424. 54
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ORIS aSAF’EV AND THE sOVIET mUSIC
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5.2 The Second Literary Period: Int
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112 Chapter Five concludes that alt
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List of some of the Notable Works o
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116 ASM (Associcija Sovremennoj Muz
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Berg, Alban (1885-1935) Austrian co
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Javorskij, Boleslav (1877-1942) gra
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Asaf’ev, Boris V. Russkaja živop
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Tull, James R. B. V. Asaf’ev’s
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Harrison, Charles & Wood, Paul. Art
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Reader, Melvin, ed. A Modern Book o
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