The musical text of «The Nose» by N. Gogol and D. Shostakovich

Abstract

Aim. The article analyzes the figurative-motif system of N. Gogol’s novel «The Nose» and its musical-scenic embodiment by D. Shostakovych. Purpose of the paper is to reject the prevailing ideas about the sociological orientation of Gogol’s and the intention is to show the originality of the musical interpretation of a literary text, to discover the philosopher components famous work in literature and music.

Methods. In the article there has been applied the system approach. The author uses the synthesis of the basic methods and principles of scientific research. The article relays on historical, comparative, intertextual, biographical, typological and other methods. The principles and methods used in the article are interrelated and completed each other.

Results. The article presents a new character of the figurative system of the story and its specific structural and compositional features, deals with the narrative signs of presentation in the forms of musical art. The article reviews the current understanding of imaginative and, as a consequence, the ideological system of Gogol and Shostakovich’s Opera, with new points of view examines the nature of the interaction of characters and plot-compositional structure of the text and its musical interpretation.

Scientific novelty. The study achieves a new reading of the text of Gogol. The article offers an innovative understanding of the ideological and image system of the story. It deals with a new point of view on the imagery and compositional structure of the narrative.

Practical value. The obtained results can be used for further studying of creativity of N. Gogol from the standpoint of modern literary criticism. Scientific observations and insights can form the basis of undergraduate lecture courses on the history of Russian literature of the ХIХ and ХХ century, and used on the school teaching of history of Russian literature and Russian music.

Key words: N. Gogol, D. Shostakowich, «The Nose», the imagery system, narrative complex, the nature of musical interpretation.