Invention is a special piece of music. What is its specific

2024 Author: Leah Sherlock | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 05:25

Invention is an invention. Latin, Russian, English, Italian, French and a host of other languages give an absolutely unambiguous translation of this word - "invention". But this can be said about any work of art born of the imagination of its author.

What does the invention mean in music

With regard to a piece of music, it emphasizes the special ingenuity, sparkling insight of the composer in finding the most diverse options for developing and interweaving themes and voices.

According to tradition, an invention is a piece with very specific characteristics. First of all, we are talking about a polyphonic work, that is, about polyphony. In addition, it is usually a piano piece. But monophonic melodies are usually not played on the piano, so everything that is written for the piano can be called polyphony?

No. In most polyphonic works, textured voices are unequal. There is a clearly recognizable melody, and there are voices that accompany it. They are of secondary importance and usuallyare called "accompaniment", or "accompaniment".

The main feature of polyphonic writing

The peculiarity of polyphony lies primarily in the fact that it has no accompanying textural lines. All voices are melody, all major and equal. Keeping track of the expressive intonation and articulation of each of them is a difficult task for the performer.

That is why the genre of polyphony at all stages of music education (and almost at all competitions) is an obligatory part of the musician's program.

The same can be said about the composer's task - it is difficult to create a polyphonic work, it requires a lot of ingenuity.

Depending on the way the material is presented, such pieces can have different names: fugue, canon, imitation, two- or three-part invention, and so on.

Among the works of this genre, the classic version is the fugue, and the invention can be considered as a training material for preparing for its competent performance.

30 Johann Sebastian Bach Inventions

It was for this purpose that the greatest German composer of the 17th century Johann Sebastian Bach created his immortal two-voice inventions in the amount of 15 and the same number for three voices, calling the latter symphonies.

In the preface to his inventions, Bach wrote that in this manual he showed how to manage not only two, but, in the process of improvement, also three obligate (independent) voices,while learning "good inventions and their proper development". Two main tasks were singled out: “to achieve a melodious manner of playing and at the same time acquire a taste for the composition.”

The incomprehensible greatness of Bach lies in the fact that, wanting to write simple exercises for students, he created creations that have survived the centuries and have not lost the power of spiritual influence on man today.

The importance of polyphonic pieces for the development of taste

Bach's inventions were written for the clavichord, because only on this instrument it was really possible to "achieve a melodious manner" of playing rich in shades of sound. However, the modern piano makes this goal more fully realized.

Perhaps the composer did not even suspect to what extent his desire to instill a taste for composition would be fulfilled.

The modern musician, often with less knowledge of compositional technique than in Bach's time, has a much greater understanding of the difference between true and false in the art of music.

Everyone who in childhood studied (even mechanically) at least 1-2 Bach's inventions will never be able to erase the concept of correct voice leading from memory. In every piece of music, he will intuitively look for independently developing melodic lines and perceive their absence as a disadvantage.

Invention is a piece of music that sets the standard for authenticity in art.

Outstanding Invention Interpreter

Speaking of inventions, it would be unfair not to mention the namelegendary Canadian pianist Glen Gould. It so happened that it was Bach's inventions that played the main role in his birth as a performer, and it happened in Russia.

In May 1957, a then-unknown young pianist from Canada arrived in Moscow. This was his first tour. Two- and three-part Bach's inventions are all that was included in the concert program. A ticket to the hall of the conservatory cost 1 ruble, the audience gathered 30 people.

After the start of the concert, only a few minutes passed - and it became clear to the audience that they were present at the birth of a miracle. People took turns leaving the hall to call to inform their friends about what was happening.

The second part started 40 minutes late - the audience filled the hall. After Moscow, there was a concert in Leningrad, where a part of the Moscow audience went for Gould.

After these concerts, the Canadian pianist continued to tour in Europe, where he was already expected as a new star, the halls were full. Until today, Gould's interpretation of inventions is considered an unsurpassed example.

Invention is not an exclusive feature of Bach's work, such a polyphonic form was used before him. Among those who write inventions today, one can name the names of famous composers: S. A. Gubaidulina, R. K. Shchedrin, B. I. Tishchenko. With all the talent of their music, it still cannot compete with the "original source". These are phenomena of different scales.