THE CHOIR IN “FAUST’S” OPERA CH. GOUNOD AS AN IMPORTANT COMPONENT OF MUSIC-DRAMATURGICAL EXPRESSIVENESS

Abstract

The purpose of the work is to study the choir as an indicator of the figurative-emotional sphere in the opera “Faust” by Ch. Gounod. The choral component together with the orchestra, soloists, scenery, stage movement is an integral part of the musical and dramatic development of the work. For all the specificity of the lyrical tragedy, some features bring the work of Ch. Gounod closer to the traditions of the great historical opera: the scale and grandeur of the stage embodiment, the historical entourage, the methods of using the choir. The methodology of the research is to combine the methods of holistic intonation, genre-style, compositional, dramatic analyzes. The scientific novelty of the presented work is manifested in the following aspects: for the first time in the domestic art criticism a complex analytical analysis was made from the point of view of the specificity of the choir’s presentation as a dramatic unit in the opera “Faust” by Ch. Gounod, and the leading place of the choir in the composer’s opera was revealed. Conclusions. Analysis of choral scenes gives us reason to say that the choral scenes in the opera “Faust” by Ch. Gounod cover almost the entire action and are determined by the content and stage situation. Ch. Gounod’s opera presents all the main spheres of society and life: rural pastoral care, city square, squash, ball, temple, prison. The function of expressing public opinion is especially developed in the opera, which at the same time acts as an indirect author’s disclosure of the author’s assessment of what is happening from the point of view of Christian-Catholic ethics. Ch. Gounod uses the timbre possibilities of the choir in various ways, using different syllables (mixed, homogeneous, incomplete), choosing the number of voices (from one voice to six voices), while maintaining the independence of each individual voice, addresses both the choir a cappella and the accompanied choir. Carefully designed genre paintings, endowed with a variety of choir functions in the Faust opera, allow Ch. Gounod to achieve several goals: to solve the problem of a large opera form, to place a love story in a real social space that gives it vitality, to provide dramatic activity. All of the above speaks of the special role played by the choir in the opera, the great diversity of its interpretation as an active, many-sided character, which is indispensable in solving the central task – the embodiment of musical dramaturgy.