ARTISTIC-IMAGERY AND PSYCHO-EMOTIONAL FOUNDATION OF VOCAL INTERPRETATION IN F. SCHUBERT’S BALLAD “ERLKÖNIG”

Abstract

The objective of this study is to outline the primary directions of development and the key areas of research concerning the artistic-imagery and psychoemotional foundation of vocal interpretation in Franz Schubert’s ballad Erlkönig. The methodology is based on a music-historical and textological approach, relying on an in-depth genre and stylistic analysis, including an examination of performance speech techniques. The scientific novelty of this article lies in identifying the specific artistic and psycho-emotional characteristics of vocal interpretation in chamber vocal compositions, exemplified by Schubert’s Erlkönig. The study explores the relationships between the performer’s personal interpretative vision, the imagery of the characters in chamber vocal works, and the means of vocal execution. Conclusions. In chamber vocal music, the development of an emotional impulse unfolds throughout the entire musical utterance. This impulse, embedded at the beginning, undergoes logical evolution within a unified artistic conception. In most chamber vocal works, the emotional impulse is integral and continuous, a characteristic observable in the art songs of European composers. However, in certain compositions, such as Schubert’s Erlkönig, multiple emotional impulses coexist within a single musical structure. A defining feature of the chamber vocal genre is that each emotional impulse develops autonomously, without complex interactions with others. As a result, its unfolding remains linear, and the role of each character in the narrative is determined solely by sonic characteristics. Unlike the intricate, multi-layered dramaturgical structures of opera, chamber vocal works lack active interpenetration of different emotional states. The degree of a singer’s identification with the lyrical persona is dictated by the specificities of both the musical and verbal text. In this genre, the performer serves as a direct mediator between the musical image and the listener, shaping expressive content in accordance with the emotional trajectory embedded by the composer.