“Granum sinapis” by Pascal Dusapin: interpretation of genre, text, compositional techniques

The article examines the choral cycle a capella “Granum sinapis” (1997) by Pascal Dusapin based on the words of the eight-part Sequence by Johann Eckhart in aspects of the composer’s creative method, interpretation of the text of the original source, genre, cycle, form, compositional techniques, types of symmetry, texture, dynamics and vocal choral techniques. An integrated approach is used as a set of elements of biographical, musical-hermeneutic (problems of interpretation and understanding of the cycle) and structural-musical methods. It is shown that the text of the Sequences determines the form of the choirs, but the composer interprets it freely: he does not adhere to poetic stanzas in all choirs, sometimes repeats individual lines, changes their places, uses textual polyphony. In the given Appendix, each of the eight Sequences of Eckhart in the pro-German language has a ten-line structure, but in the translation into Russian the structure of the original source is also only partially preserved. It is emphasized that different methods of sound production (singing with a closed mouth, on an exhale, pronouncing words without a specific pitch, whispering) contribute to the creation of an atmosphere of divine presence. It is essential that the predominance of polyphonic episodes, dissonant vertical aggregates creates a feeling of sound fullness of space. The composer uses the technique of coloring, melismatics, and microcarriage of figures, which became widespread in the Middle Ages, throughout the entire cycle. To demonstrate the structural methods of reorganization and palimpsest characteristic of Dusapin’s creative thinking, the process of integration of low-volume “modes Go” representing a system of tetrachords (small tetrachord, Arabic and large tetrachord) and combinatorics of different types of space-time symmetry of melodic figures (mirrored, alternating, spiral) is analyzed. The conclusion is made about the emphatic aspect of these frets and figures: having established a “limited modality” since the 1990s, Dusapin seems to imitate the prosody of a spoken voice. The result is a spell-like constancy that literally speaks to the listener. The conclusions emphasize: 1) in the process of creating three requiem (“Granum sinapis”, “Umbrae mortis” and “Dona eis”), this cycle means the beginning of a search in this genre; 2) the main difficulty of performing the a capella cycle “Granum sinapis” is due to the combination of different counting units of variable meter (traditions of rhythmic I. Stravinsky, O. Messiaen and P. Boulez); 3) in terms of pitch, the use of fragments of diatonic scales in the Dusapin cycle is associated not only with the music of the Middle Ages and the Gregorian chorale: modal frets borrowed from other cultures enhance diatonics, developing the Mussorgsky - Debussy - Stravinsky line; mosaic use of fragments of diatonic scales along with hemitonics, hemiolica, and microchromatics is characteristic of the music of John Cage and Gyorgy Ligeti. The author declares that there is no conflict of interest.

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