Baladické tendencie v operných dielach slovenských skladateľov 20. storočia
Balladic Tendencies in the Operas of Twentieth-Century Slovak Composers

Summary/Abstract: The notion of being balladic is primarily linked to the idea of an atmosphere that is the sum of tragic, dramatic, and lyrical elements. The piercing atmosphere of balladic poetry and prose inspired several composers, and the balladic phenomenon was gradually adopted not only into short vocal genres, but also into large vocal-instrumental ones, including operas. In the course of the twentieth century, several operas were composed in Slovakia, which may be termed balladic due to their specific features. This study focuses on six Slovak operas. It examines the main inspiration factors that led their composers to adopt balladic subjects. It also introduces the motifs in the original literary works that contribute to creating this phenomenon and discusses what interventions and deviations were made with respect to the original literary model while writing the opera libretto and in what way the composers worked while composing the music to achieve the set balladic character and the musical characterization of the characters and the plot.

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