Karl Jenkins’ choral creative work: the experience of substantiating the sacred anthropology

Section 2. Ukrainian and World Musical Culture

Abstract

Statement of the problem. Karl Jenkins’ choral religion compositions are a relevant subject of modern musicological discourse not only due to its brightness, popularity, and addressing to listeners. His works are a vivid example of the presence of “different music” on a single artistic platform, according to the aesthetic principle of today’s metamodern culture – polystylistics. Attracting attention with the paradoxicality of its musical style, Jenkins’ works, however, have not became the subject of special attention of scientists from the point of view of their conceptual spiritual content, which we have conventionally attributed to the sphere of “sacred anthropology” of music. It is about an anthropological turn in the spiritual and singing tradition of the metamodern era, when the creative work of “homo musicus” on the global cultural communication of “all kinds of music” is aimed at understanding the universal, common to all mankind, value of traditional spiritual and religious experience. The works of Berkii (2006), V. Sukhantseva “Music as the World of Man” (2000) played a significant role in the formation of the anthropology of music. L. Iațeșen (2017), Yu. Kuchurivskyi (2017, 2018), H. Shpak (2020) devoted their research to the study of Jenkins’s creative work, however, sacral and anthropological issue is absent in them. Objectives, methods, and novelty of the research. The purpose of the article is to present K. Jenkins as an apologist for the new sacred anthropology of music belonging to the metamodern era, based on a genre and stylistic analysis of his choral compositions. The material of research is his choral works “A Mass for Peace” (“The Armed Man”), Requiem, and Stabat Mater. The novelty of the study lies in the substantiation of the role of K. Jenkins in the processes of semiotic renewal of choral music, which initiates the discussion about the essence of sacredness in the creative practice of the 20th century, about the anthropological turn in “musical theology” – the interpretation of the canons of church genres. The interaction of musicological and humanities scientific methods were used: the anthropological approach highlights the phenomenon of authorship in musical creativity as one that influences typological processes in liturgical genres and the renewal of means of communication; stylistic analysis reveals the principles of the composer’s thinking; genre and functional analysis identifies the typical structure of works, and original means of artistic embodiment of sacred themes. Research results. The first thing that catches the eye when getting acquainted with the works by K. Jenkins is the specificity of the sound material, and the vivid embodiment of the philosophical ideas of humanism. In "Mass for Peace" the idea of the work is realized through the universalization of musical language: religious (modern and ancient) and sharply dynamic texts of both Western and Eastern cultures are combined into the global Universe of a choral work. The juxtaposition of musical themes and prayer texts (up to the introduction of cult attributes of different religions, such as the Azan (the muezzin’s (azanchi) call to prayer), at first glance, are perceived as eclecticism, but later turn out to be markers of a certain psychological state, performing an associative function. The expression of the texts is enhanced by the intonation-rhythmic tension of the orchestral and ensemble parts, using timbres and techniques of playing various oriental instruments. Numerous ostinato create the effect of suggestion. As an example, let us cite the Sanctus from the ”Mass for Peace” – a culminating episode with fierce exclamations of the choir and orchestra. The "translation" of the Catholic text into march-like music with increasing tragic expression is perceived as artistic stress, pressure – the affirmation of Truth “from the opposite”. Articulating the Catholic text of the Sanctus in the rhythm of the march and militantly dramatizing it (and this is not about Confutatis or Rex tremende!), K. Jenkins addresses the armed man as the face of war with a reminder of the holy and sacred in God’s world, which is killed by the force of arms. Thus, the juxtaposition of various cultural-stylistic associations and semantic figures creates an artistic paradox; Jenkins’ choral compositions seem to continue tradition by denying it. The artistic unity of the cycle is ensured by the continuous rhythmic and intonation formulas "within" the choral texture. In the score of another work by K. Jenkins, Stabat Mater, a similar role is played by the dotted rhythm (in the percussion part) as an appeal to Welsh folklore. Conclusion. Thus, the style of K. Jenkins’ choral compositions, oriented towards the apology of Being as the harmony of the Divine and the human, the grandiose-active and the secret, is based on polystylistics as a method of composition. His music reflects the idea of Sacrum in man and, more broadly, the culture of all mankind. For using various ethnocultural and linguistic “codes” of music-making related to the sacred theme, the author emphasizes the commonality of spiritual truths and the need for people to return to communion with God. Thus, in the work by K. Jenkins, a communicative search takes place through attempts to establish a dialogue between people on a planetary scale. And in this way, the anthropological dimension of music sacralize, bringing the listener closer to Heaven.