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Article publication date
2025-03-22
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17–36
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Arts & Humanities
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Abstract
The article focuses on piano cycles for children as a distinctive area of compositional creativity, characterized by its alignment with children’s perception and performance abilities. The relevance of this topic stems from the significant role and prevalence of such works in concert and pedagogical practice, alongside the lack of specialized theoretical studies examining composers’ approaches to children’s cycles within a broad cultural and historical framework. The study examines both well-known piano cycles for children by Robert Schumann, Pyotr Tchaikovsky, Franz Liszt, and Sofiya Gubaidulina, as well as lesser-studied works by Kazakhstani composers (Boris Yerzakovich, Gaziza Zhubanova, Aida Issakova, Zholan Dastenov, Bakhtiyar Amanzhol, Beibit Daldenbay, Balnur Qydyrbek, Lyazzat Zhumanova, Dmitry Ostankovich and others).
The authors analyze the interpretation of children’s piano cycles using musicological and historical approaches, as well as comparative analysis, which highlight key artistic and structural features of these works. A historical and cultural review of the phenomenon from the Baroque period to the present reveals the pivotal role of Romanticism in the development of the children’s piano cycle. During this era, works with distinctive authorial characteristics emerged, which the authors define as “author’s cycles.” These cycles are marked by a unifying idea, internal semantic connections between parts, and a tendency toward genre reinterpretation. The study demonstrates that the musical practices of the 20th and early 21st centuries have further developed these Romantic traditions, offering diverse “author’s” visions of the children’s piano cycle as a conceptual whole. At the same time, modern piano music for children has undergone significant changes, incorporating expanded compositional techniques and new semantic functions introduced by composers. These developments reflect a shift in the cycle interpretation, which now often transcend their didactic purpose to address broader educational goals, transforming into a tool for the cultural and intellectual development of younger generations.
The findings emphasize the universality, multifunctionality, and remarkable diversity of children’s piano cycles. To deepen the theoretical understanding of this phenomenon and enrich concert and pedagogical repertoires with fresh and engaging works, the authors advocate for further study of this genre, including the exploration of new compositions from various national cultures.
Keywords
cycle interpretation
piano cycle for children
author’s cycles
genre reinterpretation
piano music
cultural and intellectual development
References
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Published:
2025-03-22
Journal number
1
Volume
13
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