Unknown impressionism
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REVUTS`KYLev Revuts`ky (1889, Irzhavets` near Chernihiv – 1977, Kyiv) – Ukrainian composer, teacher. Doctor of Musicology (1941). During 1906–1908 he studied in the Mykola Lysenko`s School of Music and Drama, 1916 he graduated Kyiv Conservatory where he studied composition under Reingold Glier. Since 1935 he had been working as a professor of composition at the mentioned conservatory. He is one of the modern Ukrainian composer`s school founders (he tought such composers as Hryhorij and Platon Majborody, Herman Zhukovs`ky, Vitalij Kyrejko, Arkadij Filipenko and others). He has written cantata-poem “Hustyna” (“Headscarf” after Taras Shevchenko), two symphonies, piano concerto with symphony orchestra, choral works, pieces for piano, romances, arrangements of folk songs. Revuts`ky was the elder contemporary of Lyatoshyns`ky, he also studied composition under Reingold Glier. But a determinant in his forming as a composer was an atmosphere of native home and an acquaintance with Mykola Lysenko, a founder of the Ukrainian classic music, in 1903. Later Revuts`ky remembered about his personal contact with Lysenko, Studing piano under him, I had adopted a lot of things that essentially has been reflected in my work in genre of piano music. Later Lysenko`s influence was observed on my composing work with melodic structure which appeared to me through the works by Lysenko21. From the one hand Revuts`ky`s support on the national traditions of the Ukrainian music and from another hand, a desire to enrich it by the achievements of modern European music have determined the creative strivings of young composer. Exactly Impressionism of all trends of modern music has become the most closest to subtle, dreamy nature of composer. The Second symphony (1927) by Revuts`ky is considered by right to be an acme of his works. An analyze of syntheses of national mentality with the impressionistic features which helps to disclose a depth of the artist`s intention may be one of the keys for understanding of this symphony. Its image-bearing world naturally demonstrates this combination. Here the images of nature, fascinating pictures of the native landscape as if combine all together in indivisible whole with rich inside world of a man, who does not conceive himself out the nature. Similar bond impresses us in the poetic texts of the ancient Ukrainian folk songs where all development of a plot is built on the permanent parallels between the phenomena of a nature and a life of a man, where a girl is compared with a guelder rose, a young man – with curly oak, where a married couple faithfulness personifies in a couple of pigeons and a women` grief – in the image of the cuckoo… There, on the hill, on the silk grass There were sitting a couple of pigeons. From the mountains a falcon has flied, Ruined, severed the pigeons from the couple. We can see the similar result in the symphony by Revuts`ky. Three parts of it represent three different landscape pictures written every time with new light. The morning, the first sun rays, reflected by rainbow in the drops of an early-dew; the night, depicted by the mild, pastel tones; the day, filled by rich, bright colours. At the same time they are also three seasons of year – a spring, a summer and an autumn which in the folk mentality associates with a human life: a childhood with its first trial of wings; a youth covered by a charm and a poetry of love; a maturity filled by energy of labour, by reaping of its fruits. But first of all they are three states of soul: joyful, amazed one, which opens the world for itself with admiration; placid or tender, dreamy one, plunged to contemplation and energetic vital one attracted to general flow of mass gaiety. All above is attained by a new interpretation of folklore passed in the light of impressionistic experience. The symphony is based on the folk tunes (with the exception of the first theme from the Part I), taken from the popular collection by the Ukrainian folklorist Klymentij Kvitka “Ukrainian Folk Melodies” (published in 1922). Selection of the folk tunes confirms principally new attitude to folklore, a search of its consonance to a modern music thinking. In such aspect the most interesting and impressive is the first theme from the Part I. As Revuts`ky confessed, this melody has appeared as a memory about vesnianka (a genre of Ukrainian folk songs which sung during a spring), heard in his childhood. Actually it hasn`t a clear source but in some links there are evident the intonations of the song “Oji, vesna, vesnytsia” (“Oh, spring, spring”). As subtle colours two transparent chords appear in the introduction. Fresh and fluctuating harmonic sequence of the subdominant ninth chord and the first inversion of II degree seventh chord in E major, gentleness of an orchestral colouring (2 Cl., Fag., Cor., Arpa,V.-c.) with a light timbre of a harp give rise of awakening and expectation of a sense. Then, the first theme appears in basson on the twinkling, vibrating background of strings figurations con sordino as if penetrated by the air flows. (Ex.37) Ex. 37 Lev Revuts'ky, 2nd Symphony, part I, the first theme in basson 
At once it intrigues by its mysteriousness, originality in the modal aspect. A change-ability of vibration between two supports dis and gis, which only at the end clears by the tonal center E major, gives to theme some vagueness and at the same time significance, a possibility to differ modal interpretation in the next development. Thus, in the following account in the part of corno anglais (figure 1, bars 7–10) the modal base is slightly complicated by displacement of the triplet tune on a semitone down. (Ex.38) Ex. 38 Lev Revuts'ky, 2nd Symphony, part I, the first theme in corno anglais 
The second one as a canon (figure 1, bar 2) is decked by sextolet figure with a base on the secondary seventh chord with minor third. In the development section (figure 13, Tranquillo) the theme is in the natural e minor. The beginning of reprise gives an effect of a polytonality. It means a bearing tone g is emphasized in the theme while the figurations of the background are in a minor. An intonation structure of the theme is the same original one. The foundation of its six bars period is a short two bars tune which further is played up modifyly in volume of diminished fifth. The narrow range of the five sounds tune is connected with the archaic layers of the Ukrainian ritual folklore. At the same time its capricious rhythmical organization with a permanent displacement of the accents inside the bars conducives to its changeable significance. The second theme22 is more real in a character, more clearly outlined in a structure and in a tonality. But Revuts`ky enriches it also by a colouring trait: here exists a flatten variant (gis, g) as a mordent beside with natural V degree. Its harmonic foundation is also rich, stressed by important melodic bases and a culmination of the theme. This way, the semantic sound fis in both cases is supported by the diminished seventh chord, but its climax and its abatement (bars 5–7 of the theme) are supported by ninth chord, dominant seventh chord (Ex.39) Ex. 39 Lev Revuts'ky, part I, the second theme 
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