‘Słowisień’ by Karol Szymanowski – paradigmatic analysis and musical topoi

Abstract

Paradigmatic analysis of Karol Szymanowski’s ‘Słowisień’ demonstrates the internal coherence of the melodic material which turns out to be key for understanding the formal structure of the work. At the beginning I trace the ways it is transformed and next I assign topical categories to individual motifs. Szymanowski joins together birdcall, mazurka rhythm and quasi-oriental melodic line what may be regarded as topical troping. In my analysis I also use analogies between ‘Słowisień’ and ‘Allah Akbar, Allah!’ from the cycle Songs of the Infatuated Muezzin and I quote a passage from Szymanowski’s orchestration of ‘Słowisień’ from 1924.