The relevance of the research topic is due to the fact that the serenata, as one of the popular genres of the 17th – 18th centuries, remained genre-indistinguishable for a long time and was usually interpreted by musicologists as an opera or a cantata. For the sake of a historically accurate interpretation of the serenata, which is increasingly used by performers, there is a need for its genre identification, including the detection of its genesis, characterization of genre features, and clarification of a number of issues related to performance practice.
The first chapter outlines the theoretical and methodological foundations of the study: a review of scientific works that consider the genre of the serenata in the context of the development of European baroque music, works devoted to the issues of historically informed performance, as well as a historical overview of the genre of the serenata from its inception to extinction.
The serenata is a musical dramatic genre that originated in Italy in the Baroque period. Leading Baroque composers such as A. Vivaldi, J. A. Hasse, A. Caldara, N. Porpora, A. Stradella, A. Scarlatti, and many others turned to the genre of the serenata. In the age of classicism, the baroque serenata did not lose its position, and prominent artists, including Ch. W. Gluck, J. Haydn, J. Ch. Bach, and W. A. Mozart, wrote works "for the occasion". Despite the enormous popularity of the serenata in the second half of the 17th and throughout the 18th century, this genre, unlike opera and cantata, was not destined to survive to the present day. The reason for its extinction was the French Revolution of 1789, when the victory of the bourgeoisie destroyed the traditions of aristocratic art, including the commissioning and performance of works on the occasion of various celebrations.
The second chapter is devoted to the analysis of serenatas by leading composers of the 17th – 18th centuries and highlights the basic features of the genre.
The research analyzed the content and musical drama of a number of serenatas created by leading composers of the Baroque and Classical period.
The analysis of a number of serenatas of the 17th – 18th centuries has identified their specific features: commissioned on the occasion of a solemn event and performing the function of a musical gift; private theaters, chambers, gardens, greenhouses as basic locations; historical and mythological subjects in theatrical representation without a developed storyline, but with costumes and scenery; a well-established two-part structure with the following components: an introductory sinfonia, alternating recitatives and da capo arias, and a final ensemble; a performing cast of two to seven solo singers and an orchestra consisting of strings with basso continuo, to which wind instruments could be added; allegorical overtones of the libretto with hints of the addressees, sometimes throughout the work, but more often either in the last recitative, where the characters praise the heroes of the occasion, or in a specially written part called licenza.
The third chapter deals with the issue of historically informed performance of baroque music and characterizes modern interpretations of J. A. Hasse's serenata "Marc'Antonio e Cleopatra".
It is noted that in Italian baroque opera, the musical material is as convenient as possible for the singer's natural vocal capabilities. The specificity of baroque singing is not in the race for a homogeneous, cantilena, rich and powerful sound throughout the range, but in jewelry work with a gradation of the finest shades in each individual microphrase. Baroque music should create the impression of a living, breathing organism and in no case be homogeneous and monotonous.
The author characterizes a number of interpretations of J. A. Hasse's serenata "Marc'Antonio e Cleopatra" conducted by Matthew Dirst (2010), Claudio Osele (2013), Ottavio Dantone (2018), and Peter Zajíček (2018). The specifics of the Kyiv performances of the serenata, which took place on May 20, 2021 and February 17, 2022, where the author of the dissertation performed the role of Marc'Antonio, are revealed. The prospects for creating a performing tradition of serenatas in Ukraine are indicated, which will contribute to the competitiveness of singers, audience awareness, and the overall development of musical culture.
Keywords: musical and theatrical art of European countries of the 17th – 18th centuries, vocal and instrumental music, serenata, opera, libretto, manuscripts and old prints as a source base for researching the serenata genre of the 17th – 18th centuries, religious and ritual origins of the secular art of baroque and classicism, musical style and genre, aristocratic court culture, musical performance, interpretation.
