Sofia Gubaidulina (1931 - Present)

Introduction
​​​​​​Sofia Gubaidulina was born in Chistopol in the Tatar Republic of the Soviet Union in 1931. The vast majority of her career and time spent composing was in Moscow and she did not visit North America until 1987. Her compositional interests lie within the realms of experimentation and improvisation with Russian and Asian folk music instruments. An important characteristic of her perspective as a composer is her firm belief in mysticism and its relationship to music.

Work Analysis
Piano Sonata (1965) - This piece for solo piano follows a traditional formal structure with 3 movements: Allegro (sonata form), Adagio, and Allegretto. Four primary pitch sets are used throughout the entire piece and are given names: “spring”, “struggle”, “consolation”, and “faith”. The first movement is characterized by a “swing” feel (syncopation and dotted rhythms) and an ostinato bass line over which the right hand plays several interval configurations of minor and major seconds. The second theme of this movement is much slower in tempo and it makes use of variations of the ostinato pattern from the primary theme, even muting strings throughout to further develop each motive. The development section utilizes the pitch sets with more stress on melody and the recapitulation brings material from the first theme to higher registers on the piano. The Adagio movement is reminiscent of the first movements second theme in that it returns to a slow tempo but with a more ominous tone and an increased use of muted strings. This movement follows a simple ternary form with a cadenza placed before the return of its A section. The final Allegretto movement is composed of 7 “episodes” throughout which there is a gradual increase of energy and complexity.

Comparisons
The way in which Gubaidulina integrates her spirituality and venture toward the divine may be comparable to that of Stravinsky in the latter part of his life. This can be understood conceptually and even as a matter of musical analysis. The compositional style of some of her other vocal and orchestral pieces have reminded me of several others by different composers, but the Agnus Dei from Stravinsky’s Mass stood out in particular. This was especially the case after understanding that Gubaidulina often used harmony based not on triad structure but on intervallic and contrapuntal design, similar to the cadential framework of the Agnus Dei.

Observations
I became particularly intrigued with Gubaidalina’s music after reading about her profound interest in mysticism. It is a fascinating idea that music can be made with the intention of stepping toward or even unifying with the transcendent or divine. Musical instrumentation and arranging certainly offer various means for making this attempt and I enjoyed interpreting the ways that Gubaidulina explores these potentials.