Ksenia V. Parnikova
Gnesin Russian Academy of Music, Moscow, Russia,
ksyusha97@inbox.ru, https://orcid.org/0009-0006-5408-6534
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Abstract: The article is devoted to Mieczysław Weinberg’s vocal cycle «Jewish Songs» op. 13 (1943), considered in the context of the central themes of the composer’s work: war and childhood. This cycle marks the origins of Weinberg’s individual style and is examined as a deeply autobiographical statement about the Holocaust, in which the tragedy of war is shown through the prism of a child’s perception. The dramaturgy of «Jewish Songs» is built on a piercing contrast between lyrical–scherzo and tragic images, creating a trajectory «from light to darkness».
Alongside an analysis of the representation of childhood, the article offers a detailed exploration of Jewish musical coloration: characteristic modal patterns, generic prototypes, and the intonational-rhythmic specificity of Jewish folklore. Particular attention is paid to links with folk sources (from the collections of M. Beregovsky and M. Goldin), with the German song tradition, as well as to connections with Weinberg’s later works, primarily Symphony No. 6 and the opera «The Passenger».
Keywords: Mieczysław Weinberg, «Jewish Songs», Jewish musical folklore, holocaust, Purim, vocal cycle, modal patterns, musical dramaturgy
For citation: Parnikova K. V. M. Weinberg’s «Jewish songs» as a reflection of military and children’s themes in the composer’s work. Scholarly papers of Gnesin Russian Academy of Music. 2026;(2):74-88. (In Russ.). DOI: 10.56620/2227-9997-2026-2-74-88
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