Spatial Effects in the Sound of Music

The purpose of this research is to learn the artistic and technical techniques that cause spatial sensations, representations and illusions in the perception of music. Speaking of music, it is customary to draw more or less justified analogies with the facts of everyday life, the phenomena of science or related art forms, such analogies can in some cases lead to errors, and in others to discoveries. Metaphorical images (including spatial ones) are discussed in statements about music. Cases of borrowing the terminology of nature and art sciences in musical-theoretical studies are analyzed. It is shown that the terms borrowed by musicology from the natural sciences and the humanities have different semantic depths. The research methodology of a comparative study of music and other forms of art, in particular, painting and theatre, methods of observation, comparison, theoretical generalization are used. Scientific novelty of the research. The staffage function of elements of contrast-composite backgrounds in the orchestra style of N. Rimsky-Korsakov is revealed. The genesis and meaning of the musicological term “misanphony”, formed by analogy with the term “mise en scene”, used in theatre and directing, is explained. Examples of the misanphonic and pseudomisanphonic techniques and effects used in the musical works of different eras’ composers are given (examples from the music of J. Puccini, L. Nono, G. Kancheli and others). The examples of musicology literature show and explain the fundamental difference between the terms “misanphony” and “stereophonic sound”. The conclusions relate to the understanding of misanphony as the localization and mutual displacement of sound sources at each particular moment of the musical work performance, the statement of the importance of spatial representations for listening comprehension and professional analysis of music. The statement of E. Kurth about the absence of a spatial moment in musical-sensual impressions is refuted