Verbal and musical texts: Interactions of semiotic codes

Abstract

The purpose of the paper is to identify the mechanisms of interaction between two sign systems: the verbal text of the Dutch rhymed psalms of the 19th century and the musical text of the melodies. The text is broadly understood as an ordered set of semiotic codes that carry certain information. The discussion of both linguistic and musical material with the use of musicological and linguopragmatic analysis is innovative. In the course of the study, an attempt was made to establish the relationship between the type of rhyme and the way of musical arrangement of the text. For poetic texts with a cross rhyme, there is a tendency to use repetitions of the melody in accordance with the rhyme. Texts with a more complex rhythmic organization of the verse are decorated with variations or author’s reworking of the original melody. At the same time, the processing of musical material obeys the generally accepted patterns of melody development within the range of one octave. With a more detailed analytical review, different types of ways of using the original melodies and adapting them to the needs of choral church singing can be identified. The determining factor in the choice and interpretation of the original folk melody is the text of the psalm. Melodies do not have independence, but are completely subordinated to the verbal text. At the same time, the musical arrangement serves as an auxiliary means of accentual articulation and enhances the aesthetic function of the poetic text.