Harri Wessman's Suite No. 1 for Two Violins in the aspect of his compositional style

The aim of this research is to identify the fundamental principles of the compositional style of Harri Wessman (b. 1949) using his Suite No. 1 for Two Violins (1986) as a case study. The article examines the structure, intonational, and genre features of this work, pays considerable attention to the imagery of the composition and the use of certain specific violin techniques within it, and provides personal statements from the composer. The author considers the scientific novelty of the work to lie in the fact that, for the first time, a performance analysis of Harri Wessman's Suite No. 1 for Two Violins is conducted, and his works written for string instruments are examined. The research establishes that H. Wessman's compositional style possesses a marked individuality and multifaceted character. Its development occurred in line with the general trends in the formation of modern Finnish music of the second half of the 20th century, including such a direction as "free tonality". At the same time, elements of jazz, dance rhythms, and the lyricism of romantic melodies are woven into the musical fabric of the composer's works. All of this is reflected in H. Wessman's Suite No. 1 for Two Violins, which may indicate that it fully fits within the framework of his compositional style.