Motivic Intertextuality and Embedded Intermusicality: Performer Agency in Babajanian’s Violin Concerto First Movement

This paper investigates intertextual strategies in the first movement (Allegro) of Arno Babajanian’s Violin Concerto in A minor, a work that remains both underexplored and underperformed. Situated at the crossroads of Soviet concerto tradition and Armenian folk idiom, the study argues that Babajanian’s intertextual voice emerges through structural, stylistic, and cultural references—centering on motivic development. It highlights how latent Armenian modal gestures are embedded within motivic cells, which become dynamic sites of musical dialogue through performer-led interpretation. Focusing on motivic transformation, the article adopts a practice-led framework and performance-led analysis to show how these small cells are continually reshaped, conveying unity, emotional nuance, and expressive depth. In doing so, it reveals how Armenian musical memory and Soviet-era formal strategies converge, offering performers a culturally grounded approach to interpretation and contributing to a broader re-evaluation of Soviet repertoire.