The Modernist Code of Time in “Pastels” by Ivan Karabyts Set to the Poetry of Pavlo Tychyna

This article examines the modernist principles of compositional organization and the use of advanced musical techniques in Ivan Karabyts’ cycle “Pastels” (1970), based on the poetry of Pavlo Tychyna. The study finds that the avant-garde approach to realizing the composer’s vision is closely tied to Tychyna’s innovative interpretation of language. The cycle’s dramaturgical structure is revealed as a conflict-driven interaction between impressionistic, colorful instrumental elements and expressionistic, intense vocal elements. The musical language is analyzed in terms of the semantic significance of leitmotifs and leit-elements, which shape the conceptual and ideological development of the work. Additionally, the study identifies extra-musical connotations linked to the young composer’s personal emotions and inner experiences. Finally, the article traces the cycle’s central constructive idea—the gradual but relentless displacement of the Apollonian, mode-ordered intonational principle by elements of Dionysian, chaotic, infernal thematism, devoid of melodic development.