The use of baroque music in live action films (based on Jaco van Dormael’s «Le tout nouveau testament»)

Abstract

The article examines the use of quotes from classical music in movie soundtrack. This issue has been raised by L. Alvim, O. But, D. Greig, S. Leontiev, Z. Lissa,                                O. Ovsyannikova-Trell. The proposed study examines the use of Baroque music in live action films using “Le Tout Nouveau Testament” (“The Brand New Testament”) by Belgian director Jaco Van Dormael as the example. The purpose of the article is to determine the role of the musical fragments in the semantic content of the film and the characterization of the characters. The methodology is based on an analysis of the film's audiovisual series, terms and concepts are taken from the works of Ukrainian and foreign scholars. “Le Tout Nouveau Testament” takes a differentiated approach to the use of pre-existing music. The quotations reveal a combination of diegetic and non-diegetic approach, are used to portray new apostles. In most cases, the programmatic title of the musical fragment or the keywords of the text (in case of a vocal piece) resonate with the emotions of the hero/heroine, with the circumstances in which he/she finds himself/herself, or with a factor that supposed to change the current status quo. Musical quotations from works by G. Allegri, G.F. Handel, Н. Purcell, J.F. Rameau, A. Scarlatti and are clearly distinguished from A. Pierle's original soundtrack due to stylistic contrast, demonstrating various functions: illustrative, characterization, authorial commentary, and symbolic. The use of G.F. Handel's “Lascia ch'io pianga” creates additional intertextual connections with G. Corbiau's “Farinelli: The Castrato” and L. von Trier's “Antichrist” through the motif of trauma, loss, and their mourning and experience. Another way to separate a quotation is to inform the title to the listener/viewer. Such labeling indicates the director's desire to reveal the quotation, thereby prompting the recipient to actively perceive its meaning, or otherwise to leave the quoted material in the background.