«LA BELLE DAME SANS MERCI»: RECONSTRACTION OF HISTORY

Abstract

The history of one of the oldest themes in European musical history is investigated in the aspect of its interpretations in
various styles. The reasons are considered and explanations of the preservation and transformations of «La Belle Dame Sans
Merci» for many centuries are proposed. The analysis of research foreign-language literature on this topic is carried out. The
foundations of the methodology of historical reconstruction are proposed, which can serve to identify general semantic constructs
that ensure the preservation and relevance of the topic over a significant historical time. For the first time the musicological
analysis is presented in the composer practice of the past century (C. V. Stanford, V. Silvestrov, popular and rock music).