Shakespeare’s sonnets, it seems to me, have been created on purpose to be sung. They are just perfectly melodic, rhythmically and metrically calculated to be followed by music and easily lend themself for the singing. For my very first experiments with the sonnets, I’ve just allowed the Shakespearean syntax to guide my musical imagination. I’ve followed the way of intuition and free association to compose an accompaniment and the theme for each sonnet, to create an acoustic atmosphere in tune with the poetic imagery. Purely instrumental music is very seldom illustrative in a specific, concrete way, but stays always above any specified concept or image, therefore any interpretation of it remains subjective. The literary language, the words are usually specific enough, or, at least, every word has a clearly defined and universally accepted range of meaning. But the Shakespeare’s sonnets, as more or less the entire Renaissance art, are very formal, much more formal than it can appear for a superficial reading. Even when the verses sound intimately, it’s always about the play between the personal, specific and universal. I find the parallel between the poetry of Shakespeare and the music of Bach – noble, “high” sentiments, which can be attributed to everyone in general and to no one in particular.

Anyway, I’ve learnt a lot in terms of the alliance between the word and the music while working with sonnets. In my own texts I always look for the generalities, for the images which are more like symbols or archetypes than like my or someone else personal and specific experience. Of course, the sources of inspiration for every writer can be both very intimate, coming from the inside of one’s mind, and very universal, impressed by the observation or by the studying. The psychology of creativity is a very interesting and extremely complex subject. The most curious fact about it, that the inspiration, the creative ideas are absolutely unpredictable. You can, to a certain point, stimulate your imagination, your mental activity, but you can’t just order to yourself to be inspired. It comes when it wants, and often goes when you most need it. Very in vogue today computer algorithms do not know this problem, they can generate non-stop their soulless and sterile opuses. And this is another very complex, but with a negative sign, issue.

Below, instead of recounting what can recount for itself, I offer to your attention and consideration the lyrics of some of my already released songs.