Embodied meaning and musical text in prepared piano performance: A semiotic-hermeneutic framework

Assem Zakirova; Marlena Koilybaeva

doi:10.12975/rastmd.20261436

Embodied meaning and musical text in prepared piano performance: A semiotic-hermeneutic framework

Abstract

The article presents a text-oriented analysis of modern Kazakh music for prepared piano in the context of musical semiotics, hermeneutics, and intertextuality. The study aimed to identify the features of the formation of the artistic text in the works of Daniyar Berzhaprakov Umai and the triptych of Roman Vlasov Shapqyn, Zhoqtau, Toi Bastar (Dala Dāýsy – “Voice of the Steppe”). The methodology combined semiotic, hermeneutic, intertextual, and analytical-interpretative approaches. As a result, it was established that the modern Kazakh school of prepared piano has formed a new model of musical thinking, in which timbre, gesture, silence, and bodily interaction with the instrument have become full-fledged carriers of meaning. In the work Umai, timbre modifications were associated with the mythological image of the goddess Umai and created a multi-level system of symbols. In the cycle Dala Dāýsy, a prepared piano was used to represent cultural memory and the ritual cycle of life, in which each part symbolized a distinct existential state: movement, grief, and rebirth. A comparison with the work of John Cage showed that Kazakh composers reinterpreted the avant-garde tradition by emphasizing the semantic richness of sound. It was concluded that the prepared piano in modern Kazakh music became not only an experimental technique. It was a complex semiotic system that combined national archetypes, the physicality of performance, and avant-garde aesthetics. The results obtained expanded the understanding of the development of non-European practices of prepared piano and demonstrated the specifics of the integration of local cultural codes into modern musical language.

Keywords

Supporting Institution

This research received no financial support.

Ethical Statement

This study is a text-oriented musicological analysis of musical scores and publicly available audiovisual recordings. It does not involve any surveys, questionnaires, or experimental studies on human participants or animals. Therefore, according to the TR Dizin Evaluation Criteria, this study does not require Ethics Committee Approval.

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Details

Primary Language

English

Subjects

Theories of Music

Journal Section

Research Article

Authors

Assem Zakirova ^*
0000-0001-8275-2641
Kazakhstan

Marlena Koilybaeva This is me
0000-0002-0539-5422
Kazakhstan

Early Pub Date

September 30, 2026

Publication Date

September 30, 2026

Submission Date

May 27, 2026

Acceptance Date

September 23, 2026

Published in Issue

Year 2026 Volume: 14 Number: 3

DOI

https://doi.org/10.12975/rastmd.20261436

IZ

https://izlik.org/JA35SL54JT

Cite

RIS / Bibtex

APA

Zakirova, A., & Koilybaeva, M. (2026). Embodied meaning and musical text in prepared piano performance: A semiotic-hermeneutic framework. Rast Musicology Journal, 14(3), 541-562. https://doi.org/10.12975/rastmd.20261436

AMA

1.Zakirova A, Koilybaeva M. Embodied meaning and musical text in prepared piano performance: A semiotic-hermeneutic framework. RMJ. 2026;14(3):541-562. doi:10.12975/rastmd.20261436

Chicago

Zakirova, Assem, and Marlena Koilybaeva. 2026. “Embodied Meaning and Musical Text in Prepared Piano Performance: A Semiotic-Hermeneutic Framework”. Rast Musicology Journal 14 (3): 541-62. https://doi.org/10.12975/rastmd.20261436.

EndNote

Zakirova A, Koilybaeva M (September 1, 2026) Embodied meaning and musical text in prepared piano performance: A semiotic-hermeneutic framework. Rast Musicology Journal 14 3 541–562.

IEEE

[1]A. Zakirova and M. Koilybaeva, “Embodied meaning and musical text in prepared piano performance: A semiotic-hermeneutic framework”, RMJ, vol. 14, no. 3, pp. 541–562, Sept. 2026, doi: 10.12975/rastmd.20261436.

ISNAD

Zakirova, Assem - Koilybaeva, Marlena. “Embodied Meaning and Musical Text in Prepared Piano Performance: A Semiotic-Hermeneutic Framework”. Rast Musicology Journal 14/3 (September 1, 2026): 541-562. https://doi.org/10.12975/rastmd.20261436.

JAMA

1.Zakirova A, Koilybaeva M. Embodied meaning and musical text in prepared piano performance: A semiotic-hermeneutic framework. RMJ. 2026;14:541–562.

MLA

Zakirova, Assem, and Marlena Koilybaeva. “Embodied Meaning and Musical Text in Prepared Piano Performance: A Semiotic-Hermeneutic Framework”. Rast Musicology Journal, vol. 14, no. 3, Sept. 2026, pp. 541-62, doi:10.12975/rastmd.20261436.

Vancouver

1.Assem Zakirova, Marlena Koilybaeva. Embodied meaning and musical text in prepared piano performance: A semiotic-hermeneutic framework. RMJ. 2026 Sep. 1;14(3):541-62. doi:10.12975/rastmd.20261436