Performance poetics of Polish piano music (1880–1925): a language-style discourse

Statement of the problem. The piano music of Polish composers from the late 19th to early 20th centuries reflects both continuity with Romantic traditions and the emergence of new stylistic and aesthetic paradigms. However, Ukrainian musicological discourse has not sufficiently addressed the interpretative aspects of this repertoire, particularly through the lens of performance poetics, which enables a deeper engagement with the stylistic specificity of Polish piano heritage. Objectives, methods, and novelty of the research. The purpose of the article is to analyze the performance poetics of selected Polish piano works from the period 1880–1925. The methodological framework integrates performance poetics (as defined by Nikolaievska, 2020), genre and stylistic analysis, and the functional method (melody, meter-rhythm, harmony, texture). The approach is grounded in the author’s practical performance experience. The scientific novelty lies in the inclusion of lesser-known Polish piano works into the Ukrainian concert and scholarly context. Results and conclusions. The analysis reveals diverse interpretative strategies corresponding to stylistic and dramaturgical differences among composers. eleski’s works suggest the strategy of the interpreter as a “realizer”, adhering to genre logic and structural clarity. Zarbski combines lyrical imagery and formal coherence, resulting in a mixed interpretative type. Szymanowski’s music demands an interpreter-co-creator, as his symbolic sound structures and polyphonic textures require psychological depth. Rycki’s cycle “Italia” presupposes the interpreter-director strategy, emphasizing spatial, visual, and dramatic thinking. Performance poetics is understood as an analytical listening experience that bridges the score and interpretative realization. Within a shared cultural context, the examined works demonstrate contrasting dramaturgical models and textural strategies. These distinctions correspond to four types of interpretative strategies. The study contributes to the reevaluation of Polish piano repertoire from the transitional period and encourages its broader scholarly and concert integration.