The article is devoted to the philosophical views of A.G. Schnittke and his philosophy of music. This is a “different philosophy”, a kind of “pre-philosophy”. Firstly, it does not tolerate any systematization that simplifies and restricts philosophy, demonstrating its relativity and “inferiority”. Secondly, it avoids the traditional categories of reason – concepts and logical constructions. It focuses on images and associations, on subtle subjective connections between them. It is basically irrational and intuitive, and therefore lends itself to a variety of different interpretations. Thirdly, Schnittke believes in the “undisclosability” of the author's philosophy to the end, because in depth it relies on a “mystery”, the realization of which can be approached either through naive, or poetic, or through religious-mystical discourse. Therefore, Schnittke's music always encrypts secret signs, symbols, numbers, which are the means of expressing sacred meanings (“Schnittke code”). Fourthly, in his music Schnittke constantly refers to quotations, pseudo-citations, allusions, stylizations of classics and contemporaries, to monograms of composers and performers and thus creates an intertextual space of polystylistics through which the “connection of times” (dialogue of musicians of different eras) is realized. Polystylistics embodies the pluralism of cultural memory and the integration of many musical styles and ideas into the idea of “eternal music”. Fifthly, in the light of polystylistics, Schnittke recreates the dialogue between serious and entertaining music, elite and mass cultures in his work. As a result, images arise that combine contrasting styles and possess moral and aesthetic ambivalence. These images allow mutually exclusive interpretations and provoke philosophical disputes.
philosophy of music; pre-philosophy; Schnittke; figurative associativity; naïve; poetic and religious-mystical discourses; musical “numerology”; polystylistics; intertextuality; moral and aesthetic ambivalence.