Abstract. The article is devoted to the opera “Paradise Lost” by K. Penderecki. The opera
has the author’s defi nition of the genre — “sacra rappresentazione”. In fact, it combines
the features of various musical genres, and it is a vivid example illustrating the trend of
rethinking traditional genre models. This tendency was characteristic of the musical art
of the 20th century. The article provides information about the history of the creation and
the fi rst performances of the opera, as well as analyses the features of the work from the
point of view of architectonics, specifi cations of the musical language and genre char-
acteristics. This work of Penderecki was considered in the article in connection with the
composer’s worldview and the stylistic evolution of his oeuvre, as well as in the context of
general trends in the development of musical genres in the second half of the 20th century.
Keywords: “Paradise Lost” by K. Penderecki, sacra rappresentazione, music of the 20th
century, varieties of musical genres
