Music in Soviet Russia
Important pre-Soviet Composers
“National Realistic School”
Glinka, Dargomyzhsky, Serov
Tchaikovsky
Balakirev, Borodin, Musorgsky, Cui, Rimsky-Korsakov
Classical Music in Russia
Classical music flourished under “proletariat rule”
In Moscow, it centered around the Grand Hall of the Moscow Conservatoire
Soviet Music
Soviet musicologists believed realistic composers should write music that is
“grounded in the nation”.
Appeal to a broad group of people using popular melody (often use folk music
melodies), and European art music.
Igor Stravinsky
Considered a revolutionary composer
Riot after his ballet, The Rite of Spring
Goes from richly Romantic works, to “serialism”
One of the 20th century’s best composers
Rite of Spring
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bjX3oAwv_Fs&feature=related
Sergei Prokofiev
Not as opposed to the Bolsheviks as many other composers, like Stravinsky
Obeys normal musical conventions, though he allows himself some freedoms.
Wrote multiple ballets, operas, and film scores
Romeo and Juliet
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZB3sd2BAxys
Dmitrii Shostakovich
Early music showed influence of Stravinsky and Prokofiev
Lady Macbeth of Mtensk
Moves from “brash humor and experimental character” to “more introverted
melancholy and nationalistic fervor” to the “defiant and bleak mood of his last
period”
Soviets wanted him to be the “second Beethoven”
Always finding a balance between freedom of expression and the Soviet police.
Tried to push his boundaries while appeasing Stalin.
Western musicians criticized him for this.
Wrote Festive Overture in three days after Stalin’s death.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1gDZTah8J2A
“Sovietization” of Music
Wanted a distinctly Soviet musical culture
Music was difficult to censor because of its abstraction compared to physical art
forms.
Nationalize conservatories, publishing houses and theatres.
Confiscate valuable instruments from private collections and aristocrats.
There was only one radio station in all of Russia.
Comintern Radio
Participation of Workers
Groups in factories or farm collectives began putting on little plays, with music written
either by a member of the group or a pro.
Works Cited
•" Google Image Result for http://www.classical-composers.org/img/prokofiev.jpg."
Google. http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.classicalcomposers.org/img/prokofiev.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.classicalcomposers.org/comp/prokofie&h=333&w=234&sz=12&tbnid=imcj5BsMq4oYBM:&tbn
h=266&tbnw=187&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dimages%2Bof%2BProkofiev&zoom=1
(accessed December 19, 2010).
•" Google Image Result for
http://www.classical.net/music/images/composer/s/stravinsky.jpg." Google.
http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.classical.net/music/images/composer
/s/stravinsky.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.classical.net/music/comp.lst/stravinsky.php&h=
280&w=230&sz=32&tbnid=eBiGLLLjtOv5PM:&tbnh=224&tbnw=184&prev=/images
%3Fq%3Dimage%2Bof%2B (accessed December 19, 2010).
•" Google Image Result for
http://www.manhattanstringquartet.com/images/Shostakovich_web.jpg." Google.
http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.manhattanstringquartet.com/images/
Shostakovich_web.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.manhattanstringquartet.com/Shostakovich
.htm&h=430&w=386&sz=12&tbnid=Nlf7DSCNUxa_wM:&tbnh=126&tbnw=113&prev
=/images%3Fq%3Dimages%2Bof (accessed December 19, 2010).
•"Classical Music in Soviet Russia." NewsMax.com: America's News Page - News
Archives. http://archive.newsmax.com/archives/articles/2006/11/24/85758.shtml
(accessed December 18, 2010).
•Cowell, Henry . "Music in Soviet Russia." JSTOR: Russian Review, Vol. 1. No. 2,
(April.,1942), pp. 74-79. http://www.jstor.org/stable/125204 (accessed December 7,
2010).
•Dorin, Ryan. "Dmitri Shostakovich: Festive Overture - Piece Detail | LA Phil." Los
Angeles Philharmonic at Walt Disney Concert Hall | LA Phil.
http://www.laphil.com/philpedia/piece-detail.cfm?id=263 (accessed January 2, 2011).
•"Essentials of Music - Composers." Essentials of Music.
http://www.essentialsofmusic.com/composer/stravinsky.html (accessed December 7,
2010).
•Guide, All Music. "Dmitry Shostakovich | AllMusic." AllMusic.
http://www.allmusic.com/artist/dmitry-shostakovich-q7974/biography (accessed
December 8, 2010).
•"Igor Stravinsky - Biography." HumanitiesWeb - Welcome.
http://www.humanitiesweb.org/human.php?s=c&p=a&a=i&ID=756 (accessed December
8, 2010).
•"Music under Soviet rule: Centre and pseudo-centre." Southern Illinois University
Edwardsville. http://www.siue.edu/~aho/musov/cpc.html (accessed January 2, 2011).
•Nelson, Amy. "Music for the Revolution: Musicians ... - Google Books." Google Books.
http://books.google.com/books?id=Q9MsfCnep64C&printsec=frontcover&dq=Music,+S
oviet,+Russia&hl=en&ei=fmX-TLzAOIq8Aaxqdj8Bw&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CCcQ6AEwAA#v=
onepage&q&f=false (accessed December 7, 2010).
•Schwarz, Boris. Music and musical life in Soviet Russia, 1917-1970 . New York: W. W.
Norton, 1972.
•"Sergei Prokofiev - an overview of the classical composer." mfiles.
www.mfiles.co.uk/composers/Sergei-Prokofiev.htm (accessed December 8, 2010).
•Smrz, Jiri. "Symphonic Marxism: Sovietizing Pre-Revolutionary Russian Music Under
Stalin." Discourses in Music. http://www.discourses.ca/v4n3a1.html (accessed January 2,
2011).
•"YouTube- Shostakovich Festive Overture Op 96 Live @ Nobel Prize Concert 2009 ."
YouTube . http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1gDZTah8J2A (accessed January 2, 2011).
•"YouTube-The Rite of Spring Part 1 ." YouTube.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bjX3oAwv_Fs&feature=related (accessed January 2,
2011).