"To me he seemed like a trapped man, whose only wish was to be left alone, to the peace of his own art and to the tragic destiny to which he, like most of his countrymen, has been forced to resign himself." Nicholas Nabokov on meeting Shostakovich in 1949 in New York
During the hard and cruel era of Stalinism, Shostakovich had the courage to express the desolation of his people by method of remarkable dramatic feeling; hence, his music became a moral support for all who were persecuted. Sofia Gubaidulina reflected, "The circumstances he lived under were unbearably cruel, more than anyone should have to endure." With Stravinsky and Prokofiev, Shostakovich embodies the culmination of 20th Century Russian music, but unlike his contemporaries, he is unique in having composed his entire opus within the framework of Soviet aesthetics. When forced onto the defensive, he did not dispute; but instead overcame the limitations of socialist realism and infused throughout his works his belief in the final victory of justice, which transformed his music into a powerful stimulus to the spirit of resistance and freedom.
This is nowhere plainer than in Shostakovich's cello concertos, where the weeping of the cello contrasts with the harsh shrieks of the woodwind. Shostakovich wanted to create a piece whose exultant defiance and bitter sorrow sent a chilling message to the world. Composed for the great Russian cellist, Mstislav Rostropovich, the first cello concerto subdivides into four movements. To Shostakovich's astonishment, Rostropovich mastered and memorised the entire work in just four days.
Shostakovich stated that his motivation for the cello concerto came from Prokofiev's `Symphony Conc...
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... then plays allegro passages of semi quavers, accompanied by timpani and descending scales in the woodwind. The clarinet, takes over the main melody whilst the cello accompanies with sequences. The French horn takes over the melody, accompanied by the strings. The flute briefly plays the melody before the cello plays octaves, accompanying the woodwind as they play a reprise of the DSCH theme and the timpani crashes. Repeating the themes in the first movement, the cello plays the DSCH motif followed by the "tate ta, tate ta" rhythm in the strings. The horn then plays the theme in augmentation, whilst the cello plays passages of ascending and descending scales, and the theme is heard again in the strings. The movement builds up with the motif appearing increasingly often in the woodwind and strings and climaxes with octaves by the soloist and a boom from the timpani.
The opening theme consists of a sinister sounding, descending organ phrase made from the notes A,
This track was released in 2009 as part of the soundtrack for the film Avatar. This piece was recorded by the Hollywood Studio Symphony under the direction of James Horner. Overall, this piece is written in two parts, both parts conveying the overall feel of wonder for the listener as they watch the scene. The first part features woodwind soloists, with the strings at a mostly piano dynamic. The second part features the percussion ensemble with occasional choral elements in a forte dynamic. The piece opens with a held D from the upper strings at a mezzo piano dynamic. The solo clarinet then comes in, creating the first four bar musical theme (could you call it a motif?) At the end of the first theme, a tin whistle is heard playing an alternating 16th note triplet figure. A piano to mezzo piano cymbal roll takes the piece into the piano countermelody under the main melody as the tin whistle continues at varying intervals. The initial melody is harmonized and toward the end of the theme (Major 6ths eventually alternating between perfect fifths), then the strings come up to a mezzo forte dynamic, leading the line towards the new themes in the oboe solo and eventually flute solo. In terms of balance in this section, the strings almost always stay below the solo winds (unless they’re in unison with a repeating theme), and the tin whistle soars above the entire ensemble for the majority of the first section. The strings then lead the ensemble into the next section, shifting gears to a percussion feature. Then, there is a crescendo to a forte with the full string section, vocals, and percussion. There is then an ensemble decrescendo starting with percussion, next vocals, then strings, until all that is left is a bass-range sustained harp, piano, piano strings, and a viola solo. A high-range percussion and choral section with choir then decrescendos to
Solzhenitsyn believed that it was nearly impossible to have truly free thoughts under the prison camp conditions described in One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich, or in any situation where there is an authoritarian ruler. In a pris...
The piano plays the main themes, and it was absent from playing before. The piano plays two octaves in the treble register. There is a viola in the background playing a counter melody, which slows towards
In the passage by Igor Stravinsky, he uses not only comparison and contrast, but also language to convey his point of view about the conductors of the time and their extreme egotism. Stravinsky believes that conductors exploit the music for their own personal gain, so rather, he looks on them in a negative light.
In this paper I will take a closer look into Sergei Rachmaninoff’s life with a specific focus on his Vespers with special attention on the fifth movement, Nunc dimittis. There is confusion as to with what purpose he wrote the Vespers as some claim him to be non-religious while others claim he is very religious. Regardless of his preferences, he requested the fifth movement be played at his own funeral so I intend to explore potential reasons for his decision. I will go about this research by looking into what information we know of his personal life using credible sources, as well as researching his Vespers as a whole with specific focus on the sixth movement. I will also address World War I and the Bolshevik Revolution and its effects
The same line is repeated ecstatically by the quartet, which soars upward to it’s peak. The orchestra and chorus re-enter at a rapid tempo to bring the movement to its conclusion.
Alexander Solzhenitsyn carefully and tediously depicted what life is like in a prison. Ivans monotonous life prompts the reader initially to think that Ivans day is a living death of tedious details. Yet, in truth, Ivan i...
The first movement is in sonata form - Allegro ma non troppo, un poco maestoso. Strings and horns appear from the distance as if they had been already playing out of earshot. The music gradually intensifies in volume until the final explosion into the first subject. Then this whole process is repeated. The first movement shows a contrast of emotion that seems to return in the recapitulation befor...
...ers and the audience. The dramatic nature of this piece alone is something to be reckoned with as it is extremely passionate. The symphony is presented in 4 movements as is common and begins with a Poco Sostenuto- Vivace, followed by a Allegretto movement, Presto movement, and finally ends on an Allegro con brio movement. the central theme of this piece is introduced in the first movement by a flute playing in tripple meter continuously ascending up the scales rising in dynamic contrast, continuing to grow into a louder and more stark contrast between it’s highs and lows. Consistently dance like, the piece is celebratory of its roots buried in historical Austrian music that has been present in the culture for years. The accomplishments of the soldiers for which the piece was composed for are easily told of simply by the energy and power present throughout the piece.
...e been illustrated in many events that assure his own personal morals to live a life worthy of his own actions. ¡°Somehow, even through countless years of prison life, he has maintained a sense of dignity.¡± Shukov demonstrated his integrity by attaining trust among the prisoners, a trust gained only from his previous engagements of sincere and honest deeds. Ivan¡¯s optimistic attitude motivated the others around him to perform the given tasks with a can do attitude. To a man, ones aspect of life can aspire a man to perform a great deed with a positive attitude, which Ivan had accomplished within the power plant. Ivan Denisovich¡¯s heart found sympathy for those who had suffered without a just cause for survival allowing him to remain sane throughout his sentence. His sanity was part of his meaning in life as his main goal was to live a life the best he could, and to maintain that life it was necessary for him to remain sane. Therefore the meaning in life through he eyes of Ivan Denisovich was to live a life of honesty and integrity with an optimistic attitude, allowing himself to sustain his own stature within his society while serving out his sentence as a prisoner of Communism.
Historical. This brilliant composition is considered as one of the two most important violin concertos of the German Romantic period, with Mendelssohn’s vi...
The brass plays an ascending sequence, followed by pizzicato notes played by the strings, and an ascending and descending scale on the harp. Strings and oboe play the rhythmic melody, whilst the trumpet plays fanfares in syncopation. The oboe is then replaced by the flute. There is an ascending scale played by the strings, then the brass section repeats the string and oboe melody with cymbal crashes at cadence points. The orchestra then plays a loud melody with cymbal crashes and drum rolls. There is an interrupted cadence, followed by crescendo with cymbal crashes and a brass ostinato. The piece ends with a perfect cadence.
...chestral introduction with an imperfect cadence. A strong rhythmic ¾ allegro passage, with sequences and descending scales is played by the orchestra, with timpani and cymbals. The music modulates, and a short, quiet woodwind passage is then alternated with an orchestral passage with dotted rhythms, creating a `terraced dynamics' effect. Part B begins with a major clarinet melody accompanied by pizzicato strings. A minor flute sequence follows, and is followed by a repetition of the oboe melody. A string sequence is then played, imitated by the oboe. There is a crescendo, then the rhythmic orchestral melody returns, alternated with a short flute passage. There are suspensions, descending scales and a crescendo, followed by a strong rhythmic passage with the timpani playing on the beat. Imperfect cadences are played, before the piece finishes with a perfect cadence.
Dostoevsky’s noteworthy literary works each contain similarities in theme, character development, and purpose when analyzed beyond face value. Dostoevsky’s early life and ideals, intertwined with life-changing events that shifted his ideologies, and critiques of fellow Russian writers during his time period lay the groundwork for Dostoevsky’s recurring arguments for the way which Russian society would be best-off, as well as ways in which the people of Russia would be suited to live the most fulfilling, non-corrupt lives.