In a time period of strict rules of keeping creativity contained, Dmitri Shostakovich wrote under the pressures of the government-imposed standards of Soviet art. However, Shostakovich used his undeniable musical talent to compose pieces with components of sadness and darkness that were, during this time period, challenging the pride of the state. Therefore, he and his music were officially shunned. He continued composing, and began releasing pieces to the public that were the “standard” of Soviet art. At this time, only Shostakovich knew that buried within his seemingly prideful compositions were notes and rhythms of hidden messages challenging the state. Because of his rebellious upbringing and despite negative reactions of the public, Shostakovich continued to challenge the authority of the Soviet Union and fight for freedom of expression with his compositions which were full of mysterious and defiant energy.
Motivations for Shostakovich’s revolutionary musical changes were brought about by the confinement of the artistic society. Joseph Stalin, leader of the Soviet Union for most of Shostakovich’s lifetime, had very strict rules. All forms of art were required to reflect the pride of Russia. Opportunities for self expression were very slim. Therefore, there was a standard for music that was not to be modified or challenged. Shostakovich was motivated by the opportunity to challenge the state and create new, rigid compositions that were never heard of at that time, let alone attempted. Shostakovich relied on jagged rhythms, tonal ambiguity, as well as expressive dissonance to identify his music as undeniably his (Travisano 2). He believed that combining different styles and forms of music into an unidentifiable style would be ...
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...dard of Soviet art. He revealed feelings of those suffering around him through his music. His legacy and musical styles have persevered, and Shostakovich is considered to be one of the greatest and most influential composers on twenty-first century music.
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Modeste Petrovich Mussorgsky’s (1839-1881) Songs and Dances of Death was his final composition, composed in 1877, in years of artistic confidence that followed the success of his masterpiece, the opera Boris Godunov. Boris Godunov encapsulates many of Mussorgsky’s innovations including those towards his approach to the setting of the Russian language: his biographer, Robert W. Oldani observes, Mussorgsky’s “quest to find a musical equivalent for the patterns, inflections, pace and cadence of spoken Russian, to fix in music the paralexical aspects of speech that give it plasticity and nuance.” Indeed, Mussorgsky was one of a group of Russian composers known as the "Mighty Five,"- so dubbed by the influential contemporaneous critic V. V. Stasov.
Griffiths, Paul with Igor Stravinsky, Robert Craft and Gabriel Josipovici. Igor Stravinsky: The Rake's Progress. Cambridge Opera Handbooks. Cambridge: Cambridge UP, 1982.
Fay, Laurel E. ‘Shostakovich vs. Volkov: whose Testimony?’ The Russian Review (October 1980), pp. 484-93.
The Art of the Chekhovian Language escapes from the personal intentions. Reality is neither embellished nor blackened, altered or "signified" through a restrictive conceptual vision.
Beethoven, I believe, was ahead of his time. To me, he is the greatest composer of all time. His music is not just sounds of music played together in harmony, but a way of life. The music he created for the world is not just to listen to it, but grabs onto the emotion he was setting up. Beethoven's unordinary style cannot ever be copied by any composer or music artist.
Wallace, D. F., 2005. Joseph Frank's Dostoevsky . In: CONSIDER THE LOBSTER AND OTHER ESSAYS. s.l.:Little, Brown and Co., p. 343.
Composers have the ability to use their texts as an effective medium to provide insight into controversial issues. This gives them great power to share stories and opinions that can influence audience’s perspectives. The use of distinctively visual techniques in John Misto’s Shoe-Horn Sonata and Joe Rosenthal’s “Raising of the flag on Iwo Jima “gives the ability for both composers to contrast the issues that were faced in World War II. Misto’s text provides a dark perspective which presents the hardship of war through the story of two captured female nurses. This is contrasted with Rosenthal’s text which challenges the audience by idealising the heroism and teamwork associated with war through an iconic photograph.
George Gibian. New York: Norton, 1989. Frank, Joseph. The. Dostoevsky: The Miraculous Years, 1865-1871.
Introduction Upon my first encounter with Kandinsky's painting, my eyes and indeed my mind were overcome with a sense of puzzlement, as it seemed impossible to decipher what lay beneath his passionate use of colour and distorted forms. Kandinsky hoped by freeing colour from its representational restrictions, it, like music could conjure up a series of emotions in the soul of viewer, reinforced by corresponding forms. Throughout this essay, I will follow Kandinsky's quest for a pure, abstract art and attempt to determine whether his passionate belief in this spiritual art and his theories on its effects on the soul, can truly be felt and appreciated by the average viewer, who at first glance would most likely view Kandinsky's paintings as simply abstract. Kandinsky was indeed a visionary, an artist who through his theoretical ideas of creating a new pictorial language sought to revolutionize the art of the twentieth-century. Regarded as the founder of abstract painting, he broke free from arts traditional limitations and invented the first painting for paintings sake, whereby the dissolution of the object and subsequent promotion of colour and form became means of expression in their own right.
Chopin’s third sonata is a masterwork filled with pianistic elements, daring harmonies, experimental form, and a wealth of expressivity. In this four-movement work, references to other Chopin compositions and influences from fellow composers are found. At the same time, there is a progressive element; it looks forward to the heights which would be achieved by Chopin and later composers.
In their article, “The Creativity Crisis”, authors Po Bronson and Ashley Merryman explore the urgency of the downfall in the public’s “creativity quotient.” Bronson and Merryman emphasize the necessity for young children to be imaginative. Through an IBM poll, they verify that with the decrease of creativity in our society comes an array of consequences seen in the work field. The authors remind readers of another reason for the importance of creativity; they argue that creative ideas can solve national matters. Hence, Branson and Merryman believe that original ideas are key for a better world. Though I concede that creativity is a vital key to the solution of many national problems, I still insist that teaching creativity,
Stories are a concept that transcend time. They are found in all languages, containing seeds of the culture’s traditions, values, and history inside the words themselves. To explore these stories means to pull apart and further understand the people and society from where it came. Yet, it also serves to connect cultures and introduce themes common throughout humanity no matter where or when one lives. Chekhov, a renowned Russian writer, exhibits within his several short stories concepts that are culturally unique as well as concepts universally understood. These truths don’t only just concern humanity but the world itself. In his stories, he presents settings that are static and unchanging. Interestingly, the characters lives are often presented as static as well, trapped in situations without an escape. The parallelism Chekhov develops between the environment and the characters works to emphasize the characters’ plights.
1-27. The 'Standard' of the 'Standard'. Dragomirov, M.I. & Co., Ltd. "Dragomirov on Prince Andrey and the Art of War". Tolstoy: The Critical Heritage.
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.
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.