Russian Music in

the Twentieth
Century
Communist Perspective on the
Arts
• Art was supposed to be understood
by and created for the whole nation,
not just the well-educated.
• Art and music were not forms of self
expression.
• Glorification of the state, reflection of
Marxist ideals.
 Communist perspectives
continued…

• Socialist Realism – Connection

between music and imagery of real
life. Musical expression and
emotional content.

• Bourgeois Formalism – Anything

which contradicts socialist realism.
• “Can the true artist
stand aloof from life
and confine his art
within narrow bounds
of subjective emotion?
Or should he be
where he is needed
most, where his
words, his music, his
chisel can help the
people live a better,
finer life?”
--
Sergei Prokofiev
 Sergei Prokofiev
• Born in 1891 • After 1917 Revolution,
• Wrote his first piece at he considered moving
age 5. to the United States.
• Entered the St. • 1918, he left Russia.
Petersburg Arrived in NYC in
Conservatory at age September. His
13. performance of his
• Reputation as enfant music was met with
criticism.
terrible of Russian
music. • Better reception in
• Exempt from military Chicago.
service during WWI. • Moved to Paris, where
he lived for 10 years.
 Sergei Prokofiev continued…
• 1948 – Central
• Collaborated with Committee of the
Diaghilev, who Communist Party
produced Chout, a accused Soviet
ballet. composers of
• Prokofiev travelled bourgeois formalism
throughout Europe due to Western
and the U.S. influences.
• Returned to Russia • Seventh Symphony
in 1934. (1952) in response to
• Honored by the criticism.
Soviets on his • Died in 1953.
return. • Suggestion Diabolique
 Dmitri Shostakovich
• Born 1906 in St.
Petersburg.
• Relatives were
involved in the
Revolution.
• Studied at the St.
Petersburg
Conservatory.
• First Symphony was
written at age 19 as
a graduation
exercise.
 Dmitri Shostakovich cont…
• Lady Macbeth of • Fifth Symphony
Mzensk (1934). (1937).
• Hugely popular • “Creative reply of a
opera about a Soviet artist to just
woman who kills her criticism.”
husband and father • 1940 – Piano
for her lover. Quintet awarded the
• 1936 – editorial Stalin Prize of
published in the 100,000 rubles.
Pravda criticizing the • Seventh or
opera, the day after Leningrad
Stalin attended a Symphony (1941).
performance. • Ninth Symphony
(1945)
 Dmitri Shostakovich cont…
• Pravda attack on
formalism of 1948.
• Withheld the
publication of some
works.
• Death of Stalin
1953.
• “By studying my music
• Order of Lenin, you will find the whole
1956. truth about me as a man
• Died in Leningrad in and as an artist.”
1975. –Dmitri Shostakovich

Symphony 15 4th mvt

 Sergei Diaghilev
• Born 1872.
• Attended the St.
Petersburg
Conservatory.
• Left Russia in 1901.
• Based in Paris.
Founded the Ballet
Russe.
• Condemned by the
Soviet government.
• Commissioned works
by Debussy, Ravel,
and Stravinsky.
• Died in 1929.
 Igor Stravinsky
• Born in 1882 near
St. Petersburg.
• Father was bass
player with the
Imperial Opera.
• Studied law at the
University of St.
Petersburg.
• Studied with Nicolai
Rimsky-Korsakov for
three years.
 Igor Stravinsky cont…
• Sergei Diaghilev • Le Sacre du
commissioned him Printemps (The
to write ballets for Rite of Spring).
Ballet Russe. • Pagan ritual in
• The Firebird (1910) which a young girl
• Petrushka (1911) is chosen to dance
herself to death.
• The Rite of Spring
• Premiered in Paris.
(1913)
• Polytonality.
 Igor Stravinsky cont…
• 1914 – took refuge • Became a U.S.
in Switzerland with citizen in 1945.
wife and children. • Died in 1971.
• 1920 to 1939 –
lived in France. Rite of Spring
• Moved to the
United States
during WWII.
• Lived in California.
 Russian
Art in the
20 th

Century
 Introduction
• Early 20th century
changed the face of the
art by more creativity
• Abstract or non-objective
art-Kazmir Malevich's
• The abstract art that has
developed through
different movements
throughout the century-
– Cubism, Cubo-futurism,
rayonism, neo-primitivism,
suprematism,
constructivism
 Introduction Cont.

• Due to the wars such • Consequently,

as painting literature,
– Civil war and theater boomed
– Communism not long after due to
– New economic policy the artist freedom in
• Many artists fled the their creativity
country until the • 1928, the support for
country was stable the arts were no loner
• Many as well remained needed, due to
in Russia and was Russia’s stability.
protected by the
“People’s Commissar
of Education”.
 Movements
• Constructivism
• Cubism
• Cubo-futurism
• Neo-primitivism
• Rayonism
• Suprematism
 Constructivism
• This movement help • Besides the arts
establish abstract affected different
pieces in 20th century parts the culture
• Created by a painter – Architecture
named Tatlin in 1915 – Applied arts ex.
Furniture, clothing,
• After the revolution it textile, books
was used by most – Theatre ex stage setup
painters. and costumes
• This was a 3D piece – Film
that used paper glass,
metal wood or any
physical materials
 Tattling:
Relive(constructivism)
 Cubanism
• Non objective
approach to painting • Painters used the
Created by Pablo this movement to
Picasso, Georges transform the 3D
Braque from France shapes into the
in 1906 canvas
• Still uses the • It displayed the
essence of three different sides
construction of the item through
however uses more the different colors.
geometric shapes • Lasted until the
– Cube 1920’s
– cylinder
– sphere
POPOVA: Two figures
(cubanism)
 (Cubo-Futurism)
• Created in 1910, • Mostly bold colors
another concept of and lines
French cubanism, • Fragments of the
and Italian objects
futurism,, and with a • Focused on
neo-primitivist in movements
energetic colors and
line
• Many artist were
attracted to the idea
of this new
movement
MALEVICH: The knife-grinder
(Cubo-Futursism)
 Neo-primitivism

• Due to the folks • Icon painting

arts of Africa, • 1D paintings
Austria and • Resembled
Oceania in Paris it children's paintings
developed in the but the color and
West. line defined the
• 1907-1912 painting.
• More spontaneous
LARIONOV: Soldier in the
woods
(Neo-primitivism)
 Rayonism
• Only lasted 1 year, but very
powerful to the whole world.
• Created by Mikhail Larionov
• “ crossing of reflected rays from
various objects”
• Color and line
 LARIONOV: BLUE
RAYONISM(Rayonism)
 Supremacist
• Developed by • Different
Kazmir Malevich arrangements
1913 where the lines can
• More toward the intersect on a
modern abstract canvas
movement
• Art over its
objectivity using
geometric forms
such as square,
triangle or square
Supremacist
 Painters
• Leon Bakst (1866- • Vasilii Kandinskii
1924) (1866-1944)
• Aleksandr Benois • Mikhail
(1870-1960) Fiodorovich
• Mark Zakharovich Larionov (1881-
Shagal (1887- 1964)
1985) • Liubov' Sergeevna
• Natal'ia Sergeevna Popova (1889-
Goncharova 1924)
(1881-1962)
 Great Russian
singers of the
beginning of the
20th century
Fyodor Ivanovich Shalyapin
(1873 - 1938)
 Well-known great Russian opera
singer-bass and a drama actor.
 Had voice of unique flexibility,
timbre, richness and beauty.
 Worldwide fame was brought to
him by his performing the major
part in Musorgsky's opera Boris
Godunov.
 Among the songs performed by
him especially popular were the
Russian folk song “Hey, uhnem!” (
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iZn8g
) and “The Song about a flea” by
Musorgsky.
 Left Russia in 1922 and settled
down in Paris.
 Sergey Lemeshev (1902 - 1977)
Ivan Kozlovsky (1900 - 1993)

 Had high lyrical tenor.

 Were the main tenors in Bolshoy.

 Russian artistes of the old school.

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SmLByYDku_4
Peter Leshchenko (1898 - 1954)
 Having comprehended all the
secrets of gramophone recording
made a great number of superb
recordings.
 Did not have proper voice
qualities to perform on stage but
his singing on phonograph records
is considered one of the best.
 In March 1951 Leshchenko was
arrested for some careless words
about the Soviet establishment...
 Died in prison.
Vadim Kozin (1903-1994)

 The legend of Russian romance.

 In the Teheran conference he
performed for Stalin, Churchill and
Roosevelt …
 His repertoire consists of about
three thousand works. And all of
his songs went through thorough
selection; if a song met no
response with the public he never
sang it again afterwards.
 Underwent two imprisonments in
the times of repressions.
Claudia Shulzhenko (1906-1984)

 A superstar of the domestic variety stage of the 20th century.

 She was neither a brilliant beauty nor a possessor of an exclusive
voice.
 Preferred to execute mischievous, cheerful and lyrical songs about
love, kind people and simple pleasures of life -songs not burdened
with ideology.
 The simple lyrical waltz “Dark blue kerchief”, (
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uhG7g8ZRGoE) sung by her in
the first months of war, unexpectedly became something like a
front hymn alongside with the glorified song Katyusha.
 Leonid Utesov (1895 - 1982)
 Having listened to foreign the
jazz-bands, Utesov decided to
create an original orchestra,
distinct from the western ones.
 The synthesis of theatre, jazz and
song in Utesov's creativity was a
real break through.
 Musical critics often accused
Utesov of the absence of a real
singer’s voice. However, his voice
is remembered by people of three
generations.
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SzqAqTtnmRI
Mark Bernes (1911-1969)

 A well-known Soviet cinema actor.

But he was also widely known as
the singer of songs by Soviet
composers on a variety stage,
radio and TV.
 Bernes’s voice did not contain any
qualities of a virtuoso data.
 All in all he performed over a
hundred songs, which have
entered the golden fund of
domestic art.
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nsj7B
 Who is it?

Shalapin
Lemehsev
Kozlivskiy
Utesov
Bernes
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ALfJiS5aacc&feature=related
 Works Cited
Introduction to Contemporary Music
by Joseph Machlis

Grove Encyclopedia of Music Online:

Dmitri Shostakovich, Igor Stravinsky,
Sergei Prokofiev.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sergei_Diagh
 Works cited
• http://www.russianpaintings.net/doc.vph
• http://www.rollins.edu/Foreign_Lang
/Russian/frame1.html