1. Shostakovich Symphonies 4-6
l Condemnation following the attack in the Soviet
Press on the opera Lady Macbeth of the Mtsensk
District. Stalin walked out and Pravda condemned
it.
l 1936 saw his works under real scrutiny and fifth
was composed in the immediate aftermath.
l Irony that Lady Macbeth was in many ways
unobjectionable - and far less abstract or un-Soviet
than The Nose (1930) – which was highly ironic.
l But it was sympathetic to the female character in a
time of state crisis – this sort of tender
understanding was anathema to state authorities.

2. Goodall Video

3. Establishment of the Union of
Soviet Composers
l By 1932 resolution.
l With Journal controlled by the party.
l Inforcement by Zhdanov of Socialist
Realism in all arts – to be followed without
exception.
l Formalism the great sin (Western
implications).
l Union of Soviet Composers takes charge of
music

4. The Fate of the Fourth
Symphony
l Written 1935-6: Gap in early 30s when he
concentrated on film and stage works.
l Married and had affairs.
l Massive structure- in 3 movements but 60
minutes that spans colossal synthesis of
musical development to date.
l Showed study of Mahler. C minor/major
l Not premiered until 1960s – withdrawn. He
started it before attack – but reacted quickly.

5. Big Orchestra!

6. First mvt
l Massive – 30 minutes!
l ABAB form.
l Minimal literal repetition of anything.
l Variety by changing scoring, rhythm, tempo
etc.
l A is a march and B is a waltz (Shosta often
uses Waltz as and second theme).
l First subject theme rather crude and vulgar.

7. Start

8. Second mvt.
l Allegro Con Moto: Form ABABA –
develops into a fugue at the end.
l 4-note motive at start – strings then
woodwind.
l Slowish Scherzo – cool detached melody

10. Largo
l Lots of sections – Funeral March A, Fast
Toccata B, Dance Suite (waltz, gallop,
waltz) varied A,
Moderato Toccata B, Slow Funeral March A
with coda.
Very colourful and varied. Start with bassoon
timps and basses.

13. Fifth Symphony
l Formalism the great sin – yet Fifth Symphony
follows form – conventional sonata form.
l Tragic feeling of the first movement also possibly
suspect.
l Art supposed to reflect folk or national idioms –
yet very little of such reference is made in the
work. Shostakovich had been told in party
publications to represent heroic Soviet peasants
through folk idioms.
l Paradox that official reception was so positive.

14. New directions in style
l Economy – mammoth orchestra of earlier
symphonies is gone – though extra percussion and
two harps are included.
l He had abandoned the huge 4th Symphony
realising that it would get him into even greater
political problems.
l Avoids complex treatment of themes.
l No idea is inflated beyond its capacity.
l Clarity and simplicity of style to the fore.

15. Parrallels with Neo-
Classicism?
l Some similarities with Stravinsky’s neo-classical
style.
l But Shostakovich’s work more programmatic – to
show the ‘making of a man’.
l ‘I saw a man with all his experiences in the centre
of the composition which is lyrical in form from
beginning to end. The finale is the optimistic
solution of the tragically tense moments of the
first movement’.
l Need to cover anticipated official criticism of
tragedy in symphonic writing.

16. First Movement
l Comparison with First Symphony, first
movement.
l Opens with a close canon – its foundation is the
semitone drop from B flat to A (Dominant to D).
l Widest interval at the beginning resolving into
lesser jumps = tension to resolution.
l Lots of clever links derived from the thematic
material – overlapping effect of themes appearing
first as accompaniments. Feeling of continuity.
l E.g. repeated chords of second subject provide
shape of transition to central section. Interlocking
material.

17. First Movement – opening
theme, bars 1-3

18. No. 5 start

21. First movement – second theme,
bars 50-53

22. Second subject

24. Second Subject
l Second subject is more cool – at arms length.
Single melody with basic triadic accompaniment.
l Second and third movements follow predicable
patterns.
l Large leaps and homophonic accompaniment.
l Recapitulation at 32 with many more instruments
and in a higher register. 5 bars later the second
theme appears fff in the brass against the first
theme. Second subject now in D major – it
appears also as a canon between flute and horn.
Ends with muted solo violin followed by celesta

25. Start movement 2

26. More Second mvt

27. Second movement theme, bar 86
(mark 57)

28. Second mvt
l A sherzo-like movement with lots of
themes.
l Opens in phygian E.
l Middle landler section in C major.
l Then development of opening passage
leading to return of opening theme and the
movement ending in A minor.

29. Second mvt
l Starts with bass line alone in Phygian mode.
Then first theme appears in unison
woodwind 49. second theme at 53 is
followed by a jolly contrasting horn theme
at 54 (parody of a Mahler Landler). Then
played by violin with glissadi. Jocky and
witty.

30. Third movement start, bars 1-5,
(mark 75)

31. Continued

32. Third Movement

33. l F sharp minor ending in F sharp major.
l Opening theme a aria like theme played first
by violins and cellos.
l Middle section at b.84 over high C natural
inverted pedal.
l Scored for divided string orchestra,
woodwind, timps harps, celesta and piano.
Important solo theme for oboe in the middle
Strng choir heard alone at the close moving
from the minor to major.

34. Last movement theme, bars 3-6

35. Fourth Movement

37. From bar 308 – change to
major key

39. Finale Triumphant
l Vigorous bombastic movement that pulls out all the stops.
A triumphal march with a middle sectin with solos and
quiet textures leading to a thundering return to the
transformed theme.
l Great theme of pieces begins in D minor. Section in F
major at 112. The theme returns at 121 transformed in the
last pages to an optimistic grandiose close in D major.
l The last pages are almost continuos banging quavers over
a D pedal.

40. Notes
l March like theme announced in unison in
the brass fortissimo against pounding timps
at the start. Second theme at 98 equally
emphatic over D minor drone. After a
period of great agitation the texture thins to
a poco animato at 113 and a gentle flute
solo at 115 followed by gentle string section
leading to a harp solo

41. ‘An artist’s response to just
criticism’
l The subtitle suggested submission.
l The style was conservative and less
personal.
l It met with huge official success and
restored him in official favour.
l In its wake he started on the First Quartet.
l It saved the symphony as an acceptable
form for Soviet composition.

42. Finale