Music Of Claude Debussy And Dmitri Shostakovich Music Essay

Music Of Claude Debussy And Dmitri Shostakovich Music EssayThe Romantic era presented galore(postnominal) European composers who referred to themselves, or were referred to by others, as nationalist. Nationalism was very important because it allowed societies to incubate to remain loyal to their country and allowed the country to gain cultural identity and individuality. Our descriptions of nationalism argon extremely vague and inconsistent, as many composers practice of medicine seems to panorama under the nationalist category. This is why the definition of musical nationalism moldiness be refined, so that only composers whose music truly represents all aspects of their nation whitethorn be heralded nationalist. This means that the music must first and foremost appeal to the people and must reflect the nations cultural identity, rather than superimpose a elaboration upon it. The composer must also keep in mind the nations past and reveal hopes for the future. This means that a align nationalists music, in essence, becomes the nation by not hardly encompassing the views of one member of society, or even one group in society, but of the nation as a whole.Claude Debussy is known today as one of the great French composers who, in the words of Robert Orledge, was ever concerned with the necessity for French music to be true to itself. Orledge described his final serial publication of chamber sonatas as enveloping a chauvinistic spirit looking back to Rameau. Debussy was known for incorporating many international influences into his music, most notably the music of the Russian Five, and the Javanese gamelan. All of this considered, is it truly logical to refer to Debussys music as nationalistic, or even French for that matter? Is it not equally possible to call it Russian, since, quite arguably, most of his musical influences stem from there? Before a decision can be made concerning nationalism in Debussys music, we must show a look at the music of Dmitri Shostakovich.The creation of the Soviet labor union marked the beginning of the largest obstacle for Russian composers. It was first time in account where a governing, a secular power, had a direct say in the subject matter and appropriate style of all art forms. During the Soviet Union, it was the composers labor to acquire culture which already existed amongst the intelligentsia (the Russian intellectual class), rather than to invent their own culture. The artistic movement enforced by the Soviet government between 1936 and 1950 was known as Socialist Realism, described by Stalin as an art national in form and socialist in content. This made it nigh impossible to express or create without crossing the very fine line set by the State. Artists of the time faced constant fear of comport and unemployment. The composers who did comply with the rules, however, became terrifically wealthy and were able to thrive under Soviet rule, earning up to 10,000 rubles per work commissioned b y the Union of Soviet Composers. Dmitri Dmitrievich Shostakovich was one such(prenominal) composer. During the social realist period, Shostakovich came back from a temporary downfall self-coloureder than ever with the aim to write music which was consistent with the changes brought on by the Revolution and which was, above anything else, to be created for his people. Shostakovich composed symphonies which would restore his glory and forever mark him as one of the great symphonic composers. Shostakovich had managed to please his audience by progressing in innovativeness, continuing Beethovens and Tchaikovskys knock-down(prenominal) symphonic traditions, and composing in a way that can truly be considered nationalistic.Shostakovichs music represented the epitome of Soviet nationalism and there be numerous elements present in his music which prove this. Shostakovichs main goal as a composer after his revival was to please the people which formed his nation. During an converse with an American correspondent, Shostakovich illustrated this by saying I consider that every artist who isolates himself from the world is doomed. I find it incredible that an artist should want to shut himself international from the people, who, in the end, form his audience. Shostakovichs music was in touch with the national character of the time it contained quotations of popular folk songs, was historically significant, and reflected the social realist style of the time. In an member about(predicate) Soviet music, Nicolas Slonimsky stated that, the musical biography of Shostakovich is a perfect mirror of the changing policies in Soviet music. Shostakovich is the product of Soviet life. An important physical exercise of this can be seen in Shostakovichs 7th symphony which was performed on March 1st, 1942 in the temporary capital of Kuibishev. It represented the survival and victory of the nation, inspired by the battle of Leningrad. The main theme is of a Soviet war hero which dr owns out a second hesitant, puppet-like theme representing the Germans. Shostakovich used this piece to build the morale of the nation, and helped fight the war from a cultural standpoint.It is true, however, that Shostakovich did succumb to artistic compromise during the social realist movement in order to provide for his family and continue to work as a composer. At the time, Shostakovich wrote music which was loyal to the state, but he did not necessarily agree with the governments policies. Of course, speaking out loud about his disagreement with the authorities was impossible. Contrary to popular belief, this couldnt be more irrelevant to whether or not he composed in a nationalistic style. A nation, after all, is defined by the unity of its people, and has absolutely nothing to do with the policies of its government. A composer may whole-heartedly agree with the politics of a country, but dumb fail to represent its people, its history, its culture and the nation as a whole i n their music.Of much importance, on the other hand, is the fact that Shostakovich kept the history of Russian music alive by incorporating compositional techniques used by his predecessors however, he did not do so in a strictly imitative manner. He made use of the hopelessly sombre mood and the spirit of universal humanity of Tchaikovsky, the folk elements of Prokofiev and, finally the inventiveness of Stravinskys music. In utilizing these elements, Shostakovich was able to continue his countrys strong symphonic reputation and paved the way for new composers by applying innovative orchestration, contrasting orchestral timbres, increasing chromaticism, and vigorously precise rhythms. The innovativeness Shostakovich possessed is an essential fibre to have as a nationalist composer, because without innovativeness, one cannot expect to continue the cultural and artistic legacy of a country.In the words of Ernest Newman musicians are for the most part driven to nationalism as a revol t against inappropriate influence., much like the Russians did during the 19th century when Italian and German influences were taking over. Rather than escaping foreign influence, Debussy turned to it and incorporated it into his music. Debussys music is no more French than French fries are. Just because one is called French and claims to love their country, does not mean they are intrinsically and whole-heartedly French. As Ernest Newman said however typically Russian a Russian may be, he is not a Russian if he looks, as many Russians do, beyond the borders of his own country, and finds certain aspects of foreign art more interesting than the indigenous art of the home territory. There is no doubt that Debussy was a brilliant composer, but it is quite obvious that he did look far, far beyond the influence of his own nation. How is it then, that we can even begin to consider him as a musicien franais, especially when comparing him to true nationalists like Shostakovich? Rollo H. Me yers argues that Debussy, from the very beginning of his creative career, always knew exactly what kind of music he wanted to write, and no influence whatever could have made him change his course. If he took anything from others, he only took what, in a sense, already belonged to him. This is not unlike modernizing verses of Romeo and Juliet or critical point and claiming them to be your own invention because Shakespeares timeless writing already belonged to you. It is people like Meyers who contribute to the constant false identification of nationalism in many composers music.21Slonimsky, Dmitri Dmitrievitch Shostakovitch, 415.Shostakovich, unlike Debussy, was one of the few composers to truly combine being a good musician with being a good nationalist. He was a true professional when creating his music and always found new ways of appealing to his audience. On top of all of this, he managed to deliver ground-breaking techniques and advance the future of music. His music was revo lutionary yet was not overly experimental as to cause a disconnection from his audience. This is especially remarkable considering the limitations set by the Soviet authorities. tear down though Debussy is evidently a Frenchman, if one compares him to Shostakovich, it is hard to understand how one could ever consider Debussys music as being French. This so called French shade of his music is really just his Debussyist style of composing, which is purely unique to him, and is not a reflection of his country or his people. This comparison allows us to rethink the definition of nationalism in music and what it means to truly represent a nation.To be nationalist does not mean that one must be natural or even grow up in a country. It means that one must act with the nations best interests at heart, and not look beyond that nation for influence. To be a nationalist is to, in essence, encapsulate the past, present, and future of the nation all at once, and to create music which is of th e people, by the people, for the people. One must also not be too experimental on an audience, since that immediately disengages them and does nothing to unite a nation. The musical and cultural influences brought upon by truly gifted and nationalist composers like Shostakovich were, and still are, extremely significant. Whether or not one agrees, or even whether or not Shostakovich himself agreed with the politics of the Soviet Union is irrelevant. Shostakovich wrote for his people above anything else. He reflected the cultural and historical significance of his country in his music and, despite the oppressive forces of the Soviet government, continued to compose innovatively and in a way which advanced the future of music. It would be difficult to disagree that a figure like Shostakovich was exactly what the struggling country needed at the time a truly nationalist composer who would write first and foremost for his country and for his people.