Shaw 1 5 7 11
There are three main ones
(1)
Leningrad Symphony
i.e., the Symphony No. 7 in C Major (OP.60) by Soviet composer Dmitry Dmitrievitch Shostakovitch (1906- 1975)'s Symphony No. 7 in C major (OP.60).
The Leningrad Symphony is one of the great legends of world music history.
Hitler's fascist armies invaded the Soviet Union at lightning speed in 1941. In just five months they surrounded Leningrad and pushed straight to Moscow. During the hundreds of days of the siege of Leningrad the city was bombarded daily with massive artillery shells. The people of Leningrad were mobilized to fight the fascists in a bloody battle to the death. The cruelty of the war was unimaginable. ...... During that extremely difficult and dangerous period, the great Russian composer Shostakovich, in order to express this period in music, in order to celebrate the people's spirit of perseverance and determination to win, began to compose this doomed to be an immortal piece of music in a very difficult state. He said, "I want to tell the people of the world that we are still alive and that we shall prevail!" When the composer finished this great work, the performance was very difficult. Firstly, there was the bombardment by enemy artillery, which was bombed by hundreds of tons of bombs every day, making it difficult to guarantee safety; then there was the lack of musicians, as almost all the people in the city were soldiers at that time; and secondly, there was the venue for the performance, as the nearest enemy troops were only a few kilometers away from the city. The Soviet people made great efforts to inspire the anti-fascist people all over the world. The Soviet army sent people to the front line to find the musicians of the orchestra one by one and brought them safely back to the city for secret rehearsals, repaired the performance venue, and even transported the general score by military airplane. Prior to the concert, the highest command of the Soviet army issued an order to hit the enemy hard, and at that time, the artillery of the Soviet army positions were fired, and all the artillery fire was used to bombard the enemy army fiercely. The powerful artillery fire was exchanged for a short period of quiet. At this time the music began! The people came out of their bunkers and into the streets to listen to the music relayed by the radio. The people were greatly inspired by this great musical epic and built up their confidence in victory.
This symphony, which united the people's belief in victory and the war against fascism, received a great response from the world. At that time, many famous conductors hoped to get the right to conduct the U.S. premiere, after NBC weighing, the honor was given to conductor Toscanini. This was because of Toscanini's clear anti-fascist stance and authority in music. In order to bypass the German blockade at the time, the master score of the symphony was captured on microfilm and shipped to the United States by airplane.
On July 19, 1942, a grand premiere was held in New York. The concert was broadcast on thousands of radio stations around the world. From then on, the world saw through this great work of music the tenacity and strength of the Soviet people in their fight against fascism.
From then on the anti-fascist war entered the stage of decisive victory.
Structurally, Symphony No. 7 is long (at about 70 minutes, it is the longest of all his symphonies). It is also somewhat "unbalanced," with the first movement alone taking up nearly a third of the work. According to a 1951 article by Shostakovich, it is a symphony with a Leningrad title and a theme for each movement: "War", "Recollection", "War, Recollection, The expanses of my native land and Victory. If we listen to these themes, it is indeed quite easy to relate to the author. In other words, the themes of the seventh movement are so clear that one can tell what the composer is trying to say right away. Therefore, some critics say: "This is closer to a large-scale suite than a symphony", which is an accurate description of the character of this symphony.
The first movement is a moderate, slightly fast movement. It begins with the "human theme", depicting the peaceful life before the war. The violins play the theme brightly and smoothly, followed by a long, breathy woodwind monologue common in Shostakovich's work. Suddenly, the dream of peace is shattered by the sound of distant drums, and the "war theme" appears in the style of a march.
The second movement is a slightly faster middle movement with a three-part allegro. The composer is rumored to have described this movement as follows: "...... It is a reminiscence of pleasant things, of happy episodes in life. But sadness overshadows the memories. ......" The main part of the movement consists of the main idea played easily by the first violin, the strong rhythmic background of the stringed instruments, and the elegant sub idea of the oboe. The oboe is succeeded by the bass harp, and the bass accompaniment of the harp and flute is very distinctive. This movement is arguably the most Shostakovich-inspired music ever written.
The third movement slow to slowest. It has been said since ancient times that "Russians have a deep love for their homeland and land." This movement is an expression of "respect for the beauty of nature", like the lush, boundless virgin forests of the Russian land.
The fourth movement is a not-too-fast Allegro to Allegro. After a brief introductory section on timpani that suggests a motive similar to Beethoven's "Theme of Destiny", the theme is presented by the strings, and then enters a free-flowing main section. According to Shostakovich's intention, this final movement is an expression of the "coming of victory". Finally, the first movement, "The Human Theme", is played powerfully by the brass, and after a mountainous triumph, four timpani play the central theme of the movement, and the whole piece ends.
When composers are engaged in composing, there are always some special "situations" that stimulate their creative inspiration, whether it is a major event in the society at that time, an emotional connection between family and friends, their own meditations on life experiences or life.... ... and so on. As a listener, we can find **** from the emotions they want to express, moving, or from the music "review" the situation of their creation ....... Shostakovich's Symphony No. 7 "Leningrad" naturally also has this nature, however, because he was in the environment at that time, so that this originally simple motivation for the creation of a more complex.
Leningrad was originally known as Petrograd, in honor of Lenin changed to this name (now known as St. Petersburg), since the founding of the city in 1703 is the capital of the Russian empire, has always been the political, economic and cultural towns, many artists have been active here, the Nazi attack on the Soviet Union, Shostakovich resided in the city, and personally assisted in the front line of the war, the seventh symphony's first three movements are in this dangerous city. The first three movements of the Seventh Symphony were completed in this dangerous city. As for the last movement, since the Germans cut off all outside contact with Leningrad in September 1941, Shostakovich was evacuated with his family to Gubyshev, and completed the work at the end of the same year. In terms of the timing of its composition, Symphony No. 7 was indeed born out of Leningrad.
The title of the piece, "Leningrad", would have given us a rough idea of the subject matter it was intended to present: Leningrad, which was under siege by the Nazi army during the Second World War. However, the publication in 1979 of Testimony, a purported memoir of Shostakovich, added complexity to the otherwise simple motivation, with statements such as: "When I was writing this theme (note: this refers to the "invasion" theme of the first movement, with its repetitions of snare drums), I had in mind the following. When I was writing this theme (note: referring to the "invasion" theme in the first movement, with the repetitive snare drums), what was in my mind was actually another kind of enemy that destroys human nature," and "What I am writing is a memorial song for the millions who have died under the tyrannical rule of ......," emphasizing the condemnation of the arbitrary abuse of innocent people by the totalitarian regime. Instead, the emphasis is on denouncing the totalitarian regime's arbitrary abuse of innocent people, and the patriotism that this song is supposed to have is not mentioned. However, since the content of this memoir is quite controversial, its content can be used as one of the references for our study of Shostakovich, but it does not necessarily have to be accepted in its entirety. Anyway, no matter what Shostakovich's real motive was, the siege of Leningrad by the German army was definitely the most important touchstone for him to compose the Seventh Symphony.
(2)
Symphony No. 11 - "1905" (g minor, Op. 103)
The symphony was written for the fortieth anniversary of the Great October Socialist Revolution.
First performed by the USSR State Symphony Orchestra in Moscow on October 30, 1957, with H. Rachlin conducting; the general score was first published by the Music Publishing House and the Publishing House "Soviet Composers" in 1958, and the author's adaptation of the score for piano four-hands was published by the Music Publishing House in 1958.In 1958 the symphony was awarded a prize by Lenin.
Orchestra: piccolo (= flute III), 2 flutes, 2 oboes, 1 English horn (= oboe III), 2 clarinets, 1 bass clarinet (= clarinet III), 2 tubas, 1 bassoon (= tuba III), 4 garden trumpets, 3 trumpets, 3 trombones, 1 euphonium, timpani, triangles, snare drums, cymbals, drums, gongs xylophone, lap steel, bells, harps (2-4), first violins (16-20), second violins (14-18), violas (12-16), cellos (10-14) ), double bass (10-12). (Duration - 58 minutes)
This symphony, many features of which have inherited links with the composer's previous symphonies, at the same time to a large extent reflects that which is new, i.e., a decade of Shostakovich compositions in the - First of all, the experience gained by the composer in vocal genres (oratorio, cantata, choral tone poems).
If we don't count the single-movement Second and Third Symphonies, which were experimental and not performed on the musical stage, then the Eleventh Symphony is Shostakovich's first titled symphony, a veritable title symphony, that is, one with a title, a title announced by the composer in the manuscript of the symphony (which is named for the symphony and for each of its movements), and not a title that was not included in the manuscript (and which is not included in the manuscript), a title that is not a title, a title, a title, a title, a title, a name, a title, a title, a title. Some of the statements that went into the manuscript (and the title of the first movement of the Seventh Symphony is even episodic, but the character of the other movements, it seems, prevented the composer from considering the whole symphony as a title work and writing it in the manuscript).
The theme of the 1905 revolution had previously interested Shostakovich: it was reflected in the suite of long choral poems (in the words of the revolutionary poets). The long poem at the center of the suite is "The Ninth of January". Its thematic material is used in the Eleventh Symphony. In addition, Shostakovich used in his symphonies Russian revolutionary songs of the XIX-early XX centuries - "Listen", "Prisoner", "You have sacrificed yourselves", "Go mad, tyrant", "Warsaw Revolutionary Song", as well as selections from famous Soviet composer T. Sviridov's light opera The Golden Lotus of Asia, the plot of which takes place at the beginning of the twentieth century. This shows what determines the titularity of a symphony. It is not only the name of the symphony and its movements, but the general meaning (and specific words) of the vocal melodies used in the symphony.
In essence, the Eleventh Symphony is a new kind of title symphony, where stark pictorial plasticity is combined with profound expressiveness and an unusually complete symphonic drama.
The first movement, the Adagio, in g minor, embodies the image of the dark, oppressive court square that became the embodiment of tsarist Russia, monarchy, barracks and prisons.
The theme that begins the symphony can be called the "court square theme". It is played simultaneously in five octaves by muted strings (assisted by a harp) in the weakest possible voice.
This theme, which is very unique in its tonal aspect, creates an "airy", "cold" spatial umbrella image, and at the same time induces a melancholic, agonizing, and oppressive feeling. There are also mechanical timpani motifs and signals of war (the muted trumpet with a burst of snare drums in the background crystallizes the scene).
The timpani theme is built on the basis of three tones in the minor key of the Shostakovich pattern, descending the fourth step (c-flat in the key of g minor instead of the usual original c). These tones, utilizing the I, III and descending IV steps of the minor scale, are also of great interest in later movements of the symphony.
The sum of the entire descriptive theme - the "Theme of the Court Square" and its thematic components - is repeated (with variations). Then comes a new variation of the "court square" theme, like a prayerful declamation, and, finally, a transition to the second part of the first movement, based on the melody of the song "Listen".
Let's look at the first verse of the song (H. Golji - Mireille lyrics)
The autumn night is dark, like the tyrant's treachery, like his conscience. Darker than this night is the fog that rises the ghost of the prison gloom. As the surrounding sentries lazily step by step through the silence of the night, now and then a drawn-out, melancholy voice is heard coming from them, as if moaningListen ...... (the chorus of each stanza sings only one word, "Listen."
The melody (in the key of A-flat major) is in the symphony's flute, and its short chorus ("listen") - by the muted trumpet, with the muted trombone and basset horn matching them.
The song comes about very naturally, not by accident: there is a repetition (an eighth-note triplet) at the beginning of its melody, drawn out by a similar repetition of a note in the timpani theme (which continues to play as a background while the song is sung).
After the cueing of the "court square" theme, the song's "listen" melody appears again - this time played with a muted trumpet. Moreover, if the whole melody of the song remained unchanged during the first presentation, the composer now restates it with a sharper climax, followed by a free unfolding of the song's motifs, and, finally, a new song, "The Prisoner" (H. O'Garrison). " (words by H. Ogarev):
The night is dark, seize the moment! The walls of the prison are solid as gold, two iron locks, lock its gates.
The melody is played by cello and double bass, then repeated by flute and clarinet. Along with the melody is the motive of the song "Listen".
Thereafter the previous thematic material is repeated in compressed form, but in reverse order: first the song "Hear" (for the tubas) opens, then the theme of the "court square" and its convergence with the theme of the timpani, the signals, the prayers declamatory (signal melody). (The repetition of the signal melody is intense: the melody is played by two trumpets, the second entering a bar later and a fifth lower than the first, creating a diatonic canon).
The first movement ends with two soft cries from the chorus of the song "Listen" played by the trumpets. The five-part symmetry of the free treatment is the basis of the first movement's form. The sum of the opening themes (the court square theme, the timpani theme, the signal, and the prayer declamation) is indicated by the letter A. The first section of the song "Listening" is the first movement, and the second movement is the second movement. The melody of the song "Hear" is labeled with the letter B, and the section of the song "Prisoner" is labeled with the letter C, then the overall schematic of the entire first movement would be: ABCBA. The symmetry of the pattern in this case once again emphasizes that the basic image of the movement, the confinement of the prisoner, is the basis of the first movement. The symmetry of the movement, in this case, emphasizes once again the confined, stupefied, repressed character of the movement's basic image.
The second movement, the Allegro in g minor, is the centerpiece of the work in terms of its dramatic significance, as the main plot of the work unfolds. And for this Allegro, the first movement of the symphony can be seen as a very unfolding prelude.
Formally, the second movement is very much a freely interpreted Sonata Allegro (no recapitulation). The second movement is clearly divided into two halves, separated from each other by the stated use of the court square theme of the previous movement. the first half of the Allegro (Presentation Section) figures the people's procession with their petition to the Tsar, the second half is the monarchy's criminal answer to that petition.
After that, as in the final bars of the first movement, the strings stop and there is only the sound of the brass, set off by the harp, and, finally, the cry of the chorus "Hear" (trumpet) is silenced, and the second movement begins with a rapid movement of violas, cellos and basses.
This "whirlwind" theme can be thought of as the theme of a raging "sea of people" (b, g, c). (b-flat, g-flat, c-flat).
A few bars later, another, more vocal theme (for clarinet and tuba) is stated against the background of the "whirlwind" theme. It's easy to see that, in outline, the new theme is similar to the "background" theme, but it's stated in a larger scale and in the natural minor key (no descending scale) common to Russian folk songs.
The theme was quoted by Shostakovich from his long choral poem "January 9," where the melody is set to the words, "Good, thou, tsar our lord, look around: the tsar's servants have made it impossible for us to live, unbearable! " (In the symphony the melody varies somewhat: each line is repeated, which strengthens the total range formed, the structure of the Russian folk song type a+a+b+b). The folk style of the theme is obvious: its pitch approximates the melody of Russian folk instrumental tunes. In drawing on such tones to represent the image of a suffering, oppressed people, Shostakovich realizes the Mussorgsky tradition in a new way.
The theme's richly varied development forms two large waves of augmentation and diminution that correspond to the main and secondary sections of the sonata's presentation. At the end of the first wave, the trumpets whisper a new theme, also borrowed from the long choral poem "January 9," which opens the poem with the words, "Hats off, hats off!" This theme is of great significance in the symphony, becoming one of its dominant themes. Its initial appearance seems to foreshadow bleak events.
From the first of the two ("wave") sections mentioned above, which is in the dominant key (g minor), the second section, in which the theme "Good are you, tsar our lord," is in a new key (b-flat minor), which corresponds to the sub-part of the presentational section. The sub-part. --The structure of the main and secondary parts with the same thematic material is rare in eighteenth-century music, but not in nineteenth-century music.
At the beginning of this part, the motet is played in parallel thirds by the first and second violins. In the long choral poem - "Good are you, tsar ......" - it is also stated in the parallel thirds characteristic of folk songs. In the symphony, this element is to the greatest extent possible reminiscent of a whispered plea for expressive vocals.
The climax of the second wave gains even more force than the first, and then the garden horn and the tuba play a new, resolute variant of the "hats off" motive.
This motif is repeated by different instruments and the coda of the "Good are you, tsar ......" theme subsides, and then the court theme (in A minor) emerges. The theme is played by the woodwinds in a cold and unforgiving manner. This is followed by its "answer" - the timpani theme and the trumpet signal (the latter two are stated in canon, as at the end of the first movement, but the canon is more pressed in time, with a narrower interval - a third). -thirds).
The signal is followed by a sudden intrusion of snare drum sounds. The central, tragic insertion begins: the violent, deathly, terrifying machinery kicks in. The fugue theme (in A minor) is played at its strongest by the cellos and basses. (In the first few bars of the theme three different tones are used: minor, I, III and lower IV, like the timpani theme, from where the fugue theme is reproduced in this key.)
The fugue's tremendous intensification leads to the main climax. In the course of a few bars only snare drums are heard, supplemented by drums and gongs, and then the theme of the piazza, played at the top of the orchestra's voice, "pours" over the listener's head.
The theme changes to an almost unrecognizable degree. It was the other side of the coin that unfolded: the cold darkness became madness - cruelty, bloodshed. This theme is interrupted abruptly, and the timpani hits the fugue motif (building on the three tones mentioned earlier) with maximum force (over a background of other percussion). There are visions of volleys ......
Another court-square theme, another volley, another frenzy, blood all over the square - and then simultaneous volleys replacing each other, and the whole orchestra playing the dominant theme of "Hats Off" twice. Hats off" dominant theme.
The "volleys" came to an end. The trills of the strings sound the Court Square theme at its weakest (in the dominant key, g minor). Its appearance is close to the initial, but after all it is new: here it seems to hear a chorus of human voices, a low cry. Against a background of string tremolos, trumpet signals, prayerful declamations, and the melody of the song "Hear" passes with a change (to a minor key). The movement ends in the original style of the timpani theme.
In the overall conclusion of the movement, the fugue and the interlude that climaxes after it function as the middle section of the Sonata Allegro, and in many ways resemble the "intruding interlude" of the Seventh Symphony in terms of its figurative content and position in the form. However, due to the intent of the title, there is no recapitulation, the third of the main sections in sonata form, and the movement consists of two halves. (The coda, however,) functions to some extent as a recapitulation section. There is a return to that main tonality (g minor), but the material for the theme is not quoted from the Allegro's Presentation section, but is taken from the first movement of the symphony. The important thing is that the various themes of the first movement, played in different keys (especially major keys), are now in one main key in the concluding section of the second movement: the transfer of the original theme into one key, which is the hallmark of the repertory section of a classical sonata.
The above reminds us once again to think of the first two movements of the symphony, each with its own separate form, as a unified compositional structure, as a distinctive small (two-movement) suite within a larger (four-movement) suite. We have mentioned the significance of the first movement with its independent unfolding prelude, and the fact that its thematic material (in particular, the theme of the court piazza) later plays an important role in the Sonata The Allegro plays an important role and dominates the finale, which is compatible with the functions of the sonata's recapitulation and finale.
Smaller suites within larger suites can be found in other works by Shostakovich (e.g. the prelude and fugue in the five-movement quintet). In the musical literature there are separate suites in two movements, the first (slow) movement of which acts as a prelude to the sonata allegro (Scriabin's Sonata No. 4). And the tendency to merge the sonata's recapitulation with the finale can also be seen in some works. However, despite all the inherited links, the structure of the first two movements of the Eleventh Symphony (whether viewed separately or together) is perfectly original, arising organically from the intention of the work's title, "Shown".
The third movement, Adagio (g minor) - a funeral song in memory of the victims shot on January 9th.
The form of this Adagio - three-part form (with compressed recapitulation). The melody of the famous revolutionary funeral song "You have fallen" serves as the basis for the two end sections and provides another thematic material in the middle section, which was written by the composer in the spirit of funeral songs and songs in praise of the revolution.
The Allegro begins with two low chords (plucked strings), which then subside like the low trills of the strings that closed the previous movement. Then the cellos and basses play the theme of the shadowy prelude dully and intermittently (trills). After a few bars, it becomes the background for the melody "You have sacrificed your lives" played by the violas (with mutes, in the soft places). In this range and in the strength of their timbre it approaches the human voice.
The melody of the song for the entire 32 bars, the composer left unchanged. The accompanying vocal part contains Shostakovich's typical lowered minor scale, which makes the darker coloring of the sadness even more intense (in a way that is meaningful for the unity of the symphony), and the first three tones of the accompanying vocal part - still the same three tones that make up the timpani theme of the first movement that closes the second movement - are still the same.
After the first performance of the melody "You have sacrificed", the second begins. But here the composer keeps only the first three bars as they are, and then develops the motif in a new way, giving it the character of an individual melodic style, making the melodic line broader and the individual tones more mournful
Similarly, the melody of the song "Hear" is used in the first movement at first in its original form, and then in the author's free variations. The middle section begins with brass chords in the bass register and in the rhythm of the funeral song (in F-flat minor). Then, in the same tempo, a brighter, song-like tune is played, which later develops the character of a carol, as if celebrating the ideals for which the martyrs gave their lives. Immediately following this, a chant tune emerges which is very natural and psychologically justified, as the climax of the Adagio's "Hats Off" theme. Later, the motifs of the Adagio's prelude reappear against a background of a loud repetition from the trumpets and timpani. But now they are played by the entire string section at the top of their voices. Then the individual phrases of the song "You have sacrificed" are produced, and, finally, the song itself (the recapitulation) is returned - in the variant in which it was presented the second time (i.e., in the new, author-written variant, and not in the original form). And this time the proceeding is very abbreviated in the reproduction section.
The fourth movement, "Allegro non froppo" (Allegro non froppo, b minor - g minor) embodies the answer to the people's revolution of the events of January 9, when, in Lenin's words, the shot was fired to kill faith in the tsar. This movement is characterized by great activism, rapidity into and a variety of different movements.
The form of the finale - a freely treated trilogy, where the composer skillfully united a large number of different melodies. The finale begins with the revolutionary song "Mad, Tyrant" - "Mad, tyrant, fool us, frighten us fiercely with prisons, shackles; our strength lies in our spirit, even if we are broken to pieces, shameful, shameful to destroy you, tyrants! Tyrants!" The first phrase of the song begins with the brass and bass woodwinds playing their strongest voices.
Allegro non troppo
The melodic progression and the rhythms of this song predominate in the first section, and here and there the tones of other themes appear. In this climax, the dominant theme, "Hats off," is played grandly by the horns and trumpets.
The middle section is based on the tune of the revolutionary song "Warsaw Revolutionary Song". The melody (like the melody of the song "Mad, Tyrant") is not immediately stated in its entirety, but is repeated in rapid succession (on strings) in individual phrases
Then, in this section, the trumpets play T. Sviridov's libretto "Asiatic Golden Lotus" (in the libretto), and the trumpets play the main theme "Hats off". "(in the light opera this melody is the song as the workers sing their way through the streets).
It was the only major-key theme of the finale, and seemed to reflect the cheerfulness of the battle.
In the recapitulation, (foreshadowed by the trumpet signals of the symphony's first movement) the "Go wild, tyrant" theme expands (with big notes - for bass woodwinds, brass, and strings) and then states not just the first phrase, but the entire song's melody:
The theme is the only major theme in the finale that seems to reflect the joy of battle. The melody of the whole song:
The trumpets and horns signal the theme of the song. Then comes the climax of the theme from the light opera "The Golden Lotus of Asia" (strings and woodwinds at their best), followed by a flash of the motif of the chant in the third movement and then trumpets and horns again (in rapid motion).
The main climax of the finale (Moderato) is the powerful (stated in octaves by many of the orchestra's instruments) People's Theme, "Good are you, tsar our lord". This is a typically poignant climax to a Shostakovich symphony, a strong and angry proclamation of truth, a call for vengeance and struggle. There is no instrumental sobbing, "pleading" melody like the one at the beginning of the second movement's chorus.
The climax is abruptly interrupted. Immediately there is a recollection in the consciousness of the events experienced. The strings gently play the theme of the court square. This is another characteristic of Shostakovich's symphonies: a sad-lyrical "doffing of the hat" melody follows the tragic climax, but unlike the symphony, which has hitherto appeared more than once with a mere opening phrase, the whole long melody, as it were, is a very long one, with the same "doffing of the hat" as in the "Ninth of January". The whole long melody, as it is at the beginning of the long choral poem "January 9th".
Then the closing section begins. The theme of the "whirlwind" in the second movement of the symphony - a whirlwind of people's anger that destroys tyrants - is played by the bass clarinet in a strong tone. The cyclone's movement intensifies. In its background, the garden horn plays the dominant theme of "Hats off" loudly. Other instruments join the horns. The whole dominant theme grows wider and wider, taking on a trumpet-heroic character. The bells are tinkling. The people are unconquerable, he will fight.