From the horse's mouth?

Extracts from The Power Of Music, collected articles published in Music Journal (USA) 1962 - 68

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These are extracts taken from a book published in the 60s, essentially a collection of Shostakovich's public articles that appeared in Sovetskaya Musika. These converted scans were sent in by one of the site's visitors, I thank him very much for sharing them with us!

A word of caution though: without any sort of background to the politics of such articles it is no surprise that in reading such articles Shostakovich earned himself the "loyal son of the communist party" tag. Did Shostakovich actually write such sloganistic, pompous declarations such as "It would be a good idea for the composer who signs his work to feel the same responsibility for it as the shock worker in a Communist labor team." (Today's Songs Are Vulgar)?

Laurel Fay argues in her recent biography, (Fay, A Life pg 173, fn Pg 323-324)
"While it would be foolish to accept at face value all the statements and writings ascribed to DS, it does not follow that he shared none of the sentiments or opinions expressed in this way. Similarly if much of what was puslished over his signature was ghosted by others - and there is ample evidence to confirm that sometimes DS did not even bother to read what was thrust under his nose - it still does not follow that he abdicated responsibility for everything atributed to his pen."

(In the footnotes she adds: "A noteworthy incident occured in 1964, when, in a lengthy tirade against avant garde tendencies in modern Western music publsihed over his name, DS was quoted, 'To this day I cannot distinguish between the muysic of Boulez, Henze and Stuckenschmidt.' Judging by a number of reports, DS was chagrined by the embarrasing gaffe. ... in an interview published soon after, he went out of his way to redress the error....")

Here is what Shostakovich had to say to Edison Denisov: "Edik, at twelve thirty at night the door bell rang. I had alreday gone to bed and was asleep. They had brought this article from Pravda..... I was meant to read it and sign it there and then. All I wanted was to sleep."

Says Denisov,"Shostakovich signed many letters mostly without so much as reading them through... in particular he never so much as glanced at the articles that were published in Pravda and Sovetskaya Muzyka under his name. I once asked him how he could have signed a certain article that appeared in Pravda. I knew the person who had written it and it stated, 'I cannot distinguish between the music of Boulez, Henze and Stuckenschmidt.' All these articles that people attribute to him of course were not written by him...

- Edison Denisov in Wilson, Shostakovich Remembered, Pg 432

But the question is, did he share some of the sentiments or opinions expressed in this way? Zhitomirsky has some observations that might shed light:

There are dozens of speeches and articles ...including a large number that were political and propagandist .. it was a secret to no one that these and such-like articles were written by professional journalists, and only signes by the supposed author. This was a regular, everyday technique employed for 'speeches of famous people'.

Shostakovich was reconciled to these falsifications not through indolence, and obviously not through moral indifference. Rather I think that he abdicated any real responsibility for these publications for serious reasons, he regarded the official press ... as a dismal establishment.

Zhitomirsky, Wilson, Shostakovich Remembered, Pg 328 - 329

Shostakovich's articles often appeared in the press... more often than not, all of this had been 'prepared' by professional journalists .... he tried, whenever it was possible, not to have to participate in their composition. ... On four separate occasions, I was to 'collaborate' with Shostakovich. ..... I never heard a single suggestion or thought form Shostakovich before or after working on the texts.

Zhitmorsky, Ho/Feofanov, Shostakovich Reconsidered, Pg 430-431

 

FOREWORD

Dmitri Shostakovich, eminent composer of the century and "People's Artist of the U.S.S.R.," is President of the organizational Committee of the International Tchaikovsky Contest. Born on September 25, 1906, he has composed thirteen symphonies, eleven string quartets, numerous songs, oratorios, instrumental concerti, operas and operettas. With thirty motion pic-ture scores to his credit, seven of which have been seen and heard in the U.S.A., he is the recipient of a doctorate from England's Oxford University, thus making him the third Russian composer to be so honored, Tchaikovsky and Glazunov having preceded him. This book is composed of articles published in MUSIC JOURNAL during the past six years. As an open forum for the music world in general, and the music education scene in particular, this magazine need not endorse its authors' opinions. I have resisted using the editorial blue pencil where Shostakovich overlaps into the political realm in deference to his internationally recognized musical importance as the Soviet Union's most famous living composer. Modernists Are Anti-Social Acrobats, Dodecaphony Shatters Creativity and Signs of the Time were co-authored with V. Vinogradov, and all were made available to our readers through the courtesy of Novosti Press Agency (APN). Some originally appeared in Russian in the Sovietskaya Musika, in many respects the MUSIC JOURNAL counterpart in the U.S.S.R.

Robert Gumming, Editor MUSIC JOURNAL

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