The Classical Music Book

279

Movement Overt meaning Possible meaning

A folk tune setting,

glorifying the Slavic

people and their struggle

against oppression.

A waltz, suggesting a

pleasant and romantic

time for relaxation

and enjoyment.

A lament, reflecting on

those who suffered and

lost their lives in the

battle for liberation from

tsarist rule.

A celebratory march,

with a pensive and

peaceful middle

section, leading to a

triumphant ending.

First

Second

Third

Fourth

Use of minor tonality

undermines the glorification.

Jaunty rhythms in the first

theme give way to less

assertive rhythms in the

second theme, creating an

overall sense of ambiguity.

An ironic spoof on the

traditional form, wittily

presenting the waltz as trite,

hackneyed, and sometimes

brash. It is a satire that creates

an unsettling atmosphere.

Not so much a lament as a

piece of nostalgia. References

to the Russian Orthodox

Requiem hint at a yearning

for religion rather than Soviet

communism.

A bombastic caricature of

the military march. A more

reflective section underlines

the minor tonality of the home

key but returns to a militaristic,

triumphalist finale aggressively

asserting the key of D major.

MODERN 1900 –1950

Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 5, on the face of it, is a

positive endorsement of the Soviet regime, but subtleties

in the music suggest a very different interpretation.

Ambiguous meanings in Symphony No. 5

It is likely that Shostakovich also

left a particular clue to the deeper

meaning of the work hidden in the

score. The quiet passage in the

final movement of the symphony

contains a musical quotation from a

song the composer wrote to words

by the Russian poet Alexander

Pushkin. The song, called “Rebirth,”

describes someone who overpaints

a picture by a great artist; as time

passes, the vandal’s paint flakes

away, and the original image is

revealed again as a masterpiece.

The symphony’s original

audience had no way of knowing

of the presence of this quotation,

because at the time of the premiere

the song had not been performed.

But many believe that Shostakovich

meant to send a message to the

future, when the symphony’s real

meaning would become clear, and

audiences would see the work’s

martial references and triumphal

conclusion as ironic gestures.

Hidden clues

Shostakovich’s acceptance by the

authorities lasted only a while. Any

lapses into music that seemed to

be discordant or introspective were

leapt on by Communist Party

critics. The composer’s Symphony

No. 8, written in 1943, was attacked

by Soviet officials as “not a musical

work at all, repulsive and ultra-

individualist,” and Shostakovich,

denounced again, was forced to

resign from the Soviet Composers’

Union, although he continued to

write symphonies.

After Stalin’s death in 1953, the

party line softened, but restrictions

on artistic creativity continued

until the fall of communism in the

1980s. Until then, Soviet composers

were unable to express themselves

with complete freedom, especially

in high-profile works, such as operas

and symphonies. As a result, many

produced ambiguous works or

poured their most personal music

into private forms, such as string

quartets, which were less likely to

attract the authorities’ attention. ■

Not since the time

of Berlioz has a symphonic

composer created

such a stir.

Nicolas Slonimsky

The Musical Quarterly (1942)

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