Paradoxically, Shostakovich, who was urged to make his language more realistic, managed to make it more ritualistic. This is what brings a new dimension to it, and relates his ideas to the principles of symbolism born in the early ages of European civilization, far away from Soviet society or even Russian soil. And this is very important for understanding Shostakovich’s Soviet style and the posthumous life of his music.
His ‘Socialist Realism’ wasin fact new, ritualistically coloured postmodernism.
Shostakovich hated the Soviet regime, and his music after 1936 often had an ambivalent meaning because of this. 'Minimalist’ elements of Shostakovich's music as embodiments/ expressions of traditional Russian expressive modes rooted in the idioms of old folk music and the music of the ‘old believers' and related to Boleslav Iavorski's modal system. The purpose of this document is to illuminate the contributions of Weinberg and Korneyev, and to introduce this literature to new audiences. The Russian school is then compared to American and French traditions. This document also examines the Russian school of flute playing, focusing on the Moscow Conservatory, where Korneyev both studied and taught. It analyzes the works from a theoretical perspective, explores why they have been so seldom played, and assesses how they fit into the modern flute repertoire. This document examines how these pieces fit into Weinberg’s compositional canon and how they were influenced by flute playing in the Soviet Union at the time. These four works for flute are experiencing a resurgence in interest in recent years as Weinberg’s music becomes more well-known. The two flute concerti were written for and dedicated to the famous Russian flutist Alexander Korneyev (1930–2010). His prolific compositional output includes four works for flute soloist: Twelve Miniatures (1945), Five Pieces (1947), Flute Concerto No. Also known as Moisei Samuilovich Vainberg, he became a close friend and colleague of the famous Soviet composer Dimitri Shostakovich. As his centenary approaches, engagement with Weinberg’s music continues to increase: this thesis provides contexts and analysis-based conclusions to complement this ongoing revival.Ĭomposer Mieczysław Weinberg (1919–1996) was a Polish Jew who emigrated to Soviet Russia in an effort to escape Nazi aggression during World War II. His quartets stand as an important contextual dimension for understanding Shostakovich’s cycle, and also for appreciating the broader repertoire of Soviet chamber music. His affinity with better-known composers may prove an approachable entry-point for wider audiences, but many of the most striking elements in his quartet cycle are of his own invention. The picture that emerges is of Weinberg’s individuality and distinctive voice, manifested in a controlled experimentalism and a tendency towards extended lyricism. Chapter five explores Weinberg’s multi-faceted approach to harmony, with concepts expanded from Lev Mazel, Yury Kholopov, and the neo-Riemannian school of analysis. Form is the focus of the fourth chapter, where ideas from Mark Aranovsky, and James Hepokoski and Warren Darcy are deployed to highlight Weinberg’s problematising of traditional forms in his music. The third chapter surveys Weinberg’s musical narratives, with recourse to theories from Kofi Agawu, Boris Asafiev, and Jacques Derrida. Weinberg’s quartet cycle occupies an important place in twentieth-century music, with parallels to Shostakovich, Bartók, and other Soviet composers, including Myaskovsky, Shebalin, Levitin, and Boris Chaykovsky correspondences and distinctiveness are explored in the second chapter. In support of this contention, a wide range of analytical approaches is deployed in this dissertation, along with a pragmatic methodology for presenting a holistic overview of Weinberg’s quartets. His close friendship and artistic affinity with Shostakovich helps make his music accessible to a wider audience, though closer examination reveals Weinberg’s individuality and a quite distinct language from that of his mentor.
This thesis surveys Weinberg’s changing style through a genre that spans almost his entire output: the string quartet. As attention on the music of Mieczysław Weinberg (1919-1996) has increased in the years after his death, so has the need for an analytical study of his musical style and language.
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