The influence of existing musical trends is evident in almost every composer. Prokofiev entered the musical scene in Russia when Scriabin was the recognized leader in innovation. To understand fully the rapid popularity of Prokofiev one must be aware of the musical forces of his time, the circumstances leading up to them and their influence on Prokofiev. In the latter half of the nineteenth century there began a movement toward nationalism in music. Among the most important of these nationalistic countries were Bohemia and Russia. Composers deliberately drew their inspiration from the musical resources of their native country. From all that is known a native Russian music did not exist before the nineteenth century. The music enjoyed by the upper class and royalty had to be imported. In the eighteenth century this included Italian opera and in the beginning of the nineteenth century, French opera. Pianists such as Field, Mayer and von Henselt were popular as both teachers and performers.

This thesis is concerned with the thoughts of the Russian writer Ivan Turgenev (1818-83) on the development of the arts in his native country and the specific problems facing the Russian artist. It starts by considering the state of the creative arts in Russia in the early nineteenth century and suggests why even towards the end of his life Turgenev still had some misgivings as to whether painting and music had become a real necessity for Russian society in the same way that literature clearly had. A re-appraisal of "On the Eve" (1860) then follows, indicating how the young sculptor Shubin in this novel acts as the author's alter ego in a number of respects, in particular by reflecting Turgenev's views on heroism and tragedy. The change in Shubin's attitude towards Insarov, whom the sculptor at first tries to belittle before eventually comparing him to the noble Brutus in Shakespeare's "Julius Caesar", can be said to anticipate Turgenev's own feelings about Bazarov in "Fathers and Children" (1862) and the way that this 'nihilist' attained the stature of a true tragic hero. In this chapter, too, the clichéd notion of Turgenev's alleged affinity with Schopenhauer is firmly challenged - an issue that is taken up again later on in the discussion of "Phantoms" (1864) and "Enough!" (1865). Other aspects of Turgenev's portrayal of Shubin are used to introduce the remaining chapters, where the problems of dilettantism, originality, nationalism and Slavophilism - among the most acute problems which Russian artists had to contend with in Turgenev's eyes - are explored through various works of his, especially the novel "Smoke" (1867), as well as by reference to his observations of such contemporaries as Glinka, the painter Ivanov, Tolstoi, and the composers of the 'Mighty Handful'. The springboard for the final chapter on the tragic fate befalling so many Russian artists is once again Shubin, whose voluntary exile in Rome at the end of the novel allows for certain parallels to be drawn with Gogol'. Despite Turgenev's own 'absenteeism' from Russia, for which he was much reproached, it is emphasized in the conclusion that healways remained devoted to the cause of Russia's civic and cultural development, especially in the realm of the arts, whose national, and at the same time universal, value he upheld so compellingly in his Pushkin speech of 1880.

The purpose of this thesis is to give a descriptive look at modern Russian music, specifically the early piano sonatas of Russian composer Sergei Prokofiev, with focus on style and style influences.

No description available.

This study outlines the history of and development of Russian music, leading into the song cycles of Modest Petrovich Mussorgsky.

Este trabalho apresenta um estudo comparativo das Sinfonias n° 4 e 5 de Dmitri Chostakovitch, analisando as características das duas obras à luz dos acontecimentos que separam a composição das duas sinfonias, em especial o banimento da obra do compositor a partir da publicação do artigo Caos em vez de música em caráter oficial no jornal Pravda em 1936, motivado pelo comparecimento de Stálin à uma apresentação da ópera Lady Macbeth do Distrito de Mtsensk. Este trabalho propõe-se a realizar uma análise que possa evidenciar os diferentes aspectos do impacto da perseguição governamental no discurso musical de Chostakovitch e sua significação para a música do século XX. / This work presents a comparative study of the Symphonies No. 4 and 5 of Dmitri Shostakovich, analyzing the characteristics of the two works in connection with the events that separated the composition of the two symphonies, especially the ban of his works after the publication of the article Chaos instead music in the official media Pravda in 1936, motivated by the presence of Stalin to a performance of the opera Lady Macbeth of the Mtsensk District. This work intends to show the various aspects of the impact of government persecution in the musical discourse of Shostakovich and its significance to the music of the twentieth century.

Este trabalho apresenta um estudo comparativo das Sinfonias n° 4 e 5 de Dmitri Chostakovitch, analisando as características das duas obras à luz dos acontecimentos que separam a composição das duas sinfonias, em especial o banimento da obra do compositor a partir da publicação do artigo Caos em vez de música em caráter oficial no jornal Pravda em 1936, motivado pelo comparecimento de Stálin à uma apresentação da ópera Lady Macbeth do Distrito de Mtsensk. Este trabalho propõe-se a realizar uma análise que possa evidenciar os diferentes aspectos do impacto da perseguição governamental no discurso musical de Chostakovitch e sua significação para a música do século XX. / This work presents a comparative study of the Symphonies No. 4 and 5 of Dmitri Shostakovich, analyzing the characteristics of the two works in connection with the events that separated the composition of the two symphonies, especially the ban of his works after the publication of the article Chaos instead music in the official media Pravda in 1936, motivated by the presence of Stalin to a performance of the opera Lady Macbeth of the Mtsensk District. This work intends to show the various aspects of the impact of government persecution in the musical discourse of Shostakovich and its significance to the music of the twentieth century.

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. This thesis surveys Weinberg’s changing style through a genre that spans almost his entire output: the string quartet. 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. 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. 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. The third chapter surveys Weinberg’s musical narratives, with recourse to theories from Kofi Agawu, Boris Asafiev, and Jacques Derrida. 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. 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. The picture that emerges is of Weinberg’s individuality and distinctive voice, manifested in a controlled experimentalism and a tendency towards extended lyricism. 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. His quartets stand as an important contextual dimension for understanding Shostakovich’s cycle, and also for appreciating the broader repertoire of Soviet chamber music. 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.

Der russische Komponist Nikolaj Karlovič Metner (1880–1951) hat vierzehn Klaviersonaten veröffentlicht, die in ihrer Gesamtheit eine erstaunliche Vielfalt an Formen und dramaturgischen Konzepten aufweisen. Der Werkkorpus beinhaltet sowohl kompakte einsätzige Sonaten, die mitunter in Zyklen von Charakterstücken eingebettet sind, als auch große Strukturen von geradezu symphonischen Dimensionen. Die Sergej Rachmaninov gewidmete Sonate in e-Moll op. 25/2 (1910–12) ist mit ca. 35 Minuten Spielzeit das längste und vielschichtigste Solowerk Metners; ihre spieltechnischen Anforderungen transzendieren den Anspruch der meisten zu dieser Zeit entstandenen Klavierkompositionen. Damit markiert sie einen Höhepunkt in Metners Sonatenschaffen und nimmt auch im Vergleich mit anderen Sonatenkonzepten des frühen 20. Jahrhunderts eine besondere Stellung ein. In einer strukturell ambivalenten, einsätzigen Großform integriert das Werk nicht nur gattungstypische Merkmale (zwei sonatensatzartige Teile, die durch eine ausgedehnte Einleitung und deren Reiterationen miteinander verschränkt werden), sondern auch Elemente der Ritornellform und verschiedene Kanon- und Fugato-Techniken. Die Beigabe eines lyrischen Mottos von Fëdor Tjutčev (»Wovon heulst du, Wind der Nacht?«) und eine suggestive Vortragsbezeichnung (»Das ganze Stück [ist] in einem epischen Geist«) legen außerdem eine hermeneutische Deutungsebene nahe, die auf Einflüsse durch die Philosophie und Literatur des russischen Symbolismus verweist. Alle diese Eigenschaften lassen das Werk als einen Kulminationspunkt in der Gattungsgeschichte der Klaviersonate erscheinen. Dieser Beitrag diskutiert die genannten Aspekte aus analytischer, musikästhetischer und rezeptionshistorischer Perspektive. / The Russian composer Nikolai Karlovich Medtner (1880–1951) wrote fourteen piano sonatas, which, in their entirety, show an astonishing variety of musical forms and dramaturgic conceptions. This body of work features compact single-movement sonatas of different types – some of which are embedded in cycles of piano miniatures—as well as large structures of quasi-symphonic dimension. The E minor Sonata, Op. 25 No. 2 (1910–12) is Medtner’s most complex and extensive work for solo piano, with its interpretive and technical challenges surpassing the demands of most other piano literature from that time. In this way the sonata (which is dedicated to Sergei Rachmaninov) marks a climax in Medtner’s sonata output and also holds a prominent position in comparison to other sonata conceptions of the early twentieth century. In a large and structurally ambiguous single-movement form, the sonata incorporates not only features typical of the genre (such as two separate sonata-allegro sections, linked by an extended introduction and its reiterations), but also elements of ritornello form, as well as canon and fugato techniques. In addition, a poetic motto by Fyodor Tyutchev (»What do you howl about, night wind?«) and an imaginative performance indication (»The whole piece [is] in an epic spirit«) suggest a hermeneutic interpretation, with particular reference to philosophy and literature of the Russian Symbolist movement. These traits and qualities allow the work to be seen as a culmination point in the history of the genre of piano sonata. The present article discusses the abovementioned aspects from the perspectives of music aesthetics, analysis, and history of reception.

Este trabalho apresenta uma reflexão sobre a música do compositor soviético Dmítri Chostakóvitch baseada na análise da Sinfonia nº 10 op. 93. Concluída logo após a morte de Jôsef Stálin, a obra carrega notáveis marcas de seu tempo e sua leitura demanda um cuidadoso estudo das questões relativas à significação musical, em especial uma discussão do conceito de ironia aplicado à música em suas mais diversas manifestações, desde a construção de estruturas musicais expressivas até a disposição de elementos singulares, que requerem uma leitura semiótica. Esta abordagem alinha-se com a perspectiva discursiva que relaciona ironia, intertextualidade e interdiscursividade: o cruzamento de vozes e a confluência de discursos, que constituem elementos fundamentais do conceito de polifonia proposto por Mikhaíl Bakhtín, são identificados aqui como uma chave de leitura capaz de evidenciar, também na música, a ironia como elemento estruturante. A análise da Sinfonia nº 10 a partir dessa perspectiva dá fundamento a novas hipóteses interpretativas e estéticas sobre a obra de Chostakóvitch, evidenciando no texto musical as contradições que surgem no desdobramento analítico do discurso sinfônico e confrontando a crítica histórica da música de Chostakóvitch com uma interpretação semiótica baseada na teoria dos tópicos musicais, desenvolvida a partir das propostas de Leonard Ratner. / The purpose of this work is to present a reflection about the music of the Soviet composer Dmitri Shostakovich based on an analysis of the Symphony no. 10 op. 93. Written immediately after Joseph Stalin\'s death, the symphony carries remarkable traces of its time, and the unfolding of its singularities demands a careful study of musical signification\'s issues, specially a discussion about the concept of irony applied to music in its various manifestations, from the expressive construction of musical structures to the disposition of singular elements. This kind of analysis requires a wide theoretical perspective, which includes a semiotic approach. This analysis is thus aligned with the discursive perspective that relates irony, intertextuality and interdiscursivity: the voice-crossing and discourse confluence, which constitute fundamental elements of Mikhail Bakhtin\'s concept of polyphony, are taken as keys to identify irony as a structural element in music as well. The analysis of the Symphony no. 10 from this perspective grounds new interpretative and aesthetic hypotheses about Shostakovich\'s music, by revealing on the musical text the contradictions which emerge at the level of symphonic discourse, and by confronting the historical criticism of Shostakovich\'s music with a semiotic interpretation based on topic theory proposed after Leonard Ratner.