Fascism and the Life and Music of Dimitry Shostakovich
by Henry Klesch
Dimitry Shostakovich was a Russian composer that lived from September 1906 to August 1975. He was a prodigy pianist, and his mastery of composition goes almost unparalleled. He had an unfathomably good memory and could even recite entire operas strictly from memory—doing so by the age of nine to Rimsky-Korsakov’s The Tale of Tsar Saltan, for example. Shostakovich’s works are characterized by large amounts of humor put in direct contrast with moments of pure darkness and he is often cited as a master of contrast. His personal character was very witty, and he never lost this even in the despondent progression of his life.
Shostakovich was exposed to many of Vladamir Lenin’s revolutionary ideologies because of the school he attended and the political environment he grew up in at home. Shostakovich resonated with much of these ideologies as did a good number of Russian citizens at the time. He was a serious patriot throughout his life, and he documented great revolutionary efforts of the Russian people in works such as the 11th Symphony “1905”. This symphony documents and pays homage to a massacre by the Tsar’s soldiers in 1905. The massacre was the result of Russian laborers peacefully protesting for better working conditions which the Tsar evidently opposed. It was also one of the inciting factors of the Russian Revolution. This massacre was of great disdain to both the public and Shostakovich and serves as a great example of Shostakovich’s negative views toward dictatorships and monarchies.
Some people take Shostakovich’s patriotic sentiment as a favor of the Soviet government. This conclusion would be easy to reach without a good starting basis of knowledge. A defining factor of his life is the crucial role the oppression of the Soviet government played in the actions of Shostakovich. Shostakovich joined the Communist Party in 1960, much to his dismay. Many people paint his joining the party as a communist sentiment, but it was far from it. For one, there is a video of the actual ceremony where Shostakovich officially joined the communist party. You can see the utter terror in his face and body which he tries to disguise with a vacuous smile, and one might notice his hands shaking as he goes to shake the hand of another party member. He also told his friend Lev Lebedinsky how much he hated the pressures of the Soviet regime and their control over him all the while sobbing hysterically. These are just a few examples of the countless times he showed fear and spite toward the Soviet regime.
Another imperative thing to understand about Shostakovich is his hatred for antisemitism. These views are most notably expressed in works like his fourth string quartet, piano trio, and most notably his 13th symphony “Babi Yar”. Shostakovich’s sympathies toward Jewish people greatly angered the Soviet regime because the Soviet government was anything but fond of Jewish people. Shostakovich commonly clashed with the communist authorities for displaying Jewish sentiment in his music.
The most notable showcase against fascism is his eighth string quartet. The quartet is dedicated to the “memory of victims of fascism and war” which communist officials endorsed. But the demonic nature of the work, some not-so-subtle symbolism, and its up-in-the-air interpretation of fascism led to criticism. Some officials believed that Shostakovich’s classification of a fascist regime expanded to include the Soviet regime (it did), and this led to a bit of flaming from Soviet officials. The work is also widely interpreted as a biographical suicide note because it contains many references to his earlier works.
The Seventh Symphony also demonstrates a great antipathy to fascism. The work is very formidable and was dedicated to the fight against fascism and the city of Leningrad. A funny characteristic of the symphony is its first movement. The first movement has around four minutes of introduction and then out of the blue, a snare drum begins to tickle one’s ears in a low hum. Shostakovich uses the same motif repeatedly, dispersing it among various instruments in the orchestra for about eleven minutes, and the snare drum all the while repeats the same rhythm it started with. The orchestra grows louder and louder and eventually, there is a massive climax that concludes the movement. The downright silly aspect of this first movement is that it references so clearly Maurice Ravel’s (a French composer) Bolero. Shostakovich was heavily criticized because of this “copy-paste” first movement yet he blew it off. Apparently, the movement was supposed to represent the industrial environment and the scheduled nature of Russia and its people. This, however, was not intended in a malevolent nature. The symphony was received marvelously by the people of Russia and Soviet officials subsequently hailed Shostakovich for the grand and fitting characteristics of the work.
A piece that exhibits Shostakovich’s humorous nature and his enmity towards Stalin and his fascist Soviet regime is his 9th symphony. The piece was initially commissioned by Stalin to celebrate his great victory over the Nazis. Shostakovich was reluctant to produce the work because of the heavy ramifications the result could produce, but he had no choice, and surprisingly added heavy Shostakovichian flavor. There are many bumbling themes in the flutes especially, but also all throughout the orchestra that aim to disparage Stalin’s greatness. Shostakovich used the upbeat and triumphant nature of the work to disguise it as a piece displaying a great victory. Shostakovich also hilariously composed the work in E-flat major because Soviet officials recognized the key as triumphant and grandiose (the basic interpretation of the key). The entire work mocks Stalin and his regime so outrightly that is astonishing Shostakovich would write it that way and it makes one understand his great hatred for fascism and Stalin.
Shostakovich and his compatriots were tormented throughout their entire lives. Many close friends of Shostakovich were killed or sent off to work camps because of the inherent intransigence of fascism. Fascism not only quelled the efforts of artistic individuals throughout the world but was also the reason for the death of millions of people. Shostakovich was able to masterfully convey his beliefs regarding fascism and many other subjects in his works. Shostakovich lived a terrible life. He was constrained in almost every aspect of his life and somehow managed to produce works of such great historical magnitude. His volition to express himself no matter the circumstances is absolutely astounding considering his circumstances were egregious. Dimitry Shostakovich was a composer who set a standard for individualism and adherence to one’s personal ideas regardless of opposition.
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Edited by Marton Mezei
