Document Type
Honors Thesis
Major
Music, Political Science
Advisor(s)
Philip Silver, Mark Brewer
Committee Members
Margaret Killinger, Beth Wiemann
Graduation Year
May 2024
Publication Date
Spring 5-2024
Abstract
Dmitri Shostakovich is often regarded as one of the greatest symphonists of the mid-20th century, and with good reason. His music not only illustrates exceptional orchestration techniques and sounds but also contains some of the most emotionally powerful pieces of music in the concert repertoire. As a victim of Soviet persecution, both socially and musically, Shostakovich often spoke through his music. But there lies much debate over the validity of Shostakovich’s position in the Soviet Union, for according to some scholars, ‘there were no dissidents in Stalin’s Russia.’ This thesis does not serve to take a stance on the composer’s memoirs, Testimony, but rather provides the necessary evidence to prove that Shostakovich was an individual who rejected the Party through a contextual evaluation of his Fifth and Thirteenth Symphonies. By describing the factors that impacted cultural policy reforms in Soviet Russia and examining the public responses to these works, this thesis exposes the flaws in selected critics of Shostakovich and proposes evidence for why their beliefs are wrong.
Recommended Citation
Batson, Nathanael, "Shostakovich, Soviet Cultural Policies, and the Fifth and Thirteenth Symphonies: A Contextual Evaluation" (2024). Honors College. 898.
https://digitalcommons.library.umaine.edu/honors/898