Music And Soviet Power, 1917-1932 (Hardcover)

From the Publisher:
Music and Soviet Power tells the story of early Soviet musical life by bringing together, for the first time translated into English, primary sources from early Soviet periodicals and newspapers as well as unpublished documents from Russian archives. The October Revolution of 1917 rent the fabric of Russian musical life: institutions collapsed, and leading composers emigrated or fell into silence. But fifteen years later, in 1932, a new Sovietized music culture emerged. Between these two dates lies a turbulent period of change which this book sets out to chart year by year. It illuminates vicious power struggles and ideological wars, the birth (and sometimes the early demise) of new aesthetic credos, and the slow but inexorable increase of Party and state control over music, on opera and concert platforms, in workers' clubs, and on the streets. Music and Soviet Power not only provides a detailed and nuanced depiction of the early Soviet musical landscape, but brings it to life by populating it with the voices of those who shaped it. The vibrant public discourse on music, presented through a selection of press articles, reviews and manifestos, all supplied with ample commentary, offers a new context for the musical works of Shostakovich, Prokofiev and Myaskovsky, and throws light on the reception of Western music in the USSR. This, however, is only half the story. The other half emerges from the private, human aspect of this cultural upheaval, traced through letters, diaries and memoirs left by composers and other major players in the music world. These materials address the perennial burning issues of beliefs, motivations and actions, as they troubled the Russian musical intelligentsia during the painful period of their "tuning in" to revolutionary demands. While following the twists and turns of official policies on music, the authors also explain why things turned out the way they did. At the same time, they invite readers to draw their own conclusions by offering them unprecedented direct access to primary sources that have been unavailable in English, or which lay altogether unknown on Russian archival shelves. MARINA FROLOVA-WALKER is Reader in Music History at the University of Cambridge and Fellow of Clare College, Cambridge. JONATHAN WALKER, who has a PhD in Musicology, is a freelance writer and teacher.