Political Influence and Musical Aesthetics - …

1 Copyright (c) 2012 by Luis C. Engelke. All Rights Reserved. Political Influence and Musical Aesthetics Luis C. Engelke Historically music has been composed in a wide range of settings and for a wide range of purposes. Sometimes composers are self-sufficient and compose music on their own. Other artists are either commissioned or on the staff for an entity or organization. The 18th-Century classical composer Franz Joseph Haydn wrote more than one hundred symphonies. After struggling as a freelance composer, he later became Kappelmeister (Music Director) for the palace of Eszterh za. As a court composer, his music had to appeal to the princes he served. He later moved to London and became a freelance composer again quite successfully. An excerpt from the somewhat-fictional, yet creative and entertaining movie Amadeus captures Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart as he seeks approval from Emperor Joseph II for a new composition.

2 Rival composer Antonio Salieri supports the emperor s deduction that there are just too many notes. How does an artist resolve criticisms he may believe are either unjust or inaccurate as they move forward to compose additional works or revise current ones? Russia and the Soviet Union give us a wonderful example of a different Political system, intense nationalism, and state sponsored art. The 20th-Century Russian composer Dimitris Shostakovich was influenced by all of these factors. An outstanding essay titled Dimitri Shostakovish, Politics, and Modern Music captures the evolution of the composer s artistic thought through various works that were either lauded or criticized. One of Shostakovich s greatest works was his Symphony No. 7 Leningrad composed during the city s siege by the Nazis during World War II. The portion of the first movement selected uses one melody repeated several times with different instrumentation.

3 In preparation of this work with the Baltimore Symphony, Marin Alsop (America s first female Music Director of a major American symphony orchestra) described how she wanted this performed. Each phrase or Musical idea ends with two notes. Alsop wanted these always staccato or separated even short. The reason was that she believed that Shostakovich was mocking the Nazi s by creating a simple monotonous melody that could only be rendered by committee. Moreover, the melody had to be consistently rendered without emotion this way: Excerpt from Symphony No. 7 Leningrad performed by Engelke In the video of the performance of the seventh symphony provided, notice how the large size of the orchestra helps convey the sense of power and doom at the end of the movement. Brass players are set antiphonally in a militaristic setting.

4 Additionally, the percussion provides an ostinato or repeated motive in the march. Selected performances with the Baltimore Symphony included video of the invasion. Other recordings on YouTube are presented similarly. Interesting, the citizens of Leningrad had their food rationed, but musicians received extra nourishment during the rehearsals and performances to assist with their stamina and ability to play the work. It is said that some of the Nazis were close enough to hear the performance, and many realized they would never seize control of the city when they heard the power and passion of this music.