Author Description
In the late 1920s, Dmitry Shostakovich emerged as one of the first Soviet film composers. With his first score for the silent film New Babylon (1928-29) and the many sound scores that followed, he was positioned to observe and participate in the changing politics of the film industry and to negotiate the role of the film composer. This work provides an examination of Shostakovich as a composer for early Soviet cinema, and the relationship between musical narration, audience, filmmaker, and composer. Six case studies selected from Shostakovich's early film scores, from 1928 through 1936, are the primary focus, and each engages the construct of Soviet intelligibility, the filmmaking and film scoring processes, and the cultural politics of Soviet film music.
Menrva's Summary
THE THESIS
This book investigates how Dmitry Shostakovich navigated the intersection of artistic expression and political pressure as a pioneering composer for early Soviet cinema. Joan Titus, a scholar of musicology, utilizes archival research and musicological analysis to argue that Shostakovich’s film scores were not merely background accompaniments but active participants in the construction of Soviet cultural identity. By examining the composer's evolving role, the text highlights the complex negotiations between creative intent and the rigid demands of the state-controlled film industry.
THE SCOPE MAP
What You Will Find
- Analysis of six specific film scores composed between 1928 and 1936.
- Theoretical frameworks regarding musical narration and Soviet intelligibility.
- Contextual history of the early Soviet film industry and its political climate.
Scope Limits
- The analysis is restricted to the early period of Shostakovich's career and does not cover his later film work.
- The text focuses primarily on the intersection of music and political ideology rather than a comprehensive biography of the composer.
THE AUTHORITY PERSPECTIVE
Scholars and musicologists frequently cite this work as a significant contribution to the study of Soviet film music and the professional life of Shostakovich. Readers often note the academic density of the prose, which provides a rigorous examination of the relationship between musical structure and state-mandated aesthetics.
Page Count:
253
Publication Date:
2016-03-15
Publisher:
Oxford University Press, Incorporated
ISBN-10:
0190456833
ISBN-13:
9780190456832
Biography
Film Studies
Musicology
Criticism history
Music History
Soviet History