Klarinet Archive - Posting 000150.txt from 2002/01

From: "Michele deGastyne" <michele.degastyne@-----.net>
Subj: Re: [kl] Shostakovich 10th Symphony
Date: Mon, 7 Jan 2002 16:01:31 -0500

Hello Bear,

If you love Shostakovich and your music reflects that in any way at all, I
can't wait to hear your new compositions!
I've always loved this composer as well.

Reading your analysis of the kinds of "motives" composers use reminds me of
my father, Serge, who seemed obsessed with these issues at the end of his
life.
There were times that I feared he was simply crazy. But slowly I begin to
see from where his obsession came. He often spoke of "finding" the French
National Anthem in many great composers works. Perhaps this was sometimes
intended, perhaps he was just so determined to find it, he managed to
analyze it that way.
Also, using numerology he said he found "freedom", "equality", etc.

I suppose what I am trying to say is that, his early life in France during
the Nazi occupation was so fraught with danger and trauma, and music was so
integral to him, perhaps in his later years he identified with any artist
who thought of himself/herself as a channel to produce art with a message:
empowering the common person, fighting authoritarianism, etc.

He once said, "you never know what freedom is until you wake up at 12 years
old and you are not free anymore."

Surely he was trying to resolve issues in his own life/psyche as well...

At any rate, I don't recall details. But seems to me Shostakovich was a
"nonviolent freedom fighter" in his own right. At least, that is the
impression I get from the emotional power in his work.

Oops.
I try to stay quiet on this list.
But your post hit a nerve, particularly since just this morning I found some
of my father's work in my closet which I did not realize I still had.

Best of luck to you Bear!

Michele deG.

----- Original Message -----
From: Bear Woodson <bearwoodson@-----.com>
Subject: [kl] Shostakovich 10th Symphony

> Hello, Klarinet List.
>
> I rarely get out any more, but yesterday, Sunday,
> January 6, 2002, I got to hear the Tucson Symphony
> play the Shostakovich 10th Symphony, which is a
> beloved old favorite of mine. I studied it in detail, way
> back in my undergraduate years, in the mid-1970's,
> and it is a gorgeous work! The Motivic Development
> is worthy of study by all composers, and it is practically
> a Concerto for Orchestra, due to all the beautiful and
> difficult solos in most of the winds.
>
> In the First Movement of the Shostakovich 10th
> Symphony, the First Theme is in the low cellos and
> string basses, but the Second Theme is in the Clarinet.
> It is right in the middle range, going back and forth over
> the break, but it's really gorgeous, so I am guessing that
> it is in many Orchestral Excerpt Books, as well as the
> solos for the other winds. If you don't know this work,
> you are in for a treat when you get to hear it! And
> the Tucson Symphony did a great job of all those solos,
> many of which require subtle, sad, endearing touches
> to the performance, and they really did a beautiful job
> of it!
>
> You may know about the BACH Motive: Bb, A, C,
> B-Natural (from the German Musical Alphabet Notes
> B, A, C, H).
>
> Since Shostakovich couldn't spell "Dmitri" nor
> "Shostakovich" in Musical Notes, he settled for his
> Initials in the German Spelling of his name as D(imitri)
> SCH(ostakowitsch): D, "S" ("Es" or "E-Flat"), C, H
> (or B-Natural), in the German Musical Alphabet.
>
> The DSCH Motive has been famous since Shosta-
> kovich used it in his 10th Symphony, and a few other
> works. It is used as a Motive, all over the place in the
> 3rd Movement of the 10th Symphony. The Low Brass
> get to pound it out loudly, near the end of both the 3rd
> and 4th Movements of the 10th Symphony, while the
> woodwinds swirls rapidly about it! It's a great effect
> and a lot of fun.
>
> A number of composers have used the DSCH Motive
> in works in the last 20 years, including Ronald Stevenson
> in an 80 minutes long 'Passacaglia on DSCH'. I have
> used it in the Triple Fugue 4th Movement of my Sonata
> for Horn and Piano.
>
> But the real point here is, that there are several gor-
> geous moments for the Clarinet in the Shostakovich
> 10th Symphony, and the Tucson Symphony members
> did a beautiful job of it! I know some of them, but not
> the clarinetists. The program notes say that Mr. Patrick
> Hanudel played that Clarinet Solo in the First Movement.
> Bravo!
>
> As for my new Trio for Flute, Oboe and Bb Clarinet,
> I'm going for 5 movements, to total around 15 minutes.
> I just finished the Capriccio, which was originally the
> 3rd movement, but will now be the 5th. So far I have:
>
> I Vivace 3' 10"
> II Andante: Fugue 3' 40"
> III Pastorale (just begun)
> IV (will have to be slow)
> V Capriccio 2' 40"
> total: 9' 30"
>
> The movement speeds are fast, slow, fast, slow, fast,
> and may be harder to play than I planned, but at least
> I'm having fun writing it. I just hope the players will
> like it. We'll see.
>
>
> Bear Woodson
> Composer, Tucson, Arizona, USA
>
>
>
> ---------------------------------------------------------------------
>
>

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