Scherzo in F-sharp minor (Shostakovich)
Scherzo in F-sharp minor | |
---|---|
by Petrograd Conservatory | |
Dedication | Maximilian Steinberg |
Duration | 5 minutes |
Scoring | Orchestra |
Scherzo in F-sharp minor (
The British premiere of the composition was played by the
Background
The Scherzo in F-sharp minor is one of the few surviving examples of Dmitri Shostakovich's early works,[1] along with five of his Eight Preludes for piano.[2] It is commonly dated as being written during the autumn or early winter months of 1919, the composer's first year at the Petrograd Conservatory (now the Saint Petersburg Conservatory), when he was aged 13.[3][4] Multiple dates, however, are recorded: the Scherzo is recorded as being written in 1920 in a compilation of works entitled 'A description of the life of Dmitriy Shostakovich' (1926); another compilation entitled 'List of Shostakovich's works' (1927) dates the Scherzo as 1919–1920; Shostakovich himself cited the Scherzo's date of composition as 1919 in subsequent lists of his works.[5] The musicologist Ol'ga Digonskaya, however, writes that it is most likely that the piece was composed in late 1921 or early 1922 when Shostakovich was almost 15.[6][7] Following Digonskaya's discovery, this generally remains the accepted date of composition.[8]
In his first or second year at the Conservatory, Shostakovich began composing a Piano Sonata in B minor.[9][8] The third movement—the only surviving movement of the work—was later orchestrated and became the Scherzo in F-sharp minor.[4] Shostakovich dedicated the piece to his composition teacher Maximilian Steinberg, who had taught Shostakovich at the Conservatory and encouraged both academic and aesthetic musical appreciation.[3][10] Steinberg also assisted Shostakovich with the Scherzo's orchestration.[2]
Form
Scherzo in F-sharp minor is written for an orchestra similar in size and composition to those used by
The themes introduced in the Scherzo are structured and handled
Reception and legacy
In late 1921 or early 1922, Shostakovich played the Scherzo in F-sharp minor on piano for the conductor
Laurel Fay and David Fanning describe the composition as resembling ballet music of Tchaikovsky and Delibes, although its "flexible phrase structure" does not lend itself to dancing.[13][8][8] Fay identifies that the work is stylistically aligned to the legacy of the Rimsky-Korsakov school.[10] Fanning writes that the professionalism of the music, particularly its orchestration, is less impressive following the discovery that the piece was written later than previously thought.[8]
Shostakovich used the opening theme from the Scherzo in F-sharp minor in the 'Clockwork Doll' movement from his collection of piano pieces Children's Notebook (Op. 69 No. 6).[12][14] Richard Louis Gillies writes that the Scherzo in F-sharp minor is the first instance of Shostakovich composing in this key, which would go on to be "of particular significance" to the composer; Gillies cites 'The City Sleeps' from Seven Romances on Poems by Alexander Blok and his Suite in F-sharp minor as two later examples.[15] The British premiere of the Scherzo in F-sharp minor occurred on 17 February 1996 in the Royal Festival Hall, London, performed by the BBC Symphony Orchestra conducted by Mark Elder. It was first broadcast on BBC Radio 3 in May of the same year.[3]
References
Citations
- ^ Wilson 1994, pp. 32–33.
- ^ a b Fairclough 2019.
- ^ a b c d e Hulme 2002, p. 12.
- ^ a b Digonskaya 2010, p. 53.
- ^ Digonskaya 2010, p. 68-69.
- ^ a b Digonskaya 2010, p. 63.
- ^ a b Digonskaya 2010, p. 68.
- ^ a b c d e f g Fanning 2013, p. 75.
- ^ Digonskaya 2010, p. 59.
- ^ a b Fay 2000, p. 19.
- ^ a b c d e Cunningham 2018.
- ^ a b c d e f Fanning 2013, p. 76.
- ^ a b Fay & Fanning 2001.
- ^ Hulme 2002, p. 13.
- ^ Gillies 2021, p. 57.
Works cited
- Cunningham, Carl R. (2018). "Program Notes". University of Houston. Archived from the original on 18 January 2019. Retrieved 11 June 2022.
- Digonskaya, Ol'ga (2010). "Mitya Shostakovich's first opus (dating the Scherzo op. 1)". In Fairclough, Pauline (ed.). Shostakovich Studies 2. United Kingdom: ISBN 978-0-521-11118-8.
- Fanning, David (2013). "Paths to the First Symphony". In Fairclough, Pauline; Fanning, David (eds.). The Cambridge Companion to Shostakovich. United Kingdom: ISBN 978-0-521-60315-7.
- Fairclough, Pauline (2019). Dmitry Shostakovich. United Kingdom: ISBN 978-1-78914-190-0.
- Fay, Laurel E. (2000). Shostakovich : A Life. United Kingdom: ISBN 978-0-19-518251-4.
- Fay, Laurel; Fanning, David (2001). Shostakovich, Dmitry (Dmitriyevich). .
- Gillies, Richard Louis (2021). Singing Soviet Stagnation: Vocal Cycles from the USSR, 1964–1985. United Kingdom: ISBN 978-1-000-48305-5.
- Hulme, Derek C. (2002). Dmitri Shostakovich : A Catalogue, Bibliography, and Discography (Third ed.). United States: ISBN 0-8108-4432-X.
- Wilson, Elizabeth (1994). Shostakovich : a Life Remembered. Princeton, New Jersey: ISBN 0-691-02971-7.