Shostakovich Preludes Op 34 Analysis

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Shostakovich was born in St Petersburg in 1906. His mother who was a pianist guided him through his early music experiences. By the time Shostakovich wrote the Preludes Op34, the Soviet society had experienced much distress and disorder. Going through the repression of civil war and during the period of cultural revolution where all kinds of arts are under the ideological barrier of socialistic realism, majority of the music was written with a controlled, nationalistic flavor. Bach and Chopin are major influences in this prelude.
Shostakovich’s Preludes Op 34 was a combination of both beauty and destruction. The use of derailment is Shostakovich’s style. He used non harmony notes and altered chords yet the music remains lyrical and beautiful. …show more content…

It requires dexterity of the fingers for clean articulation.
Prelude no 19, with a song like melody and the style of accompaniment suggests a Barcarolle, typical of songs of the gondoliers in Venice Italy. The harmonic accompaniment resembles the rowing of the boat through the waves of the water. This melody uses chromatic modulations, proficiently disguised that is it hardly apparent to the ears. He also used unusual articulation and syncopation. This prelude displays Shostakovich’s polyphonic approach. The creative work by Shostakovich is made up of both exotic melodic patterns, as well as a conservative western

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