Born: April 23, 1881, Sontsovka, Russia
Died: March 5, 1953, Moscow
- Biography
- Musical Examples
- Works
- Links
Sergei Prokofiev
|
- Biography |
In his own words....
"When I was in the United States and England I often heard
discussions
on the subject of whom music ought to serve, for
whom a composer ought to
write, and to whom his music
should be addressed. In my view the composer,
just as the
poet, the sculptor, or the painter, is in duty bound to serve
man, the people. He must beautify human life and defend it.
He must be a citizen
first and foremost, so that his art may
consciously extol human life and lead
man to a radiant future.
Such, as I see it, is the immutable goal of art."
The politics and aesthetics of Soviet-era Russia created great artistic tensions. Sergei Prokofiev's career and music reflect this in many ways. Yet they also reflect a composer who was aware of his own musical strengths and used this to his advantage.
Prokofiev showed his talent, especially for composition, at an early age. He
entered the conservatory at St. Petersburg with a large number of compositions
already written. He studied with Rimsky-Korsakov, and finished his composition
studies in 1909. He continued studies in piano, and in 1914 earned the conservatory's
highest honors. He quickly established a reputation as something of an
enfant
terrible, both in his playing and in his compositions.
The societal upheavals of the Russian Revolution caused Prokofiev to leave
Russia. He first settled in the United States, but was generally unhappy with
the culture and the reception his music received. From there he moved to Paris,
where he encountered the music of Stravinsky and others who were part of the
Paris scene. He longed, however, to return to Russia, and in 1936 he did. Not
surprisingly, the Stalinist regime welcomed him warmly as a son of the fatherland,
disillusioned with the decadent world of the capitalist West. His return was
marked by a number of important works, including his ballet Romeo and Juliet
and the score for Sergei Eisenstein's film
Alexander Nevsky.
Prokofiev maintained a generally stable, if tenuous relationship with the Soviet government, especially in the years of World War II, when his works answered the call for patriotic, optimistic music. He retired to the country in 1946, and two years later his music fell victim to the Stalinist attack on Western "formalist" styles. His music, along with Shostakovich's and others' was officially banned, though the ban was not always enforced. He died within a day of Stalin, and it was only after the passing of the political upheavals that his music returned to its central place in the Russian repertory.
Prokofiev was a composer of great stylistic breadth who always demanded originality
of himself. He could, within a short span of time, write pieces as stylistically
different as his operas The Gambler and
Love for Three Oranges,
while at the same time produce quintessentially neoclassical works such as his
Haydn-esque Symphony No. 1 (called the Classical). His music shows a
concise approach to form, yet it is filled with strong rhythmic feel and a rich
lyricism. It was on its surface properly assessable—to fit the demands
of Socialist Realist aesthetics—yet complex and intricate enough, ultimately,
to attract criticism as "formalist"—the mark of shame in the Soviet view.
In short, it was great music, something of little use to those who saw music
not as art, or even as entertainment, but as a means of social control.
back to top |
| back to top |
| back to top |
| back to top |