Music Under the Soviets

Music Under the Soviets (1955) examines the concept of Soviet music, its special characteristics and its differences from the musical tradition of the West. As the musical practice under the Soviet totalitarian dictatorship, it should be viewed as the musical policy of that regime, a policy which aims at the 'reconstruction' of not only the historically developed musical forms but the essence of music itself as artistic creation. It was during the years of Stalin that Soviet music acquired its peculiar features, developed its most characteristic distinguishing marks, and determined the paths of its evolution.

Andrey Olkhovsky, born in 1900, was a musicologist, composer and educator. He taught history and theory of music in the Soviet Union, as well as composing various musical works and writing a number of books and articles on musical subjects, before leaving for the USA where he continued studying and teaching.

1. Introduction 2. The Historical Development of Russian Music 3. Soviet Musical Policy in Theory and Practice 4. Soviet Musical Life 5. Creative Work and Performance 6. National Schools 7. Conclusion