p At the end of January Shostakovich set off for Arkhangelsk where he and the cellist Victor Kubatsky gave a concert including his Cello Sonata. While he was there he read an article in Pravda entitled ’Cacophony Instead of Music’, which harshly and unfairly criticised the opera Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk. The composer returned immediately to Leningrad. On 5 February the first article was followed by another, similar one—’A Misguided Ballet’, about The Limpid Stream.

p Shostakovich took the unfair criticism very badly, but did not let it lead to depression or a decline in creativity. On the contrary, even under these conditions he sought to analyse his work carefully, to spot his own strengths and weaknesses and to extract a grain of sense even from such groundless and unjustifiably severe criticism. In these difficult months the composer appreciated the support of his friends and admirers- Tukhachevsky, Stanislavsky, Meyerhold and many musicians and critics. With their help, his creative output barely fell.

p Shostakovich continued to work on several compositions at the one time. His Fourth Symphony was completed by 1 June. In December the Leningrad Philharmonic, under Fritz, Stiedry, prepared the symphony for its premiere, but at the last minute—after the final rehearsal—the composer decided to call off the performance. For a quarter of a century the work was known only to those musicians who had rehearsed the music.

p Meanwhile films with music by Shostakovich continued to come out. In February Girlfriends was released; the film was produced by Lev Arnstam, for many years a friend and work-associate of Shostakovich. In November the Pushkin Drama Theatre in Leningrad put on the premiere of Afinogenov’s play Hail Spain!, also with music by Shostakovich. He appears to have written this music during his summer break in Odessa, when he also started working on a cycle of romances to the poetry of Pushkin.

p It is significant that Shostakovich wrote considerably less for the press this year: the time-consuming process of critically analysing his own position prevented him from making frequent public statements. All the more valuable, then, is the autobiographical article which he wrote for the French magazine La Revue Musicale. It is also significant that the composer—as the Autobiography made clear—did not intend to renounce those of his works which had been subjected to criticism, and that he spoke so clearly and unambiguously about the place of the artist among the builders of socialist society. In a commentary which accompanied the article, the magazine noted: ’Although La Revue Musicale does not allow itself to interfere in politics, we felt it would be interesting to publish unabridged this profession of faith by an artist who succinctly poses to himself and others the question of the social role of music. Shostakovich’s artistic merits, and the international recognition which they have earned him, arose in us a legitimate curiosity as to the future development of this young and brilliant composer.’

p My musical abilities first became apparent in 1915, when I began to learn the piano. In 1919 I entered the Leningrad Conservatoire, from which I graduated in 1925. There, I studied piano and theory of composition under Professor Nikolayev, counterpoint and fugue under Professor Sokolov, and harmony, fugue, orchestration and practical composition under Professor Steinberg.

p After graduating from the Conservatoire I remained as a post-graduate in Professor Steinberg’s composition class. I began to write music while still a student; indeed, my First Symphony, which has now been performed all over the world, was written for my final examination.

p I enthusiastically and uncritically accepted all the various subjects and subtleties that were taught me. But once I had left the Conservatoire I had to reconsider the lion’s share of my store of musical knowledge. I realised that music was not merely a combination of sounds arranged in a certain order, but a form of art, capable of expressing the most diverse ideas and emotions. To arrive at this conclusion was not so simple: suffice to say that throughout 1926 I hardly wrote a single note. But since 1927 I have never stopped composing. I have written two operas: The Nose, based on Gogol, and Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk, based on Leskov; three ballets, including The Golden Age and Bolt; three symphonies, including The Dedication to October and the May Day; 24 Piano Preludes; a piano concerto; film-music and other pieces.

p Over this period my technique has gradually improved. By working non-stop to master the art completely, I aim to work out my own musical style-one of simplicity and expressiveness.

I cannot conceive of my future development otherwise than in the context of the construction of socialism in my country. I set myself the aim of serving our wonderful country with my music. A composer can have no greater joy than to realise that his work is furthering the rise of Soviet musical culture, whose task is to play a principal part in the transformation of human consciousness.^^1^^