ÒThe work of memory goes on and I often think about its meaning. Sometimes IÕm sure the meaning will not be understood by anyone. Other times IÕm more optimistic and think that IÕm guaranteed at least one reader who will know what itÕs aboutÑmyself.Ó
Ê Ê Ê Ê Ê Ê Ê Ê Ê Ê Ê Ê Ê Ê Ê Ê Ê Ê Ê Ê Ê Ê Ê Ê Ê Ê Ê Ê Ê Ê Ê Ê Ê Ê Ê Ê Ê Ê Ê Ê ÑDSCH

Ê Ê Ê Ê ItÕs impossible not to have questions about something once youÕve finished reading it. Even when the conflict is completely resolved, the plot mysteries deciphered, and the characters are living happily ever after, thereÕs going to be something left unanswered. IÕve deliberately left something open like that throughout this entire story, but IÕll take the time to answer that detail now. IÕm absolutely certain youÕre wondering by this point, ÒWho the heck is DSCH?Ó
Ê Ê Ê Ê I mean, heÕs quoted at the beginning of almost every single chapter, including this note. And you may have noticed that the words of the title, Does Song Compose Heroes?, could be abbreviated as D.S.C.H. as well. So heÕs important, but who is he?
Ê Ê Ê Ê IÕll get to that. But first I want to pose my own question, one you may not have considered: What is this story about?
Ê Ê Ê Ê You know the answer to my question. But the answer is not, ÒItÕs about a dweeby little fox composer who becomes a hero.Ó ThatÕs just what it looks like. If my question was a question on Jeopardy!, youÕd get it right. ÒWhat is this story about?Ó Who is DSCH.
Ê Ê Ê Ê Well that doesnÕt tell you much. But since my question has been dealt with, now I can address yours. YouÕve probably figured out from the quotes that DSCH is a composer. That particular set of initials is, in fact, his musical signature. In the German notation system, the note S is what we know as E flat, and the note H is the same as our B. So that signature would be D-E flat-C-B. And those particular initials come from a German transliteration of a Russian name: Dimitrij Schostakowitsch.
Ê Ê Ê Ê German transliterations are weird. The German version of his last name has five more letters in it than the actual Russian. The English transliteration has two more letters, but it still makes more sense than the German. If youÕve know something about twentieth century Russian composer Dmitri Shostakovich, you probably immediately figured out that this story is about him. If youÕve never heard of him, IÕve probably thoroughly confused you, but you still probably figured out where I got my main characterÕs name. ÒMityaÓ is a diminutive for ÒDmitri,Ó and ÒShostakÓ is a rather obvious truncation.
Ê Ê Ê Ê More in this story than just the main characterÕs name is based on stuff relating to Shostakovich. There are, of course, the quotes at the beginning of all the chapters (if Shostakovich didnÕt say the quote, itÕs someone else talking about him), as well as other quotes hidden in the story itself. Pretty much the entire plotÑthe whole story except chapters 15 through 18Ñis based somewhat on occurrences in ShostakovichÕs life. All of the pieces of music I refer to or describe correspond with actual Shostakovich pieces. All of the other characters are based on the names and/or personalities of people Shostakovich knew. IÕm going to cover all of that in this note, whether you care about said symbolism or not.

A brief summary of the really important stuff in ShostakovichÕs life:
Ê Ê Ê Ê Dmitri Shostakovich was born in 1906, a time in which Russia was in the middle of a revolutionÑnot a good situation, although it didnÕt affect him until significantly later. He had his first piano lesson at the age of nine, and by the time he was thirteen he entered the Petrograd Conservatory of Music. To graduate the Conservatory as a composer, he had to write a symphony. Said symphony premiered on May 12, 1926. Shostakovich was only nineteen years old, and the symphony skyrocketed him to international fame. He never slipped out of that spotlight.
Ê Ê Ê Ê By 1936, Russia was Communist and Iosef Stalin was in charge. Stalin insisted that any art must reflect Communism and the Soviet Leader in a positive light. And, of course, he also had to like it personally. ShostakovichÕs opera Lady Macbeth of the Mtsensk District is about love, murder, and police oppression. Stalin didnÕt like it, and a January 28, 1936 article in the Soviet journal Pravda entitled ÒMuddle Instead of MusicÓ completely trashed the operaÑits music, its message, and its composer. Suddenly, Shostakovich was a Very Bad Guy, and much of his music was banned in the Soviet Union. His Fourth Symphony was even withdrawn from rehearsal.
Ê Ê Ê Ê Shostakovich was able to make up for the disaster of his opera by writing pieces in the style Stalin did approve of. He also wrote music for lyrics by Soviet propaganda poets, and he entered a contest to write the Soviet national anthem. During World War II, he served as a firefighter in defense of Leningrad. But he also kept writing the sort of music he wanted to write in secret. If that music was performed at all, it was in small, unknown halls, private homes, or outside of the Soviet Union. Within the USSR, secret musical circles met to study the music of Shostakovich and other banned composers.
Ê Ê Ê Ê After Stalin died in 1953, Shostakovich felt a bit more freedom in his work, but he still managed to get in trouble on occasion. In 1960, he got in trouble for another piece, and he was also diagnosed with an incurable disease. Basically, he was broken. He actually joined the Communist Party that year to try and regain some favor. And then he wrote an autobiographical string quartet and nearly committed suicide upon its completion. One of his friends managed to save him and drag him out of his depression. His last piece was a viola sonata instead.
Ê Ê Ê Ê Shostakovich died in 1975. HeÕd written fifteen symphonies, fifteen string quartets, two full-length operas and several incomplete ones, several ballets, song cycles, film music, and piano pieces among other things. While his Soviet pieces still exist, the messages behind his personal music express his feelings against that system, anti-Semitism, war, oppression, and death. ShostakovichÕs music is starting to be more appreciated now than ever.

Characters, places, and things:
Ê Ê Ê Ê *Mitya Shostak (MEET-yah SHOW-stahk): You already know who he represents and where he gets his name. But his personality (and many aspects of his appearance) are based on Shostakovich as well. Shostakovich was shortish and very skinny. His hair was always messy, his clothes were usually rumpled, and he wore very thick, round-framed glasses. He was very shy around crowdsÑhe hated the applause and attention he always gotÑbut he could be downright silly when with his friends. It was only with his friends when heÕd express his depression openly. He was rather physically uncoordinated, and was always fidgeting; he was very high strung. He spoke softly and nervously, compulsively repeating his sentences and inserting random phrases such as Òso to speak,Ó Òyou know,Ó Òas it were,Ó and Òone might say.Ó He could compose almost anywhere; he imaged his ideas in his mind completely before writing anything down. He wrote one measure at a time, going all the way down the staff before moving on to the next measure. And heÑoddlyÑdid much of his composition in purple ink. This is probably much more than you ever wanted to know about Shostakovich as a person.
Ê Ê Ê Ê *Zlaya Trudnaya (ZLAI-yah TROOD-nai-yah): Zlaya represents StalinÑI neednÕt say much more than that. Stalin, I might add, was not killed, but rather died of a sickness that nobody bothered to call the doctor for. ÒZlayaÓ is the feminine form of the Russian word for Òevil,Ó and ÒtrudnayaÓ for Òdifficult.Ó ÒEvil DifficultÓ describes Stalin to meÑa mean person you canÕt reason with.
Ê Ê Ê Ê *Marshal Raikh (RAIKH): Raikh is based on Soviet Marshal Mikhail Tukhachevsky. Tukhachevsky was a believer in Communism, and somewhat of a war-lover, but he didnÕt like Stalin at all. Tukhachevsky also supported the arts when Stalin said not to, and he was a good friend of ShostakovichÕs. He was eventually killed by a Stalinist agent. The name ÒRaikhÓ comes from Zanadia Raikh, the wife of one of ShostakovichÕs other friends.
Ê Ê Ê Ê *Volklov Varzar (VOHL-klohv VAHR-zahr): Volklov is based on a conglomeration of ShostakovichÕs friends, writer Vsevolod Meyerhold, art historian Ivan Sollertinsky, and confidant Isaak Glikman in particular. These three all helped and supported Shostakovich through his troubles. However, Meyerhold was sent to Siberia and Sollertinsky died during a particularly harsh part of StalinÕs reign. The name ÒVolklovÓ comes from Solomon Volkov, the editor of ShostakovichÕs memoirs. I put in the extra ÒLÓ because it makes the name a palindrome, which is sort of neat. Also, ÒvolkÓ is Russian for Òwolf.Ó ÒVarzarÓ comes from Nina Varzar, ShostakovichÕs first wife.
Ê Ê Ê Ê *Evgeny and Venyamin Sobareka (yehv-GAY-nee and venn-YAH-minn so-BAH-ray-kah): These two donÕt represent specific people. They instead represent the group of people who studied and played banned music in secret. Shostakovich did, however, know a poet named Evgeny and a violinist named Venyamin. In Russian, ÒsobakaÓ means ÒdogÓ and ÒrekaÓ means Òriver.Ó Hence you get ÒRiverdog,Ó an appropriate surname for two otters.
Ê Ê Ê Ê *Vsevolod Zloyevich (VSYAY-voh-load ZLOY-yay-vich): In purpose, Zloyevich represents a great many of StalinÕs officials. More specifically he represents propaganda poet Evgeny Dolmatovsky, whose poems Shostakovich hated but had to write music for. Later he can represent any one of StalinÕs heirs. His personality, though, is based on that of a rather sinister and humorless teacher that I had. The name ÒZloyevichÓ is based on Òzloi,Ó the masculine form of the Russian word for Òevil.Ó The suffix Ò-vichÓ is a patronymic, so Zloyevich means, literally, ÒSon of Evil.Ó The name ÒVsevolodÓ has no real significance; I just thought it also sounded somewhat evil.
Ê Ê Ê Ê *Bolt (BOLT): Bolt is there more than anything to get Mitya involved with Mtsensk and then to help increase his guilt. Perhaps heÕs general society in Russia; I didnÕt think much about what he represents. The name ÒBoltÓ comes from a Shostakovich ballet of the same name.
Ê Ê Ê Ê *Nyevyerniy Ydyeal (nyay-VYAIR-nee eed-YALE): Mentioned in chapter 13 as ZlayaÕs predecessor, he represents Vladimir Lenin, who essentially set up the Soviet system. ÒNyevyerniy YdyealÓ translates to ÒIncorrect Ideal,Ó a term I used to describe The System at first. That term can also be used to describe LeninÕs Communism.
Ê Ê Ê Ê *All of those composers listed in chapter 13: Their names are also truncations of the names of famous Russian composers. Zunov (ZOO-nohv) = Gla/zunov/, Rimskor (RIHM-score) = /Rims/ky-/Kor/sakov, Sorgsky (SOARG-skee) = Mus/sorgsky/, Travin (TRAH-vinn) = S/travin/sky, and Ofiev (OH-fee-yehv) = Prok/ofiev/.
Ê Ê Ê Ê *The Mtsensk District (MITT-zehnsk): The Mtsensk District represents the Soviet Union. The name comes from ShostakovichÕs infamous opera Lady Macbeth of the Mtsensk District.
Ê Ê Ê Ê *The System: This, clearly, is Communism under another name.

Quotes and references:
Ê Ê Ê Ê Almost all of the quotes at the beginnings of chapters are from Testimony, ShostakovichÕs memoirs. Most of the others are from personal accounts by Shostakovich and people who knew him, as compiled in Elizabeth WilsonÕs book Shostakovich: A Life Remembered and in Laurel FayÕs Shostakovich: A Life (what original titles...). The quote for the prologue is from Evgeny EvtushenkoÕs poem ÒA Second Birth;Ó it is, of course, a description of Shostakovich. Heading off chapter 8 is an excerpt from PravdaÕs stinging editorial ÒMuddle Instead of Music.Ó And as for quotes and references to actual events hidden in the text, take a look for where I inserted them.
Ê Ê Ê Ê *Prologue: ÒBut tag me with my name and I stand out like a beast whoÕs lost his nose and is running around chasing it.Ó This is a reference to the plot of ShostakovichÕs opera The Nose, which is about a guy whose nose falls off and gets a higher rank than its owner.
Ê Ê Ê Ê *Chapter 4: MityaÕs complaining about ZlayaÕs musical criticism corresponds to ShostakovichÕs similar criticism of StalinÕs lack of musical knowledge.
Ê Ê Ê Ê *Chapter 5: ÒI hate those cliches; they seldom apply.Ó ThereÕs a quote in Testimony in which Shostakovich describes how he hates cliches.
Ê Ê Ê Ê The whole thing about the fish in the bathtub actually happened.
Ê Ê Ê Ê *Chapter 7: Shostakovich actually heard the last act of The Nose in a dream, according to an account by his sister Zoya. The line about his being a copyist instead of a composer is a paraphrased quote.
Ê Ê Ê Ê *Chapter 8: Zlaya declares Broken-Sword Warrior to be Òmuddle instead of music.Ó ThatÕs the title of StalinÕs article criticizing ShostakovichÕs opera Lady Macbeth of the Mtsensk District.
Ê Ê Ê Ê *Chapter 9: ÒYou know, IÕll continue to compose music, even if they cut off my paws and I have to hold the pen in my teeth.Ó Replace the word ÒpawsÓ with Òhands,Ó and you get a verbatim Shostakovich quote.
Ê Ê Ê Ê *Chapter 10: ÒExtravagant talent.Ó Someone said that about Shostakovich; my viola teacher also said that about me (which means I should practice viola more instead of writing weird fanfics.)
Ê Ê Ê Ê All of the examples of ZloyevichÕs propaganda poetry are modified quotes from Dolmatovsky. The originals, of course, exchange ÒZlayaÓ and ÒMtsenskÓ for ÒStalinÓ and ÒSoviet Land.Ó
Ê Ê Ê Ê *Chapter 11: ÒBut if youÕre too enthusiastic, youÕll confuse people.Ó My English teacher (the same one Zloyevich is based on) said this to me after I gave a report on Shostakovich. He gave me a B+. IÕm not happy with him.
Ê Ê Ê Ê *Chapter 13: Raikh says she wishes she could play an instrument. Marshal Tukhachevsky told Shostakovich that he always wanted to play the violin.
Ê Ê Ê Ê *Chapter 14: RaikhÕs last words are basically blasphemous to Zlaya. One other victim of StalinÕs sword cursed the Dictator to his face as he died.
Ê Ê Ê Ê *Chapter 15: The first paragraph is a paraphrasing of a section of Testimony in which Shostakovich explains how itÕs useless to explain musical technicalities in memoirs. The last sentence of the paragraph is almost an exact quote.
Ê Ê Ê Ê In the third paragraph, I relate to how Shostakovich hardly ever explained the symbolism in his music.
Ê Ê Ê Ê *Chapter 16: Stalin and one of his officials once held a derogatory conversation about Shostakovich, who was sitting, presence forgotten, in the same room.
Ê Ê Ê Ê *Chapter 17: ÒThis is the last time IÕll ever play for an audience this size.Ó This is an actual Shostakovich quote.
Ê Ê Ê Ê *Chapter 18: The last paragraph, dealing with how war is bad, yet necessary and even beneficial, is parts of a Shostakovich quote stuck between my writing.
Ê Ê Ê Ê *Epilogue: ÒAnd so here is the sad story in three acts with a prologue and epilogue.Ó Another actual quote, though Shostakovich said Òtwo actsÓ instead of Òthree.Ó
Ê Ê Ê Ê The entire epilogue is drawn almost directly from the last three paragraphs of Testimony. You can make the comparisons yourself:
Ê Ê Ê Ê Ê Ê Ê Ê And that makes me even sadder. I was remembering my friends and all I saw was corpses, Ê Ê Ê Ê Ê Ê Ê Ê Ê Ê Ê Ê mountains of corpses. IÕm not exaggerating, I mean mountains. And the picture filled me with a
Ê Ê Ê Ê horrible depression. IÕm sad, IÕm grieving all the time. I tried to drop this unhappy undertaking
Ê Ê Ê Ê several times and stop remembering things from my past, since I saw nothing good in it. I didnÕt
Ê Ê Ê Ê want to remember at all.
Ê Ê Ê Ê Ê Ê Ê Ê But for many reasons I went on. I forced myself and went on remembering, even though
Ê Ê Ê Ê some of the memories were difficult for me. I decided that if this exercise helped me to see anew
Ê Ê Ê Ê certain events and the destinies of certain people, then perhaps it wasnÕt completely futile and
Ê Ê Ê Ê perhaps others would find something instructive in these simple tales.
Ê Ê Ê Ê Ê Ê Ê Ê And besides, I reasoned this way: IÕve described many unpleasant and even tragic events,
Ê Ê Ê Ê as well as several sinister and repulsive figures. My relations with them brought me much sorrow
Ê Ê Ê Ê and suffering. And I thought perhaps my experience in this regard could also be of some use to
Ê Ê Ê Ê people younger than I. Perhaps they wouldnÕt have the horrible disillusionment I had to face,
Ê Ê Ê Ê and would go through life better prepared, more hardened, than I was. And perhaps their lives
Ê Ê Ê Ê would be free of the bitterness that has colored my life grey.

Music:
Ê Ê Ê Ê *As Mitya plays for traveling troupes, Shostakovich used to play at cinemas. MityaÕs Òimprovised humor on old marching tunesÓ represents his improvisation at the cinemas. As a side note, one viewer at a cinema at which Shostakovich played complained to the manager that Òyour pianist must be drunk.Ó
Ê Ê Ê Ê *MityaÕs fantasy on ZlayaÕs old fanfare doesnÕt actually represent any specific piece, though I picture it as sounding like the Festive Overture.
Ê Ê Ê Ê *MityaÕs Fanfare for Mtsensk represents ShostakovichÕs submission for the Soviet national anthem. For the record, he lost the contest.
Ê Ê Ê Ê *Broken-Sword Warrior, as youÕve probably figured out by now, represents Lady Macbeth of the Mtsensk District.
Ê Ê Ê Ê *MityaÕs Redwall song cycles represent some of ShostakovichÕs private works.
Ê Ê Ê Ê *MityaÕs songs for Zloyevich represent Song of the Woods and The Sun Over Our Motherland, two propaganda choral works with lyrics by Dolmatovsky.
Ê Ê Ê Ê *The piece for Volklov represents pieces Shostakovich dedicated to his friends who died. His comment that the piece is Òin VolklovÕs styleÓ is a reference to a piece that Shostakovich supposedly heard in a dream that wasnÕt in his style at all, though he wrote it down anyway.
Ê Ê Ê Ê *MityaÕs piece in chapter 15 actually isnÕt representative of a real piece, since chapters 15 through 18 arenÕt based on things that actually happened. The Zlaya theme, though, could be parallel to the portrait of Stalin in the Tenth Symphony, and the repetitive growing on one theme occurs in the Seventh Symphony. The Òwalking themeÓ Mitya quotes from Sorgsky comes from the Promenade in MussorgskyÕs Pictures at an Exhibition. The reference to OfievÕs Òconversations in musicÓ infers the Duck and the BirdÕs quarrel in ProkofievÕs Peter and the Wolf. Ê Ê Ê Ê If you can imagine all of these pieces combined, thatÕs what this might sound like.
Ê Ê Ê Ê *The Redwall-Mtsensk Suite also represents no single piece. It represents more the idea of combining parts of different pieces to tell the story of ShostakovichÕs life.

Chapter 12:
Ê Ê Ê Ê As of now, IÕve not talked about this chapter. ThatÕs because itÕs the most important chapter and deserves its own section. I made nothing up about the piece in this chapter. I simply described ShostakovichÕs Eighth String Quartet. The symbolism is all the same; in fact, the real symbolism is even deeper. I may have read too much into the first movement, but the MSHK motif in the story is exactly the same as the real DSCH motif, which is extremely evident throughout the entire piece. The second movement is actually about World War II, the firebombing of Dresden in particular (Shostakovich wrote the quartet while in Dresden, July 12-14, 1960). The Òscreamed melody over the dinÓ is Shostakovich quoting his own Second Piano Trio. The third movement is actually a dance on the grave, though itÕs Jews in concentration camps rather than woodlanders. Shostakovich was not Jewish (or even religious), but he had quite a few friends who were, and anti-Semitism was a very sore spot for him. The ÒcryingÓ is another self-quote, this time from the Second Cello Concerto. The fourth movement is supposed to be Soviet agents knocking at the door at 4:00 AM to take Shostakovich awayÑsomething he feared very much and was surprised that it never happened. The major-key segment mentioned is a quote from Lady Macbeth of the Mtsensk District; the fourth movement also quotes a revolutionary song entitled ÒTormented by Grievous Bondage.Ó The fifth movement is a melancholy conclusion, dying into silence at the very end. Shostakovich described his symbolism as Òclear as a primer.Ó
Ê Ê Ê Ê Upon finishing the Eighth Quartet, Shostakovich bought a bunch of sleeping pills. He played the quartet on the piano for a friend, tearfully announcing that it was his last piece. Shostakovich always claimed that he could write one more piece. When someone once asked to perform his last quartet, Shostakovich said, ÒLast quartet? You know, I may still manage to write one more.Ó Therefore, ShostakovichÕs announcing that heÕd written his last wasnÕt good. The friend managed to confiscate the sleeping pills and told ShostakovichÕs son Maksim not to let his father out of his sight. After a few days, the threat of suicide had passed.
Ê Ê Ê Ê The published dedication on the Eighth Quartet was Òto the victims of war and fascism.Ó Shostakovich considered himself to be such a person; he actually secretly dedicated the quartet to himself. It truly is an autobiographical quartet, in the circumstances in which it was written, in the numerous self-quotes, and in the Òstoryline.Ó IÕd argue that itÕs ShostakovichÕs greatest, most tragic work. If I inspired you with this story at all, IÕll hope youÕll go and listen to some of ShostakovichÕs music. But if you were going to listen to one of his pieces and one piece only, listen to the Eighth Quartet, opus 110. ItÕll tell you much more about Shostakovich than I have in these pages, you know.

Ê Ê Ê Ê A final note: Dmitri Dmitriyevich Shostakovich died on the Ninth of August, 1975. I finished writing this story on the Ninth of August, 2000Ñthe twenty-fifth anniversary of his death.




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