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Rhythmic Connections
- Dmitri Shostakovich
Polyrhythms, Polyharmony,
Polytonality.
Rothko found great
emotional stimulation by listening to music. Composers of this period
were also bursting into new polyrhythms (freer rhythms, not standard patterns
of duple, triple, or quadruple.) Shostakovitch explored odd numbers of
five, seven, eleven, etc. beats to a measure.
Polyharmony (many
more chordal patterns,) polytonality (two keys presented at the same time,
and atonality, (the 12 note chromatic scale played in any order, abandoning
the tonic or root, all helped to create dissonances within the works of
the composers.
Rothko was born in
Russia, of Jewish descent, but emigrated to the States when only a young
boy. Shostakovitch also lived in Russia, but he was banned for a time
from having his works performed, because of their influence taken from
Western composers. On writing the Eighth String Quartet, Shostakovich
assigned it to the department of "exposing fascism."
| Quote |
"The Jews became
the most persecuted and defenseless people of Europe. It was a return
to the Middle Ages. Jews became a symbol for me. All of man's defenslessness
was concentrated in them. After the war, I tried to convey that feeling
in my music. I always wanted music to be an active force."
From "Testimony: the Memoirs of Dimitri Shostakovitch."
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| Quote |
Solomon
Volkov- New York, June 1979.
"The Eighth String quartet is an extraordinary work and in a sense
his musical autobiography." |
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| Romare Bearden |
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| Henri Matisse |
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| Alma Thomas |
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| Sam Gilliam
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| Mark Rothko
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