Symbiosis of Music and Poetry in Alfred Schnittke's Five Aphorisms for Piano

Abstract

This study relates Alfred Schnittke's Five Aphorisms for Piano (1990) both to an earlier set of piano pieces, Dmitry Shostakovich's Aphorisms (1927), and to the poetry of Joseph Brodsky (1940-96). The study identifies musical and extra-musical connections between Shostakovich and Schnittke and examines the genesis of their musical sets in light of the composers' biographies and writings. Later it explores Schnittke's relationship with Brodsky, to whom the Five Aphorisms was dedicated, and whose poetry was intended to be recited before the performance of each of the five pieces. It analyzes the worldview and philosophy of Schnittke and Brodsky within the context of Postmodernism in order to shed new light upon their artistic intentions. Finally, the study considers the broader question of the relationship between music and poetry in late Soviet artworks.