Scores to the symphonies of Dmitri Shostakovich, notes
Volume Five of Dmytry Shostakovich's Collected Works comprises the scores
of his symphonies Nos. 9 and 10.
Symphony No. 9 in E-flat Major, Op. 70, was written in 1945. The composer's
plan had taken final shape by the summer of 1945—there is a rough sketch
for the first movement dated July 26. The entire score was ready in one
month: the first movement was begun on August 2 and completed three days
later in Moscow, the rest was written at the Composers' Home for Creative
Work near Ivanovo (the second movement is dated August 12, the third,
August 20, the fourth, August 22 and the fifth, August 30). "My Ninth
Symphony differs materially in character from my previous symphonies,
the Seventh and the Eighth", the composer said. "Whereas my
Seventh and Eighth symphonies are heroico-tragic, a light and sunny mood
prevails in my Ninth."1
The composer presented his new symphony to Moscow's musicians early in
September 1945: its piano-duet version was played at the Moscow Philharmonic
on September 4 and, one more time, at the Committee on Art of the USSR
Council of People's Commissars on September 102.
The first public performance of the Ninth Symphony was given in Leningrad
by the Merited Ensemble of the RSFSR, the Academic Leningrad Philharmonic
Orchestra, at the Large Philharmonic Hall on November 3, 1945.
The Moscow premiere took place on November 20.
The score of the symphony was published by the Muzgiz in 1946. The autograph
score is preserved at the Central State Archives of Literature and Art
of the USSR (fond 2048, descriptive list 1, bit of storage No. 12); the
rough sketch for the symphony's first movement is preserved at the same
Archives (fond 2048, descriptive list 1, bit of storage No. 13).
The present edition is based on the score published by the Soviet Composer
in 1961, collated with the composer's MS score.
Symphony No. 10 in E minor, Op. 93, was written in 1953. The composer
started work on it in the summer and completed the score in October, 1953
(in the manuscript the first movement is dated August 5, the second, August
27, the third, October 8, the fourth, October 25).
A new symphony by Dmitry Shostakovich excited a lively interest of the
Soviet public. The USSR Union of Composers organised a hearing and an
extensive discussion of this work at the end of March 1954. Speaking of
this symphony before the discussion started the composer said that its
first movement "contained more slow tempi and more lyrical episodes
than heroico-dramatic and tragic ones, unlike the first movements of symphonies
by Beethoven, Tchaikovsky, Borodin and other composers". As regards
the work as a whole he said: "In this work I wanted to convey human
feelings and passions."
Shostakovich's Tenth Symphony was first performed in Leningrad by the
Merited Ensemble of the RSFSR, the Academic Leningrad Philharmonic Orchestra,
at the Large Philharmonic Hall on December 17, 1953.
The score was published by the Muzgiz in 1954; the composer's arrangement
for piano duet, by the Muzgiz in 1956.
The autograph score is preserved at the State Central Glinka Museum of
Musical Culture, Moscow (fond 32, bit of storage No. 31).
The present edition is based on the Muzgiz score of 1954. The editor of
this volume has taken into account the composer's emendations made in
the printed score in the editor's possession. The text has also been collated
with the autograph score.
All patent errors have been corrected without comment. The essential variants
are discussed in the notes at the end of the volume. Editorial changes
are given in square brackets.