Shur is a beautiful piece of music from Azerbaijan, that showcases the talent of orchestral musicians during this barely post-war time period. This song travels through different pieces, making it sound more of a symphony than a single piece. For example, the sound at the beginning of the song is very different than the sound at the 7-minute mark. This could be because the Soviet Union encouraged pieces to tell stories, which requires a longer amount of time. This music was different than what people would have typically been listening to in more Western countries. Why was this important to the Soviet Union, to have such different forms of music be accessible to the general public?
Cultural Construction in the Soviet Empire (HIS315 F20)
National in Form, Socialist in Content!
When I really think about the role music plays in our own culture, I think of examples of artists using music as a way to speak out. For the Soviet Union, we have thoroughly explored how carefully the Soviets crafted culture. It is no surprise that they did the same thing for music.
The Soviet Union seemed to continually strive to not only create a society and government, but a new society and government with its own unique stamp. Music plays a huge role in culture, and in many ways what we hear resinates with a certain culture or movement. Thus, it would seem important to the Soviet Union to create music that is distinctly their own in their new society and government.