The Scherzo In Shostakovich's Symphonies

The 20^th century in music is an age characterized by multiple styles, technical innovations and various schools. An outstanding Soviet composer of this century, Shostakovich, with his unique musical style, possessed an important place not only among the Soviet composers but also in the whole world. The symphony is one of the most important genres that he used, which carried many social functions, cultural significance and symbolic meaning. Besides, the scherzo and its own style in the symphony is also considered one of the major elements in the composition of the composer. Thus, this thesis analyzes the characters of scherzo and its style in Shostakovich's symphonies.This thesis consists of four chapters. The first chapter outlines the development of scherzo in the symphony in various periods, which can be divided into three phases, including many works by important symphonic composers from Germany, Austria, northern and eastern Europe and America. The second chapter analyzes the conspicuous features of the techniques in the scherzo to demonstrate its significant stylistic characters. The nine parts of this chapter make a detailed analysis of the different means employed by Shostakovich in his scherzos, as well as a discussion about the characteristics of the scherzo style. This chapter mainly involves considerations about the ways in which new musical idioms were introduced into traditional forms, certain modernistic techniques, specific spiritual significance of his works and the comparison with other compositions. The third chapter includes two parts. The first part classifies the scherzo styles embodied by the 11 scherzo movements in Shostakevich's symphonies, and analyzes some other styles appearing in the compositions. The second part makes a summary of the characteristics of the methods Shostakovich applied in his scherzo movements, as well as a comparison with the works by other composers. The fourth chapter discusses the reasons for the formation of the composer's scherzo style and the aesthetic principles in it.Since Shostakovich placed great importance on scherzo, and the scherzo style embodied in his works is very unique, it is meaningful and valuable to examine such an important element in his career. Moreover, by studying the various techniques—such as inversion and the analysis of set—and the types and aesthetic principles of scherzo style, I hope to contribute something new with my own views and considerations.