Soviet Film Music [Paperback]

Egorova deserves praise...a complex and fascinating subject...The book has some interesting insights. -- Slavic Review
The first comprehensive survey covering cinema composers from the period 1917 to 1991...Egonova's book is worthwhile...Egorova's work pays off. As well as giving the enthusiast a valuable body of information, she inspires a desire to see and hear the films discussed. -- The Moscow TimesIn the years 1917 to 1991, despite unfavorable prevailing conditions, there were outstanding achievements in the music created for the cinema in the Soviet Union. Perhaps in no other country was film music associated with so many distinguished composers: Sergei Prokofiev, Dmitry Shostakovich, Isaak Dunayevsky, Georgy Sviridov, Aram Khachaturian, Alfred Schnittke, Nikolai Karetnikov, Edward Artemyev, Edison Denisov, and Sofia Gubaidulina. They were ready to accept film directors' invitations because they considered the cinema to be a perfect laboratory for testing the concepts and themes for future operas, symphonies, oratorios, and other large-scale compositions. A remarkable characteristic of Soviet film music was the appearance of successful director - composer collaborations, such as the famous 'duets' of Eisenstein - Prokofiev, Kozintsev - Shostakovich and Tarkovsky - Artemyev. This fascinating volume is the first attempt at a historical analysis of Soviet film music - a unique and full1: 1917-1941; 1: Music and silent cinema. The alternative: pianist versus composer; 2: Evolution from the silent to the sound film. The duality of music during this transitional period in film history; 3: General characteristics of the main types of musical dramaturgy in the 1930s and early '40s; 4: The symphonic type of dramaturgy; 5: The role of music in creating a mythicised image of socialism. Song in the service of ideology: the musical film comedies of Alexandrov and Pyriev; 6: The formation of other genres in musical cinema; 7: The development of film music in thelC’