Symphony No. 7 (Shostakovich) - Form

Form

The symphony is Shostakovich's longest, and one of the longest in the repertoire, with performances taking approximately one hour and fifteen minutes. The scale and scope of the work is consistent with Shostakovich’s other symphonies as well as with those of composers considered to be his strongest influences, including Bruckner, Mahler, and Stravinsky.

The symphony is written in the conventional four movements.

1. Allegretto (25–30 minutes)

   The first movement takes on the sonata form, a common structural convention in symphonic composition since the 18th century. It begins with a rousing, majestic theme played by all the strings, which is subsequently echoed by woodwinds. The melody continually rises in pitch through the first moments of the piece, with octave-long runs in the strings. This is followed by a slower, more tranquil section driven by flutes and lower strings. This quieter part leads directly into the so-called invasion theme, a 22-bar ostinato that will pervade much of the movement. This “march” is actually a pastiche of "Da geh' ich zu Maxim," from Franz Lehár's operetta The Merry Widow for its latter half, a theme from Shostakovich's opera Lady Macbeth of the Mtsensk District, the work for which the composer suffered his first official denunciation in 1936, and a prominent sequence of six descending notes in the seventh bar, between these two quotations, resembling the third bar of Deutschland Über Alles. This composite is first played softly by the strings pizzicato, then is echoed by multiple instruments accompanied by the snare drum. The march is repeated twelve times, louder and more accented each time, somewhat in the manner of Maurice Ravel's Boléro. Other instruments accompany with undertones that forebode increasing action and excitement. At the end of the twelfth repetition, the brass (particularly the trumpets) interject very loudly with a new, more frantic theme, announcing the arrival of the invaders. The passage has rising and falling scales, one after the other. This snare drum beats at an increased rate, and several exchanges between the brass occur, resembling danger sirens. This climaxes in a somewhat slower, but loud and chaotic passage driven by competing blaring brass and frantic strings. A slower, two-part section follows: a very prominent bassoon solo (introduced by a solo clarinet), then a soft, moving recapitulation of the first theme played by the strings. The short coda presents the invasion theme one last time, played by a solo trumpet and percussion.

2. Moderato (poco allegretto) (10–15 minutes)

   The second movement, originally titled Memories is the symphony's shortest. Though this title is the movement's only heading other than its tempo indication, Shostakovich referred to it as both a scherzo and a lyric intermezzo. It begins in the latter vein with a quiet, playful theme in the strings. Some aspects of the interplay of the violins are evocative of a fugue. Moments later, a solo oboe plays a high variation on the tune. Other instruments continue with tunes of their own for several moments. Then, in the middle of the movement, woodwinds interject with a brash, shrill theme, followed by brass, then strings, then woodwinds. This eventually leads to a quick, majestic passage that is another ostinato, but different from the invasion theme in the first movement. The remaining third of the movement is much like the beginning of the second movement.

3. Adagio (15–20 minutes)

   The third movement is structured much like the second, with a slow initial theme, a faster middle section that evokes the first movement, and a recapitulation of the initial theme. The original title for this movement was Our Country's Wide Spaces. Shostakovich stated elsewhere that he had hoped to portray Leningrad by twilight, its streets and the embankments of the Neva River suspended in stillness. Woodwinds begin with slow, sustained notes, accentuated by muted brass. This simple theme cadences, and is followed by a declamatory theme played by violins. Winds and brass repeat the string theme, which the strings take over with another brief variation. This transitions directly into a faster and fiercer passage. The violins return with the opening theme of the movement. This builds into a somewhat frantic passage underlaid by an ostinato in the lower strings (a deliberately awkward “oomph-pah” motif). This leads into a loud development section evoking the first movement. However, the passage ends quickly, with the woodwinds bringing back the original theme, again echoed by the strings, just as in the beginning. The final third of the movement continues in this vein.

4. Allegro non troppo (15–20 minutes)

   The fourth movement begins with a very quiet, searching melody in the strings that slowly rises in pitch. The high strings hold the high notes, and are joined briefly by woodwinds. The low strings suddenly begin a quick march-like tune that is answered by increasingly frantic violins, and point-like interjections from the rest of the orchestra. This sustained section continues for several minutes with increasing frenzy. A brief break comes in the form of a transition passage with repetitive triplets played by high strings, accented by slap pizzicati in the cellos and bass. A slower, deliberately paced and sharply accented section follows. Several minutes of quiet foreboding take place from this point, with melodies from previous movements (particularly the first movement). Woodwinds build one of these melodies until violins take over with another familiar melody that builds to the ferocious climax. The piece ends in the key of C major, but it is by no means a joyous ending. Near the conclusion of the movement, there is a piercing interjection of repetitive statements, shattering hopes of a happy ending. Previous themes are brought back, only this time laboriously augmented, and the colossal C major finish is quite ambiguous, if not blatantly ironic.