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Symphony No. 7 "Leningrad" (Shostakovich) facts for kids

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Symphony No. 7 in C major "Leningrad", Op. 60 is a very famous symphony by Dmitri Shostakovich. He wrote it in 1941. This long piece of music lasts about 75 minutes. The Bolshoi Theatre Orchestra first played it on 5 March 1942. Shostakovich received a special award called the Stalin Prize from the Soviet government for his symphony.

Why Shostakovich Wrote This Symphony

Shostakovich named his symphony "Leningrad" because it tells the story of what happened in the city of Leningrad in 1941. This was during World War II. The German army had attacked the Soviet Union. They surrounded Leningrad, cutting it off from the rest of the world. This was called the Siege of Leningrad.

Life in the city was incredibly hard. People had very little food and suffered terribly from the cold in winter. About a million people died during this time.

Shostakovich often lived in fear. The leader of the Soviet Union, Josef Stalin, was a dictator. If Stalin didn't like a composer's music, that person could be sent to prison or even killed. Sometimes, Shostakovich was praised as a hero by the government. Other times, he was told his music wasn't good enough because it didn't fit the government's style.

When it was first played, the symphony became very popular. People in Russia and countries fighting with Russia in World War II loved it. It was played many times in the United States and the United Kingdom. Many thought the music showed the Russian people as brave heroes. They were seen fighting to save their city from the Germans.

Later, during the Cold War, some people in these same countries didn't like the symphony as much. Russia was now seen as an enemy. They thought the music was propaganda. This meant it was made to make Russia and its leaders look better than other countries.

In more recent years, ideas about the symphony's meaning have changed again. Some music experts now think the music shows how cruel Stalin was. It might also show the terror of the Nazi invasion. Other people still believe it was meant to support the Russian government and army. They think it honors those who died fighting the Germans.

It's hard to know exactly what the symphony means. This is partly because people disagree about when Shostakovich started writing it. If he began before the war, it might be partly about the Soviet government. But if he started during the war, it might be only about the war itself.

After its first performance on March 5 1942 in Kuybïshev (now called Samara), the symphony was soon played in Moscow. Then it was performed in Leningrad, even though the German army still surrounded the city. A copy of the music was secretly sent to countries in the West. It was sent on microfilm.

Sir Henry Wood conducted the symphony in London at the BBC studios on June 22. The next week, it was played at a Promenade Concert. On July 19, the NBC Symphony Orchestra played it in New York. Arturo Toscanini conducted this studio concert. It was broadcast on the radio across the United States.

The Music

The Symphony No. 7 has four main parts, called movements:

The first movement is long and very dramatic. In the middle of this movement, there is a march. You can hear a repeated beat on the snare drum. It starts very softly. The main tune is first played by the strings. They play "pizzicato," which means plucking the strings instead of using a bow. Each time the tune is played, it gets louder and louder.

People used to think this march theme was about the invading German Nazi army. But now, some people think it might also be about how the Soviet government changed the city of Leningrad. Or it could be about both things.

The second movement is called a scherzo. This part is more light-hearted and playful. It offers a break after the serious first movement.

The third movement is slow and full of strong emotions. The composer said it was meant to show the city of Leningrad at sunset.

The last movement is faster again. It brings back parts of the music you heard earlier in the symphony. It's not completely clear if the ending is serious or not.

The orchestra needed for this symphony is very large. It includes many different instruments:

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