# data[].attributes.headline
"The story should end there, but of course does not. History does not allow for perfect cadences" (353).

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"The story should end there, but of course does not. History does not allow for perfect cadences" (353).

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Anderson uses this quote as the opening line for the section of the book, Part Three. A "perfect cadence" is a musical term referring to the part of a phrase which ends just right and sounds "right". Anderson uses this analogy to show how not all stories have a nice and tidy ending. In this section, the author describes how the siege still continued after the new boost of morale brought by Shostakovich's Symphony, and how the rise of communism presented new problems for Russia. As the result of the rise of communism, Shostakovich and many other composers. all of which were treated like gods, were now discriminated against and were eventually forced to join the Communist Party. With these events amongst others, Anderson concludes the story of Dmitri Shostakovich with describing how his love for music, soccer, and his family still remained with him, even at death's door.

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"'I believe on that memorable August day Shostakovich was still quite unaware of the titanic scale of his symphony, for which a fate unique in the history of music was already in preparation'"(204).

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"'I believe on that memorable August day Shostakovich was still quite unaware of the titanic scale of his symphony, for which a fate unique in the history of music was already in preparation'"(204).

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The author includes this quote from Isaak Glikman, a friend of Shostakovich, to foreshadow the events that were going to follow after the release of his Seventh Symphony. During the time of the German invasion of Russia, Shostakovich was in the process of writing this symphony, which reflected the situations that were actually happened. He felt that this piece was going to make such a large scale, due to the amount of inspiration and sense direction that he felt when writing it. However, this flow impeded him and his family from fleeing Russia before the Germans started their air raids. This started a domino effect for the effects of the Seventh Symphony.

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"Why would a symphony become so important to country?...'Morale is the big thing in war,'...'We must raise morale of our soldiers to the highest pitch'"(238).

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"Why would a symphony become so important to country?...'Morale is the big thing in war,'...'We must raise morale of our soldiers to the highest pitch'"(238).

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The author uses this quote as the answer the quote above, "Why was the Seventh Symphony so important?". When it first was performed, the symphony was widely loved and celebrated, boosting the enjoyment of a pretty gloom country. As the result of starvation and constant bombings, the soldiers and citizens of Leningrad, Russia, were very afraid, stressed, and anxious. With the help of this symphony, morale was raised and it helped to lighten the mood. At the end of this section, the author asks a rhetorical question of the difference between art and propaganda; it turns out, there really is no difference.

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"A symphony is built not just by the composer, the conductor and the musicians, but by the audience. The wartime audience heard the approach of the German Wehrmacht. A more recent post-Soviet audience wants to hear the cruel antics of Stalin and believe that Shostakovich was speaking in code"(281). 

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"A symphony is built not just by the composer, the conductor and the musicians, but by the audience. The wartime audience heard the approach of the German Wehrmacht. A more recent post-Soviet audience wants to hear the cruel antics of Stalin and believe that Shostakovich was speaking in code"(281). 

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This quote regards the discussion which sparked the writing of this very biography: was Shostakovich's Seventh Symphony written code. Today, this discussion still remains, due to either argument being completely valid. The composer wrote the piece during the ugly times of the war, and drew inspiration from the events that were occurring around him. In fact, the finale is about the first time the German army was stopped in World War II. The symphony delves into "all forms of terror, slavery, and the bondage of the spirit"(279). With each different movement, arguments arise to discuss the hidden messages embedded.

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"Gradually, like the immigration of an insidious, phantom population, Leningrad belonged more to the dead than to the living"(287).

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"Gradually, like the immigration of an insidious, phantom population, Leningrad belonged more to the dead than to the living"(287).

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This quote describes the very dark and eerie time of the German control of Leningrad. Starvation was at an all time high and caused many to lose energy, weight, and their minds. Cannabalism grew more and more popular, as people were going insane and wanted to eat. Family members turned on one another. The death toll grew and grew as the days went on until the war was over. Shostakovich, however, was all of unaware to the horrors that were happening in his home city, and did suspect that something was wrong.

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"'We heard it in the music. The concert hall, the people in their apartments, the soldiers on the front--the whole city had found its humanity. And in that moment, we triumphed over the soulless Nazi war machine'"(349).

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"'We heard it in the music. The concert hall, the people in their apartments, the soldiers on the front--the whole city had found its humanity. And in that moment, we triumphed over the soulless Nazi war machine'"(349).

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This quote describes Leningrad's celebration of Shostakovich's Seventh Symphony. They treated it like an anthem for freedom, and used it as a new start, after suffering the "soulless Nazi war machine". In the section before this, the author describes the musicians' determination to perform this piece, professionals and soldiers alike. This determination stemmed from the new sense of nationalism that erupted in Russia, as a result of this piece. The author uses this quote in the last part of this section to show the amount of work, energy, and determination that Leningrad had gained.

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"Corruption, unfortunately, was rife" (222). 

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"Corruption, unfortunately, was rife" (222). 

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rife (adjective): (especially of something undesirable or harmful) of common occurrence; widespread

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"The moment Shostakovich over the radio, the story of the Seventh Symphony started to sparkle and to effervesce into myth" (236).

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"The moment Shostakovich over the radio, the story of the Seventh Symphony started to sparkle and to effervesce into myth" (236).

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effervesce (noun): : a person who commits arson : arsonist. b : a substance or weapon (such as a bomb) used to start fires. 2 : a person who excites factions, quarrels, or sedition : agitator.

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"They [Stalin's purges] had hit the intelligentsia, the military, and the Communist Party itself particularly hard,..."(147)

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"They [Stalin's purges] had hit the intelligentsia, the military, and the Communist Party itself particularly hard,..."(147)

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intelligentsia (noun): intellectuals or highly educated people as a group, especially when regarded as possessing culture and political influence

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"We are still arguing about that a whole human lifetime later. Audiences are still trying to decipher the codes in Shostakovich's symphonies, trying to see under the masks he wore to the the true face we expect beneath"(138). 

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"We are still arguing about that a whole human lifetime later. Audiences are still trying to decipher the codes in Shostakovich's symphonies, trying to see under the masks he wore to the the true face we expect beneath"(138). 

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This quote is talking about Shostakovich's Fifth Symphony, which was greatly celebrated and deeply analyzed for secret codes. Each movement houses a different theme and character, or "masks", which sparked more curiosity for the true meaning of the Symphony. Some think that it was a statement against Stalin's dictatorship. Shostakovich was thought to have said that the meaning was clear: the "rejoicing is forced, created under threat" (140). However, this wasn't a direct quote from the composer, so the true meaning of the Symphony is still being discussed today.

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"The Communist regime believed deeply in the power of music...As one composer said, a song is  'a mighty weapon which could strike the enemy'"(176).

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"The Communist regime believed deeply in the power of music...As one composer said, a song is  'a mighty weapon which could strike the enemy'"(176).

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This quotes is in referral to the draft that took place after the beginning of World War II, after Germany attacked Poland. Stalin called upon his country with a fear-instilling command for those to were able, to join the war. Many people took up this offer, such as Shostakovich, despite his history with Stalin. The feeling of patriotism was contagious and affected the whole country, which allowed even composers, to have a part to defending their homeland, "Song inspires bravery almost as well as vodka" (176). By comparing music to vodka, it truly shows the power of a song, because vodka was and still a very strong aspect of Russia.

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"But who at this point were the "Victims of the Revolution"? He head written the piece earlier in the year to lament the death of Revolutionaries killed by the tsar's police. Only a few months later, he played it to lament these two men killed by the Revolutionaries. Two opposing forces, one piece of music. So Russia proceeded into its uncertain future--as Dmitri Shostakovich played its solemn march of victimhood or victory"(30).

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"But who at this point were the "Victims of the Revolution"? He head written the piece earlier in the year to lament the death of Revolutionaries killed by the tsar's police. Only a few months later, he played it to lament these two men killed by the Revolutionaries. Two opposing forces, one piece of music. So Russia proceeded into its uncertain future--as Dmitri Shostakovich played its solemn march of victimhood or victory"(30).

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In this quote, Anderson connects the young years of Shostakovich to those of his later years, where this statement comes more into play. By describing the young years of Dmitri Shostakovich, Anderson sets up the scene for the country at war and also explains how Shostakovich developed his love for music. As one of Shostakovich's first pieces, "Funeral March for the Victims of the Revolution" acts as both a symbol for the composer's origins, and the turmoil that was happening during this time.

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"If music without words can have 'characters' then Shostakovich's characters are like those in the absurdist stories of his Leningrad friends: broad and bizarre and almost cartoonist at times, full of vivid eccentricities" (57).

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"If music without words can have 'characters' then Shostakovich's characters are like those in the absurdist stories of his Leningrad friends: broad and bizarre and almost cartoonist at times, full of vivid eccentricities" (57).

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In this quote, Anderson uses Shostakovich's style to describe the beginnings of Shostakovich's stardom in Russia. His operas, ballets, and symphonies were very popular and were seen as some of the best of all time. All of his pieces all had a great sense of originality and a spark of genius. He broke the traditional rules of composing and set new standards, as seen by his "characters", which were new, modern, and unique. This energetic and "bizarre" sound made Shostakovich a household name, but also put him onto Stalin's list.

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"In a society that was supposed to be understood as a huge machine, literature and the arts were supposed to be the 'gear and screws' of the propaganda mechanism, allowing the government to manipulate people, who were mere 'levers' in the intricate clockworks" (79).

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"In a society that was supposed to be understood as a huge machine, literature and the arts were supposed to be the 'gear and screws' of the propaganda mechanism, allowing the government to manipulate people, who were mere 'levers' in the intricate clockworks" (79).

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This quote addresses a part of Stalin's Five-Year Plan, collectivization in the countryside and arrest of the wreckers in city factories, in order to keep the "machine", also known as society, running smoothly. To do so, Stalin used great force to keep things under control, as seen by regulating the freedom of artists and musicians. This is seen by the use of the analogy of machine with well-working parts that would allow for "good outcomes". Unintentionally, Shostakovich highlighted the Five-Year Plan in two ballets of his, making him stop writing music for those who supported the plan. This, however led to more danger for Shostakovich.

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"At times, the thought of suicide overwhelmed him. Then he remembered the words of his writer friend Zoshchenko--that suicide is a "purely infantile act." Killing himself would have been particularly cruel, selfish, and infantile" (102).

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"At times, the thought of suicide overwhelmed him. Then he remembered the words of his writer friend Zoshchenko--that suicide is a "purely infantile act." Killing himself would have been particularly cruel, selfish, and infantile" (102).

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This quote explores the dark place that Shostakovich slipped under after his work was seen as being "treason" and an "enemy". After everyone refusing to see his work due to fear, Shostakovich was overcome with depression and suicidal thoughts. As mentioned in the quote, one of the ways that helped him with fear was the reminder that he had a little girl on the way and that it would have selfish to abandon her like that. After recovering from his dark place, Shostakovich finished his 4th Symphony, which was unlike the rest of his others symphonies. This one made a statement, and made Shostakovich's reentry to the world was awesome.

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"On April 14, 1930, Mayakovsky spent the morning as he often did, haranguing a girlfriend and trying to convince her to leave her husband" (71).

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"On April 14, 1930, Mayakovsky spent the morning as he often did, haranguing a girlfriend and trying to convince her to leave her husband" (71).

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haranguing (verb): lecture (someone) at length in an aggressive and critical manner

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"...to discover that the world is a sterile, mechanical totalitarian state" (64).

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"...to discover that the world is a sterile, mechanical totalitarian state" (64).

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totalitarian (adjective): relating to a system of government that is centralized and dictatorial and requires complete subservience to the state

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bereft (adjective): deprived of or lacking something, especially a nonmaterial asset.

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Week #1: 11/30- p. 1-126
Week #2:12/7- p. 127-253
Week #3: 12/14- p. 254-379

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Quote Sections
p.1-30
p.31-60
p.61-97
p.98-126

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Quote Sections
p.127-150
p.151-177

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Quote Sections
p.178-216
p.217-253
p.254-285
p.286-304
p.305-349
p.350-379

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I personally am not the biggest fan of nonfiction but when I saw "Symphony for the City of the Dead" while scrolling through Amazon, I got really excited. It combines my love for music and history. It delves into the tremendous impact that music has on those around it, especially during a time of turmoil and war (WWII). To do so, it follows the life of Dimitri Shostakovich, who wrote one of my favorite classical pieces, Waltz NO. 2.

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"This was also the point at which many passengers developed dysentery..."(319)

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"This was also the point at which many passengers developed dysentery..."(319)

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dysentery (noun): infection of the intestines resulting in severe diarrhea with the presence of blood and mucus in the feces.