Soviet Music in the International Arena, 1932–41

Abstract

This article examines the attitudes taken by Soviet policy makers and musicians towards Western music and musical life, as well as the different ways in which Soviet musicians became involved in the world of international musical affairs. It also addresses the question of how far musical diplomacy was influenced by changes in the direction of Soviet foreign policy as a whole. It demonstrated that the level of contact between the Soviet and Western musical worlds was rather greater than has previously been assumed, due in part to the fact that pragmatic considerations tended to prevail over ideological concerns where music was concerned. Despite a generally hostile attitude towards contemporary musical developments in the West, Soviet decision makers nevertheless came to see the forging of links with Western musical life as both inevitable and, to some extent, politically desirable.