# Bohuslav Martinů's Symphony No. 6



## Kiki (Aug 15, 2018)

Have always been wondering, isn't that a DSCH quotation on the brass about two third into the middle movement? Is this a coincidence, or something iconological? Don't seem to be able to find anything on the internet that talks about this. What do you think?


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## joen_cph (Jan 17, 2010)

This author, Michael Crump, agrees
https://books.google.dk/books?id=Gz...v=onepage&q=martinu symphoniques dsch&f=false


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## Kiki (Aug 15, 2018)

Thank you for the link! This book has been sitting in my wish list like forever....

I suppose Mr. Crump has discarded those claims of the DSCH quotation being buried/transposed in Shostakovich's works written before the 10th symphony (completed in 1953, the same year as Martinů's 6th).

I'm no musicologist so I can't argue with that; but then I can't relate Martinů 6 to anything musical (or extra-musical) about Shostakovich, thus my suspicion of it being a coincidence, and thus my question.


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## joen_cph (Jan 17, 2010)

Yes, there are earlier examples of the DSCH motif used by Shosty, cf. the wiki article about it, 
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DSCH_motif
but I don't know how early it was generally identified among the public, or when Martinu might have heard about it. It does seem that the possibility exists, though. Maybe some Czech text or someone else has solved the question, providing a different answer.


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## joen_cph (Jan 17, 2010)

More on the DSCH motif and claims that Britten used it consciously/symbolically in the 40s, in solidarity with Shostakovich (!):

http://dschjournal.com/dsch-motif
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rejoice_in_the_Lamb


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## KenOC (Mar 7, 2011)

Ronald Stevenson wrote a Passacaglia on DSCH and dedicated it to Shostakovich. It's well over an hour long!


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## Kiki (Aug 15, 2018)

joen_cph said:


> Yes, there are earlier examples of the DSCH motif used by Shosty, cf. the wiki article about it,
> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DSCH_motif
> but I don't know how early it was generally identified among the public, or when Martinu might have heard about it. It does seem that the possibility exists, though. Maybe some Czech text or someone else has solved the question, providing a different answer.


Indeed. It's an enigma. It's also a pity that the relative obscurity of Martinů means that there is very little information about him that can be found on the internet.

My renewed interest in this DSCH question was aroused by "discovering" this excellent and intense 1995 live recording from Bělohlávek that I didn't know existed. BTW the coupled Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen is also brilliantly sung.


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## joen_cph (Jan 17, 2010)

Yes, it's a great symphony & I'd pick it among 5 selected ones, say after 1945. I've always been satisfied with the Neumann set, also have the Ancerl and Munch.

Browsed a bit, only very superficially, but found no evidence that Martinu met personally with Britten or Shostakovich (he might-might have), but of course he met a lot of famous musicians, who could tell deails about those composers.


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## CnC Bartok (Jun 5, 2017)

Similarly superficial browsing here, but I cannot find any evidence of any meetings either. Britten would have been more likely, I'd have thought.

And the dates don't add up. Fantasies Symphoniques 1951-53, the more blatant uses of the DSCH motif in the Violin concerto premiered 1955, Symphony No.10 premièred 1953, Quartet No.8, not written until 1960.

Weird.....it also seems Britten was using it BEFORE Shostakovich did!


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