861.4038/2–2449: Airgram
The Chargé in the Soviet Union (Kohler) to the Secretary of State
A–185. The latest installment in the continuous effort to enforce ideological conformity on Soviet musicians appeared in an editorial in the newspaper Soviet Art of February 12, which marked the first anniversary of the publication on February 10, 1948 of the Decree of the Central Committee of the Party1 “Concerning the Opera ‘Great Friendship’ by V. Muradelli”.2
This editorial reviews the works of Soviet composers during the past year and recognizes that a certain measure of success has been achieved in the attempt to meet the demands made by the Party’s Decree. However, the editorial continues, it would be deeply misleading to say that the tasks posed by the Party for the composers have, been fulfilled. Of all the problems of Soviet musical art which await solution, the editorial characterizes as the most important the creation of a truly popular, contemporary Soviet opera. This is said to be an affair of honor of the Soviet composers “… to satisfy within the shortest time the expectations of the Soviet people and to create an opera worthy of the Stalinist epoch”.
It appears that the striving of certain Soviet composers for “soothing” themes still exists, while a creative timidity which fences off the masters of Soviet art from the main themes of Soviet reality has not yet disappeared. As an example of the relapses into formalism which still appear in Soviet music, the editorial attacks Prokofieff’s3 latest opera “Story of a Real Man”. The editorial deplores the fact that one of the finest productions of Soviet literature was employed by Prokofieff as merely another opportunity for his usual formalistic experimentation, a vehicle for naturalistic exercises which perverted the content of the famous book.…
In accordance with the style which has now become routine in any comment appearing in the Soviet press concerning the arts, the Soviet Art editorial mentioned in terms of praise the Pravda editorial “Concerning [Page 578] a Group of Anti-Patriotic Theatrical Critics” and noted that this should serve as a good instructive example to Soviet musical society of a Partyist struggle with all evidences of cosmopolitanism and anti-popular activity in the field of art theory and criticism.4
In addition to hitting the composers, Soviet Art dragged in the musical critics, who were censored [censured] for failing to participate effectively in the struggle for the fulfillment of the Party’s Decree.
- In regard to the music decree of February 10, 1948, see telegram 269, February 11, from Moscow, Foreign Relations, 1948, vol. iv, p. 808.↩
- Vano Muradeli was a Georgian musical composer and playwright.↩
- Sergey Sergeyevich Prokofyev was a Russian pianist and prolific musical composer. The novel, The Story of a Real Man, was written by Boris Niko-layevich Polevoy in 1946.↩
- The Department of State maintained a steady interest in the campaigns of Soviet authorities “to enforce ideological orthodoxy on Soviet art and literature” and the Embassy in the Soviet Union from time to time sent reports to it of outstanding criticisms and incidents. In airgram A–184 from Moscow, also on February 24, not printed (861.4061/2–2449), the Embassy commented upon some of the “bitterest language yet to be employed” against intellectuals who had “succumbed to the bewitching influence of foreign art”. In the Soviet film industry the “anti-patriotic virus” had infected a group of workers and critics who attempted “to force the Soviet cinema to imitate Hollywood.” During recent weeks the “drive to eliminate ‘intellectual disorientation’ among the Soviet intelligentsia” reached a higher “level of vilification” than in previous campaigns which had been touched off since the decree of August 14, 1946. (Concerning this decree, see Foreign Relations, 1946, vol. vi, pp. 774–776.) Again in airgram A–249 from Moscow on March 11, 1949, not printed, the Embassy advised that the opposition to western influences had even “extended to ballroom dancing,” with its rumbas and fox trots, whereas the attractive patterns and the expressive melodies of native dances “have been forgotten … and the initiative to revive them has not been widely disseminated.” One writer had warned against and had described “in detail the ‘emotions’ aroused by the ‘swinging of the hips in the polonaise’.” (861.4062/3–1149)↩