Jewish folk music has made a most powerful impression on me. I never tire of delighting in it, it's multifaceted, it can appear to be happy while it … - Dmitri Shostakovich

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Jewish folk music has made a most powerful impression on me. I never tire of delighting in it, it's multifaceted, it can appear to be happy while it is tragic. It's almost always laughter through tears. This quality of Jewish folk music is close to my ideas of what music should be. There should always be two layers in music. Jews were tormented for so long that they learned to hide their despair. They express despair in dance music.

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About Dmitri Shostakovich

Dmitri Dmitriyevich Shostakovich (25 September 1906 – 9 August 1975) was a Soviet composer and pianist. Many of his works mark the epochs of Soviet history, or explore his own position as an artist in a communist state. Since his death there has been much controversy as to his private political views.

Also Known As

Native Name: Дмитрий Дмитриевич Шостакович
Alternative Names: Shostakovich Shosty Dmitrii Dmitrievich Shostakovich Dmitrij Šostakovič Dmitri Dmitrievitch Chostakovitch Dimitri Shostakovich Dmitri Dmitriyevich Shostakovich Dmitriii Dmitrievich Shostakovich
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Additional quotes by Dmitri Shostakovich

You ask if I would have been different without "Party guidance"? Yes, almost certainly. No doubt the line I was pursuing when I wrote the Fourth Symphony would have been stronger and sharper in my work. I would have displayed more brilliance, used more sarcasm, I could have revealed my ideas openly instead of having to resort to camouflage.

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