Socialist Realism is not as easily quantified in music as it is in literature and representational art due perhaps to the sonic nature of it’s expression. Don’t get me wrong, the commissars knew what they liked and what they liked was therefore good for the people. That was kind of a Neoclassicism with heroic and noble themes easily grasped by the masses for propoganda purposes, other more ‘challenging’ expressions deemed bourgeois, ‘decadent, degenerate and pessimistic’.
Socialist Realism must follow these rules laid down by the Congress of 1934
- Proletarian: art relevant to the workers and understandable to them.
- Typical: scenes of every day life of the people.
- Realistic: in the representational sense.
- Partisan: supportive of the aims of the State and the Party.
Despite that it also (depending on the patronage and power of its State sponsors as well as their personal tolerance for difference) it also included avant garde elements like Jazz and 12 Tone, Dodecaphony, and serial techniques.
Perhaps the most popular Soviet composer in the Socialist Realism style was Isaak Dunayevsky who achieved notable success in collaboration with director Grigori Aleksandrov in creating the scores for many comedic films.
Among his favorite works was Circus
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It’s hard to get by in the mornings lately, too much crazy in the house. Hopefully that will soon change a bit….hopefully.
…not quite what you had in mind maybe, but the phrase makes me think of things that we fringie haters can accomplish, tangible accomplishable (?) political goals.
Things like…
Defunding cops, to encourage demilitarization, to dampen their ability to wage war against the people they are supposed to protect.
Reinstating and expanding regulation of the uber-rich, such as Glass Stegal and limits on executive compensation.
Expanding protections for the hardworking folks that find themselves low on the socioeconomic ladder, like higher minimum wage, and laws forcing companies to provide sick days. (Which may seem farfetched, but a ballot measure to make employers provide sick days in Ohio had 70% support, until Democratic Gov. Strickland got it pulled from the ballot. He lost next election.
70%. These and other goals are tangible and achievable. Who’s in the “deep minority” now?
Corpratists, especially center-right Democrat super-loyalists, want us to believe that these realistic goals are not possible. But they are closer than we realize, they in many cases have public support, we just have to realize that yes, these things can happen.