Shostakovich No.5 Movement 1

Movement 1

Based clearly on the ideas found in Sonata form.

Exposition = Bar 1 - Figure 17.

First Sub (D Minor) - Start to Figure 9

Second Sub (Eb Minor) Figure 9 - 17

Development = Figure 17 - 36

Recapitulation = Figure 36 - end.

First Sub (D minor) - Figure 36 - 39

Second Sub (D Major) - Figure 39 - 44 First Sub (D Minor) - Figure 44 to End

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First Subject - In the opening the violins are in close canon with cellos and basses they then move in contrary motion to join eachother on As in bar 4.
Figure 1 - Main melodic theme in main violins is a distinctive theme and it also has the Eb of the Phrygian mode. Strings in close canon playing perfect fifths.
Figure 2 - Is now a tone lower and is in C minor. Lower strings play pizzicato and they are rhythmically augmented.
Figure 3 - Here the violin plays a perfect fifth higher than before. The melody continues creating new rhythmic ideas.
Figure 4 - Around figure 4 and before we have a contrapuntal accompaniment on violin 2 and the violas. At bar 28 the A's theme is played on 1st violin and flute. Register becomes high and creates intensity for musical climax.
Figure 5 - Now back in Dminor.
Figure 6 - Bar 35 = dead end motif is in octaves in the strings.
Figure 7 - ff climax here with all ideas present. Moment of C major. Dead end motif played - like a fanfare.

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SECOND SUBJECT: Figure 9 - Eb Minor. Harp emphasises the chord changes. The 1st violin plays a lyrical melody - likely inspiration from the Habenera from Act 1 scene 5 of Bizet's Carmen.
Figure 12 - Viola has tune with Minor 3rds in accompaniment.
Figure 13 - Opens with augmented chords in Woodwind. Solo flute pickd up minor 3rd melody/pattern that becomes descending.
Figure 14 - Ascending violin and flute. Eb Major moment contrast to Eb Minor.
Figure 15 - Passage begins in Bminor but then returns Ebminor. Eb Minor chord = dissonance.

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DEVELOPMENT: Figure 17- Insistent ostinato-like bass line played by piano with cellos and double basses. Black, dark tone gives sense of terror layered into ostinato is Subject 1.
Figure 18 - Trumpets enter and create a canonic, contrapuntal texture. End of section 1
Figure 19 - Section 2 begins. Faster tempo. Quaver motif climbs through the orchestra WW tenstion increases.
Figure 22 - Third section begins. Tempo increases again now to crotchet = 126. Gathers momentum from trumpet staccato figure. hard to realise that these leaping phrases are from the 2nd subject. Pedal notes from bar 160 in woodwind and in brass.End of section 3
Figure 25 - Beginning of section 4. Shostakovich increases temp again now 132. Minor 6th in horns. Bar 178 = canonic in woodwind. High register and minor 3rd higher building tension using pitch

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Figure 26 - Wind section joins violins.
Figure 27 - Beginning of section 5. Back in Bb. Tonic and dominant pedals in the tuba.
Figure 28 - Adds woodwind.
Figure 29 - Brittle ostinato created by the xylophone . Strong appogiatura.
Figure 30 - Trumpets and horns play augmented theme. Timpani and snare drum re enter and the texture descends with dissonant chords
Figure 32 - Seventh section. A frantic version of dead end motif is heard in canon between low and high woodwind and strings, while heavy brass and double basses play 2nd subject also in canon. Tempo is at its fastest
Figure 35 - Four bars after this figure the trombones drop out and there is an intense build up on A with dotted-rhythm figure.

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RECAPITULATION: Figure 36 - D minor. Full orchestra sounds a deafening chord of a 5th on D played triple forte. Bar 244 - grown out of figure 3 - perfect 4th higher.
Figure 38 - Intensity of the passage fades after figure 38 opening dotted pattern appears in bass instruments.

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2ND SUBJECT: Figure 38 - D major (tonic). Second subject returns in its original form. More sustained chords for serenity.
Figure 41 - F# major chord. quaver motif is augmented and played on clarinet
Figure 42 - Inverted the texture and changed the instrumentation - it was previously on strings and now on woodwind

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CODA: Figure 44 + 45 - Phrygian mode on E - flattened 2nd. Chromatic chords unsettle the harmony
Figure 46 - Gentle accomp in strings. Quaver motif in 1st violin.
Figure 47 - D minor triad. Ambiguous. Morendo = dying away.

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