Shostakovich’s 14th Symphony contains one of the most exciting and bizarre moments in his entire output: the 8th movement, entitled “Reply of the Zaporozhye Cossacks to the Sultan of Constantinople.” (listen here) In 1676, the Sultan of the Ottoman empire demanded the surrender of the Cossacks, who defiantly penned the following text, which Shostakovich sets to music in this movement:More a criminal than Barabbas,
horned like a fallen angel,
what Beelzebub are you
who gorge yourself down there on filth and mire?
We shall not attend your Sabbaths.
Rotten fish of Salonica,
a long necklace of fearful dreams,
of eyes poked out with sticks.
Your mother farted timourously
and gave birth to you in her colic.
Butcher of Podolia,
lover of wounds, of ulcers, of scabs.
Pig’s snout, mare’s arse.
Keep all your riches
to pay for your medicines.
Shostakovich’s music perfectly captures the sarcasm and intensity of the text, culminating in the ferocious orchestral conclusion (starting at 1:27) which restates the original theme, this time accompanied by a swarm of fluttering violins playing trills in close dissonance.
P.S. - A more complete historical explanation, accompanied by a slightly more R-rated version of the text can be found here.
The "Reply of the Cossacks to the Sultan" wasn't actually spoken by the Cossacks, you know; it's a quotation from the middle of a famous (and gorgeous) long poem by the turn-of-the-century French poet Guillaume Apollinaire. The poem is entitled "La chanson du mal-aime," which means, roughly, "The Ballad of the Ill-Treated Lover." It is one of the craziest and most beautiful poems in the French language, full of free associations and tangential imaginings; the "Reply of the Cossacks to the Sultan" is just one example. If you're not familiar with Apollinaire already, you should check him out.
ReplyDeleteIn the original French, the relevant excerpt of Apollinaire's poem goes like this:
ReplyDeletePlus criminel que Barrabas
Cornu comme les mauvais anges
Quel Belzébuth es-tu là-bas
Nourri d'immondice et de fange
Nous n'irons pas à tes sabbats
Poisson pourri de Salonique
Long collier des sommeils affreux
D'yeux arrachés à coup de pique
Ta mère fit un pet foireux
Et tu naquis de sa colique
Bourreau de Podolie Amant
Des plaies des ulcères des croûtes
Groin de cochon cul de jument
Tes richesses garde-les toutes
Pour payer tes médicaments
Hi there,
ReplyDeleteGreat blog! I just wanted to say hi, as I was particularly enjoying sharing your (frankly excellent) Gangnam Style/Stravinsky mashup video with fellow musicians, before it got taken down! Do you know if and when it will be available again on YouTube and/or any other sites?
Cheers!