Question by : What impact did Sergei Prokofiev have on music history?
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Answer by Davis
I like Rachmaninoff, too! Everyone has their favorites and not so favorites. However, undoubtedly, Prokofiev was one of the great composers of the 20th century.Like other great composers he mastered a wide range of musical genres, including symphonies, concerti, film music, operas, ballets, and program pieces. At the time, his works were considered both ultra-modern and innovative. He traveled widely, spending many years in Paris and Ettal in the Bavarian Alps, and toured the United States five times. He gained wide notoriety and his music was both reviled and triumphed by the musical press of the time. He returned to his homeland permanently in 1936. He died on 05-March-1953 in Moscow. Prokofiev.org
I love Prokofiev piano concerto no.2 and no 3. My favorite recording to date is that of Horacio Gutierrez
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del_icious_manager says
There is no doubt that Prokofiev was a great composer – and one of the great melody writers of all time. But, apart from his legacy of music, his direct influence on other composers and ‘music history’ in general is minimal.
Short answer: ‘not much’.
df74sg says
Your question will be much easier to answer if Prokofiev was changed to Bach.
petr b says
Overall, none. His work never truly influenced music enough to make a difference.
He is one of the type of unarguably great composers who ‘just wrote’ as they did, a unique voice and style, terrific composer, but no influence in the big picture of music history.
If this is some sort of assignment, there is a much more likely area where his influence might be of note, as the subject of Russian artist under the restrictions of the Stalin era.
There, I would read the Wiki article, and especially look at the synopsis of his various operas and ballets – those theatrical works where you might find he was saying something as a critique of the regime under and in which he lived.
His ballet, Cinderella, nothing but neoclassical gavottes and other dance forms, was the composers ‘towing the line’ after having been accused of writing ‘decadent Western Influenced music.’ His act of contrition was composing Cinderella, retreating into ‘non-decadent music’ to regain approval after having been reprimanded.
In the period before, some work or another had displeased the Government, which had the power to simply blackball even the best of its composers. That period of his career would be where to look for friction between this composer and the regime.
Best regards.
ADD: P.s. Prokofiev’s music, some good chunks of it, have been some of my favorite music since I was, literally a child. I remain an ardent fan to this day.
[ Bach didn’t influence anybody either, but he seems to have a pretty secure place in the pantheon of great composers. ]