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From: mf@cornell.UUCP (mf)
Newsgroups: net.music.classical
Subject: Out-of-place Codas
Message-ID: <1219@cornell.UUCP>
Date: Wed, 24-Apr-85 14:32:16 EST
Article-I.D.: cornell.1219
Posted: Wed Apr 24 14:32:16 1985
Date-Received: Sat, 27-Apr-85 01:24:19 EST
References: <2429@randvax.UUCP>
Reply-To: (Uucp) cornell!mf (ARPA) mf@cornell-gvax (Bitnet) MF AT CRNLCS
Organization: Cornell Universe City
Lines: 14
Keywords: Shostakovitch Mozart

In article <2429@randvax.UUCP> Ed Hall says of the coda of
Shostakovitch's 5th: ``as part of the work as a whole, the coda seems
strangly out of place, although it satisfied the Soviet officialdom as
demonstrating "Socialist Realism" (where all struggles have happy
endings).''

Doesn't the same strike you about that of Mozart's 20th piano concerto
K 466?  Most of the piece is dark and ``cosmic'' (the key of D minor
being very suggestive) -- while the end so light, almost ...
inconsequential in comparison.

Though he probably was not writing for Soviet officialdom, one theory
is that he wrote a ``happy ending'' to cater for the public taste.