Dmitri Shostakovich’s Compositions for Solo Voice(s).

The author’s manuscripts and first editions of the works being published were used to prepare the texts in this volume.

Two Fables by Ivan Krylov.
For Mezzo-soprano, Female Choir and Piano. Op. 4 [a].

1. The Dragonfly and the Ant.
2. The Ass and the Nightingale.

   Piano score was first printed in a collection called Musical Heritage, Vol. 2, Issue 1 (Moscow, 1966) and again in Volume 32 of Dmitri Shostakovich’s Collected Works (Muzyka Publishers, Moscow, 1982). The author’s manuscript is kept in the Dmitri Shostakovich’s personal depository at the Glinka State Central Museum of Musical Culture (SCMMC): rec. gr. 32, f. 88.
  The score of this work was first published in Volume 31 of Dmitri Shostakovich’s Collected Works (Muzyka Publishers, Moscow, 1982). There are many discrepancies between the later, orchestral, version and the piano score, particularly in the second fable, the score of which is essentially a new author’s rendition (the piano version of this rendition by Viktor Ekimovsky was published in the Appendix to Volume 87 of New Collected Works).

Two Romances on Verses by Mikhail Lermontov.
For Voice and Piano. Op. 84.

1. Ballad.
2. Morning in the Caucasus.

  Was not published during Shostakovich’s life time. This opus was printed for the first time in Volume 32 of Dmitri Shostakovich’s Collected Works (Muzyka Publishers, Moscow, 1982). The author’s manuscript of the cycle is kept in Dmitri Shostakovich’s personal depository at the Russian State Archives of Literature and Art (RSALA): rec. gr. 2048, inv. 3, f. 10.

Joan Smith's song “Bird of Peace” 
Adaptation for Voice and Piano by D. Shostakovich. Sans op.
Russian words by L. Ozerov.

  The adaptation was first printed in 1953 in the music appendix to the journal Sovetskaya muzyka, No. 10 (October). It was never reprinted. The author’s manuscript of the adaptation is kept at SCMMC: rec. gr. 32, f. 123.

Greek Songs.
For Voice and Piano. Sans op.

1. Forward! Melody by A. Xenos, words by K. Palamas. Translated by S. Bolotin and T. Sikorskaya.
2. Pentozalis. Folk Song. Translated by S. Bolotin.
3. Zolongo. Folk Song. Translated by T. Sikorskaya.
4. Hymn of ELAS. Melody by A. Tzakonas, words by S. Mavroidi-Papadaki. Translated by S. Bolotin.

  The cycle of adaptations called Greek Songs was not published in full during the composer’s life time. In 1954, only one of the four adaptations, “Forward!”, was published for the first time in the music appendix to the journal Sovetskaya muzyka, No. 5 (May) entitled “Songs of Friends”. In 1955, the adaptations of two songs, “Forward!” and “Pentozalis” (“Penthosalis”), were published in a collection called Songs from Around the World, Issue 1 (Muzgiz Publishers, Moscow). The cycle was published in full for the first time in Volume 32 of Dmitri Shostakovich’s Collected Works (Muzyka Publishers, Moscow, 1982). The author’s manuscript of the composition can be found at RSALA: rec. gr. 2048, inv. 1, f. 53.

The Spanish Songs cycle.
For Voice and Piano. Op. 100.

1. Adios, Granada. (Goodbye, Granada!). Folk melody and words. Russian words by S. Bolotin.
2. Mozuka (Little Stars). Folk melody and words. Russian words by T. Sikorskaya.
3. En Samir (The First Meeting). Folk melody and words. Russian words by S. Bolotin.
4. Ronda (Round Dance). Folk melody and words. Russian words by T. Sikorskaya.
5. Morena Salada (Black Eyes). Folk melody and words. Russian words by T. Sikorskaya.
6. Barcarola (The Dream) (Barcarolle). Folk melody and words. Russian words by S. Bolotin and T. Sikorskaya.

  Was also first published in the music appendix to the journal Sovetskaya muzyka (No. 9, September 1956) and constituted the entire contents of this appendix. The songs were first printed as a separate publication in Riga (Latgosizdat, 1958) and subsequently reprinted repeatedly in their entirety and separately. The author’s manuscript of Spanish Songs without text underlay is kept at RSALA (rec. gr.
2048, inv. 2, f. 28); another author’s manuscript, with text underlay, can be found in Dmitri Shostakovich’s Archive (rec. gr. 1, section 1, f. 171), the rough drafts are in the same place (rec. gr. 1, section 1, f. 172).

Six Songs on Poems by Marina Tsvetayeva.
Suite for Contralto and Piano. Op. 143.

1. My Poetry.
2. Whence Comes This Tenderness?
3. Hamlet’s Dialogue with His Conscience.
4. The Poet and the Tsar.
5. No, Sounded the Drum.
6. To Anna Akhmatova.

  Was first published in the collection: D. Shostakovich, Compositions for Solo Voice(s), Muzyka Publishers, Moscow, 1974 (in Russian). A separate edition appeared in 1975 (Muzyka Publishers, Moscow; signed to press on 26 November 1974) with subtitle “Suite for Contralto and Piano”, which is missing in the first edition. The author’s manuscript is kept in Dmitri Shostakovich’s Archive.

*  *  *

  The bar-by-bar comments were prepared by music editor of the volume Viktor Ekimovsky keeping in mind the “Notes” in Volumes 31, 32, and 33 of Dmitri Shostakovich’s Collected Works.