Dmitri Shostakovich: a work of virtuosity or a profitable misfortune?

Abstract

Dmitri Shostakovich was one of the greatest composers of 20th century, famous for his piano and violin compositions. One of the compositions, the 5th symphony, is arguably his greatest work, which brought him back to the grace of the Soviet authorities in a moment of a political crisis in Russia. Among the experts, there is a theory which supports that Shostakovich’s talent was due to a traumatic brain injury involving a shrapnel. Moreover, he might have suffered from a neurodegenerative process throughout his life. In this paper, we intend to discuss these viewpoints.

RESUMEN

Dmitri Shostakovich fue uno de los más renombrados compositores del siglo XX, famoso por sus obras para violín y piano. Su Quinta Sinfonía, es para muchos su obra más importante. Esta pieza le trajo gran simpatía con las autoridades militares en un momento de crisis en la Unión Soviética. Entre opiniones de expertos, existe una teoría que postula que el talento de Shostakovich es secundario a un trauma craneoencefálico producido por herida de metralla. También se cree que pudo haber sufrido de un proceso neurodegenerativo. Nuestra intención en el presente artículo es discutir estos puntos de vista.

Keywords:

Neurology - Neurosurgery - Hallucinations - Brain Injuries, Traumatic - History - Music

Palabras clave:

Neurología - Neurocirugía - Alucinaciones - Lesiones Traumáticas del Encéfalo - Historia - Música

• References

• 1 Fay LE. Shostakovich: a life. New York: Oxford University Press; 2000.
• 2 Ivashkin A, Kirkman A. Contemplating Shostakovich: life, music and film. Farnham: Routledge; 2012.
• 3 Schonberg HC. The lives of the great composers. rev. ed. New York, NY: Norton & Company; 1981.
• 4 Sacks O. The man who mistook his wife for a hat and other clinical tales. New York, NY: Touchstone; 1998.
• 5 Wang D. Shostakovich: music on the brain? The musical times. 1983 Jun;124(1684):347. https://doi.org/10.2307/964059
• 6 Henahan D. Did Shostakovich have a secret? The New York Times. 1983 Jul 10, Sect. 2;21 [accessed on Mar 27, 2021]. Available at: https://www.nytimes.com/1983/07/10/arts/music-view-did-shostakovich-have-a-secret.html
• 7 Kalapatapu VR, Gilkey AP, Pascuzzi RM. Shostakovich and ALS. In: Neurological Disorders in Famous Artists - Part 3. Basel: KARGER; 2010. p. 92-100 [accessed on Mar 27, 2021]. Available at: https://www.karger.com/Article/FullText/311194
• 8 Princeton EW. Shostakovich: a life remembered. New Jersey: Princeton University Press; 1994.
• 9 Blom JD, Sommer IEC. Hallucinations. In: Blom JD, Sommer IEC, editors. Hallucinations: research and practice. New York, NY: Springer New York; 2012 [accessed on Mar 27, 2021]. Available at: http://link.springer.com/10.1007/978-1-4614-0959-5
• 10 Paquier P, van Vugt P, Bal P, Cras P, Parizel PM, van Haesendonck J, et al. Transient musical hallucinosis of central origin: a review and clinical study. J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry. 1992 Nov;55(11):1069-73. https://doi.org/10.1136/jnnp.55.11.1069
• 11 Silva MCB, Brucki SMD. Multiple hallucinations due to brainstem injury: A case report. Dement Neuropsychol. 2010 Oct-Dec;4(4):353-5. https://doi.org/10.1590/S1980-57642010DN40400016
• 12 Penfield W, Perot P. The brain’s record of auditory and visual experience. a final summary and discussion. Brain. 1963 Dec;86:595-6. https://doi.org/10.1093/brain/86.4.595
• 13 Kapur N. Paradoxical functional facilitation in brain-behaviour research. A critical review. Brain. 1996 Oct;119(Pt 5):1775-90. https://doi.org/10.1093/brain/119.5.1775
• 14 Rainbow Rehabilitation Centers. Neuroplasticity after acquired brain injury. 2013 [accessed on Mar 31, 2019]. Available at: https://www.rainbowrehab.com/neuroplasticity-aquired-brain-injury/
• 15 Sophie Su Y, Veeravagu A, Grant G. Neuroplasticity after traumatic brain injury. In: Laskowitz D, Grant G, editors. Translational Research in Traumatic Brain Injury. Boca Raton (FL): CRC Press/Taylor and Francis Group; 2016. [accessed on Mar 31, 2019]. Available at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK326735
• 16 Campbell E, Howard WP, Weary WB. Gunshot wounds of the brain. Report of two unusual complications; bifrontal pneumocephalus and loose bullet in the lateral ventricle. Arch Surg. 1942 May;44(5):789-98. https://doi.org/10.1001/archsurg.1942.01210230013002
• 17 Dandy WE. The brain. In: Lewis DD. Lewis’ practice of surgery. Hagerstown: Md: W.F. Prior Co. Inc.; 1951. p. 193-2,12; Chap. 1, 79-r.
• 18 Jefferson G. Removal of a rifle bullet from the right lobe of the cerebellum; illustrating the spontaneous movement of a bullet in the brain. Br J Surg. 1918;5(19):422-24. https://doi.org/10.1002/bjs.1800051907
• 19 Small JM. Retained intraventricular foreign body. Br J Surg. 1945;32(127):414-8. https://doi.org/10.1002/bjs.18003212715
• 20 Vilvandré G, Moroan JD. Movements of foreign bodies in the brain. Arch Radiol Electrother. 1916 Feb;21(1):7.
• 21 Furlow LT, Bender MB, Teuber HL. Movable foreign body within the ventricle: a case report. J Neurosurg. 1947 Jul;4(4):380-6. https://doi.org/10.3171/jns.1947.4.4.0380
• 22 Goutman SA. Diagnosis and clinical management of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and other motor neuron disorders. Continuum (Minneap Minn). 2017 Oct;23(5, Peripheral Nerve and Motor Neuron Disorders):1332-59. https://doi.org/10.1212/CON.20200570202005700535