Alan Bush and Communism
The composer Alan Bush (1900–1955) is been characterized as a man of unsolved paradoxes, an influential member of the Establishment who was also a renegade, and the outsider who relished the cushy lifestyle of the insider. Over the course of more than 50 years, Bush served as Professor of Harmony and Composition at the Royal Academy of Music, yet the BBC banned him at least twice. In order to "balance" the revolutionary connotations of the chorale conclusion, Adrian Boult led the orchestra and choir right into the national anthem during the BBC Third Programme performance of his first piano concerto in 1938. Wat Tyler, Bush's debut opera, was only only performed in the UK once during his lifetime, despite the fact that it won the 1951 Festival of Britain opera competition.
Alan Bush made multiple trips to the Soviet Union during the course of his life. He exchanged letters and music with Grigory Shneerson after his first visit in 19385, who was the secretary of the Union of Soviet Composers' foreign office. Shneerson later rose to the position of music consultant for VOKS, the "Vsesoiuznoe Obshchestvo Kul'turnoi Sviazi s zagranitsei," and in 1948 was named head of the Sovetskaya muzyka's international division. Therefore, it was only logical that he would be the first person to speak with in regards to musical exchange. He was also the perfect middleman to allow Alan Bush to publish his own essays in the most important Soviet music journal.
They strove to strengthen the Anglo-Soviet friendship in a very personal way, at times even using non-official channels of contact, as Louise Wiggins' verified study of their letters reveals. They also showed how much they trusted and appreciated one another. For instance, Louise Wiggins writes that Shneerson inquired about Bush's trip to the United States in 1938, shortly after the two had become acquainted. Bush shared his thoughts on the USSR while he was in the country. Additionally, they assisted one another with information for writing projects: Bush, for instance, requested assistance for Soviet Union Music. In exchange, Shneerson asked Bush for recommendations on British composers for a compilation of English music that was being worked on in the Soviet Union.
One would anticipate a sizable production in the Soviet press as a result of this creative, energetic, and ambitious partnership. As the primary Soviet musicological journal, the Sovetskaya muzyka will serve as the primary focus of my analysis of the "official side," or the printed result of this cultural interchange.
