--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: In 1948 the first severe crash occurred…" description: "\"In 1948 the first severe crash occurred in my life when Stalin put out his decree on 'formalism.' There was a bulletin board in the Moscow Conservatory..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7f9/mstislav-rostropovich-20890_board_in-1948-the-first-severe-crash-occurred_732750.png" --- # In 1948 the first severe crash occurred in my life when… ![“In 1948 the first severe crash occurred in my life when Stalin put out his decree on 'formalism.' There was a bulletin board in the Moscow Conservatory. They posted the decree, which said Shostakovich's compositions and Prokofiev's were no longer to be played.” quote by Mstislav Rostropovich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7f9/mstislav-rostropovich-20890_board_in-1948-the-first-severe-crash-occurred_732750.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7f9/mstislav-rostropovich-20890_board_in-1948-the-first-severe-crash-occurred_732750.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7f9/mstislav-rostropovich-20890_board_in-1948-the-first-severe-crash-occurred_732750.png) > “In 1948 the first severe crash occurred in my life when Stalin put out his decree on 'formalism.' There was a bulletin board in the Moscow Conservatory. They posted the decree, which said Shostakovich's compositions and Prokofiev's were no longer to be played.” [Mstislav Rostropovich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mstislav-rostropovich/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. State censorship forced composers to conform, ending artistic freedom for many. **In simple terms:** Government banned certain music. Key Takeaway Advocate artistic freedom, resist censorship. Themes art politics freedom of expression Mood reflective serious Type historical political When to use this quote - concert programming - education - policy advocacy - historical study Key Concepts totalitarianism cultural control Questions to Reflect On - How does political pressure shape art? - What can protect artists today? A Different Perspective Censorship can still affect modern creators. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Board](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/board/) [Bulletin board](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bulletin-board/) [Compositions Prokofiev](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/compositions-prokofiev-5736556/) [Conservatory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conservatory/) [Crash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/crash/) [First](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/first/) [His](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/his/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Longer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/longer/) [Moscow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moscow/) [My life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/my-life/) [Occurred](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/occurred/) [Out](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/out/) [Played](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/played/) [Posted](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/posted/) [Prokofiev](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/prokofiev-4472433/) [Put](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/put/) [Said](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/said/) [Said Shostakovich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/said-shostakovich-5736554/) [Severe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/severe/) [Shostakovich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shostakovich/) [Shostakovich Compositions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shostakovich-compositions-5736555/) [Song](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/song/) [Stalin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stalin/) [Were](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/were/) [Which](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/which/) ## Related quotes > [“Rock and roll is music," said Vanya. "Prokofiev is music, Stravinski is music, Tchaikovski and Borodin and Rimski-Korsakov and even Rachmaninov, THEY are music.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-scott-card/rock-and-roll-is-music-said-vanya-prokofiev-is-music-stravinski-is/) [Orson Scott Card](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-scott-card/) > [Now I want to use money in a good way. I make foundations back home in Russia, I have sponsored vaccinations for more than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mstislav-rostropovich/now-i-want-to-use-money-in-a-good-way-i-make-foundations-back-home-in/) [Mstislav Rostropovich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mstislav-rostropovich/) > [Shostakovich's final pieces, his quartets, are scratching the surface of another world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-mcburney/shostakovich-s-final-pieces-his-quartets-are-scratching-the-surface/) [Simon McBurney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-mcburney/) > [“Young Shostakovich-Mitya-was nine, relatively old, when he began piano lessons. His first instructor was his mother, who, when she saw his rapid progress, took…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/solomon-volkov/young-shostakovich-mitya-was-nine-relatively-old-when-he-began-piano/) [Solomon Volkov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/solomon-volkov/) > [The friendship of Shostakovich cast a brilliant light over my whole life and whose spiritual qualities captured my soul once and for all time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/galina-vishnevskaya/the-friendship-of-shostakovich-cast-a-brilliant-light-over-my-whole/) [Galina Vishnevskaya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/galina-vishnevskaya/) > [Brancusi has his medium: Picasso, Faulkner, Shostakovich, theirs. Mine happens to be cloth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-james/brancusi-has-his-medium-picasso-faulkner-shostakovich-theirs-mine/) [Charles James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-james/) > [Shostakovich was one of the great symphonists of all time, and maybe the last great symphonist.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andris-nelsons/shostakovich-was-one-of-the-great-symphonists-of-all-time-and-maybe/) [Andris Nelsons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andris-nelsons/) > [When I was 20, Shostakovich was my favorite composer. I still find his Fifth Symphony wonderful, with its outstanding themes and rhythms. That's the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-brubeck/when-i-was-20-shostakovich-was-my-favorite-composer-i-still-find-his/) [Dave Brubeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-brubeck/) > [Many consider that Shostakovich is the greatest 20th-century composer. In his 15 symphonies, 15 quartets, and in other works he demonstrated mastery of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dmitri-shostakovich/many-consider-that-shostakovich-is-the-greatest-20th-century-composer/) [Dmitri Shostakovich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dmitri-shostakovich/) > [I love Gustavo Dudamel and I love what he does for classical music, and I love what he comes out of, El Sistema and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wynton-marsalis/i-love-gustavo-dudamel-and-i-love-what-he-does-for-classical-music/) [Wynton Marsalis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wynton-marsalis/) > [“We should have known that the only reason that Shostakovich’s nightmare restored us to ourselves was so we’d be compelled to drink the cup…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-t-vollmann/we-should-have-known-that-the-only-reason-that-shostakovich-s/) [William T. Vollmann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-t-vollmann/) > [I planted some jokes in my wedding. Like, the organizers asked me to select music. So when I approached wife at the ceremony, they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/slavoj-i-ek/i-planted-some-jokes-in-my-wedding-like-the-organizers-asked-me-to/) [Slavoj Žižek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/slavoj-i-ek/) > [“But Dmitri Shostakovich and Boris Pasternak and Naguib Mahfouz were also right; never leave the homeland. Leave and your connections to the source will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hisham-mitam/but-dmitri-shostakovich-and-boris-pasternak-and-naguib-mahfouz-were/) [Hisham Mitam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hisham-mitam/) > [“Outside Soviet Russia, and following the last symphonies of Mahler, Nielsen and Sibelius, an element of obsolescence has unmistakably attached itself to the genre.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pauline-fairclough/outside-soviet-russia-and-following-the-last-symphonies-of-mahler/) [Pauline Fairclough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pauline-fairclough/) > [I love Shostakovich. We were good friends.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/krzysztof-penderecki/i-love-shostakovich-we-were-good-friends/) [Krzysztof Penderecki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/krzysztof-penderecki/) ## More by Mstislav Rostropovich > [Capitalism, communism ... it's all garbage.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mstislav-rostropovich/capitalism-communism-it-s-all-garbage/) [Mstislav Rostropovich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mstislav-rostropovich/) > [Every man must have the right fearlessly to think independently and express his opinion about what he knows, what he has personally thought about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mstislav-rostropovich/every-man-must-have-the-right-fearlessly-to-think-independently-and/) [Mstislav Rostropovich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mstislav-rostropovich/) > [Now I come to 75 years of age, I think what's most important in life is your conscience. If you told a lie and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mstislav-rostropovich/now-i-come-to-75-years-of-age-i-think-what-s-most-important-in-life/) [Mstislav Rostropovich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mstislav-rostropovich/) > [I have a very deep religious belief.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mstislav-rostropovich/i-have-a-very-deep-religious-belief/) [Mstislav Rostropovich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mstislav-rostropovich/) > [You must play for the love of music. Perfect technique is not as important as making music from the heart.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mstislav-rostropovich/you-must-play-for-the-love-of-music-perfect-technique-is-not-as/) [Mstislav Rostropovich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mstislav-rostropovich/) > [It is my aim, my destination in life to make the cello as beloved an instrument as the violin and piano.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mstislav-rostropovich/it-is-my-aim-my-destination-in-life-to-make-the-cello-as-beloved-an/) [Mstislav Rostropovich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mstislav-rostropovich/) > [All my life I wanted to play music with love to every member of the audience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mstislav-rostropovich/all-my-life-i-wanted-to-play-music-with-love-to-every-member-of-the/) [Mstislav Rostropovich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mstislav-rostropovich/) > [The war years were the most difficult time of my life. There was real famine in Moscow. The water froze inside the houses. There…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mstislav-rostropovich/the-war-years-were-the-most-difficult-time-of-my-life-there-was-real/) [Mstislav Rostropovich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mstislav-rostropovich/) > [You know creators, composers, need a palette for life, a color for life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mstislav-rostropovich/you-know-creators-composers-need-a-palette-for-life-a-color-for-life/) [Mstislav Rostropovich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mstislav-rostropovich/) > [There is too much emphasis on technical perfection nowadays, and not enough on what music is actually about - irony, joy, human suffering, love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mstislav-rostropovich/there-is-too-much-emphasis-on-technical-perfection-nowadays-and-not/) [Mstislav Rostropovich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mstislav-rostropovich/) > [Now I want to use money in a good way. I make foundations back home in Russia, I have sponsored vaccinations for more than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mstislav-rostropovich/now-i-want-to-use-money-in-a-good-way-i-make-foundations-back-home-in/) [Mstislav Rostropovich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mstislav-rostropovich/) > [Explain to me, please, why in our literature and art so often people absolutely incompetent in this field have the final word,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mstislav-rostropovich/explain-to-me-please-why-in-our-literature-and-art-so-often-people/) [Mstislav Rostropovich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mstislav-rostropovich/) > [I played with the best conductors of the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mstislav-rostropovich/i-played-with-the-best-conductors-of-the-world/) [Mstislav Rostropovich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mstislav-rostropovich/) > [Music is part of history, and our history has lessons that cannot be separated from our greatest music.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mstislav-rostropovich/music-is-part-of-history-and-our-history-has-lessons-that-cannot-be/) [Mstislav Rostropovich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mstislav-rostropovich/) > [My mother carried me for 10 months. I asked her 'Mother, you had an extra month, why you didn't make me a beautiful face?'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mstislav-rostropovich/my-mother-carried-me-for-10-months-i-asked-her-mother-you-had-an/) [Mstislav Rostropovich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mstislav-rostropovich/) [Explore all 30 Mstislav Rostropovich quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mstislav-rostropovich/) ## More Board quotes > [Professionally speaking, the proudest moment was when I booked the 'Human Stain.' I knew it had Nicole Kidman, Anthony Hopkins, Ed Harris and Gary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wentworth-miller/professionally-speaking-the-proudest-moment-was-when-i-booked-the/) [Wentworth Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wentworth-miller/) > [I'm also the chairman of the board of Symantec, which is the world's largest cybersecurity - software cybersecurity company.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-schulman/i-m-also-the-chairman-of-the-board-of-symantec-which-is-the-world-s/) [Dan Schulman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-schulman/) > [“There is every board minded man behind the success of woman. But when that man is in legal relation then a woman can triumph…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/agha-kousar/there-is-every-board-minded-man-behind-the-success-of-woman-but-when/) [Agha Kousar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/agha-kousar/) > [The way that we operate, anytime we're putting points on the board, it's the most serious thing that we're doing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justin-tucker/the-way-that-we-operate-anytime-we-re-putting-points-on-the-board-it/) [Justin Tucker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justin-tucker/) > [I was on the state board of directors of the American Civil Liberties Union.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betty-hill/i-was-on-the-state-board-of-directors-of-the-american-civil-liberties/) [Betty Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betty-hill/) > [I don't story board. I do something else, which is, I block it. We then train to the blocking. In other words, when everybody's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-mann/i-don-t-story-board-i-do-something-else-which-is-i-block-it-we-then/) [Michael Mann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-mann/) > [I can tell you how bad our boards are... I don't have to watch Saturday Night Live anymore; I just go to the board…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-icahn/i-can-tell-you-how-bad-our-boards-are-i-don-t-have-to-watch-saturday/) [Carl Icahn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-icahn/) > [I have chosen to seek election to the San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors and not reelection to Congress.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-negrete-mcleod/i-have-chosen-to-seek-election-to-the-san-bernardino-county-board-of/) [Gloria Negrete McLeod](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-negrete-mcleod/) > [“Making friends?” Tripp asked. “I’m a people person,” Adam said. “You know he’s the VP of the board, right?” “I must remember to genuflect…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harlan-coben/making-friends-tripp-asked-i-m-a-people-person-adam-said-you-know-he/) [Harlan Coben](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harlan-coben/) > [When the value of the company clearly has fallen below what its assets are worth, having a shareholder who says, 'Let's get a better…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-horowitz/when-the-value-of-the-company-clearly-has-fallen-below-what-its/) [Ben Horowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-horowitz/) > [“Without a clear definition of success, board discussions can become disjointed, with members focusing on different priorities and potentially conflicting agendas. It can also…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hendrith-vanlon-smith-jr/without-a-clear-definition-of-success-board-discussions-can-become/) [Hendrith Vanlon Smith Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hendrith-vanlon-smith-jr/) > [I was always involved in the arts from a young age. I started studying classical piano at age four as a student of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/monica-raymund/i-was-always-involved-in-the-arts-from-a-young-age-i-started-studying/) [Monica Raymund](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/monica-raymund/) > [My wife's brother has a little house on a small island in the Baltic Sea, and we go there at Christmas. The 30-minute crossing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-frost/my-wife-s-brother-has-a-little-house-on-a-small-island-in-the-baltic/) [Nick Frost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-frost/) > [So what I do is supervise the boarding process trying to get the shows the way I'd like them to be. And in some…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-mccracken/so-what-i-do-is-supervise-the-boarding-process-trying-to-get-the/) [Craig McCracken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-mccracken/) > [Architecture is my work, and I've spent my whole life at a drawing board, but life is more important than architecture. What matters is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-niemeyer/architecture-is-my-work-and-i-ve-spent-my-whole-life-at-a-drawing/) [Oscar Niemeyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-niemeyer/) [Browse all 367 Board quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/board/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "In 1948 the first severe crash occurred in my life when Stalin put out his decree on 'formalism.' There was a bulletin board in the Moscow Conservatory. They posted the decree, which said Shostakovich's compositions and Prokofiev's were no longer to be played.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Mstislav Rostropovich" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mstislav-rostropovich/in-1948-the-first-severe-crash-occurred-in-my-life-when-stalin-put/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Board" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mstislav-rostropovich/in-1948-the-first-severe-crash-occurred-in-my-life-when-stalin-put/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7f9/mstislav-rostropovich-20890_board_in-1948-the-first-severe-crash-occurred_732750.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7f9/mstislav-rostropovich-20890_board_in-1948-the-first-severe-crash-occurred_732750.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7f9/mstislav-rostropovich-20890_board_in-1948-the-first-severe-crash-occurred_732750.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“In 1948 the first severe crash occurred in my life when Stalin put out his decree on 'formalism.' There was…” — Mstislav Rostropovich", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Mstislav Rostropovich", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mstislav-rostropovich/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "In 1948 the first severe crash...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mstislav-rostropovich/in-1948-the-first-severe-crash-occurred-in-my-life-when-stalin-put/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mstislav-rostropovich/in-1948-the-first-severe-crash-occurred-in-my-life-when-stalin-put/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```