Music and politics: The case of the Russian Association of Proletarian Musicians

The Russian Association of Proletarian Musicians (RAPM) dominated Soviet musical life during the late 1920s and early 1930s, yet has received comparatively little scholarly attention compared to similar groups in other artistic fields. The article charts RAPM's development from its creation in 1923 until it was disbanded by a resolution of the Communist Party's Central Committee in April 1932, analyses its ideas on the nature of music, discusses some of its leading members, and assesses its influence. In the process, some of the more unexplored areas in early Soviet musical life and an overt example of the link between music and politics are investigated.