This study analyzes the extent of political influence on the process of musical creation by comparing Igor Stravinsky with Sergei Prokofiev and Dimitri Shastokovich, all of whom were educated and influenced by the Russian tradition, some of whom left the Soviet Union to compose in the West, and some of whom stayed in Russia and continued to compose under Soviet control.

This comparison of works by Igor Stravinsky, who left Russia in 1910 to live abroad, with Sergei Prokofiev, who composed while living in the Soviet Union and while sojourning in America, and Dimitri Shostakovich, who composed only in the Soviet Union, allows a study of trends in development of melody, harmony, rhythm and orchestration. The comparison of compositions and a review of writings by the composers, by contemporary critics and by current scholars proves that although politics may restrict some compositional choices, the uniqueness and creativity of each composer is not subdued.