After graduating from the conservatory in 1925, Shostakovich embarked on ambitious compositions, employing a more avant-garde musical language. In 1926, he premiered his Piano Sonata No. 1, Op. 12, followed in 1927 by Two Pieces for String Octet, Op. 11, Aphorisms, Op. 13, and Symphony No. 2, To October, Op. 14. His creative peak during this period culminated in the opera The Nose, premiered in 1928. During this time in Leningrad, works by senior Soviet composers and Western composers were frequently performed. Listening to these works and meeting figures such as Berg and Prokofiev further stimulated his creative output. In The Nose, influences from Berg's Wozzeck and Prokofiev's The Love for Three Oranges have been noted.

Aphorisms was composed from February 25, 1927, and completed on April 7 of the same year. (He also began composing Symphony No. 2 during the same period.) It was dedicated to Boleslav Yavorsky (a music theorist and pianist) who encouraged Shostakovich to compete in the Chopin Competition. The title Aphorisms (meaning 'maxims' or 'sayings') was suggested by Yavorsky himself.

All ten pieces are short compositions, lasting one to two minutes, characterized by bold sonorities and diverse musical materials. While some pieces present musical ideas that defy expectations based on their titles, such as the 'coughing' Serenade or the 'childish' Etude, it is also surprising to find pieces that adhere to conventional concepts, such as the three-voice fugue Canon or Lullaby. This work can thus be interpreted as Shostakovich's own ironic 'aphorisms' on the conventions of traditional Western music.