Igor Stravinsky & His Music

Paper Summary:

This paper explores Stravinsky's long and monumental musical career, discusses the different styles of music that he adopted and developed along the way and explains how the brilliant composer reflected the cultural and historical environment of the times in his work. It also takes a brief look at Russian culture and folk music and assesses how it influenced Stravinsky's music.

From the Paper:

"Recognized as one of the promising young musical talents, Stravinsky was now ready for greater things in life. Even before Petrushka (1911) Stravinsky wanted to write a symphonic pagan ritual initially titled Great Sacrifice. Diaghalev persuaded him to cast it in the form of a ballet that came to be called The Rite of Spring and was destined to herald the start of the modernist era in classical music. The first performance of The Rite at the Theatre des Champs Elysees, Paris on May 29, 1913 has become "the most notorious event in the musical history of the century." (Glass, 2000). As soon as the first notes of the unusual music sounded, uproar broke out in the audience. Stravinsky's daring and creative music was cheered, protested and argued over so loudly during the performance that the dancers were unable to hear the orchestra and fights broke out in the audience. (Ibid.) Modern music would never be the same again."

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