Igor Stravinsky

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Igor Stravinsky

• 1882-1971
• (89 years)

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Igor Stravinsky

• Russian composer
• Most important music written for Russian Ballet
• Directed by Sergei Diaghilev
• The Firebird
• Petrushka
• The Rite of Spring

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Stravinsky

• Moved to United States in 1940 (age 62)
• Paid well for commissions
• Issued new editions of old music

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Stravinskys Music

• Wrote music of almost every kind, vocal and
  instrumental
• Works for very large orchestra
• Works included ragtime rhythms and popular dances
• Clear tone colors
• Strong rhythms
• Changing meters

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The Rite of SpringLe Sacres du Printemps1913

• For Russian Ballet
• Harsh dissonances
• Percussive orchestration
• Changing meters
• Violent accents
• Pagan rite of spring
• Elders watch a young girl dance herself to death
• Sacrifice to god of spring

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The Rite of Spring Stravinsky

• Primitivism
• Evocation of primitive power through insistent
  rhythms and percussive sounds

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The Rite of Spring Stravinsky

• Very large orchestra
• 8 French horns instead of 4
• 4 Tubas instead of 1
• 5 Clarinets instead of 2
• Large and important percussion section
• 5 Timpani
• Bass Drum
• Tambourine
• Gong
• Triangle
• Antique Cymbals
• Guiro

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The Rite of Spring Stravinsky

• Introduction
• Omens of Spring-Dances of the youths and maidens
• Ritual of Abduction

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Introduction

• The awakening of nature
• The scratching, gnawing, wiggling of birds and
  beasts
• Begins with bassoon solo in the very highest
  register. Very strained.
• Vague beat
• Builds in intensity and volume to climax
• Then all stops suddenly
• Ends with bassoon playing opening melody again
• Then the ticking figure

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Omens of Spring Dances of the Youths and Maidens

• Strings pound out dissonant chord
• Irregular accents
• Polychord
• Melodic fragments heard from brass and woodwinds

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Ritual of Abduction

• Violent accents in Timpani and bass drum
• Rapid changes of meter
• Closes with high trills in strings and flutes

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The Rite of Spring Stravinsky

• Introduction
• High solo bassoon, repeated folk song fragment in
  changing meters,
• joined by French horn, mp,
• then clarinets and bass clarinets, p

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The Rite of Spring

• English horn, new melodic fragment high
  bassoon
• English horn, melodic fragment, bassoons
  accompany in faster rhythm

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The Rite of Spring

• Pizzicato strings, oboe, repeated notes introduce
  high clarinet melody

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The Rite of Spring

• Oboe phrase, f, high flutes accompany
• English horn phrase, mf, bass clarinets
  accompany
• flutes and English horn move in even rhythm
• violin trill joins.

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The Rite of Spring

• Pizzicato cello pulsations,
• rhythmic activity quickens, rapid shifts between
  large and small wind groups
• clarinet, repeated descending phrase.

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The Rite of Spring

• Oboe with rapid alto flute accompaniment
• piercing high clarinet, ff, joins
• music builds to ff climax, different layers of
  woodwind and brass sound piled on each other.

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The Rite of Spring

• Sudden p, solo high bassoon, opening fragment
• Clarinet trill, joined by
• Pizzicato violins, ticking ostinato figure
• Low held tones in bass clarinet high tones in
  violins pizzicato violins, ticking ostinato
  figure
• End of introduction

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The Rite of Spring

• Omens of Spring Dances of the Youths and
  Maidens
• Sudden f strings, repeated dissonant polychord
  with punctuations in French horns, irregular
  accents, moderate tempo, duple meter

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The Rite of Spring

• English horn, mf, ticking ostinato figure

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The Rite of Spring

• Strings, f, repeated dissonant polychord with
  punctuations in French horns
• Piccolos, trumpets, oboes join

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The Rite of Spring

• Pizzicato basses and cellos introduce loud, rapid
  interjections in high trumpet and piccolos

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The Rite of Spring

• Strings, f, repeated dissonant polychord with
  punctuations in French horns

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The Rite of Spring

• Bassoons join with melodic fragment played
  staccato strings pulsations
• Trombone joins
• Bassoons repeat staccato melodic fragment oboes,
  flue, and trombone imitate

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The Rite of Spring

• Sudden break in pulse, French horns, f, sustained
  tone, timpani strokes, tubas, ff, low sustained
  tone

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The Rite of Spring

• High ticking ostinato figure descends to
  English horn, mf, trills in winds and strings
  loud ticking ostinato in violins and trumpets

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The Rite of Spring

• French horn, mp, joins with legato melody
• Flute answers
• Descending figure in oboes and trumpet

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The Rite of Spring

• Legato melody in alto flute legato melody in
  high flutes, pizzicato strings accompany

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The Rite of Spring

• Trumpets join with repeated-note melody
• Triangle joins

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The Rite of Spring

• Sudden p, strings and syncopated accents
  introduce piccolo, high legato melodic fragment
• Full orchestra, melodic figures repeated with
  long crescendo to . . .

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The Rite of Spring

• Ritual of Abduction
• Sustained brass chord, violent strokes on timpani
  and bass drum high trumpet, rapid-note fanfare,
  very fast tempo, changing meters

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The Rite of Spring

• Horn calls, f, alternate with piccolo and flutes,
  rapid-note fanfare
• timpani, bass drum join
• crescendo to. . .

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The Rite of Spring

• High woodwinds and brasses, ff, staccato passage
  in changing meters horn calls full orchestra,
  ff

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The Rite of Spring

• Timpani accents punctuate staccato phrases with
  changing meters in trumpets and high winds
• timpani accents punctuate repeated rapid figure
  in strings

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The Rite of Spring

• Trill in violins, ff, accented chords, trill in
  flutes, p.