Igor Stravinsky
Igor Fyodorovich Stravinsky ComSE was a Russian-born composer, pianist, and conductor. He is widely considered one of the most important and influential composers of the 20th century.
The Five
The Five mighty, also known as the Mighty Handful and the New Russian School, were five prominent 19th-century Russian composers who worked together to create a distinct Russian classical music: Mily Balakirev, César Cui, Modest Mussorgsky, Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov and Alexander Borodin. They lived in Saint Petersburg, and collaborated from 1856 to 1870.
Full Answer
Why is Igor Stravinsky so famous?
Igor Stravinsky was a Russian-born composer whose work revolutionized musical thought and sensibility in the 20th century. His fame rests on a few...
What is Igor Stravinsky famous for?
Igor Stravinsky’s collaborations with Serge Diaghilev for the Ballet Russes, including The Firebird (1910), made him known overnight. Other composi...
What was Igor Stravinsky’s family like?
Igor Stravinsky’s father, Fyodor, was one of the leading Russian operatic basses of his day, and Igor’s mother, Anna, was a talented pianist. Igor...
How was Igor Stravinsky educated?
Igor Stravinsky studied law and philosophy at St. Petersburg University, from which he graduated in 1905. While studying, he showed some of his mus...
How did Igor Stravinsky die?
Igor Stravinsky was always in mediocre health—he suffered from tuberculosis in the 1930s and a stroke in 1956—but he continued full-scale creative...
What were Stravinsky's successes in Paris?
Stravinsky’s successes in Paris with the Ballets Russes effectively uprooted him from St. Petersburg. He had married his cousin Catherine Nossenko in 1906, and, after the premiere of The Firebird in 1910, he brought her and their two children to France. The outbreak of World War I in 1914 seriously disrupted the Ballets Russes’s activities in western Europe, however, and Stravinsky found he could no longer rely on that company as a regular outlet for his new compositions. The war also effectively marooned him in Switzerland, where he and his family had regularly spent their winters, and it was there that they spent most of the war. The Russian Revolution of October 1917 finally extinguished any hope Stravinsky may have had of returning to his native land.
What ballet did Stravinsky collaborate with?
Igor Stravinsky’s collaborations with Serge Diaghilev for the Ballet Russes , including The Firebird (1910), made him known overnight. Other compositions included The Rite of Spring (1913), which provoked one of the most famous first-night riots in the history of musical theatre, and The Rake’s Progress (1951).
What year did Stravinsky premiere The Firebird?
The premiere of The Firebird at the Paris Opéra on June 25, 1910 , was a dazzling success that made Stravinsky known overnight as one of the most gifted of the younger generation of composers. This work showed how fully he had assimilated the flamboyant Romanticism and orchestral palette of his master.
How did Stravinsky die?
He died from heart failure in New York City in 1971. He was 88 years old.
What was Stravinsky's musical style?
By 1914 Stravinsky was exploring a more restrained and austere, though no less vibrantly rhythmic kind of musical composition. His musical production in the following years is dominated by sets of short instrumental and vocal pieces that are based variously on Russian folk texts and idioms and on ragtime and other style models from Western popular or dance music. He expanded some of these experiments into large-scale theatre pieces. The Wedding, a ballet cantata begun by Stravinsky in 1914 but completed only in 1923 after years of uncertainty over its instrumentation, is based on the texts of Russian village wedding songs. The “farmyard burlesque” Renard (1916) is similarly based on Russian folk idioms, while The Soldier’s Tale (1918), a mixed-media piece using speech, mime, and dance accompanied by a seven-piece band, eclectically incorporates ragtime, tango, and other modern musical idioms in a series of highly infectious instrumental movements. After World War I the Russian style in Stravinsky’s music began to fade, but not before it had produced another masterpiece in the Symphonies of Wind Instruments (1920).
What was Stravinsky's father's influence on the composer?
Stravinsky’s father was one of the leading Russian operatic basses of his day, and the mixture of the musical, theatrical, and literary spheres in the Stravinsky family household exerted a lasting influence on the composer. Nevertheless his own musical aptitude emerged quite slowly. As a boy he was given lessons in piano and music theory. But then he studied law and philosophy at St. Petersburg University (graduating in 1905), and only gradually did he become aware of his vocation for musical composition. In 1902 he showed some of his early pieces to the composer Nikolay Rimsky-Korsakov (whose son Vladimir was a fellow law student), and Rimsky-Korsakov was sufficiently impressed to agree to take Stravinsky as a private pupil, while at the same time advising him not to enter the conservatory for conventional academic training.
What was Stravinsky's idea of the Rite of Spring?
Meanwhile, Stravinsky had conceived the idea of writing a kind of symphonic pagan ritual to be called Great Sacrifice. The result was The Rite of Spring ( Le Sacre du printemps ), the composition of which was spread over two years (1911–13).
How old was Stravinsky when he started playing piano?
Stravinsky took to music at an early age and began regular piano lessons at age nine, followed by tuition in music theory and composition. At around eight years old, he attended a performance of Tchaikovsky 's ballet The Sleeping Beauty at the Mariinsky Theatre, which began a lifelong interest in ballets and the composer himself. By age fifteen, Stravinsky had mastered Mendelssohn 's Piano Concerto No. 1 and finished a piano reduction of a string quartet by Alexander Glazunov, who reportedly considered Stravinsky unmusical and thought little of his skills.
How did Stravinsky die?
On 18 March 1971, Stravinsky was taken to Lenox Hill Hospital with pulmonary edema where he stayed for ten days. On 29 March, he moved into a newly furbished apartment at 920 Fifth Avenue, his first city apartment since living in Paris in 1939. After a period of well being, the edema returned on 4 April and Vera insisted that medical equipment should be installed in the apartment. Stravinsky soon stopped eating and drinking and died at 5:20 a.m. on 6 April at the age of 88. The cause on his death certificate is heart failure. A funeral service was held three days later at Frank E. Campbell Funeral Chapel. As per his wishes, he was buried in the Russian corner of the cemetery island of San Michele in Venice, Italy, several yards from the tomb of Sergei Diaghilev, having been brought there by gondola after a service at Santi Giovanni e Paolo led by Cherubin Malissianos, Archimandrite of the Greek Orthodox Church.
What musical styles did Stravinsky use?
The works from this period tended to make use of traditional musical forms ( concerto grosso, fugue, and symphony) and drew from earlier styles, especially those of the 18th century. In the 1950s, Stravinsky adopted serial procedures.
How did Stravinsky get his copyright?
On the same day Stravinsky became an American citizen, he arranged for Boosey & Hawkes to publish rearrangements of several of his compositions and used his newly acquired American citizenship to secure a copyright on the material, thus allowing him to earn money from them. The five-year contract was finalised and signed in January 1947 which included a guarantee of $10,000 per for the first two years, then $12,000 for the remaining three.
Why did Stravinsky leave Paris?
Upon his return to Europe, Stravinsky left Paris for Annemasse near the Swiss border to be near his family, after his wife and daughters Ludmila and Milena had contracted tuberculosis and were in a sanatorium. Ludmila died in late 1938, followed by his wife of 33 years, in March 1939.
Where did the Stravinsky family live?
In June 1920, Stravinsky and his family left Switzerland for France, first settling in Carantec, Brittany for the summer while they sought a permanent home in Paris. They soon heard from couturière Coco Chanel, who invited the family to live in her Paris mansion until they had found their own residence. The Stravinskys accepted and arrived in September. Chanel helped secure a guarantee for a revival production of The Rite of Spring by the Ballets Russes from December 1920 with an anonymous gift to Diaghilev that was claimed to be worth 300,000 francs.
What was Stravinsky's first ballet?
He first achieved international fame with three ballets commissioned by the impresario Sergei Diaghilev and first performed in Paris by Diaghilev's Ballets Russes: The Firebird (1910), Petrushka (1911), and The Rite of Spring (1913).
What were Stravinsky's influences?
Stravinsky’s major musical influences during his formative years were the two Great Russian nationalistic composers Mussorgsky and Rimsky-Korsakov. At that time period, Rimsky Korsakov was a member of “the five” also known as “the mighty handful”. He worked with Stravinsky on his first compositions in sonata allegro form and had particular influence on his orchestration. (Stravinsky, igor p. 24) His first Symphony in E flat shows the obvious trademarks of his master’s influence. On the other hand, Druskin (1979, p.30) suggests that the influence of Mussorgsky was also of major significance: “Mussorgsky gave him a glimpse of the ancient Russian way of life before Peter the Great, and, more particularly, its association with church ritual”.
What technique did Stravinsky use?
He also uses this technique called pandiatonicism which is based on the superimposition of diatonic chords. By applying the technique of pandiatonicism, Stravinsky produces a result much more sophisticated than he achieved in his earlier efforts in The Firebird.
What is the most striking feature of Petrouchka?
One of the most immediately striking features of Petrouchka is the use of the piano; not as a featured soloist but as an integral part of the orchestral sound. Also, the rhythmic intensity of the composition appears to exert a considerable influence on the melodic characteristics of the piece, which appear to be more fragmented and built on a restricted range of notes when compared to the flowing melodies of The Firebird. In fact, the melody could be said to be almost subordinate to the striking rhythmic vitality which drives the whole composition onwards.
Why did Stravinsky think Vivaldi was a dull fellow?
Doubtless the music that Stravinsky knew of Vivaldi did make him seem a “dull fellow” to him because it was formulaic and repetitive to one of the 20th century’s greatest innovators. And many 20th century commentators agreed, regarding works like the “Four Seasons” as highly simplistic music. For example, Joscelyn Godwin in “A repertory of Western Music” (Schirmer) said the following of it: “Almost any modern composer would die of embarrassment before descending to such naive description as we have here.”
How many concertos did Vivaldi compose?
That takes me back to my student days when a lecturer at the RAM quoted Stravinsky’s remark: “Vivaldi didn’t compose 600 concertos but one concerto 600 times.” I later learnt that actually Vivaldi composed slightly under 600 concertos! The thing is, Vivaldi’s output is vast but only a small amount of it really known. What also has to be remembered is that inevitably there was a “conveyor belt” approach to a lot of music in those days (rather like film music today) because it had to be quickly written and therefore reliant upon certain formulas.
What music was Bartok inspired by?
Bartok was inspired by Stravinsky’s neoclassical work to incorporate more traditional and often Baroque forms in pieces of his “middle period” such as Cantata Profana and Music for Strings, Percussion, and Celesta. Bartok’s Th
What is Stravinsky's musical style?
Igor Stravinsky’s distinctive musical style resulted from many cultural and historical factors besides his indisputable personal genius. Born in 1882, Stravinsky grew up within the Russian nationalist zeitgeist, represented by composers such as Liadov, Rimsky-Korsakov, Mouzorgsky, Glazunov, Medtner, Scriabin, and Rachmaninoff. All these composers, to varying extents, incorporated Russian folk music’s melodies, scales and rhythms into their compositions. They were also entranced by symmetrical scales such as the whole-tone and octatonic, which can be found in Stravinsky’s earliest works. In “Fi
What kind of character was Stravinsky?
Stravinsky was a wild, impulsive sort of character who was frequently seized by visions and bolts of inspiration that he just had to get down into music.
What did Godwin's book reflect?
Godwin’s book was first published in 1975 and reflected the attitudes of the academics of that generation. The book is also noteworthy for the significant composers it omits. Neither Tchaikovsky nor Rachmaninov appears in its pages because essentially that sort of Romanticism was a “no go” to the academics back then.
What is Stravinsky's influence on music?
Stravinsky's influence can be felt in the music of the 20th and 21st centuries, from the epic sweep of his early ballets to the seriousness of his serial and neo-classical periods. His music is heard and re-heard in film scores, Broadway musicals (the main riff of 'Phantom of the Opera' is lifted from The Firebird) animated films and commercials. He is one of the most important composers of the last 150 years.
What were Stravinsky's influences?
Stravinsky’s major musical influences during his formative years were the two Great Russian nationalistic composers Mussorgsky and Rimsky-Korsakov. At that time period, Rimsky Korsakov was a member of “the five” also known as “the mighty handful”. He worked with Stravinsky on his first compositions in sonata allegro form and had particular influence on his orchestration. (Stravinsky, igor p. 24) His first Symphony in E flat shows the obvious trademarks of his master’s influence. On the other hand, Druskin (1979, p.30) suggests that the influence of Mussorgsky was also of major significance: “Mussorgsky gave him a glimpse of the ancient Russian way of life before Peter the Great, and, more particularly, its association with church ritual”.
What technique did Stravinsky use?
He also uses this technique called pandiatonicism which is based on the superimposition of diatonic chords. By applying the technique of pandiatonicism, Stravinsky produces a result much more sophisticated than he achieved in his earlier efforts in The Firebird.
What are the similarities between Stavinsky's Firebird and Rimsky-Korsakov'?
The first performance of The Firebird, composed at the same time as Stravinsky was still under the influence of his teacher Rimsky-Korsakov. Interestingly enough, Stavinsky’s Firebird and Rimsky-Korsakov’s ballet Le Coq d’Or share great similarities. Firstly, both compositions are based on Russian fairy tales and both deal with the conflict between good and evil. Secondly, he points out Stravinsky’s adoption of Rimsky-Korsakov’s technique of employing harmonic principles to differentiate between human and supernatural forces. For example, diatonic harmonies are used to depict human characters whereas chromaticism or the predominant uses of modes are used to signify supernatural elements.
What is the most striking feature of Petrouchka?
One of the most immediately striking features of Petrouchka is the use of the piano; not as a featured soloist but as an integral part of the orchestral sound. Also, the rhythmic intensity of the composition appears to exert a considerable influence on the melodic characteristics of the piece, which appear to be more fragmented and built on a restricted range of notes when compared to the flowing melodies of The Firebird. In fact, the melody could be said to be almost subordinate to the striking rhythmic vitality which drives the whole composition onwards.
What is the intersection between music and early literacy?
“The Intersection Between Music and Early Literacy Instruction: Listening To Literacy!” authored by Douglas Fisher and Nan McDonald stresses the importance of the artistic expression in schools in relation to its enhance ment of literacy development . Students show progress when there is a bridge between sound and sight and many musical concepts can help achieve the needed progress. Fisher and ...
Can you trace where an essay has been taken from?
It is very easy to trace where the essay has been taken from by a plagiarism detection program.
What music was Bartok inspired by?
Bartok was inspired by Stravinsky’s neoclassical work to incorporate more traditional and often Baroque forms in pieces of his “middle period” such as Cantata Profana and Music for Strings, Percussion, and Celesta. Bartok’s Th
What is Stravinsky known for?
He is best known for his first three ballet from the so-callled russian period - Firebird, Petroushka, Rite of Spring/Le sacre du printemps. But sometimes the success of Le.
What was Stravinsky's most famous ballet?
Stravinsky remains one of the key composer of 20th century and his Rite of Spring perhaps the most important composition of the century. He is best known for his first three ballet from the so-callled russian period - Firebird, Petroushka, Rite of Spring/Le sacre du printemps. But sometimes the success of Le
What influenced Rhimsky?
mostly rhimsky—korsakov and whatever influenced rhimsky. then, also, the folk music of urban france — the paris synopation — and the american.
Is Stravinsky a great composer?
But yes, Stravinsky is one of the greats of the 20th century. Not the only great composer , but certainly one among many exploring the seemingly infinite possibilities of classical music in modern terms.
Did Stravinsky and Schoenberg talk?
One account has it that people visiting Stravinsky would avoid even mentioning Schoenberg's name, and vice versa.
Did Stravinsky know Debussy?
He knew Debussy and his music well, who famously sightread a version of The Rite of Spring for piano duet with Stravinsky. It's hard to tell exactly what influenced him, as so much of what he said was for publicity. He condemned Mahler’s 8th symphony, walking out of a performance. He surely knew of Strauss, and detested Schoenberg, which is ironic as Stravinsky experimented with serialism in his later years. Jazz music was also a huge influence, heard in the Ebony concerto, and rhythms in the Rite of Spring for example.
Overview
Innovation and influence
Stravinsky has been called "one of music's truly epochal innovators". The most important aspect of Stravinsky's work, aside from his technical innovations (including in rhythm and harmony), is the "changing face" of his compositional style while always "retaining a distinctive, essential identity".
Stravinsky's use of motivic development (the use of musical figures that are repeated in different …
Biography
Stravinsky was born on 17 June 1882 in the town of Oranienbaum on the southern coast of the Gulf of Finland, 25 mi (40 km) west of Saint Petersburg. His father, Fyodor Ignatievich Stravinsky (1843–1902), was an established bass opera singer in the Kiev Opera and the Mariinsky Theatre in Saint Petersburg and his mother, Anna Kirillovna Stravinskaya (née Kholodovskaya; 1854–1939), a n…
Music
Stravinsky's output is typically divided into three general style periods: a Russian period, a neoclassical period, and a serial period.
Aside from a very few surviving earlier works, Stravinsky's Russian period, sometimes called primitive period, began with compositions undertaken under the tutelage of Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov, with whom he studied from 1905 unti…
Personality
Stravinsky displayed a taste in literature that was wide and reflected his constant desire for new discoveries. The texts and literary sources for his work began with a period of interest in Russian folklore, which progressed to classical authors and the Latin liturgy and moved on to contemporary France (André Gide, in Persephone) and eventually English literature, including Auden, T. S. Eliot, an…
Religion
Stravinsky was a devout member of the Russian Orthodox Church during most of his life, remarking at one time that,
The Church knew what the psalmist knew. Music praises God. Music is well or better able to praise him than the building of the church and all its decoration; it is the Church's greatest ornament.
Reception
If Stravinsky's stated intention was "to send them all to hell", then he may have regarded the 1913 premiere of The Rite of Spring as a success: it resulted in one of history's most famous classical music riots, and Stravinsky referred to it on several occasions in his autobiography as a scandale. There were reports of fistfights in the audience and the need for a police presence during the secon…
Honours
In 1910, Florent Schmitt dedicated the revised version of his ballet La tragédie de Salomé, Op. 50, to Stravinsky.
In 1915, Claude Debussy dedicated the third movement of his En blanc et noir for two pianos to Stravinsky.
In 1977, "Sacrificial Dance" from The Rite of Spring was included among many tracks around th…