Stravinsky's Ballets by Charles M. Joseph. 2011. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press. 320 pp., 11 b + w figures, 12 musical examples, references, index. $40.00 cloth (original) (raw)
Related papers
Rethinking Igor Stravinsky historically and theoretically — III
Naukovij vìsnik Nacìonalʹnoï muzičnoï akademìï Ukraïni ìmenì P.Ì. Čajkovsʹkogo, 2022
The article is a continuation of the author's reflections on the phenomenon of musical polymorphism (the beginning is in Vol. 124, 2019; the continuation is in Vol. 128, 2020). Stravinsky's use of the environment, space, motion, dissonance, and Janus morphemes is considered as his inheritance from a tradition dating back to the work of his great predecessors. The musical tableau Sadko by Rimsky-Korsakov, the introduction Dawn on the Moscow River to Mussorgsky's Khovanshchina, and Borodin's symphonic poem In the Steppes of Central Asia are a clear confirmation of this. In Sadko Rimsky-Korsakov reveals himself as the founder of musical polymorphism. The multi-element polymorphism of Mussorgsky's Dawn on the Moscow River forms the basis of the first tableau in Stravinsky's Petrushka. In the Steppes of Central Asia is an example of a multielemental, polymorphic structure, recreated outside an existing object: a native caravan crossing the desert, guarded by a Russian military detachment. Its stereophonic nature appears in the displacement of the textural elements to the rear and the foreground, their spatial compression or expansion, changes to the acoustic volume, sound coloration. Introductory violins octave unison in In the Steppes of Central Asia displays its hidden timbre-polyphonic nature. In the historical perspective, this compositional discovery by Borodin foreshadows a similar approach in Stravinsky's musical language. The timbrical layering of the unison can be traced in Dances of the Young Girls from The Rite of Spring, The Lullaby in the Storm from The Fairy's Kiss. The rhythmic ostinato features of Rimsky-Korsakov's and Borodin's scores are developed by Stravinsky to the elaborated part of his musical language. The structures with more or less constant, exact repetitions are used in
Introduction to New Book on Stravinsky
Contemporary Musicology, 2024
A new book is devoted to the work of Stravinsky follows and expands upon the tradition of Boris Asafyev’s 1929 monograph. The central analytical object of the new book is the sound fabric unfolding over time in the works of the Russian master. Content-related and semantic interpretations of this object are intended to expand upon, refine, and in some cases correct ideas about Stravinsky’s work that exist in the modern musical consciousness. The book relies on four methodological premises. The historiographical premise stems from an interpretation of Stravinsky’s artistic legacy as a musical universe resting on proto-elements formed during the early stage of his creative development. The methodological premise is based on emphasizing the differences between the dynamic-procedural creative method, which is characteristic of the classical and romantic branch of Western European music, and Stravinsky’s object-descriptive polymorphism, which is rooted in the traditions of 19th-century Russian music. The musical-imagery premise is conditioned on the expressive spheres within Stravinsky’s oeuvre which were new to the world of early-20th-century music. In these areas, the composer operates masterfully in realms of the human emotional universe which were previously unrepresented in music. Finally, the cultural and worldview-related premise originates with Stravinsky’s unique role in 20th-century musical culture as the most brilliant representative of a new, essentially dialogic, cultural type. The dialogical mental apparatus, the diverse forms of intercultural dialogue in his life and art, and the harmonization of European and non-European strategies for perceiving the world around us — a characteristic feature of Stravinsky’s life and work. Keywords: Igor Stravinsky, musical style, composition technique, polymorphism, dialogicity, St. Petersburg Classic School of Composition
Corporeality and dance in the music of Igor Stravinsky
Muzikologija, 2023
The high rank of Igor Stravinsky's works (especially for ballet) prompts a discussion about the meaning of corporeality and dance in his output, a meaning that goes beyond Stravinsky's historically-documented interest in ballet music. Thus, the encounter with Diaghilev and Nijinsky could be justified as immanently emanating from his own musical aesthetics and poetics. If dance seems for the composer to form an additional, immanent level of the music, the question of the aesthetic sense of reference to the body in Stravinsky's music remains unanswered. By attaining a "mediated immediacy" (Helmuth Plessner) in his works, his ballet music manages to maintain a certain distance-objectifying, alienating-from subjective expression, without becoming abstract, and at the same time without losing the subjective and intersubjective bonds in which it is immersed. Through dance, Stravinsky not only strengthens the aspect of mediation in his music, but in a reflective not primitive practice, he also looks for the origins of aesthetic expression.
Scientific Herald of Tchaikovsky National Music Academy of Ukraine, 2019
A new perspective is proposed on the evolution of musical culture in the 20th century. Within this process, the central position occupied by the work of the St. Petersburg Classic School - Stravinsky, Prokofiev, and Shostakovich - is highlighted. For a more profound understanding of Stravinsky's music, the categorical pair of the morpheme and morph is introduced for use in musical analysis. The morphic realization of the morphemes of the environment, motion, space, and dissonance, and the Janus morpheme, is traced in the text of the romance Spring (Cloister Song) and in the "Introduction" to the ballet The Rite of Spring. An essential conclusion is drawn regarding the polymorphic nature of the musical fabric in the Russian master's works.
SMT Session: Music and Motion Since 1913, critics and music scholars alike have debated the aesthetic merits of Igor Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring from various musical standpoints, but they often overlook one critical aspect: ballet. Since this music was initially conceived to correspond with dance in a total artwork, exploring choreography can add additional depth to analysis and discussion. Rhythmic analysis of the original choreography of the Rite defends Stravinsky against those who take umbrage with his static displacements, repetitiveness, and supposed non-development. I show how “development” happens when the changing accents of the dancers’ steps provide a counterpoint against the metrical accents in the music. First this paper contrasts various perspectives of Stravinsky’s music, drawing on discussions by music theorists Justin London and Pieter van den Toorn regarding cognitive aspects of disrupted entrainment possibilities. Next I use dance historian Millicent Hodson’s reconstruction score with detailed notes from Stravinsky’s score in conjunction with the Joffrey Ballet’s 1987 production to analyze the musical accents of the dancers’ steps. I focus on “Ritual of Two Rival Tribes,” discussing how the dancers’ phrases align or contradict the musical fragments, which are themselves metrically displaced against the underlying 4/4 meter. I take this in-depth look at a section of the original choreography to show how exploring dance steps provides a different perspective. Taking this inclusive approach today not only contributes to a richer musical discussion, it allows us to better understand the audience experience at the 1913 premiere. Also presented at Pacific Northwest Music Graduate Student Conference (2014)