July : Stravinsky : Rite of Spring
Posted: Sat Jun 30, 2012 2:48 pm
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Rite_of_Spring
This month's listening project is 'The Rite of Spring' by Igor Stravinsky. I am not too sure how to approach this work but I will start with some preliminary remarks to explain how I will try to introduce the work. Personally I love the work and it is one of my favourites. But looking at the 'What Are You Listening To?' and 'Recent Purchases' threads on this site I note a certain lack of interest in modern music [with the possible exception of Mahler].
Of course the Rite is not really modern - chronologically - since next year will be the 100th anniversary of its first performance [in Paris]. But, I believe, it can still shock.
It is interesting to list the previous works in this thread ...
February: Fergus (Vivaldi - Le Quattro Stagioni)
March: Matt (Sibelius - Symphony No. 5)
April: Jared (Moussorgsky - Pictures at an Exhibition)
May: Darren (R. Strauss - Don Quixote)
June: Simon (Purcell - Ode for St. Cecilia's Day: 1692 'Hail, Bright Cecilia!')
With the exception of March [Sibelius Symphony No 5] all the works have a programme or story and the Rite is similar in this regard [it is, in fact, the score for a ballet about celebrating the arrival of spring in pagan Russia]. But, personally, when I listen to the music I do not think of the story - I just hear agreeable sounds. It is the same when I listen to 'Pictures at an Exhibition' - I don't think of the pictures. I will, of course, in these notes, discuss the ballet but this is how I really listen to music. Obviously, this is just my personal approach. But if you played me a section of the Rite and asked me what was happening in the ballet, I would not know without checking the track number and looking at the the track names on the back of the CD. [And ditto for Pictures at an Exhibition].
The work is very important in the history of music. It is one of the great 'modern' pieces. At the start of the 20th century modern music developed along two paths - one was the path of Stravinsky [and similar], the other the path of Schoenberg [i.e. serialism].
There was a pole on RTE radio a few years ago where listeners were asked to list the most important works of the 20th century - The Rite was the overall winner.
In what follows I will discuss the origin of the work and describe the plot of the ballet .. but when all is said and done the important thing is the music. Yes, it is dissonant but I find it exhilarating and I hope you will too. If you have difficulties with the music remember a) it is quite short and b) in two self-contained parts so you might be best just listenning to one of the parts a few times. Some of it is quite loud but there are also some very soft parts.
--------------------------------------
So here goes ..
The 'Rite of Spring' is a ballet score by Stravinsky, first performed in 1913. It follows on from two other ballets by him viz. 'The Firebird' and 'Petrushka'. Firebird is the most conventional of the three but if you want a taste of the Rite try the 'Infernal dance of King Kashchei' movement.
The Rite is quite a short work .. it lasts about 35 minutes and in the days of LP's there was usually a filler to bring up the total length to 45 minutes. The Rite is divided into two parts representing Day and Night.
Note that Leonard Bernstein said of one passage, "That page is sixty years old, but it's never been topped for sophisticated handling of primitive rhythms...", and of the work as a whole, "...it's also got the best dissonances anyone ever thought up, and the best asymmetries and polytonalities and polyrhythms and whatever else you care to name."
Again according to the wikipedia entry : "Versions differ on the origin of the concept for The Rite of Spring. Stravinsky later in life said that it came to him in a dream. But contemporary sources support that the idea originated with the Russian philosopher and painter Nicholas Roerich. Roerich shared his idea with Stravinsky in 1910, a fleeting vision of a pagan ritual in which a young girl dances herself to death. Together, Roerich and Stravinsky worked out a scenario of pagan dances in pre-Christian Russia. Roerich drew from scenes of historical rites for inspiration and used research of early Russian culture to create settings and costumes to complete the image of an early pagan Russia.".
Stravinsky's earliest concept for the music of The Rite of Spring came in the spring of 1910. Stravinsky writes, "... there arose a picture of a sacred pagan ritual: the wise elders are seated in a circle and are observing the dance before death of the girl whom they are offering as a sacrifice to the god of Spring in order to gain his benevolence. This became the subject of The Rite of Spring."
Based on the above plan the work falls into the following sections .. [again I take the information from Wikipedia].
First Part: Adoration of the Earth (Première Partie: L'adoration de la Terre)
* Introduction
* The Augurs of Spring: Dances of the Young Girls (Les Augures Printaniers: Danses des Adolescentes)
* Ritual of Abduction (Jeu du Rapt)
* Spring Rounds (Rondes Printanières)
* Games of the Two Rival Tribes (Jeux des Cités Rivales)
* Procession of the Oldest and Wisest One [the Sage] (Cortège du Sage)
* The Kiss of the Earth (The Oldest and Wisest One) [(The Sage)] (Adoration de la Terre (Le Sage))
* The Dancing Out of the Earth, OR The Dance Overcoming the Earth (Danse de la Terre)
Second Part: The Exalted Sacrifice (Seconde Partie: Le Sacrifice)
* Introduction
* Mystic Circle of the Young Girls (Cercles Mystérieux des Adolescentes)
* The Naming and Honoring of the Chosen One (Glorification de l'Élue)
* Evocation of the Ancestors OR Ancestral Spirits (Evocation des Ancêtres)
* Ritual Action of the Ancestors (Action Rituelle des Ancêtres)
* Sacrificial Dance (The Chosen One) (Danse Sacrale (L'Élue))
The premier was notorious and caused a riot - [according to Wikipedia] "[T]he ballet was premièred by the Ballets Russes on Thursday, 29 May 1913 at the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées in Paris, conducted by Pierre Monteux ... The première involved one of the most famous classical music riots in history. The intensely rhythmic score and primitive scenario and choreography shocked the audience that was accustomed to the elegant conventions of classical ballet. The complex music and violent dance steps depicting fertility rites first drew catcalls and whistles from the crowd. At the start, some members of the audience began to boo loudly. There were loud arguments in the audience between supporters and opponents of the work. These were soon followed by shouts and fistfights in the aisles. The unrest in the audience eventually degenerated into a riot. The Paris police arrived by intermission, but they restored only limited order. Chaos reigned for the remainder of the performance".
I hope that is enough to get us started. I will write some more tomorrow ..
[By the way there is a 4-handed piano version, by Stravinsky, also available].
ends==
This month's listening project is 'The Rite of Spring' by Igor Stravinsky. I am not too sure how to approach this work but I will start with some preliminary remarks to explain how I will try to introduce the work. Personally I love the work and it is one of my favourites. But looking at the 'What Are You Listening To?' and 'Recent Purchases' threads on this site I note a certain lack of interest in modern music [with the possible exception of Mahler].
Of course the Rite is not really modern - chronologically - since next year will be the 100th anniversary of its first performance [in Paris]. But, I believe, it can still shock.
It is interesting to list the previous works in this thread ...
February: Fergus (Vivaldi - Le Quattro Stagioni)
March: Matt (Sibelius - Symphony No. 5)
April: Jared (Moussorgsky - Pictures at an Exhibition)
May: Darren (R. Strauss - Don Quixote)
June: Simon (Purcell - Ode for St. Cecilia's Day: 1692 'Hail, Bright Cecilia!')
With the exception of March [Sibelius Symphony No 5] all the works have a programme or story and the Rite is similar in this regard [it is, in fact, the score for a ballet about celebrating the arrival of spring in pagan Russia]. But, personally, when I listen to the music I do not think of the story - I just hear agreeable sounds. It is the same when I listen to 'Pictures at an Exhibition' - I don't think of the pictures. I will, of course, in these notes, discuss the ballet but this is how I really listen to music. Obviously, this is just my personal approach. But if you played me a section of the Rite and asked me what was happening in the ballet, I would not know without checking the track number and looking at the the track names on the back of the CD. [And ditto for Pictures at an Exhibition].
The work is very important in the history of music. It is one of the great 'modern' pieces. At the start of the 20th century modern music developed along two paths - one was the path of Stravinsky [and similar], the other the path of Schoenberg [i.e. serialism].
There was a pole on RTE radio a few years ago where listeners were asked to list the most important works of the 20th century - The Rite was the overall winner.
In what follows I will discuss the origin of the work and describe the plot of the ballet .. but when all is said and done the important thing is the music. Yes, it is dissonant but I find it exhilarating and I hope you will too. If you have difficulties with the music remember a) it is quite short and b) in two self-contained parts so you might be best just listenning to one of the parts a few times. Some of it is quite loud but there are also some very soft parts.
--------------------------------------
So here goes ..
The 'Rite of Spring' is a ballet score by Stravinsky, first performed in 1913. It follows on from two other ballets by him viz. 'The Firebird' and 'Petrushka'. Firebird is the most conventional of the three but if you want a taste of the Rite try the 'Infernal dance of King Kashchei' movement.
The Rite is quite a short work .. it lasts about 35 minutes and in the days of LP's there was usually a filler to bring up the total length to 45 minutes. The Rite is divided into two parts representing Day and Night.
Note that Leonard Bernstein said of one passage, "That page is sixty years old, but it's never been topped for sophisticated handling of primitive rhythms...", and of the work as a whole, "...it's also got the best dissonances anyone ever thought up, and the best asymmetries and polytonalities and polyrhythms and whatever else you care to name."
Again according to the wikipedia entry : "Versions differ on the origin of the concept for The Rite of Spring. Stravinsky later in life said that it came to him in a dream. But contemporary sources support that the idea originated with the Russian philosopher and painter Nicholas Roerich. Roerich shared his idea with Stravinsky in 1910, a fleeting vision of a pagan ritual in which a young girl dances herself to death. Together, Roerich and Stravinsky worked out a scenario of pagan dances in pre-Christian Russia. Roerich drew from scenes of historical rites for inspiration and used research of early Russian culture to create settings and costumes to complete the image of an early pagan Russia.".
Stravinsky's earliest concept for the music of The Rite of Spring came in the spring of 1910. Stravinsky writes, "... there arose a picture of a sacred pagan ritual: the wise elders are seated in a circle and are observing the dance before death of the girl whom they are offering as a sacrifice to the god of Spring in order to gain his benevolence. This became the subject of The Rite of Spring."
Based on the above plan the work falls into the following sections .. [again I take the information from Wikipedia].
First Part: Adoration of the Earth (Première Partie: L'adoration de la Terre)
* Introduction
* The Augurs of Spring: Dances of the Young Girls (Les Augures Printaniers: Danses des Adolescentes)
* Ritual of Abduction (Jeu du Rapt)
* Spring Rounds (Rondes Printanières)
* Games of the Two Rival Tribes (Jeux des Cités Rivales)
* Procession of the Oldest and Wisest One [the Sage] (Cortège du Sage)
* The Kiss of the Earth (The Oldest and Wisest One) [(The Sage)] (Adoration de la Terre (Le Sage))
* The Dancing Out of the Earth, OR The Dance Overcoming the Earth (Danse de la Terre)
Second Part: The Exalted Sacrifice (Seconde Partie: Le Sacrifice)
* Introduction
* Mystic Circle of the Young Girls (Cercles Mystérieux des Adolescentes)
* The Naming and Honoring of the Chosen One (Glorification de l'Élue)
* Evocation of the Ancestors OR Ancestral Spirits (Evocation des Ancêtres)
* Ritual Action of the Ancestors (Action Rituelle des Ancêtres)
* Sacrificial Dance (The Chosen One) (Danse Sacrale (L'Élue))
The premier was notorious and caused a riot - [according to Wikipedia] "[T]he ballet was premièred by the Ballets Russes on Thursday, 29 May 1913 at the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées in Paris, conducted by Pierre Monteux ... The première involved one of the most famous classical music riots in history. The intensely rhythmic score and primitive scenario and choreography shocked the audience that was accustomed to the elegant conventions of classical ballet. The complex music and violent dance steps depicting fertility rites first drew catcalls and whistles from the crowd. At the start, some members of the audience began to boo loudly. There were loud arguments in the audience between supporters and opponents of the work. These were soon followed by shouts and fistfights in the aisles. The unrest in the audience eventually degenerated into a riot. The Paris police arrived by intermission, but they restored only limited order. Chaos reigned for the remainder of the performance".
I hope that is enough to get us started. I will write some more tomorrow ..
[By the way there is a 4-handed piano version, by Stravinsky, also available].
ends==