Stravinsky Rite of Spring

General context:

- ballet Rite of Spring, composed by Russian- born composer Igor Stravinsky (1882-1971) in 1913
- first performed at the Theatre Champs-Elysees in Paris and a caused riot on opening night due to the modernism and dissonance of the music as well as the contemporary choreography of Nijinsky- however was quickly accepted as a masterpiece afterwards
- regarded as one of the most significant works in the early 20th century because of its turn away from Western traditions, pushing the boundaries of harmony, tonality and sonority, with a clear focuses on rhythm and texture.
- Strav. was influenced by his mentor Rimsky Korsakov, as well as by other nationalist composers at the time such as Mussorgsky and Bartok. Other composers at the time pushing boundaries of metre were Satie.

outline the figure numbers for each piece:

- Introduction- 0-13
- Les augures printaniers 13- 37
- Jeu de rapt 37-48

Introduction- melody

- melody initial focus, with ancient chant-sounding monophonic folk-like tune being heard high within the bassoon's register. This timbre could be said to replicate a Lithuanian duda pipe, with the folk-like melody using the hexatonic scale from the aeolian mode being based around a Lithuanian wedding song (no.157 from Juszkiewicz's collection).
- Stravinsky embellishes this original folk-melody with ornamentation, which is another feature of folk music. Folk melodies are a typical feature of Russian music and this specific folk tune also is used in the 'Dumka parobka' bassoon solo from Mussorgsky's Sorochintsi Fair some years previously to give a similarly nationalistic feel.
- There are also angular melodies giving a sense of tension and anguish found in the oboe and piccolo clarinet, especially with the use of lombardic rhythms in b.58, from figures 9-10 with use of 4ths and 5ths, giving an open sound and expanding the pitch range.
- The opening bassoon melody returns again at fig. 12 a semitone lower than the original. This gives an almost cyclical feel to the structure, which does not otherwise conform to traditional Western forms.

Les augures printemps- melody

- Contrasting to the beginning of the 'Introduction', there is no recognisable melody in the beginning of 'Les augures printaniers', with the focus on rhythm, metre and harmony, with use of small melodic fragments throughout.
- One example of this is the monotonal idea at fig. 19 in the bassoons, developed from the call and response between the oboes and trumpet at fig. 15.
- There is however a distinct folk-like melody explored at fig. 25 in the solo horn in C mixolydian mode, which further represents the pagan russian landscape. Traditional hunting melodies are typically represented by the use of the horn, with Beethoven using the horn solo in the 3rd movement of his 6th symphony to give a similar pastoral feel.
- There is a flute response in b.168 with melodic development, with more use of 4ths and 5ths, to help keep with the 'primitive' sound of the music.
- Elements of the first four bar phrase are reworked in the second bar phrase, with cells from these melodies being fragmented and repeated throughout the passage from fig.28 until the end.
- Stravinsky also uses this technique with the development of another modal folk melody in 'Jeu de rapt'.

Jeu de rapt- Melody

- Strav. also uses another melody from Juszkiewicz (no.157) at fig. 37. The pitch outline is almost the same, however Stravinsky has altered the time signature and has separated the last two phrases by a rest. Still modal- melody is on A mixolydian, however there is still and unsettling feel as there is lots of dissonance in the underlying harmony.
- use of whooping hunting call at fig. 40- use of 5ths to give primitive sound and use of syncopation that drives melody forward. (This idea is repeated at fig. 44, but with 4ths instead and up a 4th from before.)
- Traditional hunting melodies are typically represented by the use of the horn, with Beethoven using the horn solo in the 3rd movement of his 6th symphony to give a similar pastoral feel.
- use of combining melodic fragments e.g. melodic fragment at fig. 40 from fig. 37 creating antiphony with the whooping hunting call
- an earlier Russian composer who liked to combine melodies- especially folk melodies was Glinka, for example in Kamarinskaya, an orchestral free variations on two different Russian folk songs that he combines and weaves together to create exciting exchanges between the two.

what is the name of the collection of folk songs from which Stravinsky uses his folk tunes?

the Juszkiewicz collection

Introduction- metre

- The opening chant-like bassoon melody is absent of any kind of pulse or metre and constantly shifts between 2/4, 3/4 and 4/4. This helps to accommodate the melody itself and encourages rhythmic freedom, as well as giving a hazy and dreamlike feel to the beginning to represent the slavonic landscape.
- The frequent pauses and apparent random entry of new lines adds to this sense of freedom and uncertainty and the absence of any pulse. This may have been influenced by composers who were moving away from the constricts of barlines, such as Satie's Pieces Froides from 1897.
- As the introduction shows the slow awakening of spring in the ballet, this is mirrored within the music. Throughout the course of the introduction, a sense of pulse becomes clearer, with the emergence of triplet rhythms in the bassoons.
- From figure 7, the triplet rhythms are shared out amongst the bass instruments giving a sense of pulse that continues until figure 12 with a reprisal of initial solo bassoon chant.
- Another sense of pulse appears with the emergence of the 4 note rhythmic ostinato, which is continued in 'Les augures printaniers'.

Les augures printaniers- metre

- begins with a strict 2/4 quaver pulse with asymmetric stresses, which gives a relentless and attacking feel to the beginning of the action on stage.
- this is a very effective contrast for the audience as the pastoral and free-flowing melodies of the end of the Introduction are suddenly replaced by restricted and forceful beats, which symbolise the tribe and their rituals.
- Bartok also begins his 5th movement of his 4th string quartet in a strict 2/4 time with similar asymmetrical stresses from the cello, giving a similar sense of excitement and attack, which is further reinforced by Bartok's focus on tritones to give a greater focus on the metre and rhythm.
- This relentlessness of metre is interrupted at b.146, where a 'false ending' includes a pause, which quickly resumes with constant quavers at figure 22. This makes the piece more exciting and allows the dance to build up momentum again.
- There are also two 3/4 bars before fig. 28, which helps build up excitement and uncertainty before the sudden increase in texture and contrapuntal weaving together of different motifs.

Jeu de rapt- metre

- notably less regular metrically than LAP
- opens in 9/8 and is sometimes subdivided into 4/8 and 5/8 (e.g. in fig. 39 and 41). The hunt has begun and the music is propelled in compound time.
- the melodic material at fig. 47 is variously stresses in terms of either 6/8 or 3/4- this provides excitement and ambiguity to the music. WL Ravel's string quartet in F major mvmt 2 also does this in the first few bars, with stresses on different beats of the bar giving a constantly changing 3/6/ and 6/8 feel to prove a sense of ambiguity and excitement (1903)
- rapid changing of time signatures as the piece progresses e.g. at fig 43, the metre changes every bar ( 7/8, 3/4, 6/8, 2/4, 6/8, 3/4)- this disorientates the listener by defying any obvious downbeat.
- Strav. also does this to a greater extent in Sacrificial dance later in the ballet, where he uses constant metre shifts to build anticipation and tension and also uses many irregular time signatures to add to this effect such as 7/16 or 11/16.
- there is regular displaced stress in the first violins at fig. 40, with every fourth quaver in 9/8 accented- provides excitement and blurs metre

Introduction- rhythm

- Although there is a free rubato rhythm at the beginning and a lack of pulse, complex rhythms are found, especially tuplets, are used throughout to create cross rhythms and rhythmic interest, for example the use of triplets, semiquavers and semiquaver quintuplets in the first three bars.
- use of sextuplets (e.g. fig. 4), septuplets (e.g. fig. 10) and groups of 10 (e.g. fig. 9)- which creates excitment. Strav WL Stravinksy also uses quick conjunct flutter-tounged septuplet flute passages in 'Fireworks' (1908) to create excitement and mimic the fizzing sounds of fireworks going up into the sky.
- Polyrhythms can be found at the climax of the introduction, where simultaneous triplets, septuplets, straight quavers, for example in bar 64 all sound together to illustrate the chaos of the gradual awakening of nature at the beginning of spring.
- Stravinsky also uses polyrhythms and cross-rhythms effectively in the climax of Sacrificial Dance, later in the ballet, but here is used to create an overwhelming intense atmosphere to mirror the tense and climatic action on the stage

Les augures printantiers- rhythm

- In contrast to the introduction of nature, with freely fluctuating rhythms, the rhythms feel more restricted in the second piece, representing the more tightly controlled world of man
- with the underlying forceful driving quaver ostinato punctuated by 8 note syncopated quaver chords in the horns, for example in b.76.
- these are also similar to the driving quaver rhythms found in Bartok's 5th movement of his 4th String Quartet, which make the music feel dance-like, but intense.
- The 4 note rhythmic quaver ostinato (b.84) is a recurring motif explored throughout the piece and was also heard at the end of the Introduction at b.69, which allowed for a smoother transition from one piece to the next. There is rhythmic diminution of this ostinato at b.162, which pushes music forward and develops the motif somewhat.
- This is interesting as Russian music characteristically wants to get away from any kind of motivic development and instead uses varied repetition and contrasting blocks of sound for variety (e.g. within Glinka's Kamarinskaya 1848, where 2 folk melodies are repeated obsessively).
- however here the use of driving staccato semiquaver rhythms within the contrapuntal texture helps to add to the complexity and tension of the music.
- there is also use of fanfare-like triplet rhythms in brass at b.101. Driving triplet rhythms in the brass are also used to give an intense atmosphere in other pieces, for example in 'Mars' from Holst's 'The Planets', being premiered only a couple of years later, to symbolise warfare and drive the music forward.

Jeu de rapt- rhythm

- The timps unsettle the 9/8 flow with their off-beat rhythms, grouped in 2s.
- Additive rhythms now complete the primitive effect, a 2+2+2+3 division of 9 to start with at figure 39- use of additive rhythms are also a feature of folk music, particularly in Bulgarian folk music which Bartok used frequently e.g. in his 6 Hungarian dances number two.

- although melodic fragments are all in quavers, giving more simple rhythms, there are also considerable tuplets and complex rhythms e.g. groups of 9 at fig. 39, septuplets and quintuplets at fig. 42
- crossrhythms also feature (e.g the septuplets against semiquavers at fig. 42).
- Stravinsky also uses polyrhythms and cross-rhythms effectively in the climax of Sacrificial Dance, later in the ballet, to create an overwhelming intense atmosphere to mirror the tense and climatic action on the stage

Introduction- sonority

- strav scored the Rite of Spring for an exceptionally large orchestra, of over 90 players with many transposing instruments, which allowed him to have a vast orchestral canvas. This effect was pushed further by later composers , such as in Shostakovich's 4th symphony, written in 1936 was scored for around 125 players
- both Introduction and jeu de rapt do not have a key signature- the transposing instruments are still written at transposing pitch, despite sharing the blank key signature
- the beginning section is scored mainly for wind instruments WL this links to Stravinsky's liking for bands lacking 'emotional' string sounds, such as in 'The Symphonies for Wind Instruments' in 1920, as also allows for a better folk-like, tribal feel as wind instruments are common in these cultures.
- the use of the bassoon solo high in its tessitura (focussed around treble clef Cs, Ds and Es) is typical of Stravinsky's writing to push the technical capabilities of instruments to create new timbres e.g. WL in the 'Infernal Dance of All Kastchei's Subjects' from the Firebird, Stravinsky wrote a virtuosic trombone glissandi that at the time was deemed impossible to play.
- other woodwind effects include tremolandi in flutes at fig. 7 and flutter-tounging in flutes oboes and clarinet at fig 10- WL Stravinksy also uses quick descending and ascending flutter-tounged flute passages in 'Fireworks' (1908) to create excitement and mimic the fizzing sounds of fireworks going up into the sky.
- pizzicato strings (violin and viola fig.4, solo cello fig. 7 ect.
- violin trills (fig. 6)
- divisi double basses, four playing harmonics, one muted, one playing pizz with two muted cellos at fig.10
- glissandi harmonics effect on violas fig. 11
- WL Extended playing techniques also used in the Firebird, where harmonic glissandos, tremolos and trills help to give the impression of the trapped Firebird

outline sonority in Les augures printaniers

- one of the most famous effects in the Rite comes at fig. 12 with the 8-part string chords formed by four sets of double stopping. Each chord is heavily accented through the use of a down bow, and reinforced by intermittent doubling by 8 horns.

- In a marked contrast is the passage at fig. 14, which is lightly scored for cor anglais, bassoons and pizz cellos

- use of muted trumpet chords followed by flutter-tounging in flutes and clarinets fig. 16-27
WL Petrushka, Stravinsky: uses trumpets to signify the tortured ghost of Petrushka
2nd movement of the 7th Symphony (Leningrad) - Shostakovich: uses flutter tongue to create a mysterious mood

- col legno at fig.24 combined with tremolandi in bassoons and violins, all supporting a melody in the horn WL in the 'Dance of the Firebird's supplication' from the Firebird, Stravinsky also uses col legno techniques in the cellos and basses to provide a brittle uneasy accompaniment to the woodwind melodies while the Firebird dances.

- horn glissando effects at fig.36
- use of prelest effect (shimmery high percussion and woodwind at top of texture)- use of antique cymbals and triangles as well as high woodwind to create a typically Russian sound. WL Borodin - Polovetsian Dances from "Prince Igor" (1890- uses harp and triangle and high woodwind to create shimmering effect)

outline any additional sonorities in Jeu de Rapt

- horns are asked to play bouché (hand stopped) accented notes at fig. 40, which produces a snarling effect.

- lots of use of pizz strings throughout and some double stopping e.g in the cello at fig. 38
- -WL Ravel's string quartet in F major mvmt 2 also uses lots of these techniques- double stopping, lots of use of pizz, tremolos and use of mutes (1903) to give the music new and exciting timbres

outline texture in the Introduction

- the texture, like the sense of pulse and metre, develops throughout the piece, similar to the idea of the awakening of spring
- Polyphony is the overriding texture of the piece, with frequent use of simultaneous fragmentary melodies. The prime example is the climax of the Introduction
- the opening of the work is monophonic for one bar (which gives a sense of loneliness and mystery),- Rimsky Korsakov uses an extended violin solo and then a haunting bassoon solo melody with very little acc. in beginning The Story of the Kalendar Prince from Scheherazade to represent the loneliness and mystery of the protagonists.

followed by a passage of two parts in b.2-3. At figure 1, the texture expands to three part homophony (melody and accompaniment)
- a layered texture begins to emerge at fig.4, with many different melodic fragments and new sonorities emerging, creating a more contrapuntal feel and also polyrhythms
- from the 5th bar of fig. 6 a 4-part homorhythm texture emerges that then with the addition of other melodic fragments develops into a contrapuntal texture

- Stravinsky also uses polyrhythms and cross-rhythms effectively in the climax of Sacrificial Dance to create a powerful and complex polyphonic texture, later in the ballet, but here is used to create an overwhelming intense atmosphere to mirror the tense and climatic action on the stage, rather than the hazy awakening of spring.

outline texture in Les augures printaniers

- homorhythmic quaver bitonal and polytonal chords with use of double stopping at fig.13- gives a sense of strictness and relentlessness, which builds excitement.
- Bartok also begins his 5th movement of his 4th string quartet homorhytmically with double stopped violins and viola, with later addition asymmetrical stresses from the cello, giving a similar sense of excitement and attack, which is further reinforced by Bartok's focus on tritones.

- variations in texture- ostinato with broken chord support fig.14- significantly reduces texture to 3 parts instead of 8 or 16- before repeating the original material again. This is a typical Russian technique to repeat and contrast blocks of textural sound to create excitement and is used by Stravinsky in 'The Infernal Dance of Kaschei's subjects for a similar effect'

- mel-dom-hom with melodic fragments heard over repeated chords fig.15
- use of heterorhythmic layers at fig.16 of an ostinato in straight quavers in cor anglais and triplet quavers in the viola, overlaid with chordal blasts in the brass and melodic fragments

- Polyphony is the overriding texture of the piece, with frequent use of simultaneous fragmentary melodies, often creating cross-rhythms- especially at fig. 28 where many previous motifs are wrought together and new motifs in the trumpets are added to create excitement a sense of chaos.
- Stravinsky also uses polyrhythms and cross-rhythms effectively in the climax of Sacrificial Dance to create a powerful and complex polyphonic texture later in the ballet, but here is used to create an overwhelming intense atmosphere to mirror the tense and climatic action on the stage, rather than to just set the scene and tone of the ballet.

- use of canonic entries at fig.20-21 between the trombone and the bassoons- this technique can be heard in more traditional works and in unusual for a more modern work like this WL- In Tchaikovsky's Romeo and Juliet (1880) in Monatgues and Capulets' - flutes and double basses play the main theme in canon.

- use of mel-dom-hom at fig.25, but with more richly layered accompaniment, featuring trills, rhythmic diminution of the 4 note ostinato, and undulating col legno violin 2 part and repeated pedal notes

outline any additional textures in Jeu de Rapt

- similarly features a variety of textures, however also features an almost full homophonic and homorhythmic tutti at fig. 43- really emphasises the folk-like theme and provides some clarity in contrast to confusing contrapuntal textures- Stravinsky employs a similar effect in 'Russian Dance' from Petrushka, where many sections are homophonic in order to emphasise the cheerful, dance-like folk theme.

- also polyphonic sections

- use of effective homorhythmic stab-like accented chords in the woodwind, strings and timpani e.g at fig.47- heightens the tension and punctuates the melodic fragments with sudden increases and decreases of texture- this tension is further reinforced by the uncertainty created from the rapidly changing metres. This effect is also exploited by Strav in the Infernal Dance of Kaschei's Subjects from The Firebird and gives an exciting but tense atmosphere.

outline harmony generally

- Stravinsky combines his non-functional and dissonant harmonic language with such elements such as drones, pedals and ostinati as well as some forms of parallelism
- use of parallel 4ths e.g. fig 1 in clarinets
- parallel 4ths and 7ths e.g. fig. 3 in the bassoons
- use of whole tone structures e.g. the chord of Bb-D-E-G# at fig.8 , albeit it clouded by chromatic movement
- WL this may have been somewhat influenced by French impressionism at the time, as Strav was writing in Paris. E.g. Debussy's piano piece 'Voiles' from 1909 uses lots of parallel chords as well as some whole tone harmony to create a tonally ambiguous and hazy sound.

- false relations created at the very beginning e.g. the C# in the horn against the C in the bassoon in b.2 which creates dissonance and a sense of unease.

- Each piece creates dissonance arising from the free movement of different melodic lines- Schoenberg — Pierrot lunaire (1913) is atonal and has many dissonances arising out of the independent melodic lines of each part, (however Strav was still tonal)

- bitonal and polytonal structures in all pieces e.g. the Fb major with the V of Ab maj repeated chords throughout Les augures printaniers at fig. 13.
- the polytonlity at fig. 42 involving Eb, F#7 and C chords with a dim 7th
-polytonality can be heard at the height of the chaos at the end of the Introduction from figure 11. In addition to the C7 broken chords in the violas, the bassoons outline both E minor and E major harmonies and the many woodwinds play chromatic descending scales

Stravinsky was well known for polytonality in other pieces, for example the 'Petrouchka chord' heard in many parts of his ballet Petrouchka e.g. 'Les Desguises', which is a C maj chord over an F# min chord. This creates tonal ambiguity and uncertainty, highlighting the dissonant and jarring nature of the chord.

- use of superimposed 4th and 5th chords ( one beat before fig. 18 and combined with C maj broken chord from b, 4 of fig. 16)- quartal and quintal harmony gives a mysterious and powerful feel and is exploited further by other composers, such as in Scriabin's Prometheus in 1910.

The folk music elements all contain modal style melodies. The opening bassoon melody is diatonic in Aeolian

- use of a quartet of trumpets (in LAP in fig. 28) playing a harmonised folk idea in parallel 6ths in second inversion- creates a very unstable dissonant feel to the chords, especially when embedded in the rich orchestral texture. WL- this theme returns in a similar way in Spring Rounds, later in the ballet.


- chords involving both major and minor elements e.g. fig 47, where the F min 2nd inversion contains A naturals and a Gb

outline tonality generally

- Unlike Schoenberg, Stravinsky did not entirely reject tonality at this stage of his career, though there is never any clear sense of key and a constant use of harsh dissonance
- uses of bitonality and polytonality at the beginning of the Augurs of Spring, where an E♭7 chord in the upper strings is played simultaneously with an F♭ major chord in the cellos and basses. The cor anglais ostinato at figure 14 continues to outline the E♭7 chord, while the cellos outline the F♭ chord, now notated as E major. Meanwhile the bassoons outline chords of C major and E minor to emphasise the sense of tonal confusion.
- The combination of multiple conflicting tonal elements can be heard at the height of the chaos at the end of the introduction from figure 11. In addition to the C7 broken chords in the violas, the bassoons outline both E minor and E major harmonies. (polytonality heard in Petrouchka 'Danse de cochers et des palefreniers' 1911).
- There are also chromatic scales in some of the woodwind parts throughout all pieces. The effect is atonal.
- The folk music elements all contain modal style melodies. The opening bassoon melody is diatonic, with an aeolian feel in A, but keeps returning to C. E mixolydian melody in used in LAP, A mixolydian melody used in JDR.

outline overall points of structure

- like much other Russian music at the time, the music proceeds in 'blocks' of sound, which make up short contrasting fragments, and is through composed WL- a similar structure can be found in many other Russian pieces e.g. Shostakovich's 4th symphony

- The Introduction - fig 1-13
Introduction is a musical representation of the gradual awakening of the earth after a long Russian winter and therefore has no classical structure, but rather is characterised by a buildup, at first of solos, and the texture gradually increases.
However opening bassoon melody returns again at fig. 12, the end, a semitone lower than the original. This gives an almost cyclical feel to the structure, which does not otherwise conform to traditional Western forms and helps to set the scene before the curtain rises.


- Les augurs des printaniers- fig.13-37
- the structure of LAP is one of a range of diverse structures used by composers in the 20th century. The movement can be described as three blocks of music (fig. 13-22, 22-31 and 31-37) separated by double barlines.
- Each of these blocks is structured through a mosaic of short melodic and rhythmic fragments. For example the first section is structured around a contrast between chordal textures and a variety of short melodic passages, such as the staccato cor anglais, bassoon and cello counterpoint at fig. 14 and the muted trumpet solo at fig.15.
- Block Like structures were typical of Russian music e.g. Shostakovich's 4th symphony and were also taken up by later composers such as Peter Maxwell Davis in his Naxos Quartet no.10 5th movement.

- Jeu de Rapt- fig. 37-end (48)
- like much other Russian music at the time, the music proceeds in 'blocks' of sound, which make up short contrasting fragments, and is through composed WL- a similar structure can be found in many other Russian pieces e.g. Shostakovich's 4th symphony, the blocks of sound in this piece are very much rooted in changing textures e.g. the almost tutti homorhythmic section dominated by the second lithuanian folk-melody idea at fig.43 is a distinct juxtaposition with the 'hunting-call' horn melody accompanied by chordal trumpets and chordal and arpeggiated upper strings.

- both the beginning and the end of the Jeu De Rapt (and all the other cues except the intro) have no break from one piece to another, just a double bar line, which is typical of ballet music as it allows dances to seamlessly flow into one another. Another example of a ballet that uses a through-composed form with almost seamless transitions is Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake (1875).

- As a result of a rise in avant-garde drive towards experimentation in the 20th century, a diverse range of structures were also used by composers in the later 20th century e.g. the use of mathematic principles in Cage's Three Dances for Two Prepared Pianos or the use of aleatoric elements, such as in Riley's in C and therefore the 'block-like' structure that Strav employs here is typical of early 20th century music.

outline dynamics generally

- dynamic range of three pieces covers the full range of pp to ff (the first fff does not occur in the ballet until the end of 'Spring Rounds' and ppp is reserved for the introduction to the second part of the ballet)- these changes in dynamics would have been amplified by the sheer size of the orchestra and so would have had great dramatic effect e.g. the pp held woodwind and mf 1st violins leading into the homorhythmic f double stopped strings with horn accents in les augurs printaniers
- very specific dynamic instruction e.g. ff clarinet solo with mf contrabassoons and p flute flourishes at fig. 10- allows certain parts to be at the forefront during the polyphony.
- no indication of dynamic for the bassoon solo at beginning or end of the introduction- leaving this aspect to the discretion of the instrumentalist or conductor, which is interesting seeing as he is so specific in other parts of the piece.
- extreme dynamic markings are common from the late 19th century onwards- György Ligeti uses even more extreme dynamics in his music: the Cello Concerto from 1966 begins with a passage marked pppppppp.

outline tempo generally

- introduction to be played 'lento tempo rubato' at the start and its quasi improvisatory quality is conveyed through frequently changing time signatures and graduations of tempo e.g. poco accelerando and piu mosso- again symbolising the awakening of spring
- stamping chords at beginning of les augures printaniers emphasised by the tempo guisto
- jeu de rapt faster as is marked 'presto' however is notably less regular metrically.