Igor Stravinsky Rite Of Spring

Throughout history music has been an imperative influence in the general mindset of the masses. Music tends to be more symbolic of the people rather than the societal limitation placed by the governmental systems. The “Rite of Spring” by Igor Stravinsky is a ballet and a spectacular piece of music that is a direct representation of this concept. Stravinsky wrote the piece to portray historical context relating to the spring celebrations performed by the countryside people in Soviet Russia. This mainly revolved under the concept of rebirth or reproduction in the springtime. As a result, the “Rite of Spring” was greatly admired by the soviet people at first, but it soon transformed into adversity in the eyes of Soviet society and it became dictated …show more content…
This included visual and historical ideals that directly affect the entirety of the ballet and the musical elements that play into it. Visually and historically, Stravinsky was influenced in the composing of the ballet through a dream in which a girl is dancing so intensely that exhaustion is overtaking her but she continues in order to perform before an audience of extremely old men. (Chicago Symphony 2013) When Stravinsky woke up he had an overwhelming sense of inspiration and he knew he had to depict the underlying context on the stage. This led him to contacting Roerich who had always dreamed of recreating the Slovak countryside within his paintings while also being extremely enthusiastic about soviet history. As both of them began to cooperate in the process of composing, Roerich told exaggerated stories of springtime on the Soviet countryside. Stravinsky fell in love with the raw traditions that the different celebrations were built upon. The resulted plot was based on visual concepts of community and religious rituals. This included the scene where a group young boys are standing around a cluster of old women to portray the pulse of spring. In comparison, the next scene revolves around a group of young women …show more content…
Musically, it influenced the ballet narrative and resulted dances. The visual and plot sequences throughout the ballet were original and controversial, especially in Soviet Russia. The piece served as a cultural milestone in the journey of art music and as a result influenced many different composers in the aspects of rhythm, narration, time sequence, and the utilization of harmonic and melodic usage primarily heard in the instrumentation. Overall the piece is viewed as a masterpiece today however it sparked a musical revolution against conformity found in ballet and the societal presence seen in the composer of the music. When you listening to the many different parts of the song, you can hear the many different levels of musical dynamics and overall rhythmic density. In the first part, “Adoration of the Earth”, the ballet revolves around a group of older women surrounded by a few young boys. This narrative is developed and portrayed through the musical elements in which the tempo is slower paced and has a sparse rhythmic texture as each instrument plays individual parts at different times. You can clearly hear the brass section and the wind sections playing the primary melody while the strings play the harmony. In the second part “The Augurs of Spring”, the narrative begins with a group of

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