AO6: Stravinsky: The Rite of Spring Flashcards
Dhiaghilev
Choreographer and Stravinsky’s partner
Pagan subject matter
Modern primevalism
Schoenberg and Berg focusing on the constraints of tonality, structure and harmony: What was Stravinsky focused on?
Rhythm
Large orchestra
Quintuple woodwind, extra large brass section, expansive timbre. Normally one tuba so he wrote for two. Normally four horns so he wrote for eight.
Folk influences
Magpied from a collection of 1, 785 Lithuanian folk songs
MELODY: opening bassoon melody
Derived from Lithuanian folk song in the Juskiewicz collection
Melody also made up of six notes making it hexatonic
MELODY: Ostinato
Four note ostinato heard repeatedly in Augurs of Spring
MELODY: perfect fifths
Ritual of Abduction
Perfect fifths used as whooping hunting calls
HARMONY: atonal effect
Actually a collection of modal melodies
TONALITY: opening bassoon melody
Diatonic in Aeolian style
TONALITY: bitonality
Augurs of Spring
Upper strings Eb7
Lower strings F# major
Bassoons play both C minor and E minor
HARMONY: parallel fourths
Parallel movement in figure 1 In clarinets
HARMONY: dissonances
9th chords
Throughout all three movements
SONORITY: extra large orchestra
Quintuple woodwind, large brass section including 2 tubas (normally 1) and 8 horns (normally four)
Large percussion section (two timpani, parts for tuned cymbals, tam-tam, guiro etc.)
TEXTURE: build up of parts
Monophonic texture in bassoon solo to two sort texture in a duet with French horn. At piu mosso after figure 3 there is a four part texture. Before figure 12 there are numerous polyphonic parts in chaos of spring’s arrival.
TEXTURE: abrupt change in texture when transition to Augurs of Spring
Suddenly homophonic chords for stamping dance
Changes to melody dominated homophony with solo trumpet entry
TEXTURE: hetero-rhythmic layers at figure 16
Ostinato in straight quavers
Triplet quavers in violas
Chordal blasts and brief melodic snatches
TEXTURE: homorhythm
Ritual of Abduction
Used in most climaxes e.g from figure 43
TEXTURE: complex texture at figures 28-29
Trolls in clarinets and bassoons Ostinato in trombone Flute melody String scales Antiquesw cymbals Overlaid by trumpets in parallel chords
RHYTHM: rubato
Free rhythm in bassoon solo. Orchestra required to play colla parte
RHYTHM: complex rhythms
Triplets and quintuplets everywhere e.g. first three bars
RHYTHM: climax of introduction
Simultaneous triplets, septuplets and straight quavers etc.
Sound together to illustrate chaos of spring awakening.
RHYTHM: multiple time signatures
Figure 41 of Ritual of Abduction
Violins, violas and cellos play in 9/8, double basses in 4/8 and 5/8; groupings do not align
RHYTHM: cross rhythms
Two against three at figure 15, triplet quavers in solo trumpet part work against straight pairs of quavers in string chords
RHYTHM: alternating time signatures
At the start, 4/4 then 3/4 then 2/4 alternate
RHYTHM: syncopation
Powerful off beat string and horn chords appear randomly at beginning of the Augurs of Spring
1911 ballet ’Petrushka’
Octatonic scale used
Petrushka chord; C major against F# major chord (augmented fourth interval, common to Stravinsky); bitonality
1910 ballet ‘The Firebird’
Homorhythm in finale as Ivan frees those who have been turned to stone by evil king and wins hand of 1/13 princesses
Syncopation in ‘Infernal Dance of all Kashchei’s Subjects’; brass melody at beginning is syncopated utilising cross rhythms and off beat notes
Extended techniques; before figure 14, down bows, pizzicato, arco and staccato are used
Symphonie Fantastique, Berlioz, 1830 programmatic symphony
Berlioz specifies 90 instruments minimum; 15 violins (15 first and 15 second), at least 10 violas, at least 11 cellos, and at least 9 double basses; extended orchestration
