Stravinsky Flashcards
Describe the key signatures
unclear
ambiguous
Name four violin techniques
pizz
trill
mutes
glissandi
Name 6 features of the sonority
mutes flutter tongue col legno trills tremolo glissando
what does col legno mean?
wood of the bow
name 5 textures used
homo rhythmic chords ostinato mel-dom-hom hetero-rhythms canon
describe the dynamic range
full range
pp-ff
solo bassoon has no marking
Describe the metres
constantly shifting
Describe the stamping chords
duple time
frequent asymmetric stresses
What interrupts the relentless pulse?
pause marks
Name five rhythmic techniques
triplets, sextuplets and septuplets hetero-rhythms offbeat stresses displaced stress syncopation
What’s the opening based on?
Lithuanian folk song
What note range does the melody draw on?
Limited
hexatonic scale
Name 7 features of the melody
chromatic lines wide leaps angular lines ostinato repeated notes motifs whooping hunting calls
Describe the whooping hunting calls
perfect 5ths
Describe the harmony
non-functional
dissonant
Name four typical features of the harmony
parallel 4ths and 7ths
whole-tone structures
bitonal structures
What makes up the harmony?
polytonal structures
superimposed 5ths and 4ths
disssonances
Describe the structures
blocks of sound
follows the ballet
(printaniers) What chords are outlined?
C and Em
(Printaniers) How is it bitonal?
Eb7 and Fbmajor
(Jeu du rapt) How is it polytonal?
Eb, Fsharp 7 and C
Nutcracker context
1892
Tchaikovsky
poorly recieved in St Petersburg with critics complaining that the dancing was ‘podgy’ and that choreography was confusing’
Nutcracker similarities and differences
Similarities: -extended instruments e.g celeste -sinister, non-classical feel -feature instruments that are unusual e.g bass clarinet - dance of the sugar plumb fairy -Battle with mouse king: 1) grace notes 2)extended trills 3) polyphony 4)high range 5) hunting call 6) frantic scales 7) polyrhythmic 8)mutes Differences: e.g waltz of the flowers -clear rhythimc pulse -diatonic -triadic -focus on strings -pleasant sonority
comparisons
Janecek operas e.g Jenufa - folk song for ‘national sound’
Vaughn Williams - Greensleeves in opera ‘Sir Jogn in Love’
Pierre Boulez, notations - rhythmic irregularity created unease
Firebird
1868 More nationalistic/traditional Based on Russian fairytales Ostinato bassoons functional freely evolving
Berlioz
mostly w.w
interesting sonorities e.g wood of bow
dissonant
varied textures
Prelude a la pres - midi d’un faune
1912 Debussy Choreographed by Nijinsky one of the first modern ballets erotic subtext ends with graphic sexual desire (notes in Debussy section)
Meredith Monk
extended vocal techniques
folk music roots (Strravinsky = paganism and earth)
herdy gerdy
groundbreaking exploration of the voice as an instrument, as an eloquent language in and of itself, expands the boundaries of musical composition
repetition, drones, modal harmonies and wordless vocalising
Modern audience confused - like Stanislavskys
Stravinsky context
1882-1971
Nationalistic
Firebird
Rite of Spring context
1913 Theatre des champs-Elysees Paris choreographed by Nijinsky Slavik rituals of ancient tribes
