Collection: IGOR STRAVINSKY (1882-1971)
Igor Stravinsky (1882-1971) was arguably the most important and stylistically versatile composer of the 20th century. A Russian-born titan who later became a citizen of France and the United States, his career spanned over six decades, during which he repeatedly reinvented his musical language, leaving an indelible mark on the landscape of Western music. His work is often divided into three distinct creative periods: the Russian, the Neoclassical, and the Serial, each demonstrating his restless genius and profound influence.
Born near St. Petersburg, Stravinsky was the son of a leading operatic bass, yet he was initially steered toward a career in law. His passion for music, however, was undeniable. A pivotal meeting with composer Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov led to private tutelage, where Stravinsky honed his masterful command of orchestration. His true breakthrough came in 1909 when he was commissioned by the visionary impresario Sergei Diaghilev to compose for his Ballets Russes in Paris. This collaboration ignited his "Russian period" and produced three of the most significant works in the ballet repertoire.
The first, The Firebird (1910), was a spectacular success, dazzling audiences with its lush, exotic sound world rooted in Russian folklore. He followed this with Petrushka (1911), a work of greater rhythmic complexity and harmonic daring that hinted at the revolution to come. That revolution arrived with The Rite of Spring (Le Sacre du printemps) in 1913. A depiction of pagan sacrifice, its premiere is the most famous scandal in music history, provoking a near-riot in the theater. With its savage, convulsive rhythms, brutal dissonance, and primal energy, The Rite of Spring shattered the conventions of classical music and became a foundational monument of modernism.
The upheaval of World War I and the Russian Revolution severed Stravinsky from his homeland and the massive orchestral forces he was used to. This practical necessity, combined with a rejection of Romantic emotionalism, ushered in his Neoclassical period (c. 1920-1954). Turning to the forms and clarity of 18th-century masters like Bach and Mozart, Stravinsky infused them with a modern, often witty and "acidic" harmonic sensibility. Works from this era, such as the ballet Pulcinella, the austere and magnificent Symphony of Psalms, and the opera The Rake's Progress, are characterized by their cool objectivity, rhythmic precision, and leaner textures. This period proved Stravinsky was no mere purveyor of "barbarism" but a craftsman of supreme intellect and control.
Following the death of his great contemporary and rival Arnold Schoenberg in 1951, Stravinsky, then living in Hollywood, made his final, shocking stylistic turn. In his seventies, he began to embrace the twelve-tone serial techniques pioneered by Schoenberg. This "Serial period" produced more abstract and intricate works like the ballet Agon and the choral piece Canticum Sacrum. For many, this adoption of his formal rival’s method was the ultimate testament to his insatiable artistic curiosity and his refusal to become a historical relic.
Stravinsky died in New York City in 1971 and was buried in Venice, near the grave of his collaborator Diaghilev. More than any other composer, he defined the sound of the 20th century. He was a musical chameleon, yet his voice—anchored by its rhythmic vitality and harmonic uniqueness—remains unmistakable through every transformation. His influence is felt everywhere, from the concert hall to jazz and film scores, securing his legacy as a perpetual modernist who forever changed the way we hear music.
