Transcript Igor Stravinsky

Igor Stravinsky
Igor Stravinsky
• Born in 1882 in St.
Petersburg, Russia
Igor’s father was an opera singer
and his mother was a singer and
pianist. At age 9, she gave him
piano lessons, but he spent more
time improvising than reading
the written notes.
Igor’s parents
Igor was a poor pupil
with very few friends.
Even though Igor
showed musical talent,
his parents made him
go to law school to
become a lawyer.
• At law school, Igor became
friends with a boy named
Vladimir Rimsky-Korsakov.
He was the youngest son of a
famous composer named
Nicolai Rimsky-Korsakov,
who’s famous for “Flight of
the Bumblebee,” which you are
listening to right now.
Nicolai RimskyKorsakov
Once, when Igor
was over at
Vladimir’s
house, Nicolai
heard Igor play
and told him that
he would teach
him how to
compose. After
that, RimskyKorsakov
became a good
friend and father
figure to Igor.
Igor
Nicolai
At the age of 23, Igor finished
law school, but had no intention
of pursuing a law career. He
devoted himself to composing
and a year later, married a kind
friend who helped and supported
him throughout his unhappy
school days.
Stravinsky’s wife
Katerina
This friend was his first cousin,
Katerina. They had a happy
marriage and 4 children.
Stravinsky wrote a piece called
“Fireworks” for the wedding of
his teacher’s daughter. Upon
finishing it, he sent it to Nicolai,
but it was returned to him due to
“death of the addressee.”
died
Igor was very sad, but good fortune
was around the corner. When
“Fireworks” was performed in St.
Petersburg, a man named Serge
Diaghilev was in the audience.
Diaghilev was a very
wealthy manager from
France who had
successfully brought
Russian music and
opera to Paris and now
wanted a composer to
write Russian ballets
for his Paris audience
and Igor was his man.
Stravinsky’s first ballet for Diaghilev was called
“The Firebird”. It was a huge hit in Paris.
< A typical outfit for a
ballet dancer for one of
Stravinsky’s ballets
The second ballet was about an ugly puppet that comes to
life (sound familiar?). This one was called “Petrushka”. It
was well received, although there were some boos and
hisses from the audience because it was very dissonant.
Here is a short fragment of the ballet.
The first performance of Stravinsky’s third
ballet, “The Rite of Spring”, became one of the
greatest scandals in music history.
The ballet “Rite” or ceremony, is about a group of
cannibal people who sacrifice a young girl, believing that
it will make their gods happy and bring a good harvest.
Some people who were used to the more traditional
ballets started to boo and hiss. Other people who
supported “new art” began yelling at them.
Soon, fights broke out in the audience and there
was mayhem everywhere. The police arrived,
but couldn’t settle the riot. The ballet continued
despite all of this, although it was hard for the
dancers to hear the music.
Stravinsky was very
upset about all of the
rioting and left in midscene, but Diaghilev
loved it. In fact, some
say he was hoping it
would happen.(?)
The “Rite of Spring” would eventually be considered
one of the greatest compositions of the 20th Century. It
was used for the dinosaur scene in the Disney film
“Fantasia.”
At the outbreak of World War I, Stravinsky moved
to Switzerland, then to Paris after the War.
He lived in Paris many years,
but as World War II broke out
and the demand for his music
increased in the U.S.A., he
moved to Hollywood in
California and married his
2nd wife, Vera, after his 1st
wife died.
Stravinsky’s 2nd wife, Vera
• Upon moving to
the U.S.A.,
Stravinsky was
asked to compose
all kinds of pieces,
including one more
ballet. This one
was a bit different
though. The ballet
dancers were 50
girls and 50
elephants! It was
performed by the
Barnum and Bailey
Circus.
Stravinsky was known
for being somewhat
rebellious as a
composer for breaking
all the rules. Once, he
was arrested in Boston
in 1940 for reharmonizing the
United States national
anthem. According to
a federal law,
changing the harmony
is illegal.
The famous artist,
Picasso, was also a fan of
Stravinsky, and made
several sketches of the
composer. You will have
to sketch this one
yourself in 8th
grade…upside down.
Overall, Stravinsky was
considered one of the
most educated composers
and had a never-ending
desire to learn more
about life and art.
• Igor Stravinsky eventually became an American citizen,
and on his 80th birthday, received the State Department
medal. He and his wife were invited to the White
House to see President and his wife. (?)
From age 66 to 85, Igor
and his wife traveled
around the world. Igor
loved to conduct his own
music, and that’s just what
he did until he couldn’t
any longer.
Stravinsky was a small man
with an awkward frame,
but still a graceful,
charismatic figure.
He was very logical and an
avid reader. His personal
library had 10,000 books.
He often worked for 18
hours at a stretch and was
plagued with ill health his
whole life.
His mischievous sense
of humor always had
people in stitches.
Igor wore a battered, green beret to bed every night
and once compared his music to his nose: “A nose is
not manufactured, a nose just is. Thus, too, my art.”
Many fine recordings
exist today because of
Stravinsky’s dedication
to his music.
Igor died in 1971 in New York
Stravinsky won a Grammy (posthumously) for Lifetime
Achievement in 1987, and even has a star on the famous
Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Igor Stravinsky
Listening:
• Song 1: Firebird
• Song 2: Rite of Spring