Music In Igor Stravinsky's The Rite Of Spring

“The Rite of Spring” was certainly the most controversial piece of orchestral music of its time. The piece, composed by the Russian Composer Igor Stravinsky, included lots of uncommon musical elements. But was it really that uncommon? The world-changing ballet, “The Rite of Spring” was so controversial when it debuted in 1913, because it completely contradicted the common rhythmic and harmonic languages of most of the music at the time. The choreography and costumes were also a main part of the reason why the audience reacted with negativity and riots. But the fact that Stravinsky’s music used similar melodic, orchestrational, and harmonic techniques of pieces written before, really brings up the question: Why did the audience react the way that they did? Stravinsky’s music reflected his early life experiences. Also, Stravinsky was not, in fact, the first composer who was “committed” with composing such controversy, so again: were riots necessary? The result of the audience’s reaction caused by the ballet has not happened before. “Le Sacre du Printemps” (the original name) was one of the most contentious ballets in history. The 33-minute ballet resembles a pagan ritual from ancient Russia about a sacrificial virgin dancing herself to death for the arrival of spring. Vaslav

Igor Stravinsky is quoted saying, “I never came across anyone who had any real attraction for me” when he mentions his lonely schooldays. His parents were never supportive of his music because they wanted him to study law. Then, his father died from cancer, in 1902. This was the year he started taking lessons from Rimsky-Korsakov, but six years later, Rimsky-Korsakov dies too. This strongly affected him because Rimsky-Korsakov was such a major influence in his life. All of these events strongly impacted Stravinsky, which may be why his music is so emotional and powerful. He should not be “blamed” for writing music inspired by his