The Rite of Spring

The Rite of Spring[n 1] (French: Le Sacre du printemps)
is a ballet and orchestral concert work by the Russian composer Igor Stravinsky.
It was written for the 1913 Paris season of
Sergei Diaghilev's Ballets Russes company; the original choreography was by
Vaslav Nijinsky with stage designs and costumes by Nicholas Roerich.
When first performed at the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées on
29 May 1913, the avant-garde nature of the music and choreography caused a
sensation.
Many have called the first-night reaction a "riot" or "near-riot", though this
wording
did not come about until reviews of later performances in 1924, over a decade
later.
Although designed as a work for the stage, with specific passages accompanying
characters and action, the music achieved equal if not greater recognition as a
concert piece
and is widely considered to be one of the most influential musical works of the
20th century.
Instrumentation:
The score calls for a large orchestra consisting of the following instruments
Woodwind
1 Piccolo
3 Flute (3rd Doubling 2nd Piccolo)
1 Alto Flute
4 Oboe (4th Doubling 2nd Cor Anglais)
1 Cor Anglais
3 Clarinet in B♭ and A (3rd Doubling 2nd Bass Clarinet)
1 Piccolo Clarinet in E♭ and D
1 Bass Clarinet
4 Bassoon (4th Doubling 2nd Contrabassoon)
1 Contrabassoon
Brass
8 Horn (7th and 8th Doubling Tenor Wagner Tuba)

1 Piccolo Trumpet in D
4 Trumpet in C (4th Doubling Bass Trumpet in E♭)
3 Trombone
2 Bass Tuba
Percussion
5 Timpani (2 Player)
Bass Drum
Tam-Tam
Triangle
Tambourine
Cymbal
Antique Cymbal/Crotales in A♭ and B♭
güiro
String
Violin I. II.
Viola
Cello
Contrabass
Movement and Part:
Part I. - Adoration Of The Earth (L'Adoration De La Terre)

I. Introduction (Introduction)
Before the curtain rises, an orchestral

introduction resembles, according to
Stravinsky, "a swarm of spring pipes".
II. Augurs Of Spring (Les Augures printaniers)
The celebration of spring begins in the

hills. An old woman enters and begins to
foretell the future.
III. Ritual Of Abduction (Jeu du rapt)
Young girls arrive from the river, in single

file. They begin the "Dance of the Abduction".
IV. Spring Rounds (Rondes printanières)
The young girls dance the

Khorovod, the "Spring Rounds".
V. Ritual Of The Two Rival Tribes (Jeux des cités rivales)
The people divide into two groups in opposition

to each other, and begin the "Ritual of the Rival Tribes".
VI. Procession Of The Sage: The Sage (Cortège du sage: Le Sage)
A holy procession leads to the entry of the wise

elders, headed by the Sage who brings the games to
a pause and blesses the earth.
VII. Dance Of The Earth (Danse De La Terre)
The people break into a passionate dance, sanctifying

and becoming one with the earth.
Part II. The Sacrifice (Le Sacrifice)
I. Introduction (Introduction)
II. Mystic Circles of the Young Girls (Cercles mystérieux des adolescentes)
The young girls engage in mysterious

games, walking in circles.
III. Glorification of the Chosen One (Glorification de l'élue)
One of the young girls is selected

by fate, being twice caught in the perpetual
circle, and is honoured as the "Chosen One" with
a martial dance.
IV. Evocation of the Ancestors (Évocation des ancêtres)

In a brief dance, the young girls invoke the ancestors.
V. Ritual Action of the Ancestors (Action rituelle des ancêtres)
The Chosen One is entrusted to the care of the old wise men.
VI. Sacrificial Dance: Chosen One (Danse sacrale: L'Élue)
The Chosen One dances to death in the presence of the

old men, in the great "Sacrificial Dance".
The Music:
Native title:
Russian: Весна священная.

romanized: Vesna svyashchennaya, lit. 'Sacred Spring'
Choreographer:
Vaslav Nijinsky
Music:
Igor Stravinsky
Based on:
Pagan myths
Premiere:
29 May 1913
Théâtre des Champs-Élysées
Paris
Original ballet company:
Ballets Russes
Design:
Nicholas Roerich
Commentators have often described The Rite's music in

vivid terms; Paul Rosenfeld, in 1920, wrote of it "pounding" with
the rhythm of engines, whirls and spirals like screws and fly-wheels, grinds
and shrieks like laboring metal".[120] In a more recent analysis, The
New York Times critic Donal Henahan refers to "great crunching, snarling
chords from the brass and thundering thumps from the timpani.
The composer Julius Harrison acknowledged the uniqueness of the work
negatively: it demonstrated Stravinsky's "abhorrence of everything for which
music has stood these many centuries ... all human endeavour and progress
are being swept aside to make room for hideous sounds".
In The Firebird, Stravinsky had begun to experiment with bitonality

(the use of two different keys simultaneously). He took this technique
further in Petrushka, but reserved its full effect for The Rite where, as the
analyst E.W. White explains, he "pushed it to its logical conclusion". White also
observes the
music's complex metrical character, with combinations of duple and triple time
in which a strong irregular beat is emphasised by powerful percussion. The music
critic Alex Ross
has described the irregular process whereby Stravinsky adapted and absorbed
traditional Russian
folk material into the score. He "proceeded to pulverize them into motivic bits,
pile them up in
layers, and reassemble them in cubistic collages and montages".
The duration of the work is about 35 minutes.

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The Rite of Spring[n 1] (French: Le Sacre du printemps)

8 Horn (7th and 8th Doubling Tenor Wagner Tuba)

Part I. - Adoration Of The Earth (L'Adoration De La Terre)

Before the curtain rises, an orchestral

II. Augurs Of Spring (Les Augures printaniers)

The celebration of spring begins in the

III. Ritual Of Abduction (Jeu du rapt)

Young girls arrive from the river, in single

IV. Spring Rounds (Rondes printanières)

The young girls dance the

V. Ritual Of The Two Rival Tribes (Jeux des cités rivales)

The people divide into two groups in opposition

VI. Procession Of The Sage: The Sage (Cortège du sage: Le Sage)

A holy procession leads to the entry of the wise

VII. Dance Of The Earth (Danse De La Terre)

The people break into a passionate dance, sanctifying

Part II. The Sacrifice (Le Sacrifice)

The young girls engage in mysterious

III. Glorification of the Chosen One (Glorification de l'élue)

One of the young girls is selected

IV. Evocation of the Ancestors (Évocation des ancêtres)

V. Ritual Action of the Ancestors (Action rituelle des ancêtres)

VI. Sacrificial Dance: Chosen One (Danse sacrale: L'Élue)

The Chosen One dances to death in the presence of the

Russian: Весна священная.

Original ballet company:

Commentators have often described The Rite's music in

In The Firebird, Stravinsky had begun to experiment with bitonality

The duration of the work is about 35 minutes.

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