Rite of Spring - Introduction - Essay Plan

STRAVINSKY RITE OF SPRING - INTRODUCTION
SONORITY
- The dudki section is scored mainly for wind instruments which provides striking
anticipation. Starts with a high and unaccompanied bassoon solo that baffled early
audiences. - Stravinsky liked bands lacking ‘emotional’ string sounds as in
‘Symphonies for Wind Instruments’, ‘Concerto for Piano and Winds’ and ‘Symphony
of Psalms’
- Figure 7 the tremolandi in flutes (sustaining tune) and flutter tonguing in flute, oboes
and clarinet at figure 10, adding decoration and unique sounds. - Flutter tonguing
was first used in Strauss’ Don Quixote where trumpets were asked to imitate the
bleats of sheep, here it….?
- The rich instrumentation ranges from use of a limited number of instruments to tutti.
- Strings play no melodic material and their involvement is limited to using pizzicato
and trills as well as glissandi harmonics effect on violas (Fig. 11)
MELODY
- Opening bassoon melody based on Lithuanian folk melody as paganism remained in
Lithuania much longer than Russia. His breaking up of phrases differs and there is
added ornamentation however it sounds very similar. Mussorgsky’s Sorochintsi Fair
‘Dumka parobka’ bassoon solo also stems from similar Lithuanian folk melody.
- Modal quality deriving from the use of a hexatonic scale - used in a lot of Native
American folk music with more liberal use of intervals, often called ‘gapped scales’
- Cor anglais melody at fig 2 draws initially on just 4 pitches and then incorporates an
E (B in transposed score) with extensive use of ornamentation, a common feature in
woodwind parts.
- Chromatic lines in fig 4 piccolo clarinet characteristic features of folk music and of
this piece in general
HARMONY
- Stravinsky combines his non-functional and dissonant harmonic language with such
folk elements as drones, pedals and ostinato as well as forms of parallelism.
- Parallel 4ths in clarinets Fig. 1 is a typical device, also seen in Fig. 3 in the bassoons
with parallel 4ths and 7ths - the final movement of Mozart’s A minor Piano Sonata
whose theme in bars 37-40 consists of parallel 4ths in the RH part.
- Whole tone structures, the chord of Bb-D-E-G#, albeit clouded by chromatic
movement at Fig. 8. - Debussy's “Voiles” uses whole tone scales to produce similar
dissonances and unsettling harmonies
RHYTHM
- Introduction is to be played Lento tempo rubato, the frequently changing time
signatures give it an improvisatory quality.
- Rhythms change from apparent simplicity to much more complex patterns such as
the subdivision of the beat into triplets Fig 3, sextuplets Fig 4 - Use of triplets in
‘Carmen, Carmela’ a Spanish love song with its origins in folk music, similar to
Stravinsky although much less experimental.
- Heterorhythms such as 8 demi-semiquavers against 6 semiquavers at fig 5
- Regular off-beat rhythms and frequently changing time signatures confuse the sense
of pulse and create a lack of clear direction. - Ferneyhough also uses a wide range or
both heterorhythms and constantly changing time signatures within his pieces such
as string quartet no 1. The cacophony of sounds and his experimental writing uses
these complex rhythms to create jarring and unusual pieces.
DYNAMICS
- Dynamics range covers the full range from ff to pp.
- There is no dynamic marking for the opening bassoon solo, left to the discretion of
the instrumentalist and the conductor. For example with Pierre Boulez’s conducting
the opening is an incredibly quiet pianissimo giving an eerie feel whereas the
production done at the Champs Elysees by the Russian Ballet has a much stronger
opening with a forte opening
- Texture and use of instruments creates most of the dynamic shifts within the piece
rather than dynamic markings.
TEXTURE
- Opening is monophonic followed by a passage for two parts (2-3), texture then
expands to three parts in the passage best described as melody and
accompaniment, introduces the main themes for the piece. - ‘Cold Wave’ by Dear
Criminals samples this monophonic opening and repeats it throughout the song.
- A layered texture is employed at Fig 4
- Four part homorhythms at the 5th bar after Fig 6
- From Fig 7 a free, rather imitative, contrapuntal scheme is apparent - ‘Supermassive
blackhole’ by Muse uses counterpoint layering two melodies heard earlier in the song
- Textures are used to create most of the dynamics within the piece.

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