The Canonic Phenomenon of Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring: Primitivism, Myth, and Modernity

This course will explore arguably the most outstanding orchestral work of the twentieth century: Igor Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring. Following the enormous success of his earlier ballets, The Firebird (1910) and Petrushka (1911), Stravinsky unleashed a new era of modernism with Le Sacre du Printemps and its primitive subject matter, barbaric dissonances and rhythms, and radical style. This lecture will discuss the Rite of Spring’s controversial premiere and innovative musical characteristics that influenced generations of composers, choreographers, chroniclers, poets, and artists