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Applied Humanities

Themes in Music Stravinsky and Vivaldi By Alisha Nypaver 2 Module Two: Introduction to the Humanities, continued / Page 2.3.3 Stravinsky and Vivaldi On this page: 0 of 13 attempted (0%) | 0 of 1 correct (0%) Objective: Identify how the theme of spring is presented in musical works by Igor Stravinsky and Antonio Vivaldi.

We’ve explored the theme of power. Now let’s take a look at how two different composers explore another theme in music: spring. Artists the world over have long been passionate about trying to capture nature, and springtime in particular has inspired composers for centuries.

Example One

In this section, you will analyze a musical work using the strategies outlined on the How to Listen to Music page. Be sure to download the detailed description of the music—it might help you with your analysis.

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YouTube video. https://youtu.be/o_F8adQqKLc. Uploaded August 15, 2012, by Yale Symphony Orchestra. For a detailed description of the music, follow the transcript link

below.

Read Text Transcript

Impressions

Response Board Do you think this piece sounds especially “spring-like”? Explain why or why not.

No response saved yet.

Multiple-Choice Question

Which of the following statements is TRUE?

This work begins with only one instrument, which is then joined by others. This work begins with the full orchestra, and then gets softer. This work begins with a forte dynamic level but gets increasingly softer. This work features only string instruments, like the violins and cellos.

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Stravinsky - Rite of Spring (1/2): I - The Adoration of the EarthStravinsky - Rite of Spring (1/2): I - The Adoration of the Earth

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Response Board What specific ideas or images do you think the composer is trying to conjure?

No response saved yet.

Contextualization

If this work sounds a bit “weird” to you, you’re not alone!

Igor Stravinsky was a Russian composer who was very avant-garde for his time. He wrote The Rite of Spring for the Ballets Russes company, which premiered the work in Paris in 1913. The ballet is set in pagan Russia and tells the story of an ancient tribe who must sacrifice a young girl by forcing her to dance herself to death to propitiate the god of spring.

Stravinsky claimed that his inspiration for the work came in part from the “violent Russian spring, that seemed to begin in an hour and was like the whole earth cracking.” His music was so violent and shocking to Parisians that there was a riot at the premiere, with audience members hissing, booing, shouting at the musicians, and throwing things at the dancers. Despite its rocky beginnings, The Rite of Spring is now widely regarded as one of the most influential and important works of the early 20th century. Its nonconformist features served as an inspiration to hundreds of composers, encouraging them to explore new ways to compose music.

Today, The Rite of Spring is most commonly performed as a concert work, meaning that the music is performed by an orchestra without the dancers. Parts of it appeared in Disney’s 1940 animated film Fantasia (specifically the “Big Bang” and “Dinosaur Age” segments).

As you listen again, focus on trying to identify which musical elements make it sound unconventional, especially when compared to the other pieces we’ve analyzed.

Analysis

Timbre

Stravinsky uses all the different orchestra families to create a wide range of timbres. Notice how he alternates which family (strings, woodwinds, brass, percussion) is most prominently featured at any given time.

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Stravinsky liked to push the boundaries of timbre. The ballet opens with a bassoon solo that requires the instrumentalist to play higher notes than any other major orchestral work had ever demanded a bassoonist play. People were not used to hearing the bassoon play in this high range, and it created such an unusual timbre that some audience members were confused. Composer Camille Saint-Saëns was at the premiere, and reportedly asked a fellow concertgoer what instrument was playing. When the reply was “a bassoon,” Saint-Saëns allegedly said, “If that’s a bassoon, then I’m a baboon!”

Texture

Stravinsky uses textural changes to create startling effects. He begins the work with only one textural layer, the solo bassoon, and then uses a technique called additive texture, bringing in more and more layers over the next two minutes of the work. Eventually, the thick polyphonic texture grows to such a degree that it starts to sound completely chaotic and wild at 2:22. Then, quite suddenly, all the layers drop out except for the solo bassoon. It’s as if a host of animals had emerged from hibernation after a long winter, then were suddenly scared back into their hiding places by the arrival of the pagan tribe.

Pitch

Stravinsky often contrasts high and low pitches to draw our attention to the different layers of sound. Listen to the pitch range in this section at 1:06, which is meant to represent “the wriggling and gnawing of birds and beasts” as they emerge from hibernation. In nature, there are often many creatures big and small moving and interacting at once, and Stravinsky’s music captures that idea through his use of pitch. Notice, too, how Stravinsky writes a series of descending pitches at 4:44, to create a “waterfall” of notes.

There are also many harsh dissonances used throughout the piece. A dissonance is created when two or more pitches “clash” and sound unstable or disharmonious.

Rhythm

One of the main characteristics of this piece is its dramatic use of syncopation, a rhythmic technique that occurs when the accented (loudest) beats happen at a time when they are not expected, breaking the rhythmic pattern. For example, try to clap along with the accented beats in this section at 3:26. You may have to try it several times to get your claps to match those unexpectedly loud notes. Do you see how they

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don’t occur in a predictable pattern? This use of syncopation helps Stravinsky recreate the violent and unpredictable nature of a spring thunderstorm.

Response Board Where else do you notice unusual or unpredictable rhythmic patterns in this work?

No response saved yet.

Dynamics

In general, Stravinsky uses loud dynamic levels throughout The Rite of Spring, making the rarer use of softer dynamics all the more noticeable. For instance, in this section at 2:43, a sage elder arrives to bless the earth, and his blessing is accompanied by a dramatic drop in dynamic level.

Form

This work is through-composed, meaning that it does not have any major sections that repeat. Even though short melodic ideas may be repeated in succession (as is heard here at 7:59), there is no overarching formal structure in the work.

As you listen again, think about what other musical elements could represent different aspects of a violent springtime in pagan Russia.

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YouTube video. https://youtu.be/o_F8adQqKLc. Uploaded August 15, 2012, by Yale Symphony Orchestra. For a detailed description of the music, follow the transcript link

below.

Read Text Transcript

Response Board What other aspects of the work evoke concepts or sensations of springtime to you?

No response saved yet.

Example Two

In this section, you will analyze another musical work using the strategies outlined on the How to Listen to Music page. Be sure to download the detailed description of the music—it might help you with your analysis.

Share your thoughts with your peers...

Stravinsky - Rite of Spring (1/2): I - The Adoration of the EarthStravinsky - Rite of Spring (1/2): I - The Adoration of the Earth

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00:00.0 -03:28

Vivaldi: “La Primavera”

The first movement of Concerto no. 1, “La Primavera,” from The Four Seasons by Antonio Vivaldi. For a detailed description of the music, follow the transcript link below.

Read Text Transcript

Having trouble? Try our alternate player.

Impressions

Response Board Knowing that this piece is about spring, does it sound especially “spring-like” to you? Explain why or why not.

No response saved yet.

Short-Answer Question

How is the music different from Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring?

No response saved yet.

Response Board Which piece—Stravinksy’s The Rite of Spring or Vivaldi’s “La Primavera”—sounds more “spring-like” to you? Explain why this is.

No response saved yet.

Contextualization

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Share your thoughts with your peers...

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Among the first things you’ll want to know about this piece are:

Who was Antonio Vivaldi?

Antonio Vivaldi was an Italian composer who is best known for his concertos, which are works for a group of instruments (like an orchestra) that feature a soloist. His most famous work is a set of four concertos that depict the four seasons.

What is a concerto?

Like symphonies, concertos are multi-movement works. We will look at the first movement from the “spring” concerto, “La Primavera.”

What is unique about “La Primavera” for its time and place?

This piece is one of the earliest significant examples of program music, because each concerto has an accompanying poem that Vivaldi translated into music.

Poem for the First Movement of “La Primavera”

Spring has arrived with joy Welcomed by the birds with happy songs, And the brooks, amidst gentle breezes, Murmur sweetly as they flow.

The sky is caped in black, and Thunder and lightning herald a storm. When they fall silent, the birds Take up again their delightful songs.

Each line of the poem represents a different section of this musical work. Read along with the poem as you listen again. Where does each section start and end? Which sections do not directly reflect the poem?

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00:00.0 -03:28

Vivaldi: “La Primavera”

The first movement of Concerto no. 1, “La Primavera,” from The Four Seasons by Antonio Vivaldi. For a detailed description of the music, follow the transcript link below.

Read Text Transcript

Having trouble? Try our alternate player.

Analysis

Timbre

Response Board What instruments are present, and what instruments (that are typically in an orchestra) are missing from this ensemble?

No response saved yet.

Pitch

Short-Answer Question

Pitch is an important element Vivaldi uses to recreate the poem in music. How does he use pitch to show the bird calls versus the thunder?

No response saved yet.

Rhythm

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Short-Answer Question

Contrast the rhythm used in the section that shows “brooks” and “gentle breezes” with the rhythm used in the “thunderstorm” section. How are they different?

No response saved yet.

Dynamics

Short-Answer Question

How do the dynamics change in each section to reflect the poem? Start by considering which section is the loudest and which is the softest.

No response saved yet.

Form

The work alternates between the full orchestra and the soloist. Each time the soloist is featured, that person plays a different melody that reflects the scene described in each stanza.

Short-Answer Question

When the orchestra plays between the solo sections, does it play the same melody each time—like a refrain—or does the melody change?

No response saved yet.

Listen to this work a few times to get the full sense of how Vivaldi uses musical elements to evoke the sensations of springtime as described in the poem. The more you listen, the more you’ll notice!

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