Igor Stravinsky Biography
Russian-born American Composer, Conductor and Pianist
The life and works of Igor Stravinsky, famous for The Firebird, The Rite of Spring, L'histoire du soldat, and The Rake's Progress.
Igor Stravinsky (1882-1971), of Russian descent, later, French and American, is arguably the greatest 20th century composer. He is famous for L'oiseau de few, Petrushka, Le sacre du printemps, L'histoire du soldat, Oedipus rex, Dumbarton Oaks, and The Rake's Progress.
He was often called a "musical chameleon" because of the versatile way in which he adapted his changes to musical style and fashion. He married Katerina Nossenko in 1906.
Early Life of Stravinsky
Stravinsky was born in Oranienbaum, near St. Petersburg, Russia. His father Fyodor, a singer at the St. Petersburg Imperial Opera, was his earliest musical influence. Initially, he studied law and philosophy, but upon influence of Rimsky-Korsakov, who became his teacher in composition, he shifted to music. Through Rimsky-Korsakov, his works came to Diaghilev's attention.
Diaghilev's Ballets Russes
His professional career took root when he became a protégé of Sergei Diaghilev, Russian impresario. He started composing Romantic ballet scores for large orchestras, such as Petrushka. During World War I, he adapted a more jazzy style of the Neoclassical period, and later, to 'serialism' or the '12-tone' method of composition, advocated by Arnold Schoenberg.
The Paris premiere of his ballet L'Oiseau de feu (The Firebird), commissioned by Diaghilev brought him fame and international acclaim as a composer. This was followed by other scores for the Diaghilev ballets: Petrushka, and the sensational Le Sacre du Printemps (The Rite of Spring), controversial at that time for their unorthodox rhythms and dissonant harmonies.
Aside from his Diaghilev ballets, he also premiered versatile works ranging from his Neo-Classical ballet Pulcinella, based on pieces attributed to Pergolesi, to Concerto for Piano and Wind.
The Cosmopolitan
- 1914 - After the start of World War I, he moved to Switzerland.
- 1920 - He settled in France dividing his time as a composer, conductor and performer of his own works on the piano
- 1939 - Hollywood, US, after the death of his wife and daughter from tubercolosis.
Chamber Music and Symphonies
Alongside his ballet compositions, he continued works in chamber music and symphonies. He also made use of the “serial” techniques in such works as the Canticum Sacrum and the ballet Agon. His Requiem Canticles was performed at his funeral in Venice. He was buried near Diaghilev.
Of his numerous awards and honours, Stravinsky considered his greatest honor when in 1962 he was invited back in his native land after 40 years. Stravinsky has enormous influence and has been considered one of the greatest composers of the 20th-century.
Stravinsky's Works
- Ballet, The Firebird 1910
- Ballet, Petrushka, 1911
- Ballet, The Rite of Spring 1913
- Les Noces (The Wedding), for voices, percussion and fou pianos 1917
- The Soldier's Tale, for speaker, chamber ensemble, dancers 1918
- Ballet, Pulcinella !920
- Symphonies of Wind Instruments 1920
- Octet for Wind Instruments 1923
- Oratorio, Oedipus Rex 1927
- Ballet, Apollon musagéte 1928
- Ballet, Le baiser de la fée 1928
- Symphony of Psalms 1930
- Violin concerto 1931
- Melodrama, Perséphone 1934
- Concerto, 'Dumbarton Oaks' 1938
- Symphony in C 1940
- Symphony in Three Movements 1945
- Ebony Concerto 1945
- Ballet, Orpheus 1947
- Opera, The Rake's Progress 1951
- Ballet, Agon 1957
- Threni, for soloists, chorus and orchestra 1958
- Requiem Canticles, for voices and orchestra 1966
Sources:
Dictionary of Composers and their Music by Eric Gilder, Sphere Reference (1985)
Igor Stravinsky An Autobiography (1903-1934), Marion Boyars (1990)
The Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, 2nd Edition, edited by Stanley Sadie (2000)
The Oxford Companion to Music, edited by Alison Latham (2002)
