Analysis of Stravinsky's "rite of Spring"

Homework Assignment 02 – Spring Rounds – The Rite of Spring - Stravinsky

Ben Batalla

1.        Analyze and explain the main musical cells of this section. How are they used compositionally within this section? Think of how they are juxtaposed, imbricated, stratified, superimposed, etc. Analyze at least one moment when elements of distinct musical cells "become one", i.e. when elements of two are working together and seem to be one? (I am thinking of at least one moment in particular.) Some questions that could be answered in this regard: How is this done compositionally? What elements are fused into one? What roles do harmony and rhythm play in this?

In the 4th Section of Stravinsky’s “The Rite of Spring”, Stravinsky follows a similar approach in the Introduction, Augurs, and Mock Abduction in which various musical cells progress and derive from one another, and these cells eventually imbricate and are juxtaposed through Addition. Spring Rounds displays the symbolic and metaphoric use of musical cells within the context of the narrative in a profound way, more so than earlier in the piece. Theorist Robert Craft describes that choreographically speaking, The Rite of Spring was conceived in terms of male-female dialogues of action, and this idea definitely shows in this 4th section.

There are two large-scale musical motifs within Spring Rounds that are based on this male-female dialogue, and Stravinsky deliberately distinguishes the idea of masculinity and femininity with the woodwinds’ portrayal of woman and the strings’ portrayal of man. The context of the narrative is essential in understanding the influence behind these cells as well as how these cells eventually interact. Stravinsky’s combination of metric development, dynamics, timbre and orchestration in the Tranquillo of Section 48 helps to create this idea of femininity. The metric development will be discussed in more detail in question 3. In section 49, Sostenuto e pesante, the masculine musical cell arrives in the strings. Musical material from the Tranquillo section is introduced in a different way in the oboe and clarinets, in which a similar contour and harmonic content functions and is juxtaposed against this masculine string ostinato. Spring Rounds is also translated as “Khorovods”, which describes a form of singing and dancing in a circle. Symbolically, this deep, heavy ostinato in the strings represents gyrating motion, especially with the aid of syncopation in the cello, viola and bass clarinet.

A very interesting transformation occurs in Section 50: the syncopated motif introduced in Section 49 is transformed into new melodic material, also in combination with the quarter-note ostinato in the strings, which is shared between the strings and woodwinds. The dialogue begins to interact compositionally and therefore within the narrative as well. Section 51 shows the first section of imbrication, as well as addition, in which the musical cell from the Tranquillo Section combines beautifully with the music from Section 50. The piccolo transforms the stepwise material that has been present throughout this movement and works to provide another contrapuntal layer on top this ostinato and this melody described in Section 50.