Igor Stravinsky short biography. Igor Stravinsky: biography, interesting facts, creativity Stravinsky Igor Fedorovich: biography of the composer, early years

Igor Stravinsky is a legendary figure in 20th century music. Over his long life, this composer managed to use all the achievements of modern avant-garde music. Russian folk song and the richness of its rhythmic and melodic structure were for Stravinsky a source for creating his own folklore type melodics. Stravinsky was never just an epigone of any styles. On the contrary, he transformed any stylistic model into an exclusively individual creation. Stravinsky argued that his music seemed to develop on its own, but still it contained ideas that were accessible to everyone.

Igor Stravinsky was born on June 17, 1882 in Oranienbaum near St. Petersburg. He was familiar with the artistic environment from an early age: his father is a famous singer of the Mariinsky Theater, where, in addition to his colleagues, Stasov, Mussorgsky, and Dostoevsky visited. Stravinsky absorbed the phantasmagoria of the theater, the freedom and arbitrariness of its backstage life from childhood.

As a young man, he already belonged to the highest circles of the St. Petersburg artistic intelligentsia, became a participant in the “Evenings of Contemporary Music” - they were headed by A.P. Nuroki and V.F. Nouvel, and through them he became close to the figures of the “World of Art” and to the one who set the tone here - with Sergei Pavlovich Diaghilev, with whose decisive influence and patronage the brilliant composing career of the young Stravinsky was established. Later, it was thanks to Diaghilev, but perhaps not without the participation of another jealous patron - Debussy - that he quickly penetrated into the spheres of the aristocratic elite of Paris. Where and how did Stravinsky become acquainted with folk song? During your childhood days near St. Petersburg? In Ustilug of the former Volyn province, on his wife’s estate, where he lived after his marriage since 1906? At the fairs in Yarmolintsy, located not far from Ustilug? This is not known for certain, however, it is Russian folk song that is the main source of his innovation, his revelation.

Stravinsky became a professional composer relatively late - only after he graduated from university in the spring of 1905 at the age of 23. Before that, he only turned to Rimsky-Korsakov for advice. But from the fall of 1905, classes became regular - twice a week. Five years of close communication with Nikolai Andreevich Rimsky-Korsakov gave Stravinsky a lot. He became personally acquainted with the technique of composing through the example of his teacher.

The “youthful” maturation was very short-lived, and the rise turned out to be so rapid that, unlike the biographies of many other composers, Stravinsky’s first creative period, which opens with “The Firebird,” was a period of maturity. Thus, the “Russian” stage appears in all the splendor of its achievements as a period of mature mastery.

Stravinsky's first major work, the Piano Sonata, dates back to 1904. His music was first performed on December 27, 1907 at one of the “Evenings of Contemporary Music” concerts in the modest hall of the St. Petersburg Music School. Singer E.F. Petrenko performed “Pastoral” and “The Rite of Spring”. These songs were written by him shortly before. Other premieres soon followed.

Fame came to him unexpectedly at the age of 28 with the screening of “The Firebird” in Paris in 1910 and was consolidated there three years later with the unprecedentedly scandalous premiere of “The Rite of Spring.” Glory clung to his name and never left.

The Russian fairy tale about Tsarevich Ivan, who freed the beautiful princess from Kashchei’s spell, is embodied in the music of “The Firebird.” The world of the Russian fair with its mischievous dances, booths, street organ music and harmonica was vividly reflected in “Petrushka”; Against the backdrop of the festive revelry of the crowd, the tragic turmoil of the puppet hero Petrushka, deceived by the flighty Ballerina, is presented. The impression of a deafening explosion was made by the music of “The Rite of Spring” - a ballet that paints pictures of pagan Rus'. “The Rite of Spring” marked the beginning of a new stage in the history of world music. In an effort to convey the “barbaric” spirit of distant antiquity, the author used unheard-of daring harmonies, spontaneous rhythms, and exuberant orchestral colors. A number of his compositions use unusual rhythms and original instrumental effects.

After the Paris premiere of The Firebird in 1910, Stravinsky became close to Debussy. They were friends for nine years, until the Frenchman's death. At first, Debussy saw Stravinsky as a composer similar in style. But the sudden evolution of Stravinsky puzzled Debussy: with a mixed feeling of approval and bewilderment, he reacted to “The Rite of Spring” - his young friend in this epoch-making work broke with impressionism and overcame it.

Stravinsky comes into fashion; he visits high-society Parisian salons associated with once famous names. This is Countess Edmoie de Polignac, the daughter of the richest sewing machine manufacturer Singer, in whose salon works commissioned by her not only by Stravinsky, but also by Fauré, Ravel, Satie, de Falla, and Poulenc are performed for the first time. This includes Gabrielle Chanel, the owner of an aristocratic fashion studio, one of Diaghilev’s most generous patrons; Stravinsky also receives orders from the actress and dancer Ida Rubinstein, from Elizabeth Sprague Coolidge, a philanthropist from the USA, etc.

He establishes close relationships with representatives of other types of art, with philosophers, physicists, and theologians. Major government figures also meet with him. And the endless interviews in which, as Stravinsky noted, “words, thoughts and even the very facts were distorted beyond recognition” and which he nevertheless willingly gave, striking the interviewers with his resourcefulness, wit, and paradoxical judgments - did any of the composers of the 20th century century received such attention?

The second period of the composer's work occurred in the years after the First World War, when he lived permanently in Paris and in 1934 took French citizenship. He was united by both spiritual and creative kinship with his new environment. Thus, he became a brilliant representative of the international avant-garde in music. The new stylistic period of his work, the most fruitful in terms of the number of works (about 45 works), can be characterized as a return to the style of past times (from antiquity to classicism). This is the so-called “neoclassicism”.

A new turning point in the composer’s work marks “Pulcinella” - a ballet with singing (1919-1920). This did not happen by chance, it was not a whim of the creator: the war ended, the period of murders and inhuman destruction ended, and Stravinsky had a need to refresh his palette. Joyful, sunny light radiates from the music of “Pulcinella”; The Octet (1922-1923) was noted for its cheerful, vital character; the comic opera “The Mavra” (1921 - 1922) is illuminated with a smile. And later works - “Apollo” (1927-1928) and “The Fairy’s Kiss” (1928) will cast light on Stravinsky’s work of the next decade; echoes of the trends embedded in them will be felt in the forties.

In total, the composer wrote eight orchestral scores for the ballet theater: “The Firebird”, “Petrushka”, “The Rite of Spring”, “Apollo Musagete”, “The Fairy’s Kiss”, “The Game of Cards”, “Orpheus”, “Agon”. He also created three ballet works with singing: “Fairy Tale”, “Pulcinella”, “Wedding”.

It is difficult to dispute the significance of Stravinsky's innovative music in the development of 20th-century choreography. Nevertheless, the stage fate of his ballets - either due to the conservative tastes of theater audiences, or due to the lack of ingenuity of the directors - was not as happy as one might have expected, and Stravinsky’s music was sometimes noted for greater recognition not in the theater, and on the concert stage. Vivid examples of this are “The Rite of Spring” and “The Wedding”.

A protracted crisis began for the composer in the mid-1930s. A most severe tornado sweeps over humanity, causing countless casualties; it subsides only in 1945. This tornado also touched Stravinsky with its merciless wing, forcing him to emigrate from France to the USA. And before that, in 1938-1939, he would bury his wife, mother, daughter, and a mortal danger loomed over him (an acute outbreak of tuberculosis, his wife and daughter died from the same disease). Having lost his relatives, torn away from his usual environment, from friends and loved ones, on the threshold of his 60th birthday, he will rebuild his life (together with his new wife) in cultural and social conditions that will remain alien to him until the end of his days. Confusion can be felt in his actions, in his involuntary concessions to “American taste.”

In 1945, after the war he experienced on the American continent, Stravinsky became a US citizen. After 30 years of creativity in the neoclassical style, the composer again makes a turn, this time focusing on the serial technique that is being developed in Europe by the new Viennese school, mainly Anton Webern.

Without exaggeration, it can be said that not a single foreign composer of the 20th century was as educated as Stravinsky. Philosophy and religion, aesthetics and psychology, mathematics and art history - everything was in his field of vision; showing rare awareness, he wanted to understand everything as a specialist who had his own view on the issue raised, his own attitude to the subject being treated. Stravinsky, a voracious reader, did not part with the book until his very old age. His library in Los Angeles consisted of about 10 thousand volumes.

He was very active in communication and correspondence. Stravinsky was impatiently fast both in walking - until his left leg weakened after a blow in 1956 - and in reacting to his interlocutor's remarks.

But the main thing was work: he was a great worker, did not give himself rest and, if necessary, could study for 18 hours without stopping. Robert Kraft testified in 1957 that he was working then - that is, at the age of 75! - 10 hours a day: before lunch 4-5 hours on composing music and after lunch 5-6 hours on orchestration or arrangement.

Three works are the main ones in Stravinsky's work of the last fifteen years. These are “Sacred Hymns” (1955-1956), “Lamentations of the Prophet Jeremiah” (1957-1958), “Funeral Hymns” (1965-1966).

Stravinsky's highest achievement is Requiem ("Funeral Hymns"). At 84, Stravinsky created a work of true artistic insight. Musical speech became clearer and at the same time figurative, emotionally contrasting. The Requiem is Stravinsky's final work, and not only because it is his last major work, but also because it absorbed, synthesized, and generalized much of the composer's previous artistic experience.

In 1969, his health deteriorated sharply. However, the heart continued to beat, prolonging the fading life.

1. spy passions

In Rome during the First World War, Stravinsky met Pablo Picasso. He painted a portrait of his new acquaintance, albeit a very original one (Picasso was a futurist at that time).
When the composer left Italy, taking the portrait with him, Italian customs officers at the border showed vigilance:
- What is it with you, sir, these circles and lines?
- My portrait by Picasso.
The customs officers deliberated for a long time, and then confiscated the portrait, apparently deciding that it was a plan for some strategic structure...

2. Barcelona's favorite opera

Joyfully meeting the famous maestro at the train station in Barcelona, music lovers said to Stravinsky:
- Barcelona is looking forward to seeing you - they really love your “Prince Igor” here!..
“They were so sincerely happy with me and so delighted with this opera,” Stravinsky said in his poem, “that I didn’t have the courage to disappoint them, I never admitted that it was not me, but Borodin who composed “Prince Igor” ...

3. mystery shopper

The first edition of the score of one of Stravinsky's early ballets was auctioned off in London. There were many who wanted to buy this rare item, but one of those present - some old gray-haired gentleman - kept raising the price. In the end, he actually got the score - for three thousand pounds sterling.
Reporters surrounded the buyer.
- Who are you and why did you decide to buy the score at any cost?
“Igor Stravinsky,” he introduced himself to journalists and added with a smile:
-I never imagined that for my own score I would have to pay twice as much as I once received for the entire ballet in my youth!

4. how do you do it?

One day a journalist asked Stravinsky:
- Maestro, how do you compose music? What are you thinking about at this time?
- Forgive me, madam, but I probably succeed only because when I compose music, I think only about it and nothing else...

5. conservative

At a reception given in Stockholm in honor of Stravinsky, the composer was asked what he thought about jazz.
“The same as twenty years ago,” he answered.
- How did you feel about jazz twenty years ago?
-I don’t remember this.

6. I don’t understand this

While passing through New York, Stravinsky took a taxi and was surprised to read his name on the sign.
-Are you a relative of the composer? - he asked the driver.
- Is there a composer with such a surname? - the driver was surprised. - Hear it for the first time. However, Stravinsky is the name of the taxi owner. I have nothing to do with music - my last name is Rossini...

7. kind critic

Knowing about the excessive softness of artistic assessments of the famous critic Vladimir Stasov, Stravinsky once said:
- He didn’t even speak badly about the weather...

Igor Stravinsky is a great Russian composer, performer and conductor, a prominent representative of modernism in music. He is rightfully considered one of the most significant figures in world art of the 20th century.

Childhood and youth

In 1882, Igor Stravinsky was born near St. Petersburg. His parents had a direct connection to music - his father Fedor was a soloist at the Mariinsky Theater and was an Honored Artist of the Russian Empire, his mother Anna was a pianist and accompanied her husband. Igor grew up among an endless stream of guests, including writers, artists, and musicians. The boy's father was friendly with.

The future genius sat down at the piano for the first time at the age of 9. After graduating from high school, Igor’s parents enrolled him in the University of St. Petersburg, where the young man studied to become a lawyer. Stravinsky studied music on his own, then began taking private lessons from.

Igor owes his acquaintance to his son Vladimir, who also studied law. Rimsky-Korsakov was impressed by Stravinsky’s talents and advised him not to enter the conservatory, since the young man had enough knowledge. The mentor mainly taught Igor orchestration skills and corrected his works. Through his influence, he ensured that his student's music was performed.

Music

In 1908, two works by Stravinsky - “The Faun and the Shepherdess” and “Symphony in E-flat Major” - were performed by the court orchestra. The following year, he attended a performance of his orchestral scherzo: he was so amazed by the talent of the young composer that he immediately met him and ordered several arrangements for the Russian ballet in Paris. A year later, Diaghilev again turned to Stravinsky, ordering musical accompaniment for the new ballet “The Firebird”.

The premiere took place in the summer of 1910: the incredible success instantly turned Stravinsky into the most gifted representative of the new generation of musical authors. “Firebird” was the beginning of fruitful collaboration between Igor and Diaghilev’s troupe. The very next season opens with the ballet “Petrushka”, with Stravinsky’s score and the magnificent Vaslav Nijinsky in the title role.

Inspired by success, the composer decided to write a kind of symphonic ritual, which in 1913 caused a lot of noise in the Paris theater. This work was “The Rite of Spring”. During the premiere, the audience was divided into two camps: some were outraged by the controversial dance and bold music, while others welcomed the original production. Witnesses said that the dancers could not hear the orchestra - there was such a strong roar in the hall.

Vaslav Nijinsky in Stravinsky's ballet "Petrushka"

From that day on, Stravinsky was called the composer of that very “Rite of Spring” and a destructive modernist. Igor leaves his hometown and, together with his wife and children, settles in France in 1910.

However, the First World War brought the Russian Seasons in Paris to naught, and the generous fees ended. In 1914, the Stravinsky couple found themselves in Switzerland with virtually no means of subsistence. In those days, he often turned to Russian folk motifs and fairy tales.

By this time, the music that Stravinsky wrote became more ascetic, restrained, but incredibly rhythmic. In 1914, he began work on the ballet Les Noces, which was completed only in 1923. It was based on rural Russian songs that were performed at weddings and weddings. In 1920, the last masterpiece work, “Symphony for Winds,” was written in the Russian style.

Afterwards, the national flavor disappeared from his work, and he began to work in the style of neoclassicism. The composer then interprets early European music and other interesting historical styles. Since 1924, Igor Stravinsky stopped writing and performed as a pianist and conductor. After the end of World War II, his concerts became especially popular.

At the same time, “Russian Seasons” resumed, but at a modest level. The last ballet that Diaghilev and Stravinsky created was Apollo Musagete, which premiered in 1928. A year later, Diaghilev died and the troupe disbanded.

1926 was a turning point in Stravinsky’s fate; he experienced a spiritual transformation, which, of course, had an impact on his work. Religious motifs appear in his Oedipus the King and in the cantata Symphony of Psalms. The librettos for these works are created in Latin. In 1939 he was invited to Harvard University in America, where he gave a series of lectures on “Musical Poetics.”

In the fifties, an avant-garde appeared in Europe, which rejected Stravinsky’s beloved neoclassicism, and Stravinsky experienced a musical crisis. The great depression that Igor was in ended with several experimental works: “Cantata”, “In Memory of Dylan Thomas”.

He continued to work, despite the stroke, until 1966, his last work being “Requiem”. This incredibly delicate work, written by the composer at the age of 84, became evidence of Stravinsky’s great talent and inexhaustible energy.

Personal life

Igor Stravinsky tied the knot in 1906 with his cousin Ekaterina Nosenko. The great love of the young couple was not stopped by the presence of their own blood; 4 children were born in the marriage: boys Svyatoslav and Fedor and girls Lyudmila and Milena. The sons became outstanding cultural figures: Svyatoslav - a virtuoso composer and pianist, Fedor - an artist. The biography of Lyudmila Stravinskaya is interesting because she became the wife of the poet Yuri Mandelstam.

Catherine suffered from consumption, so the family went to Switzerland for the winter - the damp air of St. Petersburg did not allow the woman to breathe. In 1914, the Stravinsky couple were unable to return from Switzerland to Russia in the spring because of the outbreak of the First World War, and then because of the revolution. The property and money that remained in their hometown were taken away from the family.

Igor took this disaster to heart: in addition to Catherine and the children, he supported his mother, his sister and nephews. In Russia, during the months of the revolution, chaos was happening in all spheres, and the composer was no longer paid royalties for the performance of his works due to his emigration. In order to somehow support his family, Stravinsky had to release new editions of his works.

Legends and rumors did not bypass Igor’s personal life: he is credited with a love relationship with. She lent a helping hand to Stravinsky at a time when he was completely left without money. For two years, Igor and his family lived in Mademoiselle’s villa; she sponsored his performances, fed and clothed the family.

When Stravinsky’s financial condition improved and he left the house of Chanel, she sent him money every month for another 13 years - this unusual fact became the basis for the legend about the romance between the French designer and the Russian composer. In 2009, the feature film “Coco Chanel and Igor Stravinsky” was released, dedicated to this relationship.

In 1939, Ekaterina Stravinskaya died, and a year later, having moved to America, the musician married Vera Sudeikina, a silent film actress, for the second time. Vera and Igor lived together for 50 years, trying not to be separated for a minute. In 1962, the married couple visited their native country - Moscow and Leningrad, the meeting was shown on television.

Death

The composer died on April 6, 1971, the cause of death being heart failure. His wife Vera Arturovna buried him in Venice, in the Russian part of the San Michele cemetery, not far from Diaghilev’s grave. After 11 years, the wife will be buried next to her husband.

The name of Stravinsky has been immortalized several times: it is borne by a music school in Oranienbaum, a tourist ship and an Aeroflot airline aircraft. In honor of Stravinsky, an international music festival is held every year in Ukraine.

Discography

1906 – “The Faun and the Shepherdess”
1908 – “Fantastic Scherzo”
1910 – ballet “Firebird”
1911 – Ballet “Petrushka”
1913 – “The Sacred Spring, paintings of pagan Rus' in 2 parts”
1914 – fairy tale “The Nightingale”
1918 – fairy tale “The Story of a Soldier”
1920 – ballet “Pulcinella”
1922 – opera “Mavra”
1923 – choreographic scenes “The Wedding”
1927 – opera “Oedipus the King”
1928 – ballet “Apollo Musagete”
1930 – “Symphony of Psalms”
1931 – “Violin Concerto in D major”
1942 – “Concert Dances”
1954 – “4 Russian songs”
1963 – “Abraham and Isaac”
1966 – “Funeral Hymns”

Igor Stravinsky, whose biography is presented in this article, is an outstanding Russian composer, pianist and conductor. He is a representative of musical modernism. Igor Fedorovich is one of the largest representatives of world art.

Biography

In 1882, on June 17, Igor Stravinsky was born. A brief biography of the composer’s parents gives an idea of where the boy’s passion for music comes from. His father, Fyodor Ignatievich, was an opera singer, soloist of the Mariinsky Theater, Honored Artist of Russia. Mother Anna Kirillovna was a pianist. She took part in her husband's concerts as an accompanist. The family hosted artists, musicians and writers in their home. F. M. Dostoevsky was a frequent guest of the Stravinskys. Igor Stravinsky was also involved in music from childhood. A photo of the composer’s parents is presented in this article.

At the age of 9, the future composer began taking piano lessons. When Igor Fedorovich graduated from high school, his parents insisted that he receive a legal education. The future composer studied at St. Petersburg University and, at the same time, independently studied musical theoretical disciplines. His only composing school was private lessons, which Igor Fedorovich took from Nikolai Andreevich Rimsky-Korsakov. Under the guidance of this great man, I. Stravinsky wrote his first works. In 1914, Igor Fedorovich left with his family for Switzerland. Soon the First World War began, because of which the Stravinskys did not return to Russia. A year later, the composer moved to France. Since 1936, Igor Fedorovich began traveling to the USA on tour. After World War II began, he moved permanently to America. In 1944, I. Stravinsky made an unusual arrangement of the US anthem and performed the work at a concert. For this he was arrested. He was due a fine for distorting the anthem. The composer himself preferred not to advertise what happened and always said that in reality nothing like that happened. In 1945, the composer received American citizenship. Igor Fedorovich died in 1971. The cause of death was heart failure. The composer was buried in the Russian part of the San Michele cemetery in Venice.

Creative path

As mentioned above, under the guidance of Nikolai Andreevich Rimsky-Korsakov, Igor Stravinsky wrote his very first works. The composer presented them to the public, and he was present at one of these performances. He highly appreciated the music of Igor Stravinsky. Soon the famous impresario offered Igor Fedorovich cooperation. He commissioned him to write music for the ballet for his Russian Seasons in Paris. I. Stravinsky collaborated with S. Diaghilev for three years and during this time he wrote three ballets for his troupe, which made him famous: “The Rite of Spring,” “Petrushka” and “The Firebird.” In 1924, Igor Fedorovich made his debut as a pianist. His own work - Concerto for Piano and Brass Band - was performed on stage by Igor Stravinsky. The conductor showed up in him even before that. He acted in this capacity from 1915 to 1926. He mainly conducted performances of his own works. He was very demanding of musicians. In the 50-60s, audio recordings of most of his compositions were made. In 1962, I. Stravinsky came on tour to the USSR.

Personal life

In 1906, the composer married his cousin, Ekaterina Nosenko. It was a marriage of great love. The Stravinsky couple had four children: Milena, Lyudmila, Svyatoslav and Fedor. The sons became famous artists. Fedor is an artist, and Svyatoslav is a pianist and composer. Daughter Lyudmila was the wife of the poet Yuri Mandelstam. Due to the fact that Catherine suffered from consumption, the Stravinskys went to Switzerland for the winter, and the damp air of St. Petersburg had a detrimental effect on her health. In 1914, Igor Fedorovich and his family had to stay in Switzerland for a long time; they could not return to Russia due to the outbreak of the First World War, which was followed by the revolution. The family lost all their property and money that remained in Russia. Igor Stravinsky perceived this fact as a catastrophe. The composer's family was quite large, and they all needed to be fed. In addition to his wife and four children, there was also a sister, nephews and mother. During this period, I. Stravinsky stopped receiving royalties for the performance of his works in Russia. This happened because he emigrated. All of his works published in our country were allowed to be performed without paying money to the author. To improve his financial situation, Igor Stravinsky made new editions of his works. The composer's personal life was not without legends. He was credited with an affair with Coco Chanel. When I. Stravinsky had almost no means of subsistence, Mademoiselle helped him. She invited the composer and his family to live in her villa. Igor Fedorovich lived with him for two years. She sponsored the organization of concerts by I. Stravinsky and supported his family. When the composer no longer lived in her villa, Coco sent him money every month for another 13 years. All this gave rise to rumors about their romance. Besides, Coco was a loving woman. But it is unlikely that these rumors were true. I. Stravinsky was only interested in the Frenchwoman’s money.

In 1939, Igor Fedorovich’s wife died. After some time, I. Stravinsky married again. His second wife was an old friend of the composer, Vera Arturovna Sudeikina.

Russian period in creativity

Igor Stravinsky, whose photographs are presented in this article, at the first stage of his career - this is 1908-1923 - wrote mainly ballets and operas. This period of his creative path is called “Russian”. All the works he wrote at this time have much in common. All contain motifs and themes of Russian folklore. In the ballet “The Firebird” the stylistic features inherent in the works of N. A. Rimsky-Korsakov are clearly visible.

Neoclassical period in creativity

This is the next stage in the development of the composer’s creative path. It lasted until 1954. It began with the opera “The Mavra”. The basis of this period was the rethinking of styles and trends in music of the 18th century. At the end of this period, in the development of his creativity, the composer turns to antiquity, to the mythology of Ancient Greece. The ballet "Orpheus" and the opera "Persephone" were written. The last work of I. Stravinsky related to neoclassicism is “The Rake’s Progress.” This is an opera based on W. Hogarth's sketches.

Serial period in creativity

In the 50s, Igor Stravinsky began to use the serial principle. The transitional work of this period was the Cantata, written to poems by unknown English poets. It shows total polyphonization in music. Subsequent works of this time were completely serial, in them the composer abandoned tonality completely. “The Lamentations of the Prophet Jeremiah” is a completely dodecaphonic composition.

Works for musical theater

List of operas, ballets, fairy tales and scenes written by composer Igor Stravinsky:

“Les Noces” (libretto by Igor Stravinsky).
"Ballet Scenes"
"Petrushka" (libretto
"Agon."
“Playing Cards” (libretto by Igor Stravinsky).
"Apollo Musagete".
“The Firebird” (libretto by M. Fokin).
"Persephone."
"The Fairy's Kiss" (libretto by Igor Stravinsky).
"Pulcinella".
“Mavra” (libretto by B. Kokhno based on the poem by Alexander Sergeevich Pushkin).
"Flood".
“A Tale about a Fox, a Rooster, a Cat and a Ram” (libretto by Igor Stravinsky).
"Orpheus".
“The Story of a Soldier” (libretto by C. F. Ramu, based on Russian fairy tales).
"Sacred spring".
“The Rake's Progress” (libretto by C. Collman and W. Auden based on the paintings of W. Hogarth).
"Oedipus the King"
“The Nightingale” (libretto by S. Mitusov based on the fairy tale by H. H. Andersen).

List of works for orchestra

"Funeral Song".
Symphony in C.
Scherzo in Russian style.
"Concert Dances"
Congratulatory prelude.
Symphony in Es major.
Dumbarton Oaks.
Concerto for violin and orchestra in D major.
"Fireworks".
"Circus polka for a young elephant."
Divertissement.
“The Firebird” is a suite from the ballet.
Capriccio for piano and orchestra.
"The Four Norwegian Moods."
Basel concert.
Fantastic scherzo.
Suite from the ballet “Pulcinella”.
Variations dedicated to the memory of Aldous Huxley.
Concerto for piano, brass band, timpani and double basses.
"Movements" for piano and orchestra.
Symphony in three movements.

For choir

Igor Stravinsky wrote many choral works. Among them:

"Introit of memory."
"Symphony of Psalms" (for choir and orchestra).
"Lamentation of the Prophet Jeremiah."
Cantata “Sermon, Parable and Prayer” (for alto, tenor, reader, choir, and orchestra).
“Creed” (work for choir without musical accompaniment).
Cantata based on the poems of K. Balmont “Star-faced”.
“Our Father” (for choir without musical accompaniment).
"Funeral chants."
“Rejoice, Virgin Mary.”
Cantata “Babylon” (for reader, male choir and orchestra).
Sacred chant in the name of St. Mark.
"Mass" (for mixed choir accompanied by an ensemble of wind instruments).
Cantata on poems by anonymous English poets of the 15th-16th centuries.
"Podblyudnye" - Russian peasant songs for women's choir.
Hymn to the poems of T. Eliot.

List of chamber works

Ebony concert.
Elegy for viola.
Three pieces for clarinet.
“The Story of a Soldier” is a suite from an opera for violin, clarinet and piano.
Symphony for wind instruments, dedicated to C. Debussy.
Concert duet.
Three pieces for string quartet.
Epitaph to the tombstone of M. Egon.
Prelude for jazz band.
Concertino for string quartet.
Ragtime.
Double canon in memory of R. Dufy.
Fanfare for two trumpets.
Septet for strings, winds and piano.
Lullaby for two recorders.
Octet for winds.

In memory of the composer

The music school, which is located in Oranienbaum, bears the name of Igor Stravinsky. Postage stamps and coins were issued in honor of the composer. In the French city of Montreux there is a music auditorium named after Igor Stravinsky. There is a crater on the planet Mercury named after him. The name “Igor Stravinsky” is borne by a tourist ship and an Aeroflot A-319 aircraft. The following are named in honor of the great Russian composer: a street in Amsterdam, a fountain in Paris, an alley in Lausanne, a square in Oranienbaum. In Ukraine (Volyn), a museum of Igor Stravinsky has been opened. And also there, since 1994, an international music festival named after this composer, conductor and pianist has been held.

Russian composer

Igor Stravinsky

short biography

Igor Fedorovich Stravinsky(June 17, 1882, Oranienbaum, Russian Empire - April 6, 1971, New York; buried in Venice) - Russian composer. Citizen of France (1934) and USA (1945). One of the largest representatives of world musical culture of the 20th century. Stravinsky's music is distinguished by stylistic diversity: in the first period of his creativity (his most repertoire works) it bears a vivid imprint of the Russian cultural tradition. The style of later works reveals, among other things, the influence of French neoclassicism and the dodecaphony of the New Viennese School.

Igor Stravinsky was born in 1882 on Swiss Street in Oranienbaum, near St. Petersburg. His father, Fyodor Ignatievich Stravinsky, is an opera singer and soloist of the Mariinsky Theater. His mother, pianist and singer Anna Kirillovna Kholodovskaya (08/11/1854 - 06/7/1939), was a permanent accompanist at her husband’s concerts. Musicians, artists, and writers were received at the Stravinsky house in St. Petersburg, among whom was F. M. Dostoevsky.

From the age of nine, Stravinsky took private piano lessons; at the age of 19, after graduating from the Gurevich gymnasium, at the insistence of his parents, he entered the Faculty of Law of St. Petersburg University, at the same time beginning to independently study musical theoretical disciplines.

From 1904 to 1906, Igor Stravinsky took private lessons from N.A. Rimsky-Korsakov, who offered Stravinsky lessons twice a week, in parallel with his lessons from V.P. Kalafati.

Young Igor Stravinsky. (1910)

In 1906, Stravinsky married Ekaterina Gavrilovna Nosenko, his cousin. In 1907, their first son, artist Fyodor Stravinsky, was born, and in 1910, their second son, composer and pianist Svyatoslav Sulima-Stravinsky. In the 1900-1910s, the Stravinsky family lived for a long time on their estate, on the Ustilug estate in the Volyn province (currently there is a memorial museum for I. F. Stravinsky).

Under the leadership of Rimsky-Korsakov, the first works were written - a scherzo and sonata for piano, a suite for voice and orchestra “Faun and Shepherdess”, etc. Sergei Diaghilev was present at the premiere of the latter, who highly appreciated the talent of the young composer. After some time, Diaghilev invited him to write a ballet for production at the Russian Seasons in Paris. During his three years of collaboration with Diaghilev's troupe, Stravinsky wrote three ballets that brought him world fame - The Firebird (1910), Petrushka (1911) and The Rite of Spring (1913). During these years (mainly in connection with Diaghilev's productions) Stravinsky traveled to Paris several times.

At the beginning of 1914, on the eve of the First World War, he and his family went to Switzerland. Because of the outbreak of war, the Stravinskys did not return to Russia. Since the spring of 1915, the composer lived with his family in Morges near Lausanne, and from 1920 - mainly in Paris.

Among the works of this time are the opera “The Nightingale” based on the fairy tale of the same name by Andersen (1914) and “The Story of a Soldier” (1918). The rapprochement between Stravinsky and the French “Six” dates back to the same time.

Back in 1913, Stravinsky met the composer Erik Satie, whom he described as “the strangest man he ever knew,” but at the same time called him “the most wonderful” and “consistently witty.” According to the researcher of Satie's work Y. Khanon, some of Satie's works, especially the ballet “Parade” (1917) and the symphonic drama “Socrates” (1918), significantly influenced the work of Stravinsky. According to G. Filenko, the special turn in the solution of the ancient theme, the archaization of musical language and fundamentally new methods of musical construction in “Socrates” turned out to be fruitful for other composers and anticipated the coming neoclassicism of Honegger’s “Antigone” (1924) by almost ten years, as well as “ Apollo Musageta" and "Oedipus Rex" by Stravinsky (1929-1930), having previously outlined all the main features of the new style.

Stravinsky himself spoke skeptically and reservedly about Satie’s “Socrates,” as well as about the professional merits of its author:

I don’t think he knew the instrumentation very well and I prefer “Socrates” in the form in which he played it for me [on the piano], to the awkward orchestral score. I have always considered Satie's writings to be limited to "literary". Their titles are literary, but while the titles of Klee’s paintings, also taken from literature, do not hamper his painting, with Satie, it seems to me, this happens, and upon repeated listening to his works they lose a large share of interest. The trouble with “Socrates” is that he gets bored with his meter alone. Who can bear this monotony? And yet the music of Socrates' death is touching and noble in its own way.
Stravinsky. Dialogues

“Since the Six felt free from their doctrine and were filled with enthusiastic reverence for those against whom they presented themselves as aesthetic opponents, they did not form any group. “The Rite of Spring” grew like a powerful tree, pushing aside our bushes, and we were about to admit ourselves defeated, when suddenly Stravinsky soon I joined myself to our circle of techniques, and inexplicably the influence of Erik Satie was even felt in his works.”
Jean Cocteau, "for the anniversary concert of the Six in 1953"

After the end of the war, Stravinsky decided not to return to Russia and after some time moved to France. In 1919, the composer commissioned Diaghilev to write the ballet Pulcinella, which was staged a year later.

In 1922, the composer's mother, Anna Kholodovskaya, left Russia and lived in her son's house in Paris. She died in 1939 and was buried in the Sainte-Genevieve-des-Bois cemetery. Igor Stravinsky dedicated the song “Forget-me-not flower” from “Two poems by K. Balmont for voice and piano” to her.

Stravinsky lived in France until 1940. Here were the premieres of his opera “The Mavra” (1922), the dance cantata (ballet with singing) “Les Noces” (1923) - the final work of the Russian period, as well as the opera-oratorio “Oedipus Rex” (1927), which marked the beginning of a new period in the work of the composer, which is usually called “neoclassical”.

In 1924, Stravinsky made his debut as a pianist: he performed his own concerto for piano and brass band under the baton of Sergei Koussevitzky. Stravinsky has been performing as a conductor since 1915. The year 1926 was marked by the composer’s first turn to sacred music - “Our Father” for a capella choir. In 1928, new ballets appeared - "Apollo Musagete" and "The Fairy's Kiss", and two years later - "Symphony of Psalms" based on (Latin) texts of the Psalter.

In the early 1930s, Stravinsky turned to the concerto genre - he created a concerto for violin and orchestra and a concerto for two pianos. In 1933-1934, by order of Ida Rubinstein, together with Andre Gide, Stravinsky wrote the melodrama “Persephone”. Then he finally decides to accept French citizenship (obtained in 1934) and writes an autobiographical book, “Chronicle of My Life.”

Stravinsky later recalled the Paris years as the most unhappy time of his life. His eldest daughter Lyudmila died in 1938, his wife died in 1939 (buried in Paris at the Sainte-Genevieve-des-Bois cemetery) and his mother. On March 9, 1940, Stravinsky married again - to Vera Sudeikina, whom he had known since 1922.

Since 1936, Stravinsky periodically went on tour to the United States, during which his creative ties with this country strengthened. In 1937, the ballet “The Game of Cards” was staged at the New York Metropolitan Opera Theater, and a year later the concert “Dumbarton Oaks” was performed. Stravinsky was invited to give a course of lectures at Harvard University. In connection with the outbreak of the war, Stravinsky decided to move to the USA. He first settled in San Francisco and then in Los Angeles. In 1945, he received American citizenship. Works of this period - the opera "The Rake's Progress" (1951), which became the apotheosis of the neoclassical period, the ballets "Orpheus" (1948), Symphony in C major (1940) and Symphony in three movements (1945), Ebony Concerto for clarinet and jazz orchestra (1946).

In January 1944, in connection with the performance of an unusual arrangement of the US anthem in Boston, local police arrested Stravinsky and warned him that there was a fine for distorting the anthem. A certain photograph dated April 15, 1940 (!), which was taken at the police station, has survived. The man depicted on it looks like Stravinsky. The composer himself denied this story.

From the early 1950s, Stravinsky began to systematically use the serial principle. The transitional work was the Cantata based on poems by English anonymous poets, which outlined the trend of total polyphonization of music. The first serial composition was the Septet (1953). The serial composition in which Stravinsky completely abandoned tonality was “Threni” (Lamentation of the Prophet Jeremiah, 1958). A work in which the serial principle is absolute is the Movements for piano and orchestra (1959) and Aldous Huxley's Memory Variations for orchestra.

The culmination of Stravinsky's serial period is considered to be Requiem Canticles (Requiem) for contralto and bass solo, chorus and orchestra (1966):

“…“Funeral Hymns” completed my entire creative picture…”, “…The Requiem at my age touches too much of a nerve…”, “…I am composing a masterpiece of my last years” - Stravinsky.

For decades, Stravinsky toured extensively as a conductor (mostly of his own compositions) in Europe and the USA. Distinguished by his extreme demands on compliance with the performance nuances prescribed by him (tempo, dynamics, accents, etc.), Stravinsky attached great importance to audio recordings. In the 1950s and early 1960s. managed by the author on the label Columbia Records the vast majority of his compositions were recorded. The original audio recordings of Stravinsky as conductor still serve as an important reference point for all new performing interpretations of his music.

In the fall of 1962, for the first time after a long break, he came on tour to the USSR and conducted his works in Moscow and Leningrad. His last completed work was an arrangement for chamber orchestra of two sacred songs by Hugo Wolf (1968). The orchestrations of four preludes and fugues from J. S. Bach's Well-Tempered Clavier (1968-1970) remained unfinished, and sketches of a certain composition for piano were also preserved.

Stravinsky died on April 6, 1971 from heart failure. He was buried in the San Michele cemetery in Venice (Italy), in the so-called “Russian” part, not far from the grave of Sergei Diaghilev. In 1982, his wife Vera Arturovna was buried next to Stravinsky’s grave.

Creation

Stravinsky's creative career is conventionally divided into three periods.

Russian period (1908-1923)

The first stage of Stravinsky's musical career (not counting some of his early works, which are not of significant importance in this case) dates back to the composition of the orchestral fantasy "Fireworks" and includes three ballets he created for S. Diaghilev's troupe ("Firebird", "Petrushka" " and "The Rite of Spring"). These works are characterized by a number of similar features: they are all designed for an extremely large orchestra, and they actively use Russian folklore themes and motifs. They also clearly show the development of stylistic features - from “The Firebird”, which expresses and emphasizes certain directions in the work of Rimsky-Korsakov, based on pronounced free diatonic harmonies (especially in the third act), through the polytonality characteristic of “Petrushka”, to the deliberately crude manifestations of polyrhythm and dissonance that are noticeable in The Rite of Spring.

In relation to the latter work, some authors (notably Neil Wenborn) refer to Stravinsky's intention to create a kind of "hellish" atmosphere. From this point of view, the first performance of “The Rite of Spring” in 1913 could be considered quite successful: the premiere was very stormy, to the point that Stravinsky himself in his biography characterized it as a “scandal” (French scandale). Some witnesses claimed that there were clashes in places in the hall, and the second act had to be carried out in the presence of the police. Researchers, however, pay attention to contradictions in different versions of the events.

In addition to the works listed above, this period in Stravinsky’s work includes the opera “The Nightingale” (1916) and three works for musical theater - “The Story of a Soldier” (1918), “The Tale about a Fox, a Rooster, a Cat and a Ram” (1916), “ The Wedding” (1923), each of which has (in the form of a subtitle) a unique author’s designation of the genre.

"Neoclassical" period (1920-1954)

The starting point for the next stage in Stravinsky’s development as a composer is considered to be the opera “The Mavra” (1921-1922), which marked the beginning of the so-called “neoclassical” period in his work. The rethinking of musical styles and trends of the 18th century became the basis for the creation of the opera Oedipus Rex (1927, with a Latin text), the ballet Apollo Musagete (1928) and the concerto for chamber orchestra in E-flat major Dumbarton Oaks (1937-1938 ). Also within the framework of this period are three symphonies: “Symphony of Psalms” (1930, in which there is nothing “neoclassical”), Symphony in C (1940) and “Symphony in three movements” (1945).

The study of themes related to antiquity and, in particular, ancient Greek mythology, inspired Stravinsky to return to the style of classicism, which manifested itself, in particular, in the melodrama Persephone (1933) and the ballet Orpheus (1947). In 1951, the composer created the last work of the neoclassical period, the opera The Rake's Progress. The libretto for it, based on sketches by William Hogarth, was written by Wistan Auden. The premiere performance took place in Venice the same year; the opera was subsequently staged in Europe, and then in the USA (Metropolitan Opera, 1953). Later, in 1962, the work was presented as part of a festival organized to commemorate Stravinsky's 80th birthday. In 1997, the opera returned to the stage of the Metropolitan Opera (New York).

Late period (1953-1968)

In the 1950s, the composer began to use serial techniques in his compositions. Moreover, unlike the newcomers (Schoenberg, Webern and Berg), at first he treated the series very freely, wrote short series (did not use all 12 tones), allowed repetition of tones, combined sounds of different pitches into “pseudo-triads”, did not extend the series to the entire composition, arranging only individual parts using serial technique.

The first experiments with serial techniques can be traced in the small compositions of 1952-1953 “Cantata”, “Septet” and “Three Songs from William Shakespeare”. In "Canticum sacrum", created in 1955, one of the five parts ( Surge Aquilo) is completely dodecaphonic. Subsequently, the composer used the serial technique in his works “Agon” (1957), “The Lamentation of the Prophet Jeremiah” (1958), “Sermon, Parable and Prayer” (1961, the last two are based on biblical texts and motifs), as well as in the mystery “The Flood” "(1962), which is a synthesis of excerpts from the Book of Genesis with medieval English mysteries; "The Flood" also uses the text of the Catholic hymn Te Deum.

Style

Arrangements, adaptations

Throughout his life, Stravinsky constantly revised his own and other people's compositions (author's compositions, Orthodox music, folk songs). Most often, Stravinsky's arrangement was an arrangement of his own early work for a different (compared to the original) instrument or set of instruments (for example, many vocal works of the Russian period, written for voice and piano, were later arranged for voice with an ensemble of instruments). In some cases, the processing was accompanied by a reworking of the original music (reduction, variation, less often expansion, updating of harmonization); in such cases they speak of an “edition” (two editions of the piano Tango - for violin and piano and for violin and instrumental ensemble). An example is the music for the ballet “Petrushka,” to which the composer returned more than once. The work was completed in 1911 (the so-called “first edition”, or “original edition”) and was subsequently subjected to various revisions: in 1921 (arrangement of three numbers for piano), in 1932 (arrangement of “Russian Dance” for violin and piano), in 1947 (second edition of the ballet, re-orchestration), in 1947 (suite from the ballet for symphony orchestra), in 1965 (third edition of the ballet). Some of Stravinsky's arrangements are strikingly paradoxical. Thus, the composer in 1949 replaced the canonical Orthodox texts (in Church Slavonic) in the small choral works “Our Father” (1926), “Creed” (1932) and “Hail to the Virgin Mary” (1932) with canonical Catholic texts (in Latin; respectively Pater noster, Credo and Ave Maria), without the slightest change in the (completely Russian in style) music.

Stravinsky processed the works of other composers and folk music within the same very flexible boundaries - from “simple” instrumentation (spiritual songs by Hugo Wolf, madrigals by Carlo Gesualdo, Russian folk song “Dubinushka”) to a full-scale author’s reinterpretation (“Pulcinella” to the music of J.B. Pergolesi).

Ranks

Member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Music (1951)

Essays

Literary works

(with
(co-authored with P.P. Suvchinsky) Musical poetics (French Poétique musicale. Cambridge, MA, 1942; English translation under the title Poetics of Music, 1947; Russian translation: Moscow, 2004).
(literary adaptation by R. Craft) Dialogues (English: Dialogues and a Diary. New York, 1968; Russian translation: Leningrad, 1971).
Chronicle. Poetics // Compilation, comments, translation, indexes, final article by S.I. Savenko. M.: ROSSPEN, 2004. 368 p.

Family

Brother - Roman (1874 - May 1897).
Brother - Yuri (1878 - May 1941), architect.
Brother - Gury (August 12 (July 30) 1884 - April 1917), artist of the Mariinsky Theater, bass-baritone, died of typhus and peritonitis in Iasi on the Southern Front of the First World War, buried in his father's grave.
The poet Yuri Mandelstam was married to the daughter of I. F. Stravinsky Lyudmila (1908-1938). Left an orphan, their daughter Ekaterina (Kitty) Mandelstam (1937-2002) was raised in the family of her uncle, Fyodor Igorevich Stravinsky (1907-1989).

Addresses in St. Petersburg

June 5, 1882 - 1908 - house of M. F. Nemkova - Kryukov Canal embankment, 6 (now 8), apt. 66.

Memory

Coins and postage stamps have been issued in his honor; named crater on Mercury. In Lausanne there is an alley named after him, in Amsterdam there is a street (Strawinskylaan). A music school in Oranienbaum and a music auditorium in Montreux are named in his honor. There is also a Stravinsky Fountain on the square of the same name in front of the Center Georges Pompidou in Paris, France.

› Igor Stravinsky

Stravinsky's work is distinguished by its figurative and stylistic plurality, but subordinated to its core tendency in each creative period. In the Russian period (1908-early 20s), the pinnacle works of which are the ballets “Firebird”, “Petrushka”, “The Rite of Spring”, choreographic scenes “The Wedding” (1917, final version 1923), Stravinsky showed a special interest in ancient and contemporary Russian folklore, in ritual and ceremonial images, in booths, popular prints. During these years, the principles of Stravinsky’s musical aesthetics related to the “performance theater” were formed, the basic elements of the musical language were laid: “singing” thematics, free metrhythm, ostinato, variant development, etc.

In the next, so-called neoclassical period (until the early 1950s) Russian themes were replaced by ancient mythology, biblical texts took a significant place. Stravinsky turned to various stylistic models, mastering the techniques and means of European baroque music (opera-oratorio “Oedipus Rex”, 1927), the technique of ancient polyphony (“Symphony of Psalms” for choir and orchestra, 1930), etc. These works, as well as ballet with singing “Pulcinella” (on themes by G.B. Pergolesi, 1920), ballets “The Fairy’s Kiss” (1928), “Orpheus” (1947), 2nd and 3rd symphonies. (1940, 1945), the opera “The Rake's Progress” (1951) are not so much high examples of stylization as bright original works (using various historical and stylistic models, the composer, in accordance with his individual qualities, creates works that are modern in sound).

The late period of creativity (from the mid-1950s) is characterized by the predominance of religious themes (“Sacred chants”, 1956; “Funeral chants”, 1966, etc.), strengthening the role of the vocal principle (words), free use of dodecaphonic technique (however within the framework of Stravinsky’s tonal thinking). Despite all the stylistic contrasts, Stravinsky’s work is distinguished by its unity, due to its Russian roots and the presence of stable elements manifested in works of different years. Stravinsky is one of the leading innovators of the 20th century. He was one of the first to discover new musical structural elements in folklore, assimilate some modern intonations (for example, jazz), and introduced a lot of new things into metrhythmic organization, orchestration, and interpretation of genres. Stravinsky's best works significantly enriched world culture and influenced the development of music of the 20th century.

One of the greatest composers of the 20th century, Igor Fedorovich Stravinsky left a legacy that is amazing in the breadth of his ideas, the variety of genres, and the versatility of his interests. A huge number of works were created by him over more than 65 years of creative work. Operas and ballets, symphonies and concerts, vocal and instrumental plays, unique synthetic forms...

Works in which ancient Rus' is recreated, based on a deeply original implementation national folklore, and music that is a tribute to admiration for the composers of the past... Works inspired by ancient myths and biblical texts, folk tales - and engravings of the 18th century... Works that continue the traditions of Rimsky-Korsakov, and “barbaric-Scythian”, neoclassical and dodecaphonic...

Stravinsky’s entire extremely long creative career is usually divided into three periods.

The first of them is “Russian”. It is marked by the undivided dominance of Russian themes - be it a folk tale, pagan ritual, urban everyday scenes or a Pushkin poem. It was during this period that “Parsley”, “Firebird”, “The Rite of Spring”, “The Story of a Soldier”, “The Tale of the Fox, the Rooster, the Cat and the Ram”, “The Moor”, “The Wedding” were created. The world of the Russian fair with its mischievous dances, booths, street organ music and harmonica was vividly reflected in “Petrushka”; Against the backdrop of the festive revelry of the crowd, the tragic turmoil of the puppet hero Petrushka, deceived by the flighty Ballerina, is presented. The impression of a deafening explosion was made by the music of "The Rite of Spring" - a ballet that paints pictures of pagan Rus'. "The Rite of Spring" marked the beginning of a new stage in the history of world music. In an effort to convey the “barbaric” spirit of distant antiquity, the author used unheard-of daring harmonies, spontaneous rhythms, and exuberant orchestral colors. A number of his compositions use unusual rhythms and original instrumental effects.

The second period, which began in the 1920s, is known as the “neoclassical” period. Covering more than 30 years, it is especially characterized by a variety of manners and “origins”: Stravinsky, as it were, internally reworks the music of Bach and Lully, Peprgolesi and Haydn, Mozart and Weber, Beethoven and Tchaikovsky, creating original and modern music based on their “models” - the Symphony in C major and Symphony in three movements, the ballet Apollo Musagetes and the melodrama Persephone, the Violin Concerto and the Dumbarton Oaks concert, the opera-oratorio Oedipus the King and the opera The Rake's Rape.

The third period of Stravinsky's work, which was prepared gradually, within the second, begins in the early 50s. Having visited Europe twice during 1951-1952 (at this time the composer lived permanently in America), he mastered the dodecaphonic technique. On the basis of this technique, uniquely embodied by the individuality of the great musician, his last works were created - the ballet “Agon”, the cantata “Treni”, the opera-ballet “The Deluge”, “Three Songs from William Shakespeare”, “Funeral Music” in memory of the poet Dylan Thomas and others.

Three works are the main ones in Stravinsky's work of the last fifteen years. These are "Sacred Hymns", (1955-1956), "Lamentations of the Prophet Jeremiah", (1957-1958), "Funeral Hymns" (1965-1966).

RAVEL MUSICAL THEATER (THE SPANISH HOUR, THE CHILD AND THE MAGIC)

Ravel's significance is determined by the vivid originality of his music and the exceptional perfection of his compositional skills. Ravel's music is characterized by compressed forms, clear and relaxed construction of melodic phrases, and great dynamism. Choreography and folk dance occupy a large place in Ravel's work.

His one-act ballet "Daphnis and Chloe" was an innovative work in this genre. The ballet uses the sonority of the choir (without words), the music is distinguished by a truly symphonic character, lively rhythms and bright orchestral colors. The second one-act ballet - “My Mother Goose” (based on French fairy tales, adapted from a piano suite, post. 1915, Paris) is imbued with a deeply folk style of music, and Ravel’s rich talent as a melodist was revealed in it. All of Ravel's choreographic works have been included in the symphonic repertoire of orchestras in many countries.

Ravel's first opera "The Spanish Hour" (1907, post. 1911, Paris) renews the genre of lyrical musical comedy; it is marked by subtle humor and brilliance of vocal and orchestral style. His second one-act opera, “The Child and Magic,” is called by the author “lyrical fantasy”; it brings to life the fantastic world of toys, animals, even household items - a clock, a couch, etc. The opera is covered in the poetry of childhood. At the same time, Ravel’s subtle irony also manifested itself in it.

"Natural Histories" prepared me for the composition of "The Spanish Hour", a musical comedy based on a text by M. Franck-Noen, which is nothing more than a kind of musical conversation. The main idea of this work is the revival of the opera buffe genre.

“The Child and the Magic” is a completely different plan, a lyrical fantasy in two acts, in which, however, the same goals are pursued. The melodic principle that dominates it is based on the plot, which I wanted to interpret in the spirit of the American operetta. Ms. Colette's libretto allowed for similar liberties in the musical extravaganza. Singing reigns here. The orchestra, although not devoid of virtuosity, remains in the background.

"CHILD AND MAGIC". In the opera, which the author himself called a “lyrical fantasy,” the world of toys, animals and household items comes to life. Among the characters are an old chair, a broken cup, trees, animals, birds and even... an arithmetic textbook - everything is covered in the poetry of childhood. Its hero is a six-year-old boy, punished by his mother for disobedience. He vents his dissatisfaction by trying “out of spite” to break and ruin everything. In his dream, the world is transformed beyond recognition, and the boy begins to realize that everything around him is full of life. The tree wounded by his knife sighs heavily, the squirrel complains that the boy is torturing his friend. He tries to make friends with animals and plants, but they are afraid of him because of the insults that he caused them when they were still inanimate...

During World War II, the director of the Paris Opera, Jacques Roucher, asked the famous French writer Sidonie-Gabrielle Colette to prepare the text for a fairytale ballet. The original story was called “Divertissements for my daughter.” After Colette chose Ravel, a text was sent to him at the front in 1916, but the letter was lost. In 1917, Ravel finally received a copy of the text and agreed to write the score. The work took a long time, and Colette had already lost hope that it would ever be completed, but on March 21, 1925, the opera was staged in Monte Carlo with choreography by Georges Balanchine. Ravel compared it with his previous work (“The Spanish Hour”): “More than ever I am for the melody. Yes, melody, bel canto, vocalises, vocal virtuosity are the main thing. Here lyrical fantasy calls for melody and nothing but melody... The score of “Child and Magic” is a mixture of styles and eras, from Bach to... Ravel.”

The opera “The Child and the Magic” is a recognized masterpiece by Maurice Ravel. The musical language of the work testifies to the composer's active experiments in the field of harmony, rhythm, mode, and orchestration. This is manifested in the appeal to everyday genres (waltz, march, urban chanson), the rhythms of dances that were new for that time (foxtrot, cancan, ragtime), and the use of non-musical sounds (noises, creaking, crackling). The music of individual scenes, such as the march-scherzo of the Hours, the foxtrot of the Cup and the Teapot, the Zadachnik scene, the duet of the Cat and the Cat, contains jazz-blues sounds characteristic of the aesthetics of the musical and music hall.