Neoclassicism in Music: Composers, Characteristics, and Stravinsky’s Evolution
Neoclassicism in Music
Neoclassicism in music refers to the 20th-century movement that embraced common practice harmony, incorporating significant dissonances and rhythms as a foundation for musical composition. Igor Stravinsky, Paul Hindemith, Sergei Prokofiev, and Béla Bartók are typically recognized as the most influential composers in this style, alongside Darius Milhaud and Francis Poulenc.
The History of the Soldier by Stravinsky is considered a seminal neoclassical work, as are the concert Dumbarton Oaks, his Symphony for Wind Instruments, and the Symphony in C. The culmination of Stravinsky’s neoclassical period is evident in the opera The Rake’s Progress, featuring a libretto by the renowned modernist poet W.H. Auden.
Key Features of Neoclassicism
The defining features of neoclassicism include prominent melodies that often utilize the interval of a third, the addition of dissonant notes chromatically to ostinatos, blocks devoid of harmonics, and the integration of polyrhythms. Neoclassicism gained rapid acceptance among audiences and was embraced by those who opposed atonality as the authentic modern music. It also incorporated folk music to enhance tempo and harmonic diversity. Modernists such as Béla Bartók, Zoltán Kodály (with his affinity for Romanticism), and Leoš Janáček explored and studied their respective national folk music traditions, which subsequently influenced their compositions.
Stravinsky’s Periods
Russian Period
This period was heavily influenced by Stravinsky’s Russian heritage and musical culture. Notable works include: The Firebird (1910), Petrushka (1911), and The Rite of Spring (1913). These compositions feature asymmetric bars, instruments pushed to their extreme ranges, and a remarkable display of percussion that profoundly impacted 20th-century composers.
Neo-Classical Period
During this period, Stravinsky reduced the size of his orchestra, possibly due to the economic challenges of World War I (1914-1918), and shifted away from Russian folk music, drawing inspiration from Western music. Pulcinella marked the beginning of this era, followed by The Soldier’s Tale (1918), which featured solo instruments (violin, bass, clarinet, bassoon, trumpet, and trombone) and a variety of percussion instruments played by a single instrumentalist.
Post-Neo-Classical or Twelve-Tone Period
Spanning from the 1950s until his death in 1971, this period saw Stravinsky gradually and subtly adopt techniques from the Viennese school of Schoenberg and his followers. Key works from this time include the Septet (1953), the song “In Memoriam Dylan Thomas” (1954), the ballet Agon (1954-57), and Threni (1958).
Stravinsky’s Impact
Igor Stravinsky resisted aesthetic categorization, integrating all available resources and sonic possibilities of his time. His impact began with the premiere of The Rite of Spring, a work that challenged the foundations of Western music (harmonic consistency, metric and thematic development, major and minor key systems, etc.).
The work showcases significant rhythmic innovations. For example, near the end of the third scene, the meter shifts from 4/8 to 5/8 to 6/8 to 5/8, with silence replacing traditional strong beats.
Stravinsky’s timbral experimentation pushed instruments and the orchestra to their expressive limits, creating a hammering effect that resembled a giant percussion instrument. He innovatively and boldly employed syncopations, polyrhythms, and irregular combinations of figures.
The ballet, commissioned by Serge Diaghilev, premiered on May 29, 1913, at the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées in Paris. The performance, choreographed by Vaslav Nijinsky and conducted by Pierre Monteux, was met with near chaos.