Stravinsky and the Evolution of 20th-Century Music
Igor Stravinsky’s Influence on Music
Igor Stravinsky’s work resumed the history of music, bringing a new European sound, devoid of subtleties. He utilized the oldest musical elements, primarily rhythm. His formation was related to Russian nationalism and the ballets composed for Sergei Diaghilev.
First Stage: Paris
Igor Stravinsky, installed in Paris, created The Firebird, Petrushka, and The Rite of Spring. The latter was considered a key work of the time and promoted a notable scandal due to its aggressive music, contrasting with the artificial taste for salon music.
Second Stage: Symmetry and Precision
Stravinsky’s style evolved, as seen in The Soldier’s Tale (1918) and Pulcinella (1919). These works were distinguished by their symmetry, precision, and economy in the use of materials. After World War II, Stravinsky composed The Rake’s Progress.
Third Stage: Serialism
Restless and ever-changing, Stravinsky, once an avowed enemy of the twelve-tone system, began to explore serialism. His figure became a promoter of the highest class of formalism.
The Vienna School
The Vienna School was linked to artistic expressionism, which had already captured a large segment of musical artists. United in overcoming their own expressive power, they aimed to represent the inner world in the most absolute way. Key figures included Arnold Schoenberg and Anton Webern.
Arnold Schoenberg
Initially, Schoenberg’s style was Wagnerian, influenced by Mahler.
First Period
His works reflected an extreme situation, increasingly vigilant against tonality, as seen in Pelleas und Melisande.
Second Period
Schoenberg abandoned the tonal system with its hierarchy of sounds (tonic, dominant). However, destroying the rules of tonality did not immediately lead to a replacement system. He then turned to writing music for poems and texts, relying on them for form and structure. An example is the cycle Pierrot Lunaire. He also wrote a national harmony treaty.
Third Period
In 1923, Schoenberg codified the dodecaphonic method, which uses the twelve tones of the chromatic scale in their original or inverted form, with the composer free to use them according to their intention. His first works using this technique, such as Variations for Orchestra, demonstrate a formal concern to prove the system’s usefulness.
Final Period
After Hitler’s rise to power in 1933, Schoenberg moved to the United States, settling in Boston. He received an invitation from the conservatory. After the war, in 1947, he composed A Survivor from Warsaw. Alban Berg and Anton Webern were his close friends and collaborators, helping to finalize and develop the principles of the most advanced avant-garde.
Alban Berg
Alban Berg expressed the new language through his atonal expressionism, distantly reminiscent of Romanticism. Notable works include his Chamber Concerto and the opera Lulu.
Anton Webern
Anton Webern’s works are the highest example of brevity and concision. His pure style, with a thorough and perfect technique, was slowly accepted due to its radical approaches.
Other Composers and Trends
Prokofiev
Prokofiev’s bold music initially benefited from the early years of the Russian Revolution, but gradually, a parallel shift occurred.
Shostakovich
Shostakovich’s music moved towards a simpler path.
Something similar happened with some Western European composers who believed that, after the atonal experiences, musical language should be simplified and made accessible to a hostile public, leading to utilitarian music. However, in most cases, the results were an awful vulgarity. One of the key figures of this movement was Paul Hindemith. In France, a group of six songwriters emerged, including Jean Cocteau and Arthur Honegger. With World War II, a group with different tendencies appeared in France, linked to a transcendent music that understood and accepted the current serial procedures. This group, continuing the work of Schoenberg and Webern, was represented by Olivier Messiaen and Pierre Boulez. In Italy, Luigi Dallapiccola emerged. In England, notable composers included Edward Elgar and Benjamin Britten. A separate figure was Béla Bartók, known for works like Music for Strings, Percussion, and Celesta and Microcosmos.