Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring: A Rhythmic Revolution
Igor Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring: A Detailed Analysis
Rhythm: A Revolutionary Approach
Stravinsky’s innovative treatment of rhythm is a defining feature of The Rite of Spring. The seemingly regular division of musical strains, initially suggesting a binary rhythm, is disrupted by a striking use of syncopation and accents. Accented chords, reinforced by eight horns, punctuate the string notes, creating unusual groupings, such as 9 + 2 + 6 + 3 + 4 + 5 + 3 in the first eight bars. This rhythmic complexity disorients the listener’s sense of metrical regularity. Yet, this intricate rhythmic design is ingeniously crafted for the ballet; the passage maintains an eight-bar structure, allowing dancers to maintain their count.
Early in the third set of triplets, trumpets and oboes introduce a vivid color, clashing against the binary rhythm of other voices, creating a polyrhythmic effect. Measure 16 introduces a three-bar ostinato played by violas, cellos, and basses, which becomes an obsessive motif. This ostinato is also polyrhythmic, with the violas playing in ternary rhythm against the binary rhythm of the cellos and basses. The addition of sixteenth-note triplets and sextuplets by wind instruments further enhances this polyrhythmic texture. These rhythmic devices contribute to the evocation of a primitive world.
Melody: Fragmentary and Folk-Inspired
The opening of the Dance of the Adolescents, analyzed here, introduces a crude, primitive theme played by the bassoons. A second, more undulating melody with echoes of Debussy appears later, played by the horns and taken up by the flutes. A third, simple, and singable theme, introduced by the trumpets, is one of the few that reappears in another piece (La Ronda). These melodies, characteristic of The Rite of Spring, are fragmentary rather than complete sentences. They draw inspiration from Russian folklore.
Texture: Clarity and Transparency
Stravinsky’s music is marked by clarity and transparency of texture. This is achieved through the use of instrumental color, allowing each instrument to stand out, and the systematic use of dissonance. While legato lines might blend voices, dissonance separates them, creating a distinct horizontal and vertical interplay. Although not strict counterpoint, horizontal and vertical elements are prioritized. The opening of the dance features a clear example of Stravinsky’s polytonality: the strings, in divisi, play the equivalent of an E major chord, while the horns play an inverted seventh chord on E-flat. Measure nine introduces another section overlapping three keys (E-flat in the English horn, C major in the bassoon, and C major/E major in the cellos). These dissonances are not treated as progressions toward resolution but as independent elements. Their percussive, stabbing quality creates tension.
Orchestration: A Colorful Palette
The score calls for a full orchestra: strings, two piccolos, three flutes, three oboes, English horn, four clarinets, eight horns, four trumpets, a small trumpet, three trombones, tuba, contrabassoon, and various percussion instruments. The percussive effect is achieved through the marked dissonant chords within the orchestra. The distinct, unmixed timbres clarify the various instrumental strands. Notably, the wind instruments take a prominent role, perhaps due to their less emotional, romantic character, which Stravinsky avoids.
Form: Repetition and Contrast
As a ballet piece, The Rite of Spring is structured through the repetition and contrast of motifs introduced from the beginning (dissonant chords in the strings, the ostinato in basses, cellos, and violas, the ticking eighth notes, arpeggios in sixteenth notes, trumpet triplets). These motifs are organized around the three fragmentary melodies. Stravinsky rejects the lengthy developments of Romanticism, emphasizing detail and precision.
Genre:
Scenic dance music.
Artistic Period:
Avant-garde.
Chronology:
Early twentieth century (premiered in Paris, 1913).
Title of the Piece:
Dance of the Adolescents, part of the ballet The Rite of Spring.
Composer:
Igor Stravinsky.