Igor Stravinsky was a Russian composer of classical music whose main body of work came between 1907 and 1968. He was also a pianist and conductor. In his earlier years he was friends with Rimsky-Korsakov's son Vladimir, which led on to Stravinsky taking private music lessons with Vladimir's father, Nikolai. He continued to take lessons and guidance until Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov's death in 1908.

Stravinsky's life and work was marked by definite periods of both location and musical styles. He began in Ustylúh on the east side of the Ukrainian-Polish border, and raised a family in a house he designed himself (now the Stravinsky museum). It was here that he worked on his first compositions.

A ballet and concert piece entitled 'The Firebird' was a turning point for Stravinsky after it premiered in Paris in 1910. The piece is based around Russian folklore and is about magical creatures, a prince, an evil character, princesses, and a magical egg. The full piece is almost an hour long and builds drama and suspense as the story unfolds and reaches a soaring and uplifting conclusion. The composition was a huge success and followed by The Rite of Spring and other works that began to incorporate modernism - a new direction which caused a stir to begin with.

Success led to other works and time spent in Russia, Switzerland, and France. After it became impossible to return to Russia (during wartime) he moved to France and developed a new network of patrons and supporters for his music. He continued to garner further interest and support over the years and left France for America in 1939. He took a pre-arranged lecturing post at Harvard and arrived alone after losing his wife and close family members to tuberculosis before leaving Paris. He eventually settled and became an American citizen. As an American citizen he managed to negotiate royalties for his works resulting in financial security, which had not been possible in Russia. He also remarried.

Stravinsky's work is often divided into three periods - the Russian period 1907–1919 (his early works), the neoclassical period 1920–1954 (a style that was ordered and based on historic classical structures), and a serial period 1954–1968 (serialism is experimentation with pitches, tone patterns, and rhythms).

Aside from music, Stravinsky had a deep interest in Russian folklore and art. He had a strong friendship with the artist Pablo Picasso from 1917 to 1920 and several sketches featuring Stravinsky as the subject were drawn by Picasso during this period. He had many celebrity friends and professional relationships over the years with people such as Robert Craft (conductor), Aldous Huxley (writer), Jean Cocteau (poet and playright), Edward G. Robinson (actor), Coco Chanel (fashion designer), and Sergei Diaghilev and George Balanchine who were both associated with ballet (Russian impresario and American choreographer respectively).

Igor Stravinsky lived a very full and productive life. He died in a New York apartment in 1971. He was 88. There are no online resources specifically dedicated to his legacy, but there are many biographies, film archives, and performances available including Stravinsky conducting his own compositions. Stravinsky's music, his experimental stage, and the twelve-tone technique used in serialism is often cited as inspiration for modern day musicians of all genres (Frank Zappa for example), and those preferring the less traditional classical composing format.

By Matt E. Sheen July MMXX - See video playlist for references

Screen

EXIT