Igor Stravinsky and World War I - Essay Example

?Introduction The works of different composers are not only influenced by creative expressions. There are also differences which are made with the theories of music according to the time frame in which one lives in. The social movements in music, as well as the reflections of the environmental conditions, such as through politics, also affect the way in which different composers express themselves. Igor Stravinsky is one of the composers who reflects the external environment with his works from 1914-1918, specifically because of World War I. The musical theories during this time change to reflect the political and social environment while expressing the destruction which was a part of Germany during this time. The exploitation of these ideals and the exploration of how music reflected the time were the main initiatives that Stravinsky took with the compositions written during this time frame. Changing Culture of 1914-1918 The region of Europe and the exposure that was occurring within the arts during this time had one of the most influential aspects in terms of culture and politics. The several outbreaks of war, specifically which led through World War I, began to change the outlook of the artists that were in various countries. A sense of patriotism and pride toward the country was one of the growing influences that many of the artists began to look into. More important, there was a focus on the outbreaks and outcomes of the war and the destructions and victories which were associated with this. “The burden of the national ordeal and the wartime experiences led to the formation of a new worldview and a new self awareness…. On the one hand, the Great War became a touchstone for the humanistic yearnings of the intellectuals. On the other, it acted as a catalyst for new aesthetic directions.1” The cultural direction which was influenced by the war then created a component of new expressions and values that most could work toward in building a different understanding of humanistic and political expressions. The expressions of culture were furthered by the political leaders and outlooks associated with this. Many of the artists of this time were interested in making a statement that either opposed or was for the patriotism that was within various regions of Europe. Before 1914, there was a movement that was based on anti – politics, specifically with those who either were patriotic or opposed the changes that were occurring within Europe. Social policies, conflicts of those who were involved in politics and the outcome from various groups led to different and opposing ideologies about the war and the political stance. Those involved in the politics, or which were opposed to this, were also interested in creating social change and statements that were reflective of the need to find new solutions. When the war began, this was heightened and became intensified by artists who were interested in a change with the politics. This either led to a sense of propaganda among the artists or opposed the reforms which were taking place2. Stravinsky and World War I The perspectives that Stravinsky held during 1914-1918 were pivotal in how he worked toward the creation of his music and the pieces which were associated with this. While he was from Russia and the Poland territory, there was also an international outlook which he held because of his recognition at this time. Before this time, Stravinsky was noted to have a more exploratory outlook with the works, such as through Pierrot Lunaire. While the exploration of music continued in 1914, there were several personal and cultural conflicts that changed the music. For instance, the funding for arts was more conservative because of the war, leaving many of the works unpublished unless they were more conservative in nature. Many of his works weren’t published until the 1920s when a sense of recovery began to occur in the country. This was combined with the understanding that a new culture was being born, specifically which Stravinsky saw through the destruction from Germany and the desire to create a sense of renewal from his area of residence. The external influences, both practically and with the cultural ideals, then began to influence the way that Stravinsky approached his music3. The overall influences that Stravinsky noted were similar to the personal changes which he went through in 1914 and which led him to create different styles of compositions. The war noted several losses among friends and others who were involved in the difficulties of the war. This was followed by Stravinsky going through several of the afflictions of war, specifically with the borders to Russia being closed after his visit to another country. This led him to settling in a different country and refining his style according to the culture which surrounded him. These personal surroundings led Stravinsky into a stronger belief that art shouldn’t only consist of the avant-garde styles and explorations that was in his music. Instead, there was an understanding of creating a stronger message in the music that was based on more humanitarian acts and the changes which were required in society for those that were facing problems with humanitarian acts. This led to an artistic revolution which Stravinsky participated in, specifically which was based on the understanding of the world as turmoil and the need to find a sense of peace outside of the laws, structural order and the realities which had been created during the war4. Stravinsky’s Works One of the main works that show the artistic expression from the war is The Rite of Spring. This piece is known from one of Stravinsky’s dreams about a pagan ritual where a virgin was chosen to sacrifice herself by dancing to death. However, the interpretation of this particular piece moved into the meaning of sacrifice and what it meant for one to move through the sacrifice needed. These were furthered by Stravinsky moving the story line into one that began with the peaceful nature that was a part of the pagan rituals, and which moved into the war – like mode with the sacrifice which occurred. Both the story line and the way in which the music was formed was able to create this particular effect, specifically which makes a statement about the violence and upsetting concepts related to the war5. When listening to the Rite of Spring, there are several places where the listener can see the movement between the peace of the song and the movement into chaos and war. The opening movement shows this first with the melody played by the oboe. The melody is distinct, played at a piano dynamic and moves slowly through the first section. However, this is followed by contrapuntal melodies that overlap each other. While this remains at a soft dynamic, the way in which the melodies overlap create a rhythmic structure that doesn’t allow a strong and distinct melody to be heard. The melodic lines that Stravinsky emphasizes throughout the piece are linked directly to the folk music from Russia, heard throughout the piece and in the most peaceful settings of the work6. Instead of hearing the same peaceful melody, there is a preview of the violent and chaotic aspects to the piece. This is followed by rhythmic elements that are used as the harmonies and which move the piece forward. The rhythm is heard in various instruments, ranging from the violins to the flute while the melody is heard over this. It is the rhythm that allows the piece to crescendo while creating a different level of tension and chaos. The prelude that previews these two aspects then leads into the main theme. These change from the melodic line into the rhythmic element that unifies the piece. The rhythm is heard with accents on 1, 4, 7, and 8, making the structure asymmetrical instead of having a continuous beat. This is followed by the melodic line representing the virgin with excerpts heard over the continuous rhythm. A countermelody of a trumpet is also heard, which magnifies the melodic line and is heard over the melody of the oboe to create a sense of tension and conflict. However, this is overcome by the same rhythm which drives the piece forward. As the rhythm continues, there is an increase in dynamics and tension within the piece. Stravinsky used this to show the conflict of war throughout the piece, while showing how the outcomes of violence created were opposed to the peaceful aspects heard through the folk music in the piece. Another work which shows the sense of conflict between war and peace is through Petrouchka, a ballet written in four parts. Each of the parts is based on one of the folk songs of Russia. However, this begins to differ with the sense of tonality and harmony that is used. Instead of creating distinct tones through the harmonies, there is a mixture with anti-tonality and strong rhythms that move throughout each piece. Similar to Rite of Spring, Stravinsky combines these elements with the continuous rhythmic structure that unites the pieces together, with movements heard through the harmonies of the violins and secondary instrumentation outside of the main melodic lines7. The main way in which these concepts can be seen is through the combination of elements with each movement. The first movement holds several melodic lines with the clarinets and flutes, while the violin carries the rhythm and harmonic structure. This leads into the second part, which begins with a pause heard after a bell. The clarinets then begin to take over the rhythmic structure while forming a harmony that has several closely related tones and notes to increase the tension of the song. Instead of forming a basic melody, Stravinsky uses the lack of tone and the movement of rhythm to create the main tension within the piece. The tonality works with specific patterns and intervals, as opposed to creating a melody, as heard in the runs of the piano, followed by the excerpts of the clarinets, flutes and violins. This is able to increase the tension throughout the piece and allows the listener to hear the ideas of conflict that move outside of the Russian folk song and into the complexities with the new tonalities and rhythmic structures. A third piece well known during this time was written in 1918, known as The Soldier’s Tale. This particular piece directly describes the war and the complexities occurring from the tension of the war. The main component that is used is to express a sense of disassociation with the outside world because of the destruction from the war. Instead of focusing on the composition of melody, Stravinsky indulges in the deconstruction of melody, rhythm and other applications that are a part of the war. The main ideal is to show the psychological implications within the war as well as the disassociations that have occurred from the surrounding society and how this has altered the behaviors and attitudes in society. This piece, more than any other work, is based on the deconstruction of war and how this has altered the lives of those in Europe8. The beginning of the piece begins with the concept of atonality, heard first in the consistent rhythm that sounds similar to a march that soldiers would take. This remains consistent throughout the entire piece and is the unifying force of the tale which is told. This is followed by the coloring effects of tonality from the clarinets and flutes; however, this is atonal in nature and the harmonies have close intervals, making the tension increase. The beginning of the piece leads to the more atonal nature as the solo voice uses speaking tones that are given in a rhythmic like structure. The rhythm moves against the rhythm of the background march to create the main tension. While there are places combined with excerpts of folk music of Russia, this is diminished by the rhythms and the atonal passages that follow. The tension which is built then creates the understanding of how the war takes away the sense of tonality and peace that is heard from the earlier works of Stravinsky. Exploitation of Stravinsky’s Music While Stravinsky was moving into atonality, new methods of experimentation with rhythm and harmony and the build away from the experiments of the past were also associations with the cultural and war applications to the music. Many began to look at the pieces created by Stravinsky as a representation of the war, casualties which followed and the propaganda which was associated with the political leaders. Many began to use the pieces, such as Rite of Spring as a method of expression toward the war. The political leaders would then support this to show that the war needed to end and that they were in support of the development of a new expression. The exploitation which followed the expressions developed by Stravinsky then created a political movement outside of the compositions and the development of ideologies that Stravinsky was interested in during this time9. Not only did the exploitation by political leaders merge into the music of Stravinsky. This was followed by the ideals of revolution which many associated with the arts during the time. The idea of avant-garde, moving into modernism and finding avenues of change were some of the main components that were a part of society at the time. The cultural and intellectual revolutions during and after the war were associated with the expressions which were a part of the music and artistic works of the time. The tensions of Stravinsky’s movement and the use of avant-garde styles that were beginning to form allowed those interested in the intellectual cultural movements to use the works as a way of exploiting ideals about government and society. The musical theories as well as the story lines that were used, specifically with the combination of Russian folk songs and atonality, allowed intellectual revolutions to begin by showing the downfall of society from the war10. Conclusion The use of artistic works during World War I changed because of the way in which many artists looked at the destruction of war, while affiliating with the politics of the time. When looking at the style of Stravinsky, it can be seen that there were changes which occurred with his music style from 1914-1918, specifically because of the aspects of the war. The cultural and political implications, as well as the personal associations with the war caused Stravinsky to change the way in which he wrote, while altering the context of many of his pieces. The pieces performed were reflective of the war through the content and the music styles used. These were then used to exploit cultural and intellectual revolutions, while allowing political agendas to be associated with the expressions of music which were created during this time. Bibliography Berend, Ivan, Tibor Berand. Decade of Crisis: Central and Eastern Europe before World War II. (California, University of California Press, 1991). Hayes, Paul. Themes in Modern European History, 1890-1918. (New York Routledge, 1992). Hill, Peter. Stravinsky: The Rite of Spring. (London: Cambridge University Press, 2000). Johnson, Bruce, Martin Cloonan. Dark Side of the Tune: Popular Music and Violence. (England: Ashgate Publishing, 2008) Repp, Kevin. Reformers, Critics and the Paths of German Modernity: Anti – Politics and the Search for Alternatives. (Boston: Harvard University Press, 2000). Roshwald, Aviel, Richard Stites. European Culture in the Great War: the Arts, Entertainment and Propoganda. (London: Cambridge University Press, 2002). Stravinsky, Igor, Robert Craft. Memories and Commentaries. (California: University of California press, 1981). Taruskin, R. “Russian Folk Melodies in the Rite of Spring.” (Journal of the American Musicological Society, 33, 3 1980 Weitzman, Ronald. “An Introduction to Adorno’s Music and Social Criticism.” (Music and Letters 52, 3, 1971), Read More