The twentieth century was a period of highs and lows. Technology flourished as radio, telephones, television, satellites and computers were assimilated into our everyday lives. We now had a vast repertoire of tools for communication. Medical science prevailed greatly by defeating numerous infectious diseases while developing complex surgical procedures for expanding one's lifespan. On the other hand, we endured much turmoil through the economic downfall of the Great Depression. We had to suffer through a two world wars as well as wars in Vietnam, Afghanistan and Iraq. To put into simpler terms, the twentieth century was an era of drastic contrasts. As for the music of the time period, twentieth-century music quite avant-garde and diverse due to the much experimentation by musicians. The tonal system was revamped entirely. The length of compositions varied from very short to very long. Sound color advanced with new instrumentation. Iconic Russian composer Igor Stravinsky's music best embodies the characteristics of twentieth century music and society itself. The Rite of Spring, one of Stravinsky's most famous compositions, portrays twentieth century aesthetics of modernism such as juxtaposition and stratification through the piece's dynamics and its melodies.
Part I of Stravinsky's The Rite of Spring is littered with juxtaposing elements. From 3:30-5:10 is where there is a great deal of contrast between melodic phrases. Frequently throughout this section of the piece, we hear a soft, gentle melody at first. That melody is then contradicted by the ensuing bombastic string of eighth notes. Stravinsky does this for the purpose of scrambling his listener's moods and building up tension. The contrast of two opposing sides in the music also relates to the juxtaposition of society during the twentieth century. Particularly in the United States, despite technological advancements and booming economies, our country was still off fighting overseas at the same time. While at home we were thriving in our blossoming nation, our brethren were away from home and were being slaughtered by the thousands on the battlefield. There was also a similar contrast within the field of medicine. While there was significant growth in medical science in the twentieth century, science was not able to combat with the AIDS epidemic during the 1980s. On a broader note, the title of the composition juxtaposes the music itself. When we think of the title, The Rite of Spring, just by itself, we imagine something more warm, joyful, peaceful and celebratory since the title literally means the ceremony of the season of spring. Instead we get very dark and serious music that brings unsettlement to our ears.
Another common theme highlighted in Part I of The Rite of Spring is the theme of stratification. From 2:00-3:05 we hear layers upon layers of different phrases from various instrument sections. Not only does each layer of sound produce an ambiguous atmosphere, but more importantly it creates utter chaos. The twentieth century with out a doubt had its moments of insanity. With world wars, the war on drugs, the Great Depression and deadly diseases sweeping the nation, there was never a dull moment. Life was so sporadic and unpredictable; you never knew what would come next. Similar to the melodies played in this section. All of the motions of the melodies prove to be very erratic and as they jump in at completely different times, mixing and jumbling together, and forming a clutter of confusion that leads its listeners to wondering when will all of this be made more clear.
On the whole, Igor Stravinsky's timeless composition The Rite of Spring accurately represents the ideals of twentieth century modernism with its juxtaposing dynamics and its spontaneous melodies. Aside from these aspects, Stravinsky's piece also evokes new sounds from instruments, specifically from the bassoon in the exposition. The bassoon is usually played in the lower register, however in this tune, the bassoonist plays the melody at such a high register for the bassoon that it almost sounds like an oboe. This feature of the composition resembles how the new technology of the twentieth century affected society. Whereas this new sound on the bassoon augmented the music's sound color, the new inventions of technology during this time gave an uniqueness to everyday life for humanity.
(My Outline)
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