TITLE: Symphonies of Wind Instruments (1920) Revised (1947)

COMPOSER: Igor Stravinsky (1882-1971)

BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH

Igor Stravinsky was a native from Oranienbaum, Russia. Stravinsky went through many style changes throughout his career, moving from a subjective style to an objective one. Stravinsky has three major style periods. His Russian Period spans from 1882-1922. During this time, he studied with Rimsky-Korsakov and became close friends with Sergi Diagilev of the Russian Ballet Company (based in Paris), who he collaborated with regarding his three early ballets, Firebird, Petroushka and Rite of Spring. He used many Russian themes with programmatic titles during this compositional period. His Neoclassical Period begins in 1923 while he lived in Paris. It was during this time that he was very concerned with form, composing many work in sonata form. Even the titles of these works were neoclassical. He composed the Octet, Symphony of Psalms and piano concertos during this era. Stravinsky moved to the United States in 1940 where he taught composition at the University of Southern California. In 1951, Stravinsky began his 12-Tone style period with works such as Agon (1953), an abstract ballet with twelve dances.

MOVEMENTS: One

PERFORMANCE TIME: 9' 07"

INSTRUMENTATION: 24 Instruments

• 3 Flute, 2 Oboes, 1 English Horn, 3 Clarinets, 2 Bassoons, 1 Contra Bsn, 4 Trumpets, 4 Horns, 3 Trombones, 1 Tuba

EDITIONS: Rental

1. Boosey and Hawkes - 200 Smith Street, Farmingdale, NY 11735

• Boosey and Hawkes Catalogue - http://www.booseyandhawkes.com/musicshop/acatalog/

COMPOSITION SKETCH AND MUSICAL CONSIDERATIONS

The Symphonies, written in memory of Claude Debussy, were designed for performance by the wind section of any symphony orchestra. Serge Koussevitzky first performed them in this fashion at a London concert on June 10, 1921. Stravinsky describes them as "an austere ritual", which is unfolded in terms of short litanies between different groups of homogenous instruments. "These are the sounds of genius, so classically balanced that to remove one bar or to add another would seriously impair their relationship. Like Mozart's magical Serenade No. 10 in B flat (K. 361), from which it is "descended," it reveals again that composers with a true perception of the wind instruments as a sonority for performance by themselves may be as rare as the true genius himself." ----- Frederick Fennell

The Symphonies for Wind Instruments was completed in 1920, seven years after the Rites of Spring performance in Paris had created a riot. This work is significant in that it marks the time that Stravinsky turned his attention away from music for the theater, to music for instrumental groups of various sizes.

SELECTED RECORDINGS:

RELATED WEBSITES:

Stravinsky Biography - http://www.classical.net/music/comp.lst/stravnsk.html

Life and Works of Stravinsky - http://www.ozemail.com.au/~caveman/Stravinsky/

Internet Public Library Page on Stravinsky - http://www.ipl.org/exhibit/mushist/twen/stravinsky.htm