Moderization Through Stravinsky's The Rite of Spring

Stravinsky's The Rite of Spring

Thesis: Stravinsky expresses 20th century esthetics in The Rite of Spring.

1. Introduction
2. Fragmentation
1. Stravinsky uses two different rhythms in the piece
1. from 10:35min-10:56min the orchestra plays one part of the song and at the last second, the trombones have a glissando
3. Disjunction
1. The notes are not in a pleasing harmony
1. at 11:06min the long note that repeats sound like a dysfunctional composition.
2. The trombones play a drop.
1. 11:13-11:14 the trombone plays a new kind of style that the trombone didn’t normally play back in the 1800s
4. Stratification
1. Subtle change to all the instruments coming in
1. 10:35 the gong comes in and changes the setting of the song.
2. division of layers as the song intensifies
1. at 11:06min to 11:29min the song has different layers of music as different instruments play different lines.
5. Conclusion

In the twentieth century, a new movement in music started to appear in the world. The start of modernism started to grow in popularity amongst composers and amongst listeners of music. One of these composers who made modernism popular was Igor Stravinsky. His music is a great example of twentieth century aesthetics. From the tenth minute and thirty second mark to the eleventh minute and thirty second part of The Rite of Spring, Stravinsky expresses twentieth century aesthetics with fragmentation, disjunction, and stratification.

Right as the section of music starts at ten minute thirty-fifth second, the strings, winds, and the brass start playing an idea twice for two measures when the trombone start to have a glissando at the eleventh minute and fifty-fifth second. This part of the twentieth century aesthetics is called fragmentation. Fragmentation in the twentieth century is the concept of contradicting music working together in a section of a selection of music. When the trombone has that glissando it disrupts the orchestra’s music. The glissando make the rest of the orchestra start over again at the eleventh minute and fifty-seventh second mark playing the same measures at the ten minute thirty-fifth second. The percussion breaks up the disruption at the ten minute fifty-fifth minute. The song does not play symmetrically throughout this part of the song which makes it part of modernism.
Other than the fragmentation, disjunction happens often during Stravinsky’s music. Disjunction in music during the twentieth century means music is distorted and really wacked out. The music sounds unharmonized and unpleasant to the ears of humans. When the orchestra come in at the tenth minute and thirty-fifth second, the distortion starts between all instruments. The instruments start playing a nasty chord that sounds out of tune. Stravinsky keeps the orchestra hammering down the same note through this section until it starts to go up a whole tone scale in which the notes of the song keep going up every whole note. It become even more distorted once the music gets to the eleventh minute sixth second mark when the all the instruments in the orchestra has their own notes to play while the harmony becomes very confusing. It is no wonder that the people who listened to this song were ragging in distraught because of the harsh harmonic composition. The glissando that the trombone plays also is part of the disjunction in the song. It is something never heard by anyone else at the time. Stravinsky wanted to force the instruments in the orchestra to play notes or rhythms they have never played before. Before this composition, no one had ever heard the trombone play a glissando like that.
Besides disjunction and fragmentation, Stravinsky uses stratification during this minute of music. Stratification means a sudden change in the music that makes the piece of music change dramatically. Specifically, stratification happens at the tenth minute thirty-fifth second mark when the gong makes a crash that brings in the orchestra. Before the crash, at the tenth minute thirty second mark the woodwinds play a soft and mysterious sound. The audience almost can not hear the music being played. Once the gong is played, more instruments come in and intensifies the music. The music almost sounds too chaotic to listen. The meaning of stratification also incorporates a division of layers as the music progresses. At the eleventh minute sixth second mark, the instruments all begin to have their own part in the music. Each instrument has its own part in the melody but they all play the same rhythm. As the music slows down at the eleventh minute twenty-fifth second, the instruments play the same beat but in different notes. More and more instruments have their own part to the music and division of layers stop right at the eleventh minute twenty-ninth second when the instruments hold out the last note and the next part of the music begins to play.
Through the one minute part of The Rite of Spring, twentieth century aesthetics like fragmentation, disjunction, and stratification, are used by Stravinsky. There is a difference in rhythm, sound, and intensity shown throughout this minute of music. Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring was one of the first compositions of music that led the way of modernism taking over music throughout the world and in the future.