Stravinsky The son of a leading bass at the Mariinsky Theatre in St. Petersburg Studied with Rimsky-Korsakov (1902-8) Also influenced by Tchaikovsky, Borodin, Glazunov and (from 1907-8) Debussy and Dukas. After the Russian Revolution of 1917 he went to Western Europe and moved to the United States of America in 1939 In the post-war years he turned from a style of eclectic neo-classicism to composing in the twelve-note technique
Musical styles Russian period (Primitivism) Firebird (1910): stem form the Russian nationalist tradition, and has the exotic orientalism and rich sensuous orchestration of his teacher, Rimsky- Korsakov Petrushka (1911): a touch of verismo in its circus scenes and characters, using alert rhythms, bright raw orchestral colors and leaner contrapuntal texture Neo-classicism (up to about 1950) Serialism
Petrushka Ballet about the ill-fated adventures of a puppet who suddenly come to life inspired by a popular puppet show that toured Europe The Grant Park Orchestra first performed Petrushka on August 10, 1955 First composed as an orchestral piece with emphasis on piano Commissioned by Diaghilev for the Russian Ballet
Characteristics integration of plot and music and the brilliant characterization Irregular meters and polyrhythms Percussive harmony Pentatonic, whole-tone, and modal harmonies Use folk melody Parody of tunes
Form forms are additive rather than symphonic, created from placing blocks of material together without disguising the joins. The binding energy is much more rhythmic than harmonic organized by blocks of sound:seemingly unconnected musical materials succeed each other without transition, only the frequent return of the opening music makes the scene a unit Ostinatos, pedal points and pedal chords
Orchestration in its 1947 revision, is scored for piccolo, three flutes, three oboes, English horn, three clarinets, bass clarinet, three bassoons, contrabassoon, four horns, three trumpets, three trombones, tuba, timpani, percussion, harp, celesta, piano and strings.
Folk Elements The popular Russian carnival atmosphere is enhanced throughout the ballet by the quotation and elaboration of several folk tunes Folk tunes were restored to their ethnic environment rather than working these quotations into artful arrangement Rearranged the song to sound like folk heterophony, in which voices sing in parallel fifths and octaves, often with drones Imitation the sounds of a Balkan improvisation orchestra in the Russian Dance and Song of St. John s Eve in the duet between the Moor and the Ballerina The winds and the strings playing rapid repetitive figurations The harps imitate the plucked and strumming sounds of a balalaika ensemble
Extensive use of folk materials including peasant songs and street cries as quotations Stravsinky acquired the chanson (hurdy-gurdy tune) from the first scene from Rimsky-Korsakov. Popular Russian carnival atmosphere is enhanced throughout the ballet by the quotation and elaboration of several folk tunes The Russian Dance and Song of St. John s Eve in the duet between the Moor and the Ballerina recall a Balkan improvising orchestra, the winds and strings playing rapid repetitive figurations,while the harps imitate the plucked and strumming sounds of a balalaika ensemble.
Percussions The percussion parts have specific instructions on choice of sticks and articulations. The timpani and tenor drum solos give unity in and between sections. Percussion is given rhythmic cells appearing under the orchestra in ostinato form, seen best in the famous bass drum with cymbal attachment solo. Stravinsky also uses percussion for symbolism, asking that the tambourine be dropped on the floor in the Fourth Tableau to represent Petruchka's skull breaking on the floor.
Texture Juxtaposes discrete blocks of sound that follow one another without transition only the frequent return of the opening music makes the scene a unit Within each block, repetitive ostinatos and melodic fragments swirl about in an harmonic environment
Melody Polytonality: In the Petrushka broken chord, C major arpeggio superimposed on F-sharp major Octatonic scale Alternates whole tones and semitones Scales used diatonic, octatonic (a scale of alternating half- and whole-steps that stravinsky learned from Rimsky-Korsakov), a combination of above He also borrowed from non-russian composers, such as Carl Maria von Weber. An excerpt from Weber's Flute Concerto can be heard in the Magician's flute song
Rhythm Alert rhythm Polyrhythm: simultaneous use of conflicting rhythms and accents use of odd meters and tempos, e.g.the 5/8 section Rhythmic innovations: 4/8 to 5/8 to 6/8 at the end of the third scene
First Scene Three sections of uneven length Section 1:Rondo (ABACABA) Begins amid the merry noise of the crowd: a group of drunken revelers, a master of ceremonies entertaining the crowd from his booth, and an organ grinder with a dancer, who beats time on a triangle Volochebniki folk song and a song popular in Paris Section 2:A drum roll announces the Magician, who brings the three puppets to life. Section 3:They respond with a wild Russian dance (ABABA)
Second Scene Loose ABA form Dialpgue between soloist and orchestra Tritone relationship Bitonality Petrushka chord No set dances, only narrative pantomime and gesture Takes place in Petrushka s room and begins with his theme in bitonality Petrushka curses his imprisonment The Ballerina enters and, after she rejects Petrushka s advances, he collapses in rage and despair
Third Scene Takes place in the Moor s room, where he is trying to cut open a coconut with his scimitar. The Ballerina enters and dances to a melody on the cornet. Bellerina and Moor then waltz together The waltz was borrowed from Joseph Lanner (ABA) Petrushka bursts into the room in a jealous rage and fights with the Moor, who kicks him out
Fourth Scene Succession of dances Russian folk tune Ia vechor moloda and Akh vy sieni, moi siene Returns to the swirling crowd outside A group of nursemaid, a performing bear, a merchant who throws money into the crowd, two gypsy women,and a group of coachmen and grooms was heard interspersed with the noise of the crowd A group of masqueraders dances more and more wildly, until the whole mob is caught up in the
Suddenly Petrushka dashes out into the crowd, pursued by the Moor. Whom the Ballerina tries to restrain Moor slashes Petrushka with his saber, Petruschka falls dead The magician reassures the crowd that, after all, Petrushka was only a puppet made of wood, and he quietly drags Petrushka s corpse away But finally, Petrushka s ghost appears, thumbing his nose at the Magician and, with a last statement of his music in two keys, offers his final insult to the public as well
http://w3.rz-berlin.mpg.de/cmp/stravinsky_shearer.html http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/petrushka http://www.dlib.indiana.edu/variations/scores/aad9501/larg e/index.html http://max.mmlc.northwestern.edu/~mdenner/drama/plays/ petrushka/1petrushka.html http://www.worldhistory.com/wiki/p/petrushka.htm http://www.columbia.edu/itc/music/reserves/cd495.html http://www.columbia.edu/itc/music/reserves/ http://www.nottinghamphilharmonic.co.uk/notes/sp.html