The Life and Works of Igor Stravinsky – Serenade Magazine

Igor Fyodorovich Stravinsky (1882–1971) remains one of the most influential and transformative composers of the twentieth century. Equally celebrated for his rhythmic innovation, harmonic daring and stylistic versatility, Stravinsky reshaped the course of modern music through his works for ballet, orchestra, opera and chamber ensemble. This article explores his life, the phases of his creative output and the enduring impact of his art.

Early Years in Russia

Born on 17 June 1882 in Oranienbaum (now Lomonosov), near Saint Petersburg, Stravinsky was raised in a cultured household. His father, Fyodor Stravinsky, was a distinguished bass at the Mariinsky Theatre, and the young Igor absorbed the operatic and orchestral milieu of the imperial capital from an early age. Although initially destined for a legal career, he abandoned law studies in 1907 to pursue composition under the guidance of Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov. Rimsky-Korsakov’s gift for orchestration left an indelible impression on the younger composer, who would later take this knowledge in daring new directions.

Stravinsky’s early compositions, such as the Scherzo Fantastique (1907–08) and the Feu d’artifice (1908), reveal a penchant for vivid orchestral colour and adventurous harmony. Nevertheless, it was his collaboration with Sergei Diaghilev’s Ballets Russes that propelled him into international prominence.

Ballets Russes and the Paris Period

In 1909 Stravinsky met the impresario Sergei Diaghilev in Saint Petersburg. Impressed by Stravinsky’s early orchestral works, Diaghilev commissioned him to compose a ballet score. The result was The Firebird (1910), a work that combines Slavic folk melody, lush orchestration and a vivid sense of drama. Premiered in Paris at the Théâtre National de l’Opéra, it was an immediate triumph, establishing Stravinsky as a major new talent.

Diaghilev followed with two ballets that would further revolutionise music: Petrushka (1911) and The Rite of Spring (1913). Petrushka offers a fantastical narrative set in a puppet show, its colourful orchestration and shifting metres reflecting the puppets’ mechanical life. Yet it was The Rite of Spring that upended musical convention. Its depiction of pagan sacrifice, conveyed through jagged rhythms, biting dissonance and block-like orchestral textures, famously provoked riots at its Paris premiere. Critics and audiences were confounded, but the ballet’s vision proved decisive: Stravinsky had overthrown Romantic orthodoxy and ushered in a new musical era.

With the outbreak of the First World War in 1914, Stravinsky remained in Switzerland. There he composed Pulcinella (1919), a set of dances and interludes based on themes attributed to Pergolesi. This commission marked the onset of his neoclassical phase, characterised by a return to older forms and stylistic restraint.

The Neoclassical Phase

Between 1920 and 1950 Stravinsky explored a neoclassical idiom, drawing on Baroque, Classical and early Romantic models. Works such as the ballet Apollo (1928), Symphony of Psalms (1930) and the opera Oedipus Rex (1927) reflect a renewed interest in clear textures, formal balance and historical reference. Yet Stravinsky’s neoclassicism is far from pastiche: he filtered these influences through his own rhythmic ingenuity and modern harmonic palette.

• Apollo: A concise ballet score for strings and harp, celebrating the Greek god of music. The austere scoring and transparent textures epitomise Stravinsky’s neoclassical ethos.

• Symphony of Psalms: Commissioned by the Boston Symphony Orchestra, this choral symphony interweaves dense counterpoint with unusual orchestration—noticeably omitting violins and violas—creating a stately, otherworldly atmosphere.

• Pulcinella, revisited: Although begun in Switzerland, its final form in 1920 emphasises pointed articulation and wit, traits that would permeate much of his neoclassical output.

During this period Stravinsky spent time in France and eventually settled in suburban Paris. His friendships with composers such as Maurice Ravel and Francis Poulenc furthered his exploration of clarity and elegance, even as his own voice grew increasingly individual.

Emigration to the United States and Late Style

The advent of the Second World War forced Stravinsky to flee Europe. In 1939 he emigrated to the United States, eventually settling in Los Angeles. American influences began to enter his music—jazz rhythms, popular song forms and big-band sonorities appear in works like Ebony Concerto (1945), written for Woody Herman’s jazz band, and Circus Polka (1942), a charming piece for a touring troupe of elephants and performers.

The late 1940s saw Stravinsky retreat further into counterpoint and austerity. He revived interest in twelve-tone technique—first developed by Arnold Schoenberg—but applied it with rigorous discipline rather than Romantic expressivity. Works like Agon (1957), a ballet commissioned by Lincoln Kirstein, and the cantata Threni (1958), based on texts from the Book of Lamentations, exemplify this synthesis of serialism with Stravinskian rhythmic drive. His final major work, the Requiem Canticles (1966), is a sparse, elegiac meditation on mortality.

Teaching, Writing and Influence

Beyond composition, Stravinsky engaged actively in pedagogy and scholarship. He lectured extensively in America and Europe, influencing generations of composers and conductors. His writings—especially Poetics of Music (1947) and Chroniques de ma vie (published posthumously in 1977)—reveal a lucid, often aphoristic mind reflecting on the craft and philosophy of music.

Stravinsky’s stylistic audacity and restless curiosity ensured that his influence spread widely. Composers as diverse as Pierre Boulez, Benjamin Britten and Steve Reich acknowledged his impact. His incorporation of non-Western rhythms, his rejection of Romantic grandiosity and his mastery of orchestration continue to resonate in concert halls and recording studios.

Continuing Relevance

Igor Stravinsky died on 6 April 1971 in New York City, but his music remains vital. Ballet companies still stage The Firebird and The Rite of Spring; symphony orchestras programme his neoclassical symphonies and choral works; contemporary ensembles tackle his serial and jazz-inflected scores. Musicologists continue to debate the meanings and implications of his stylistic shifts, while performers relish the technical challenges and expressive possibilities his music offers.

Stravinsky’s life illustrates a singular devotion to transformation. From the folkloric colour of his Russian ballets, through the sculpted forms of his neoclassical works, to the austere rigour of his serial period, he never ceased to reinvent his musical language. His legacy endures not only in the repertoire he left behind, but in the spirit of experimentation he inspired. In the words of the conductor Robert Craft, Stravinsky “changed the course of music history three times.”