Publisher's Synopsis
This is a broad, comprehensive study of Stravinsky's famous ballet.;In the early chapters, van den Toorn draws on the composer's correspondence, sketches, and annotations of the original Nijinsky choreography to trace the compositional process from the initial Stravinsky-Roerich collaboration to the celebrated premiere of the ballet on 29 May, 1913. He discusses the numerous revisions that followed the completion of the score, as well as Stravinsky's changing aesthetic attitudes.;In chapters 3 and 4, the author turns to The Rite's most striking feature - its explosive rhythm and timing. A central concern here is the traditional context for the music's revolutionary rhythmic practice. In the course of his discussion, van den Toorn refers to many of Stravinsky's other works. His theory of meter and rhythm is thus shown to be relevant to Stravinsky's music as a whole.;The concluding chapters are devoted to The Rite's harmonic and melodic materials, as traced to Stravinsky's teacher, Rimsky-Korsakov. The text is supplemented by some 90 musical examples.;Readership: musicologists and students of the music of the 20th century.
