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The Neo-Baroque as hypostasis of the Neo-Classicism in the creation of

Igor Stravinski

Assistant Professor, PhD Gabriela Vlahopol

A visionary by excellence, Igor Stravinsky defined his aesthetic credo since the early

years of artistic affirmation, being fascinated by the perennial values of archaic cultures

!nlike his contemporaries, he rarely uses the resort of "uotation, having instead an ama#ing

capacity for invention, $hich allo$ed him to easily make transition from one $ay of

composing to another, from complex rhythmic, modal, polytonal and melodic folk structures

to various pre classical and classical musical structures, arriving even at research into %a## andserial music

&he termNeo-Classicism, as it $as kno$n in the '()*s, has its roots in the political

movement manifested at that time, predominantly in the +rench space It has been developed

from the general antiGerman attitude that $as dominating the -estern .urope after the

-orld -ar I and subse"uently to the -orld -ar II In the artistic circles, this antiGerman

mentality had in sight the traditions of the romantic and expressionist art

At that time, in music, the /omanticism $as symboli#ed by the $orks of -agner and

0ahler, $hose creations $ere summari#ing the /omantic ideals of spirit and transcendent

&he music $as released from the rules and limits previously imposed by the classical age,

leaving space for the free forms, evoked by the imagination of composers &he music $as

becoming increasingly associated $ith literature and thus becomes programmatic in its

essence, based on the principle that music can express emotions more elo"uently than the

$ord itself

Stravinski1s vie$s on -agner1s music provide a clear direction on his conception of

composition and hence its current reporting to the neoclassical current2 The concept of

musical form does not exist in Wagers music: he reduces the formal structure to a complete

subordination to the text, although it should be reserved.'

&herefore, all sentimental and emotional aspects, harmonies and forms associated $ith

the music of -ager $ere denied by the 3eo4lassical movement 0oreover, one of the main

'Scott 0essing,Neoclasscism in Music: rom the !enesis of the Concept Through the "choenberg#"travins$%&olemic 5/ochester, 362!niversity of /ochester Pres, '(77, '))8 apud 9ames 9 -ood, 9r, :0, 00, '

(%storical and 'nal%tical )xamination of the "travins$% ;ctet for -ind Instrumens, *ith a !uide to&erformance &reparation of the t*o Trumpets &arts, Dissertation Prepared for the Degree of Doctor of 0u#icalArts, !niversity of 3orth &exas, 0ay )**


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reference points of 3eo4lassicism is the one provided by the music of '


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&he 3eo4lassical orientation $as manifested in the Stravinkian creation in a

considerable number of $orks, starting $ith&ulcinella and ending $ith The a$es &rogress

opera, considered the pinnacle and the end of the Stravinskian 3eo4lassicism :ut the 3eo

:aro"ue direction manifests itself mainly in a fe$ distinct $orks It is note$orthy the fact that

none of the 3eo4lassical or 3eo:aro"ue aesthetic $orks of Stravinski belongs exclusively

to one of t$o directionsC the composer combines the elements of the classical music thinking

5genres, forms, melodic, harmonic and rhythmic structures, construction methods8 $ith those

belonging to the :aro"ue aesthetics and modern elements

Stravinski1s first 3eo4lassical $ork arose from Diaghilev1s re"uest to compose music

for one of his ballets, this time starting from the music of one of the music composer of the

eighteenth century, Giovanni :attista Pergolesi&ulcinella :allet5'('(8 $as inspired by the

commedia dellartecharacters, trend highly publici#ed at that time 5&ierrot /unaireof Arnold

Schnberg $as composed also in that period8 &ulcinella$as conceived for three vocal

soloists 5soprano, tenor and bass8 and a relatively small chamber orchestra, divided into

concertino and ripieno, preserving thus the origins of :aro"ue music, although there is no

instrument $ith role of continuo Stravinski revised the plays that Diaghilev presented to him

as a starting point in a personal manner2 by fractionating the continuity of melodic lines by

using the repetition on phrases or by their extension and deformation of rhythmic harmony

&his approach did not result in a complete orientation of the composer to$ards 3eo

4lassicism, but Stravinski admitted that this experience opened his hori#ons to a ne$ stylistic

direction0&ulcinella *as the personal discover% of the past, the revelation through *hich m%

entire later creation became possibleB &his discovery of the past $as about to become the

foundation of Stravinskian 3eo4lassicism

Approaching the dramatic forms of :aro"ue, in order to transpose the ample and grand

sonority of the oratorio and cantata 5$hich, in their time of flo$ering, $ere sung in

cathedrals8 into the modern version, Stravinski composes 1edipus ex operaoratorio and

"%mphon% of &salms

1edipus rex 5'()


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and hardness of the ancient times At the sound level, the composer calls the past models,

$hich tone of incantation could be exploited musically &he language used is generally

composed of common melodic formulas, tonomodal harmonic se"uences, moulded in

traditional architectonic forms 0usic is mostly dominated by the minor mode, although is

trying to achieve the brightness of the ma%or mode in many of its moments -hile music

makes full use of the elements of traditional tonalities, at the same time, they seem detached

from the context of the drama, almost depersonali#ed 5for example, 4reon1s Aria in C ma2or

contains a strange sounding, out of the dramaturgic context8 0oreover, the composer

abandons in this $ork those rhythmic changes characteristic to the previous $orks in favour

of a pulsation of ostinato All these combined elements create for the listener a vivid musical

description of an impersonal fate, $hich forces ;epid until its abandon

"%mphon% of &salms5'(B*8 for mixed choir and orchestra is made up of three parts2

prelude, double fugue and 'llegro, each based on a Eatin psalm Although it is called

s%mphon%, the composer provides an explanation of his intentions about the $ork2 34t is not a

s%mphon% in *hich 4 have included Psalms in order to be sung, but 4 s%mphoni5ed this singing

of thePsalmsHAlthough done in a modern manner of architectural chaining, the $ork is in

line $ith the neobaro"ue aesthetics through the polyphonic mastery 5imitations, stretto,

multiple countersub%ects8, through the monumentality of the construction and the austere,

sober, archaic expression

Concerto for &iano and Wind 4nstruments 5'()B'()H8 marks the return to the

concerted style, to the instrumentalism of the preclassical era Divided into three parts, the

$ork highlights the stylistic paths that originate in the :aro"ue monumentality of andel, in

the structures of :ach and Scarlatti 5from the allegrosections8

&he con"uest of the chamber coordinate, the rediscovery of the sonority of the

ensembles reduced as number of instrumentists should determine the creation of some

original $orks that sho$ a conservative attitude, an ob%ectification of the expression,

cultivating polyphonic $ritings and traditional sonorous expressions In this respect, 4oncerto

in 6 73+asle38 for string orchestra 79; 79?@-9?>8 are reeditations of the

:randenburg :ach type of concert &he $ork is placed in the category of chamber concerts,

the modern correspondent of the concerto grossogenre, dominant for the typical neobaro"ue

sonorous expression, having as trade mark the rule of the tonal factor, the rhythmical

melodical density specific to baro"ue and the massiveness of the architecture


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Concerto per due pianoforti soli 5'(B8 integrates in the same concerting spirit, but

only at the level of sound and $riting complexity, not in terms of instrumentation, its four

parts marking the affiliation of the composer to the :aro"ue polyphony, and $ell as to the

rigorous formal spirit of classical and anteclassical periods2 Con moto,Notturno2'dagietto,

Auattrovaria5ioniand&reludio e fuga

The Octet for $ind instruments 5'()B8 is entirely impregnated $ith the :ach1s music,

but oriented to$ards the >bouffe1 style by /ossini means &he $ork directs the sound speech

to$ards a dimension ob%ectified in a net manner $ith profiles aiming the hardness, the

searches in timbre and colour field being eliminated in favour of linearism Speaking about

the choice of instrumentation, the composer said2 The *ind instruments seem to me more

capable than other instruments to impose a certain rigidit% of the form that 4 have in mind B

the *ind instruments, for example, *hich are less cold and vague. The gracefulness of the

string instruments can itself lead to more subtle nuances and can serve better to the

individual sensibilit% of the performer in *or$s designed on 0emotional basis. M% 1ctet is not

an 0emotional *or$, b% a musical composition based on ob2ective elements *hich are

sufficient in themselves;

-e $ill further highlight some aspects sho$ing the affiliation of 1ctet to $ind

instruments at the 3eo:aro"ue orientation, aspects that are presented in a great measure in

all $orks of the composer included in this stylistic orientation

1. Sound architectures

&he first part of the $ork is entitled "infonia, $ith the old sense of the term >singing

together1, of an extended consonance on timbre level In formal terms, the composer uses the

pattern of sonata in its modern stance, $here the t$o themes are freely follo$ing each other,

$ithout tonal impositions &he idea of expressive contrast bet$een the t$o thematic

articulations is much diminished by the imitative process used in their exposure 5the first in

stretto, the second in fugato8, thus, the character of sonata is taking more from the

characteristics of a double +ugue, $here the developer segment contains no thematic reprise

Another 3eo:aro"ue characteristic is marked $ith the choral character of the

introduction that precedes the first part of the $ork, segment that ends on a cadence on the

dominant position of the basic tone, preparing the start of the main theme in unison

H .ric -alter -hite, "travins$%: The Composer and his Wor$s 5:erkeley, 4A2 !niversity of 4alifornia Press,

)nd .d, '(


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In the second part, Tema con aria5ioni, Stravinski uses a combination of several

principles of form, overlapping the variability, the rondo and the association of variation $ith

finality in +ugato &he principle of alternation is not based on the theme itself, but its first

variation, $hich occurs freely bet$een its different variants &hese are obtained by treating

the variation principle in a modern manner, recreating the pattern by rhythmic transformation

5var A8, rhythmicmelodic transformation, using the dotted rhythmic cell and eliminating the

leaps 5var :8, transposition in $alt# rhythm 5var 48, rhythmic augmentation 5var D8,

metrical and intervallic change 5var .8 &he last variation is a +ugue $ith an intense

chromatic character, C ma2orbeing settled on the basic centre to finally It is the slo$est

variability of the $hole movement, allo$ing the chromatic harmony to create a sober and

strange tone

&he last part, inale is a pseudorondo, a free implementation of the principle of

alternation, $hich combines the imitative polyphony, rhythmic ostinato and choral structure

&he freedom of the form is given by the free chaining of the refrain and couplets, $ith a

boundary of great moment of the form marked in terms of $riting and texture o$ever, the

theme $ill not hold uni"ue exposures, but it $ill be holding moments of variational type or

varied or concentrated reprises, so that the entire structure ac"uires the character of ritornello

form used extensively in the :aro"ue period

&able ' J Igor Stravinski 1ctet, structure of Part III

'B< &heme A

/epeating theme A

Variation of theme A

AB=7 &ransition

&heme :7(7*('

Interlude

/eturn to &heme A()')< &heme 4 Phrygian 4 ma%or

&heme A1

&heme 4 partial

4horal 5m '*(8')='( &heme A fragments'7*'=7 4onclusion 4horal

2. Construction methods

&he thing that approaches the 1ctet for $ind instruments to :ach1s music is the

melodic construction based on the continuous se"uencing of rhythmical and melodic cells, the


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pulsating character printed by the obstinance of forms $ith identical structure, ascending and

descending scalar structure of many melodic segments, sometimes even arpeggios, in

compliance $ith the norms of melodic construction specific to :aro"ue 5leap solved by

$alking slo$ly to the contrary8, motivic se"uencing

Ex. 1 sequencing 5part III, mark


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traditional counterpunctual applied in their :aro"ue stance, as $ell as their adaptation to the

modern means of language and $riting &he most extensively used method is imitation, in its

strict stance or the sub%ectLans$er one infugato manner, being exploited primarily as a means

of thematic exposure

If the nonimitative polyphony is used less often because of the special attention given

to the clarity of $riting and sound expression, being present only in the individuality of the

melodic plans in the counterpunctual speech, the rene$ed traditional methods fit the

Stravinski for the ostinato in his various hypostases2 rhythmic pedals, melodic pedals, vertical

and multiple isorythmic obstinance or overlapping of different rhythmic plans o$ever, the

perpetual change of accents, the use of alternative measures, the syncopated rhythm and

multiple inserts of rhythmic pauses determines the creation of polyrhythmic and polymetric

moments

Ex. polyrhythmics !polymetrics5part IIIa, mark B8

o$ever, the linear polyphonic thinking combined $ith a modaltonal conception on

the sound system leads to moments of thematic overlappings or of melodic lines $ith o$n

tonal or modal route, creating thus polytonalism effects 5polymodalism8

. Colour intentions

Stravinski sho$s, in the $orks before the 1ctet, a gro$ing interest in timbre

expressivity, so that in this $ork he carefully chooses the instrumentation, as $ell as the

arrangements for handling its expressing capacities to obtain a $ork $here the emphasis is on

the ob%ectification of expression &he composer $ill achieve this desire of an ob%ective $ork


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instead of a >sentimental1 one by accessing several factors2 instrumentation 5as pointed out

above, the preference for rigid, cold timbres8, dynamics, form and harmony

Stravinski had a particular conception of the dynamics2 The reason 4 composed this

t%pe of music for an octet for *ind instruments is as follo*s: first, because this assembl%

forms a complete sound scale and it constantl% provides me a sufficientl% rich registration:

secondl%, because the difference in volume of these instruments ma$e the music architecture

more obvious. 'nd this is the most important issue in all m% recent *or$s. 4 excluded from this

*or$ all t%pes of nuances, *hich 4 replaced *ith intoning these volumes of instruments. 4

excluded all nuances bet*een forte andpianoG 4 $ept onl% forte andpiano. Thus, forte and

pianorepresent in m% *or$ onl% the d%namic limits that determine the functionalit% of the

volume of instruments7. &hus, the composer1s indication provides not only the observance of

the natural sonorities of instruments, but also an approach of dynamics similar to the one used

in anteclassical period, $here the range of nuances $as relatively limited, the sound contracts

representing the appanage of the romantic expressiveness

Despite this comment on the natural dynamic differences bet$een the instruments, the

composer1s statement on the exclusive use of the nuances of forteandpianois not factual In

reality, the 1ctet includes a complete dynamics, from pianissimo to fortissimo &he cold

sobriety of the $ork is obtained by the balance of the instrumental $riting, by the timbre

combinations and by alternating the area of density and thinning, as $ell as by the

predominant use of the polyphonic $riting

Conclusions

The thing that characteri5es the "travins$is genius is his appetite for *hat is

concrete@.&hat might explain the attraction that the composer manifested to pure sounds,

polyphonic sounds and symmetry of classical and anteclassical constructions, and the deep

rooted values of -estern art music

&he spirit of >returns1 of Stravinski is not the one of copying classical composers, but

his purpose is to restate, in a ne$ and original manner, the existing language elements2

harmonies, chords, melodic motifs, architectonical structures, construction techni"ues

&he entire set of constructive and architectural methods accessed in the 1ctet for *ind

instrumentsby Igor Stravinski results in a $ork that represents not only an experiment of the

7.ric -alter -hite, "travins$%: The Composer and his Wor$s, p


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ne$ aesthetic, but a restoration of some values neglected and lost in a personal and modern

manner, updated to the expressive re"uirements of the t$entieth century

"eferences2

' MMM Clasicism, +aroc, omantism J G 4Nlinescu, 0atei 4Nlinescu, Adrian

0arino, &udor Vianu, .d Dacia, 4lu%, '(


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'H Voiculescu, Dan, "tructuralismul Li polifonia 7"tructuralism and pol%phon%8 Wn

EucrNri de mu#icologie, vol =(, 4onservatorul Gh Dima, 4lu%, '(

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