Stravinsky Rite of Spring

Introduction
Stravinsky rite of spring is a revolutionary piece of art that was first performed in Paris more than 100 years ago. Stravinsky wrote the rite of spring on the eve of the First World War and the Russian revolution. The composition represents an era of scientific, artistic, and intellectual advancement. It has also helped shape 20th century music because it provides a model for other composers to follow. During the early days
, Stravinsky faced so much opposition that his career in music almost ended. Currently, the music is part of the international orchestral repertoire and enjoys widespread recognition across the world. The reason the music did not enjoy acceptance is because it did not conform to impressionism, which was popular during the time. The music bears similarity with the German traditional symphonic. The music bears similarity with cubism because phrases slice into one another in a way that was new to European ears.
Stravinsky Rite of Spring
Stravinsky was radically different from most of the post-Wagnerian composers, especially in his rhythm. In its entirety, the rite of spring ushers in an explosive new musical era, which is completely different from the previous compositions belonging to the classical era. Although Stravinskys rhythm is highly irregular, there is a pulse running through the piece that required innovation to make the music playable. The most outstanding feature of this piece is the massive orchestra that plays the music in perfect unison. Few composers can rival the number of musicians that the piece requires. The sight of the many musicians on stage executing the piece in perfect unison is a remarkable sight that few things can rival. Stravinsky was a composer with intelligent insight never before experienced by the audience in European at the time. This insight made his music radically different from what the audience expected. The different insight made many reject his music, however, there were few who recognized his genius and sort to have other recognize him (Hill 33).
The composition requires many musicians, which could create a problem for the listener trying to concentrate on the piece. To over this, Stravinsky reduced most of the rhythm melodic material into simple repetitive patterns. Most of the rhythms in the composition are borrowed from the Lithuanian folk tunes and are reduced to two or three pitches for ease of listening. In line with the simplicity of the work, the music tunes move at a slow rate. These magnify the drive and energy of the music. Although the music is strange for a listen in 1913, it is played at a level of refinement like no other. The music plays in such harmony and with such intensity that the audience cannot help but feel pulled by the almost tribal intensity (Van 74). One most electrifying moment during the composition is the piling up of opposing rhythmical strands to create a form of organized chaos. This advancement of the polyrhythm is one of the most important innovations for modern music and is beyond anything envisioned earlier.
The rite of spring is an aggressive piece; however, the opening has a sense of lyricism and mystery. No one who has listened to the piece can forget the bassoon solo at the beginning of the music. One major way that the rite of spring helped shape modern music is that it placed more emphasis on rhythm than on pitch. This is a model that composers after 1913 have adopted and continue to use. Another of Stravinskys contributions to music is music continuity. Stravinskys innovations helped develop a geometric advance to music in which musical forms evolve through perpetual transformation. The rite of spring did not enjoy widespread acceptance during its early days and most of the successful composers during the time did not find a piece as innovative as many view it today. Even the composer himself abandoned the piece and the form of music that it ushered. A few years after releasing the piece, Stravinsky dropped his modernistic approach to music in favor of neoclassical aesthetic (Hill 41).
Conclusion
The rite of spring has survived numerous assaults from choreographic reinterpretations and analysis to exploitation in movies, such as Disneys Fantasia. After the release of this composition, Stravinsky abandoned the modernistic approach in favor of an approach more familiar with the audience. Despite numerous attempts, he never regained the genius or influence associated with the rite of spring. Stravinsky does not move in the usual ways but as long as the audience appreciates that a rhythm is an element of music, they are in a position to enjoy his work. Stravinsky was a composer who was ahead of his time and the greatest since Beethoven. However, unlike Beethoven, he abandoned his approach to fit the demands of his audience. In an attempt to compose familiar music, he betrayed his modernistic genius, which helped earn him a play in the international orchestral repertoire.

 Works cited
Hill, Peter. Stravinsky: the Rite of Spring. Cambridge: Cambridge Univ. Press, 2000. Print.
Van, den T. P. C. Stravinsky and the Rite of Spring: The Beginnings of a Musical Language. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1987. Print.