Introduction to New Book on Stravinsky

Abstract

A new book is devoted to the work of Stravinsky follows and expands upon the tradition of Boris Asafyev’s 1929 monograph. The central analytical object of the new book is the sound fabric unfolding over time in the works of the Russian master. Content-related and semantic interpretations of this object are intended to expand upon, refine, and in some cases correct ideas about Stravinsky’s work that exist in the modern musical consciousness. The book relies on four methodological premises. The historiographical premise stems from an interpretation of Stravinsky’s artistic legacy as a musical universe resting on proto-elements formed during the early stage of his creative development. The methodological premise is based on emphasizing the differences between the dynamic-procedural creative method, which is characteristic of the classical and romantic branch of Western European music, and Stravinsky’s object-descriptive polymorphism, which is rooted in the traditions of 19th-century Russian music. The musical-imagery premise is conditioned on the expressive spheres within Stravinsky’s oeuvre which were new to the world of early-20th-century music. In these areas, the composer operates masterfully in realms of the human emotional universe which were previously unrepresented in music. Finally, the cultural and worldview-related premise originates with Stravinsky’s unique role in 20th-century musical culture as the most brilliant representative of a new, essentially dialogic, cultural type. The dialogical mental apparatus, the diverse forms of intercultural dialogue in his life and art, and the harmonization of European and non-European strategies for perceiving the world around us — a characteristic feature of Stravinsky’s life and work.