A pioneer of musical modernism, Igor Stravinsky marked a
significant turn in compositional method. He broke free from
traditional styles and contemporary trends in the early part of the
twentieth century to achieve an entirely new and truly modern
aesthetic. Striking a remarkable concurrence of stasis and
discontinuity, Stravinsky crafted large-scale compositions out of
short repeating melodies, juxtaposed these primary motives with
contrasting and varying fragments, and layered on fixed ostinati
which repeated at their own rates throughout the piece. Previous
scholarship on Stravinsky focuses on the disparate and independent
nature of such textures, conceiving them as separated and
deadlocked, unable to escape their repetitions, and having no goal.
This connects Stravinsky's procedures with the more radical music
of subsequent composers for whom disconnection has served as a
primary aesthetic. Yet, from the perspective of his later works,
the static and discontinuous depictions of Stravinsky's music seem
incomplete and perhaps even simplistic. The "building blocks" of
his novel textures often consist of tunes with identifiable
intervallic shapes, goal pitches, and defining durational
patterns-organizations that engender continuity and connection. In
other words, although its basic materials are combined into new,
often dissonant and usually repetitive textures, those materials
still originate in, and depend upon, traditional concepts of
melody, harmony, and pulsation. Presenting an innovative analytical
model for Stravinsky's compositions, Building Blocks seeks a fuller
perspective, and enables a fresh, insightful approach to this music
and the theoretical constructs behind it. Author Gretchen Horlacher
portrays the whole of Stravinsky's repertoire as radical or modern
not because it eschews continuity and connection, but because it
places them in relation to their opposites: the music holds our
interest because undeniable references toward continuity are
dynamically coordinated (rather than subsumed) with stasis and
discontinuity. From this vantage point, Stravinsky's music becomes
a commentary on the nature of time: the music draws into relation
the tension between time as it is punctuated by fixed reference and
as it flows from one event to another. It is quintessentially
modern because of its inherent emphasis on multiple vantage points.
A sensitive and sophisticated approach to the work of this iconic
composer, Building Blocks will appeal to students and scholars of
Stravinsky and his music, scholars of musical modernism and
twentieth century music, and to a more limited extent, to
performers-particularly conductors, pianists, and orchestral
instrumentalists.
General
Is the information for this product incomplete, wrong or inappropriate?
Let us know about it.
Does this product have an incorrect or missing image?
Send us a new image.
Is this product missing categories?
Add more categories.
Review This Product
No reviews yet - be the first to create one!
Welcome to Loot.co.za!
Sign in / Register |Wishlists & Gift Vouchers |Help | Advanced search
