MHST 640A Topics in the 20th & 21st century: Worlds of Stravinsky
The unusually long and varied career of Igor Stravinsky (1882-1971) spanned multiple realms: from late imperial Russia, to the heyday of early modernism in France, to post-war United States and the age of jet-set celebrity. The conceptual scope of his music reflects this breadth of experience, and a principal aim of the course is to explore and understand these worlds­cultural, aesthetic, compositional-that Stravinsky moved through and helped to shape. The significance of his engagement with music from earlier centuries will be a recurring topic, as will be the persistence of certain musical priorities despite striking changes in the surface features of his works. Other topics will include Stravinsky as performer and the impact of his extensive recorded legacy; his relation to the worlds of literature, dance, and fashion; the problematic term "neoclassicism"; and his influence on a wide range of musicians in North America. Comparative and/or performance-oriented analysis will form the basis of three essay-length assignments on topics to be determined in consultation with the instructor.