Two Worlds Combined: Modernism and Classicism in Stravinsky’s Apollo Bonnie Shore
aegis 2009 50 Shore
Igor Stravinsky’s Apollon Musagète (1928) is an important work in the fields of music and ballet, representing the modernist ideals of the 1920’s while also using classical techniques. Apollo, as the piece has come to be called, is the first of three neoclassical ballets composed by Stravinsky. Written on commission for a music festival in Washington D.C., it consists of ten movements for string orchestra. Its neoclassical, white-on-white character1 distinguishes the piece from the composer’s previous works and those of its contemporaries, while reflecting society’s desire for clean lines and modernism. Apollo’s choreography by Balanchine was a turning point in the classical ballet style. Through an examination of Stravinsky’s background, the commissioning and production of the work, the music itself (with its story and choreography), Apollo’s historical context, and its similarities to artistic and cultural movements, one gains an understanding of how Stravinsky was able to combine the two very different artistic movements of classicism and modernism into a neoclassic piece. Stravinsky was born in Oranienbaum (near St. Petersburg) in 1882. His parents were of noble Polish lineage. His father was a famous vocalist at the Imperial Opera in St. Petersburg, and encouraged his son’s interest in music. However, it was also his father who insisted that Stravinsky study law. This did not go well, and in 1902 Stravinsky began studying with Rimsky-Korsakov. This famous composer advised Stravinsky – who at the time did not have a very developed compositional style – not to enter the conservatory, but simply to study with him. These lessons consisted of form and orchestration, which is apparent in Stravinsky’s mature works. The careful choice of instrumentation for color in pieces such as Petrushka and the Rite of Spring makes the simpler instrumentation of Apollo all the more striking.2 Rimsky-Korsakov was Stravinsky’s last teacher, though he admitted the influence of Glazunov, Tchaikovsky and Wagner on his work. The prosperity of the 1920’s made the creation of Apollo possible. This decade brought a renewed interest in the arts and neoclassicism, as exemplified in the movement to make Washington D.C. a “Mecca of the arts.” One of the leaders of this movement was the philanthropist Elizabeth Sprauge Coolidge (1864-1953), whose foundation funded many chamber performances and commissions.3 She also sponsored a small hall for the Library of Congress that was suitable for the performance of such music. In keeping with the neoclassical style, the hall’s aesthetics are simple rather than ornate.4 One of Coolidge’s more ambitious projects was her contemporary music festival, which began in 1928, the same year the hall was completed. Coolidge wanted a ballet premiere in Washington to open the festival. European composers, including de Falla and Respighi, with whom she had regular contact, showed no interest.5 It is not known with certainty why Stravinsky was the next composer asked and very little survives of the initial contact. What is known is that in 1927 Coolidge commissioned a ballet, not to exceed thirty minutes, for a small ensemble.
