Comparison Between The Rite of Spring and Appalachian Spring
The Rite of Spring (1913), composed by Igor Stravinsky, and Appalachian Spring (1944), by Aaron Copland, are ballets that center around folk culture. The Rite of Spring suggests a story of human sacrifice and has an overall a harsh and almost disturbing mood. Appalachian Spring tells the story of a new couple celebrating their new house and is lively and happy. The two ballets stem from a common base of folk culture, yet the mood of each one is very different due to the individual emotions that the composers wanted to express.
The overall effect of The Rite of Spring is jolting, shocking, intense, and jarring. It features rivalry between two tribes, primitive dances, and pagan rituals …show more content…
Modernism in music turns away from nature and the individual and goes instead towards the crowd, dissonance, complex rhythms, and abstraction. Stravinsky used fragmented Russian folk tale tunes, unpredictable rhythmic changes, sudden dynamic changes, and harsh dissonances to create a sense of unexpected pounding to startle the listener. Stravinsky made a primeval and brutish sound with brass and percussion instruments. Other instruments he included in the ballet are bassoons in high register, clarinets, and an English horn.
The dancers in The Rite of Spring move along with the music in the sense that they are intentionally awkward, abrupt, jerky, jumpy, and somewhat contorted. They move in a way that is unballet-like. The emphasis is on the groups of dancers who move in similar motions. The group aspect of the ballet ties into the modernist style that Stravinsky used. The dancers have blank facial expressions that look very detached and distant, so the mood they convey is shown through their movements.
On the opening night of The Rite of Spring, audience members publicly spoke out against the unballetic aspects of the piece which caused a huge riot. Interestingly, Stravinsky wanted the piece to be controversial because he wanted to create …show more content…
To create this pleasing mood, Copland uses consonant intervals and a simple and clear melody. The melody, “Simple Gifts,” is from a hymn sung by a Christian group called the Shakers who embraced simple living and folk culture. Copland uses portions of the tune and adds a little variety to it and sometimes there is imitation that can be heard in the melodic phrases. He uses flutes, clarinets, bassoons, strings, and a piano for this piece. The opening closing music of the ballet is quiet which makes it have a sense of resolution, bringing the piece full
The Rite of Spring (1913), composed by Igor Stravinsky, and Appalachian Spring (1944), by Aaron Copland, are ballets that center around folk culture. The Rite of Spring suggests a story of human sacrifice and has an overall a harsh and almost disturbing mood. Appalachian Spring tells the story of a new couple celebrating their new house and is lively and happy. The two ballets stem from a common base of folk culture, yet the mood of each one is very different due to the individual emotions that the composers wanted to express.
The overall effect of The Rite of Spring is jolting, shocking, intense, and jarring. It features rivalry between two tribes, primitive dances, and pagan rituals …show more content…
Modernism in music turns away from nature and the individual and goes instead towards the crowd, dissonance, complex rhythms, and abstraction. Stravinsky used fragmented Russian folk tale tunes, unpredictable rhythmic changes, sudden dynamic changes, and harsh dissonances to create a sense of unexpected pounding to startle the listener. Stravinsky made a primeval and brutish sound with brass and percussion instruments. Other instruments he included in the ballet are bassoons in high register, clarinets, and an English horn.
The dancers in The Rite of Spring move along with the music in the sense that they are intentionally awkward, abrupt, jerky, jumpy, and somewhat contorted. They move in a way that is unballet-like. The emphasis is on the groups of dancers who move in similar motions. The group aspect of the ballet ties into the modernist style that Stravinsky used. The dancers have blank facial expressions that look very detached and distant, so the mood they convey is shown through their movements.
On the opening night of The Rite of Spring, audience members publicly spoke out against the unballetic aspects of the piece which caused a huge riot. Interestingly, Stravinsky wanted the piece to be controversial because he wanted to create …show more content…
To create this pleasing mood, Copland uses consonant intervals and a simple and clear melody. The melody, “Simple Gifts,” is from a hymn sung by a Christian group called the Shakers who embraced simple living and folk culture. Copland uses portions of the tune and adds a little variety to it and sometimes there is imitation that can be heard in the melodic phrases. He uses flutes, clarinets, bassoons, strings, and a piano for this piece. The opening closing music of the ballet is quiet which makes it have a sense of resolution, bringing the piece full