Birth

 

Igor Stravinsky was born in 1892 in Saint Petersburg, Russia to Fyodor (an opera singer) and Anna (a domestic engineer).  Stravinsky began piano lessons at a very early age, and also studied music theory and composition; however, his teachers did not think he was very talented. Unfortunately, Stravinsky believed his parents also did not care very much for him.  It has been reported that Stravinsky's father had an uncontrollable temper and that Stravinsky was deathly afraid of him.  It is also reported that his mother would often scold him until he cried - even into adulthood - about not being good enough.  While is unknown whether these reports are true, Stravinsky was quoted as saying, " I do not like to remember my childhood".

 

 

During His Lifetime

 

When Stravinsky was 15 he saw a performance of Tchaikovsky's ballet, Sleeping Beauty.  This fueled his enthusiam and he vowed to make music his profession.  Of course, this did not sit well with his parents, who wanted him to become a lawyer.  To please his parents, he did study law at the university, but he rarely went to class.  Instead he studied composing with Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov (the leading Russian composer at the time) for several years before embarking on his own.  Stravinsky moved several times during his lifetime: first to France, where he became a citizen in 1934, and then to the United States, where he became a citizen in 1945. 

 

 

Several things happened during Stavinsky's lifetime that you might have heard about before today.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Death

 

Stravinsky died at the age of 88 in a hotel in New York City in 1971.  He is buried in the cemetary island of Venice, San Michele, for no other reason than those were his last wishes.  After his death, he was given a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and a Grammy Award for Lifetime Achievement, both in 1987.

 

 

 

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Type of Music

 

Stravinsky was a composer during the Modern Period and is best known for his ballets.  Below is a YouTube video that describes Stravinsky's life and music (in his own words!) in more detail.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Most Famous Music

 

Stravinsky's most famous music includes the the ballets The Firebird and The Rite of Spring. Interesting Fact: The Rite of Spring is considered the birth of the Modern Period, because it was so different than any other music composed.

 

 

 

 

Music in Pop Culture

 

Stravinsky's music has been used a little bit in popular culture.  Click Stravinsky's pop art portrait to see video examples.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Listening

 

These videos are great examples of Stravinsky's most famous music, The Firebird and The Rite of Spring, as well as Riot at the Rite, a BBC documentary of The Rite of Spring premiere.