Aesthetics of Objectivism in Igor Stravinsky's Neoclassical Works
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Date
2012
Authors
Lee, SunHwa
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
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Publisher
University of Oregon
Abstract
This thesis examines Stravinsky’s aesthetics of objectivism, as described in his
own book and displayed in three different genres from his neoclassical period:
Symphonies of Wind Instruments (1920), Perséphone (1933), and Orpheus (1947). My
research has significance, in that I combine aesthetics and musical analysis in examining
Stravinsky’s objectivism. Drawing on Stravinsky’s book, Poetics of Music in the Form of
Six Lessons, I define his objectivism as the structural organization of musical materials,
the denial of expression of subjective emotion, the importance of the composer’s
invention, and the concept of limitation.
Stravinsky’s objectivism appears in various ways in the different genres. The
instrumental piece Symphonies of Wind Instruments presents the lack of linear continuity
and development. The melodrama Perséphone represents his objectivism through his
rearrangement of French text, and the ballet Orpheus shows his restrained expression in
reduced orchestration, quiet dynamics, and cool tone colors.
Description
Keywords
Igor Stravinsky