Russia of the 20th century in the prism of musical art: the 1900s – Igor Stravinsky

This publication is a continuation of a contextual overview of 20th-century Russian musical art. In this essay, the author turns to the legacy of Igor Stravinsky, particularly the Russian period in the composer’s work (the 1910s), which was characterized by the active development of national elements in music. This period coincided with the primary phase of development of one of the most important movements in early 20th-century world music: Neo-folklorism. The study pays particular attention to the ballet “The Rite of Spring” as a musical manifesto of the 20th century. This work embodied the boldest and most innovative ideas, not only for musical theater of the early 20th century but also for the entire musical culture of that time. This score became one of the key artistic-historical testimonies, reflecting with incredible force the profound and fundamental changes that occurred in all spheres of life during that period. In conclusion, the author reveals the brilliance and uniqueness of the Russian period in Stravinsky’s work, where two main principles were clearly represented. The first one was expressed through archaic and ritual elements, taking forms associated with “paganism”, “Scythianism”, and musical barbarism. The second one manifested itself in diverse genre forms, including heterogeneous sound images that significantly deviated from traditional academic norms.