Igor Stravinsky
The
son of a distinguished Russian singer, Stravinsky spent his earlier years in Russia,
either in St. Petersburg or, in the summer, at the country estates of his relatives.
He
studied music briefly with Rimsky-Korsakov but made a name for himself first in Paris with
commissions from the impresario Diagilev, for whom he wrote a series of ballet scores.
He spent the years after the Russian Revolution of 1917 in Western Europe and in 1939 moved to the United States of America.
There
in the post-war years he turned from a style of eclectic neo-classicism to composing in
the twelve-note technique propounded by Schoenberg.
A
versatile composer, inventive in changing styles, he may be seen as the musical
counterpart of the painter Picasso.
His
most famous piece, Le Sacre du Printemps (The Rite of Spring) caused a historical riot in
music history.
Some of his most famous works are:
Le Sacre du Printemps (The Coronation of Spring)
Petrushka
Les Noces (The Wedding)
Baroque
Classical
Romantic
Modern