Expositions and Developments [Paperback]

Igor Stravinsky (Author), Robert Craft (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 20, 1981

The conversations between Igor Stravinsky and Robert Craft are unique in musical history.' Sunday Times Expositions and Developments is the third in the legendary series of Stravinsky's conversations with Robert Craft. In this volume Stravinsky delves deep into his memory and brings to light, in the most absorbing detail, reminiscences of his childhood, youth and early manhood in Russia. A most remarkable evocation of St Petersburg, the city that the composer still loves best, forms part of the earlier, 'expository' section of the book. In his 'developments', Stravinsky moves outside Russia and unfolds a wealth of information and racy anecdote, most of which has a direct bearing on his music. The extensive chronological sweep of these conversations embraces not only a vivid account of how the Rite of Spring was composed and first performed but also his first thoughts about The Flood, one of his most recent works. This unique series of memories offers not only indispensable documentation but also exceptional literary distinction, and is essential reading for all students and lovers of Stravinsky.

--This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

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About the Author

The distinguished conductor, Robert Craft, met Igor Stravinsky in 1948, and developed what proved to be an extraordinarily fruitful artistic partnership from then until the composer's death in 1971. Craft lived with the family in California and later in New York and remained close to the composer's widow Vera, until her death in 1982. --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Paperback: 168 pages
• Publisher: University of California Press (November 20, 1981)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0520044037
• ISBN-13: 978-0520044036
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 5.1 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,053,793 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Pick this up and enjoy some great stories from the life and work of a very interesting man (and great composer), January 9, 2006

By 

Craig Matteson (Saline, MI) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Expositions and Developments (Paperback)

This installation of the Stravinsky / Craft conversation books can be considered a supplement to Stravinsky's autobiography and, to a lesser extent, the "Poetics of Music". He talks more about his childhood and adult life in more personal ways than he had in those books. The statements in those books that caused confusion and came across as provocative and doctrinaire receive are fleshed out here and make more sense. He provides a context for what he was speaking against and what he was speaking for.

Basically, Stravinsky is strongly against trying to make music the servant of anything outside of the music. Of course, we see that in how Stravinsky uses texts. He breaks them up into syllables at times and uses them as sounds based on their vowels and especially the rhythm of their consonants. It is a quite interesting view, and like all doctrines it has its limits. Stravinsky himself talks about using the tritone in Oedipus Rex to depict the falsus pater notion. Well, hmmmm.... But I understand the vast difference between that and what Wagner was after and it was the cultural saturation of the Wagnerian music drama that Stravinsky was speaking most strongly against.

There are more interesting pictures here including one of Stravinsky with Charlton Heston(!), plus a list of Tchaikowsky sources that Stravinsky says he used for writing "The Fairy's Kiss". There are also two very short pieces that were previously unpublished before this book. One is a Berceuse Stravinsky wrote for his daughter (words and music - provided here in French translation from the Russian of the original) and an Anthem of an English poem by T.S. Eliot: "The dove descending breaks the air" for SATB chorus.

Stravinsky also talks quite a bit about the composing of the first three ballets (Firebird, Petrushka, and Le Sacre) more deeply than in the other books. The stories are quite interesting and pop some of the myths that have grown up around the pieces. He also talks about the music and musicians that were contemporaries at various periods of his life including the present time of the book (1959-60), which is quite fascinating.