8th Grade Orchestra
2/23/18
February Composer of the Week: Igor Stravinsky
Stravinsky was born from June 17, 1882 to April 6, 1971 (88 when died) in Oranienbaum. He was a Russian-born composer, pianist, and conductor. He was known as one of the most important and influential composers in the 20th century. His father, Fyodor Stravinsky (1843-1902) was a well known bass player and his mother Anna (1854-1939) was a native Kiev. Stravinsky had two wives. The first one was his first cousin. They have known each other since their early childhood. Her name was Yekaterina Gabrielovna Nossenko. They were married from 1906 to 1939. His second wife was Vera de Bosset. They got married in 1940. The reason why he and his first wife split up is because he was cheating on her with Vera. …show more content…
By age 15, he mastered Mendelssohn's Piano Concerto in G minor and finished a piano reduction of a string quartet by Glazunov, who reportedly considered Stravinsky unmusical, and thought little of his skills. Even though he had a great love for music, his parents wanted him to study law. He attended fewer than fifty class sessions during his four years of study. Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov suggested that he should study composing by taking private lessons.
A piece he wrote
One of Stravinsky's most famous pieces was called ¨The Firebird.¨ It is a ballet and orchestra concert. It was first performed in Paris on June 25, 1910. The ballet was based on the Russian legend of the Firebird, a good spirit whose feathers supposedly convey beauty and protection upon the earth.
I like this song because it sounds like someone is on an adventure in the wilderness. And it's makes is seem like something exciting is about to happen.