Music Library Exhibit: The Rite of Spring Centennial

The Music Library's exhibit case is set for the fall, and features a recently received manuscript facsimile of Igor Stravinsky's The Rite of Spring.

The Rite of Spring, a ballet depicting “scenes from pagan Russia,” and culminating in the sacrifice of an adolescent girl through dance, is known for its harsh dissonance and driving rhythm. It is also remembered for its notoriously riotous premiere on May 29, 1913, by Sergei Diaghilev’s Ballets Russes, with choreography by Vaclav Nijinsky. This exhibit case contains a recently published manuscript facsimile of The Rite of Spring:

Stravinsky, Igor. Le Sacre du printemps: Facsimile of the Autograph Full Score. Edited by Ulrich Mosch. London: Boosey & Hawkes, 2013.

Note that the titles at the top of the title page are given in Russian (Весна священная – this is Romanized and found in library catalogs as Vesna svi︠a︡shchennai︠a︡) and French (Le Sacre du Printemps).

The case also contains an early account of the first performances of the work from the June 8, 1913 issue of the New York Times.
You may wish to consult the following titles for further reading:

Benjamin, George. “How Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring has Shaped 100 Years of Music.” The Guardian, May 28, 2013.

Hill, Peter. Stravinsky: The Rite of Spring. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2000. Call no. MUX ML410.S932 H55 2000

You may access a video recording of Simon Rattle conducting The Rite of Spring with the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra on Alexander Street Press’s Classical Music in Video. If you are off campus, you will need to log in with your NIU network ID and password.