ImpressionismTurn of the 20th century

Musicians influenced by PaintersFrench and Russian composers take the leadA group of French painters known as the

impressionists. Instead of focusing on the objects, they focused on “light” and how it related to the object

Claude Monet

Pierre-Auguste Renoir

Musical Response-music was to focus on atmosphere instead of

the strong emotions of the Romantic period.-artists often used objects in nature to inspire

their piecesHaving said that, Impressionism is really a

subcategory of the Romantic. Nature, traditions, nationalism are still very influential

Claude DebussyFrench…and was good friends with the

paintersLoved the whole tone scale….Mr Duncan

don’t forget to play it.L’Apres Midi De La Faune

Modest MussorgskyRussian“Pictures at an Exhibition”As a tribute to his friend Victor

Hartmann, who suddenly died of an aneurism, Mussorgsky recreated an exhibition of his paintings to music.

The piece recreated several paintings and included and introduction, and a promenade between each painting

The Great Gate of Kiev

Igor StravinskyRussian“Le Sac du

Printempts” (en englais) “The Rite of Spring”

Inspired by archeologist and artist, Nikolai Roerich

Roerich was interested in the Pagans of Russia before Christianity came to Russia

So…Le Sacre du Printemps will be composed by Igor StravinskyInspired by Nikolai RoerichAnd choreographed by Vaslav Nijinski

What could go wrong?

The most famous of these scandals was the debut performance of Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring at the Théâtre des Champs Elysées in Paris on 29 May 1913. Nijinsky was choreographer. Once the curtain opened, revealing a dancer in peasant costume standing knock-kneed with her palsied fists under her chin, a wiseass in the audience yelled: “Call a doctor!” Someone retorted, “A dentist!” Outraged balletomanes demanded silence—which only enflamed the peanut gallery. But peevish sarcasm gave way to pure chaos once Stravinsky’s frenetic music cast its spell. People cheered wildly, or hissed, or simply beat their palms on the railings in time with the music. Fist-fights broke out in the aisles between the fans and detractors. Poor mad Nijinsky’s stomping, circling choreography was roundly mocked. (We can guess at how little the ballet was enjoyed by his fellow dancers—all of whom promptly “forgot” the choreography and didn’t pass it on to eager dance historians.) Stravinsky reportedly fled the theater in tears. Diaghilev rushed backstage to turn the house lights on and off—a futile effort to calm the audience--while Nijinsky stood on a chair in the wings, calling out the counts to his dancers. Afterwards, Diaghilev glided through the crowded theater lobby proclaiming, “It is exactly what I wanted to happen.”