One of the most original and influential composers of our time, Igor Stravinsky (1882 1971) developed an entirely new musical idiom, one that has profoundly influenced the course of 20th-century music. In this immensely readable and concisely written critical and biographical portrait, the renowned Stravinsky scholar Eric Walter White surveys and comments on the evolution of the composer's work through 1946. Highly informative and sensitively written, the text provides fascinating behind-the-scenes accounts of the background and composition of such masterworks as "The Firebird," "Petrouchka," "Le Sacre du Printemps," "Pulcinella," "Historie du Soldat," "Reynard," "Les Noces," and other important scores.
Critical commentary on Stravinsky's music is interspersed with historical and biographical facts about the composer's life and times, selections from his writings, the writings of friends and colleagues, and other relevant material. Rare photographs and illustrations enhance the text, which is further supplemented by three appendices: List of Works (through 1946), List of [Early] Recordings, and a Bibliography. Praised by the "New York Herald Tribune" as an "excellent study of Stravinsky" and a "definite landmark in contemporary music criticism," this revealing book will appeal to anyone interested in Stravinsky's pivotal role in the growth of modern music."