Stravinskys Compositions for Wind Instruments

by Bernardo Miethe

Becoming a great band conductor requires extensive practice of motor skills and study of

the written music. However, where can we find pieces for band difficult enough that will demand

a lot of practice and study? Igor Stravinsky (1882-1971) is one of the most influential composers

of the 20th century. Some of his music is written for different combinations of wind instruments,

music difficult enough to get prepared to be an accomplished band conductor. There are

similarities and differences between all of the compositions hereby examined. They all are

written for wind instruments; sometimes with one or two pianos, violin, percussion, low strings,

or even choir. Furthermore, they all require a conductor because the musicians must be able to

follow, given the difficulty of the music. Between his compositions for winds, there are (in

chronological order): The Soldiers Tale (1918), Symphonies of Wind Instruments (1920), Octet

(1923), Piano Concerto (1924), and Symphony of Psalms (1930).

Before examining and contrasting these pieces, one must take a closer look to an

important element that is present in 3 out of the 5 pieces here presented, Neo-Classicism. Here,

Stravinsky turns to the music of Mozart and Bach and re-examines them. Therefore, he uses

classical traits such as form; sonata, rondos, baroque concertos, and variations; but uses them

with dissonances and different scales (whole tone, octatonic, and pentatonic), as well as rhythmic

modulations throughout. Stravinsky strives for formal before emotional, I cannot compose until

I have decided what problem I must solve. I evoke neither human joy nor human sadness.1 One

of the most important traits of his neo-classical compositions is that he abandons large orchestras

and writes mainly for winds, piano, choir, and chamber works; therefore, influencing greatly the

band literature. The string sound felt too personal and brilliant to him, therefore the winds have a

1
Introduction to Contemporary Music (pg. 161)
darker sound and provide true sobriety, according to Stravinsky2. Another aspect of his neo-

classical period is a technique called eclectic imitation. This kind of imitation combines

diatonic and octatonic scales and uses them with classic structures.

The other attribute that influences all of these works is Primitivism. It was a movement in

music and in visual arts which was a reaction against the modernism (late-romanticism) of

Mahler, Strauss, and Debussy. In primitivism, the savage, unrefined, and uneducated are thought

as pure. Stravinskys first work that clearly contains primitivism, which is also his most

controversial and acclaimed composition, is the Rite of Spring, which would later be called The

Prehistoric Ballet. Given that it was composed in 1913, it is safe to say that all the works

compared here will have been influenced by it and its influence is clearly apparent in these later

compositions. Primitivism can be described as simple ideas juxtaposed with each other to form

new ideas; in music, it favors simple, clear folk-melodies that revolve around a central note. The

main force that drives primitivism is the rhythmic foundation, which is elevated to primal

importance over all the other aspects of the music. In Stravinskys own words, Rhythm and

motion, not the element of feeling, are the foundations of musical art.3

The Soldiers tale is a composition written for a small group, 7 players and a conductor,

because Stravinsky wrote it by the end of World War I, which lasted from 1914 to 1918.

Therefore, finding instrumentalists that could play it would have been hard at the time. This is

the first composition presented here that is not neo-classical because it doesnt follow formal

structures; instead, is a modest and intimate piece with a concise storyline. Furthermore,

Stravinsky looks to the past of his own folk instead of the western-European classicism. Here,

although the orchestration is becoming small; Stravinsky only seeks to mock popular tradition by

taking familiar themes and presenting them in an unfamiliar way. Written for A-Clarinet,
2
Introduction to Contemporary Music (pg. 45)
3
Introduction to Contemporary Music (pg. 29)
Bassoon, Trombone, Percussion, Violin, and Double bass; all played by one player per

instrument. Why was it composed? Stravinsky was in great need of money at this time. He was

neither receiving funds from Russia nor royalties from his publishers. Therefore, he needed

something easy to produce. Stravinsky chose a Russian folk tale very similar to the story of

Faust. It would be easy to set and made it for the people that were available to him at the time: 4

actors and a dancer. The violin represents the soul of the soldier while the drums act as the devil;

at the end of the piece, the violin fades and only the drums are heard. Curiously, Stravinsky

learned to play the drum set while writing this piece4. Although the bass drum pedal had already

been invented in 1909 by William Ludwig5, Stravinsky didnt add it on this composition, maybe

because he didnt know of the existence of the pedal at this point or because he couldnt play it.

In the soldiers tale, there are different musical styles embedded in it; Lutheran chorales, a waltz,

as well as a sexy dance that was becoming popular in Switzerland called the Tango (originally

from Argentina). Stravinsky also includes jazz in it, which he had never heard but had studied

jazz scores brought to him from North America. Therefore, Stravinskys interpretation of the

jazz he had read is included as best he could understand it6. Stravinsky writes that the theme of

the little concert came to him in a dream, where he saw a woman playing the violin to her child

by the roadside. Stravinsky remembered the theme and upon waking up, he wrote it down7. The

greatest challenge that this piece presents is the metric modulation. You can see the first seven

measures of the Royal March on the figure bellow (fig. 1), where metric modulation might not

present a substantial problem, but the syncopations on all the instruments (except for the

trombone solo) make it difficult to put together as well as feeling the downbeat. On the second

figure (fig. 2), you can see the middle section of the Ragtime movement, where metric

4, 6, 7
Andrew Porter - Chester Music and Novello & Company online.
5
National Jazz Workshops website.
modulation obtains a fair level of complexity. These two examples explain why its so important

to have good conductor who is well prepared to rehearse this piece as well as perform it.

Fig. 1:

Fig. 2:
 Symphonies of Wind Instruments is the other Stravinsky piece here presented that is not

solely neo-classical, but its a conjunction of modernism and classicism. It certainly contains

primitivism with its heavily rhythmic drive but the structure is not based on 18th century

composers, even though the name Symphonies might suggest some formalism. Stravinsky

doesnt call it a Symphony but he uses the plural which evokes an older connotation of the word,

going back to the first use of the word in ancient Greece; where it meant a harmonious

agreement of vocal or instrumental music. Stravinsky composed the piece because his friend

Claude Debussy had died in 1918. Stravinsky started to sketch the Symphonies in 1919 in order

to be played in Debussys memorial in 1920. This piece was written after the First World War

was over; we can see that in the music due to the larger scale of the instrumentation. This piece is

meant to be played by 24 players, that is almost 3 times more people than the Soldiers Tale. The

Symphonies is Stravinskys structural masterpiece; it uses a series of fast contrasting sections

organized continuously without transitions. These ideas are juxtaposed and shuffled until they

arrive to the last section, the calmed choral. The lack of narrative order makes for a collage-

like union of musical sections.8 There is metric modulation all throughout the piece, and even

thought it might not be as complicated as the Soldiers Tale (or the Piano Concerto), it might still

present a problem when putting it together due to the larger orchestration. There are not many

tutti sections in this piece. On the other hand, like many of Stravinskys compositions, is

presented in a more soloistic and exposed way. In this piece, the first section (fig. 3) comes back

in 4 different occasions. Maybe Stravinsky was already aiming towards neo-classicism with this

rondo-like composition. Stravinsky later revised this work to make it metrically simpler as well

as to use more common instruments. In fig. 3 you can see the first ritornello from the 1920

version, and in fig. 4 you can see the revised one. The metric modulation is easier to understand,

and follow, on the 2nd version.

8
The Cambridge Companion to Stravinsky (pg. 26)
Fig. 3:

Fig. 4:

Stravinskys Octet is consider to be his first real neo-classical composition. He looks

back to the works of Bach and writes a piece in 3 movements. Many musicologists call this

composition the return to Bach. Schloezer says that Stravinsky returns to Bach for no

superficial reason, but because Bach is the master of the organic style, he who of all musicians

has carried to its greatest perfection that form of development of musical thought which may be

called dialectic, in which one idea directly produces another without the intervention of any

psychological factor.9 Here we find 18th century language spoken with dissonant counterpoint,

as well as the importance of thematic material and the developments of the same. In this

composition we find one of his neo-classical traits with the use of diatonic and octatonic, eclectic

imitation. The first movement is in sonata form (called Sinfonia) with a slow introduction; the

second is a theme and variations, where in the last variations he uses a fugato texture to enhance

the counterpoint; and the last movement is a rondo with a ragtime texture. Stravinsky writes in

9
Stravinsky in Modern Music (pg. 115)
his dialogues and a diary that the octet came to him in a dream, where he saw himself

conducting a small group playing attractive music10. There are, in fact, three important

resemblances with this piece and the Soldiers Tale. The first one being that he got the idea from

a dream; the other one is the jazz-like taste from the rondo, which he had first used in the

Soldiers Tale; and the last similarity is the small orchestration. In this composition, Stravinsky

writes very little expressive and dynamic marks (like Bach). Stravinsky, when describing this

piece, he says, Its a musical object. Is not an emotive work but a musical composition based

on objective elements which are sufficient in themselves. The octet in meant to be played by 9

players and a conductor. Because the Symphonies of Winds premiere had not been as good as

Stravinsky expected, the octet was the first of his compositions that Stravinsky himself

conducted for the premiere. After this, every premiere of his pieces was conducted by

Stravinsky. The octets metric modulations are not very complicated; the great challenge is

encountered on the 2nd movement. There is a section that is repeated 3 times and its technicality

might present a problem to the players (fig. 5). The octet was later revised by Stravinsky in 1952,

but the changes are superfluous, unlike the more radical changes he had made in the symphonies

of winds.

10
Robert Layton Analog Arts Ensembles webpage.
Fig. 5:
 Stravinskys piano concerto is another neo-classical composition, where Stravinsky

manipulates the new and old with his use of eclectic imitation as well as Mozarts use of form

and a Bach-like use of counterpoint. Stravinsky again uses the traditional fast-slow-fast

arrangement of movements, parallel to the octet. The first movement is again is sonata form with

a slow introduction and a slow coda; the second movement is slow with a cadenza in the middle;

and the third is fast, ending with the slow introduction from the 1st movement. Schoenberg

describes this piece as Stravinsky failing to be like Bach, but in Stravinskys mind, failing was

the point11. The piano concerto is meant to be played by the same amount of players as the

Symphonies (24 players); the difference is that the Symphonies has more winds and the piano

concerto has percussion and double bass instead. Stravinsky had already used the double bass in

the Soldiers Tale but he had also used the violin for the strings. Here Stravinsky only uses the

double bass with the winds. This reintroduction of the double bass in a symphonic band is what

will drive his next compositions for winds, and will inspire other composers and bands to follow

this instrumentation with the low strings. Stravinskys Piano Concerto is dedicated to Nathalie

Koussevitzky, the 2nd wife of the conductor Serge Koussevitzky who had premiered the

Symphonies. On a curious note, after Nathalies death in 1942, Serge married for the 3rd time in

1947 to Olga Naumova. Olga was Nathalies niece and Leonard Bernstein and Aaron Copland

considered Olga amongst their closest friends. This piano concerto comes across amongst one of

the most difficult pieces of Stravinsky. Its metric modulation is taken to a new level of difficulty.

It is demanding for the wind players and the piano player but it is specially challenging for the

conductor because the togetherness of the piece depends on the conductor. The hardest section of

this piece is in the 1st movement, where the piano is playing on its own before a tutti section.

Here, the metric modulations will make it hard for the conductor to follow the piano and make

sure everyone enters on the tutti section that follows (fig. 6).

11
Stravinsky by Paul Griffiths (Pg. 84)
Fig. 6

The Symphony of Psalms is between Stravinskys most popular compositions, next to Le

Sacre and Firebird. This is a monumental work written 6 years after the piano concerto and 10

years into Stravinskys neo-classical era. We can see the evolution in its instrumentation; it was

written for 2 pianos, winds, percussion, harp, and dark lower strings, and choir (with children in

it); Stravinsky also omits clarinets on the winds for no apparent reason. The Symphony of

Psalms is a composition made, as it says in the title, for choir and orchestra. Arguably, in my

opinion, this is a composition for choir and band with only the addition of the lower strings.

Many contemporary bands have used this composition for their instrumentation. For example,

the symphonic band of Valencia Venezuela uses cellos and double basses in it. On most

performances, the cellos double the basses; but if there was an opportunity to play the symphony

of psalms, they would be up to the task. This piece was commissioned by the Boston Symphony

Orchestra for its 50th anniversary, and was dedicated to the glory of God, or as it says on the

score a la gloire de DIEU. The name symphony suggests the use of 18th century form and from

the beginning, Stravinsky intended it to have great contrapuntal development12. Another classic

trait is that it is meant to be performed as a single unit due to cyclic imitation. Cyclic imitation

12
Stravinsky by Paul Griffiths (Pg. 103)
comes from the renaissance and the writing of masses from the 14th century; where composers

used the same thematic material on different movements to unify the work. Stravinsky not only

uses cyclic imitation, with the altos in the 3rd movement singing the theme from the 1st

movement, but he also specifies that this piece is meant to be played without breaks between the

movements. The 1st movement starts with an arabesque prelude by the oboe and bassoon; and

builds up to the climax of the movement when the choir sings Remitte mihi (Oh spare me). The

second movement is fugal with its complex canonic counterpoint. The third movement starts

with a solemn Alleluia, moves forward with power and goes to the coda where the Alleluia is

heard again. The first movement is fairly short, the second movement is twice as long as the first,

and the third is three times as long as the first movement. The symphony of psalms represents

people in search of answers, the incomprehensible, and God. In comparison to the other pieces

here compared, the Symphony of Psalms doesnt present as hard of a challenge as, for example,

the Soldiers Tale or the Piano Concerto. It still contains metric modulation but its not as

challenging as the other pieces (fig. 7). The Symphony might present a challenge to the oboes,

due to the high register notes written in it. Aside from that, with a good conductor, this piece

shouldnt present a problem to perform.

Fig. 7
 To conclude, Stravinskys greatest pieces for winds can be demanding enough to get

prepared and direct you to become a good conductor. As a conductor, one must make sure to

program these pieces with other 20th century compositions and the audience must be very mature

to enjoy these pieces. Also, the conductor must make sure to have solid players that can follow

all the metric modulations and can handle the technical passages. A good violin player on the

Soldiers tale, a solid bassoon player on the Symphonies, good oboes on the Symphony of

Psalms, and a good conductor on all of them. All of these pieces have Stravinskys stamp on

them with its primitivistic and neo-classical traits; but at the same time, they all feel different and

original with its re-arranging of the instrumentation, moral themes, and evolution of his

language. Stravinsky is one of the most important composers of the 20th century, and we must

thank for his interest in winds as well as going a step further in demanding more to the

conductors. Thanks to this, we can get well prepared to become a great conductor.
 Bibliography

Cross, Jonathan. The Cambridge Companion to Stravinsky. Cambridge: Cambridge University

Press, 2003. (Cook library #ML 410 .S932 C15 2003)
Griffiths, Paul. Stravinsky. New York: Schirmer Books, 1993.
(Cook library #ML 410 .S932 G76 1993)
Machlis, Joseph. Introduction to Contemporary Music. Toronto: W. W. Norton & Company, Inc,
2nd ed, 1979. (Cook library #ML 197 .M11 1979)
Score: Stravinsky, Igor. Concerto for Piano and Wind Instruments. New York: Boosey &
Hawkes, 3rd ed, 1960. (Cook library #M 1205 .S882 C6 1950)
Score: Stravinsky, Igor. Octet for Wind Instruments. New York: Boosey & Hawkes, 1952.
(Cook library #M 857 .S882 O3 1952)
Score: Stravinsky, Igor. The Soldiers Tale. New York: Edwin F. Kalmus, 1950.
(Cook library #M 1520 .S882 H57 1950z)
Score: Stravinsky, Igor. Symphonies of Wind Instruments. New York: Boosey & Hawkes, 2001.
(Personal library)
Score: Stravinsky, Igor. Symphony of Psalms. New York: Boosey & Hawkes, 4th ed, 1948.
(Cook library #M 2020 .S882 S9 1948)
Oja, Carol J. Stravinsky in Modern Music. New York: Da Capo Press, 1982.
(cook library #ML 410 .S932 S793 1982)

Web: The Soldiers Tale.

http://www.chesternovello.com/default.aspx?TabId=2432&State_3041=2&workId_3041
=7870

Web: Igor Stravinsky, Octet.

http://www.analogartsensemble.net/2009/03/igor-stravinsky-octet.html

Web: History of the Drum Set.

http://www.nationaljazzworkshop.org/freematerials/fidyk/Steve_Fidyk_History_Drum_Se
t.pdf

Web: Oxford Music Online (formerly Grove)

http://www.oxfordmusiconline.com.logon.lynx.lib.usm.edu/subscriber/