Stravinsky’s adaptations of the folk motifs in the ballet The Rite of Spring

Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring differs from the types of theatrical art. To some extent, the folk motifs enriched the ballet with historical authenticity. The research will show the succession in the development of Stravinsky’s Russian style period. One of the features of this ballet is the motifs of folk songs. The ballet includes the variations of the Lithuanian wedding songs You are my little sister, When I walked acro.s.s the yard, My old Father and the Russian wedding songs Come oh crony mine, The little duck was bathing in the .sea. The article argues that the adaptations of the folk songs in The Rite of Spring were applied with the modifications in meter and rhythm. To justify this hypothesis, five excerpts of the songs and their variations were examined as to the characteristics in question added with tonality. While the previous research on the folklore in The Rite of Spring focused on identifying Lithuanian and Russian songs, in particular the works by L. Morton, R. Taruskin, I.Ya. Vershinina, S.I. Savenko, or some scholars mentioned only the presence of folk melodies, the current article studies the similarities and contrasts of the folk melodies and the versions in the ballet. The analysis of each of the folk songs is accompanied with the information about its origin. The study of the arranged for The Rite of Spring folk songs confirms the hypothesis that the majority of them has the meter and rhythm modified. In all the adaptations, the meter is made into compound except in When I walked acro.s.s the yard, with a simple meter. The adaptations contain a changing meter excluding the one for My old Father. The introduction of minor values shows the influence on the rhythm. The ballet presents the style of Stravinsky’s mentor in composing Rimsky-Korsakov: the choice of ritual songs, syncopation and counterpoint. Generally, the rhythmic modifications contribute to the changes in the intonation. Besides, some of the adaptations has a modified register, which is possibly determined by setting vocal folk music for performing by wind instruments. Many of the variations are played solo followed by the variational development with the instruments of the whole orchestra. The arrangements of the folk songs being as if added to the monotonous music represent the context for folk flair. Overall, addressing the subject of pra-Slavonic society, Stravinsky contributed to the development of national Romanticism in Russian music. The author declares no conflicts of interests.

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