Igor Stravinsky
Igor Stravinsky (June 17, 1882, Oranienbaum, Russia - April 6, 1971, New York, NY) was a Russian composer, who is regarded as the most important and influential composer of the 20th century. Stravinsky is most famous for his ballets, The Firebird (1910), Petrushka (1911) and The Rite Of Spring (1913). The works were noted for their innovative rhythms, composition techniques and brutal and noisy deconstruction of traditional Western harmony. "The Rite Of Spring" made Stravinsky world famous and notorious because the audience started to riot during the premiere of the piece. Throughout his career Stravinsky proved to be an original and versatile composer, reinventing traditional classical music in his neo-classicism works and also later as a composer of serialism.
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Zappa and Stravinsky
Together with Edgard Varèse Stravinsky was a major influence on Zappa's music. He is name-checked on the cover of "Freak Out!" (1966) under the heading "These People Have Contributed Materially In Many Ways To Make Our Music What It Is. Please Do Not Hold It Against Them". He is also mentioned in "The Real Frank Zappa Book" (1989).
Stravinsky quotes in Zappa's music
- The Return Of The Son Of Monster Magnet has a segment referred to in the liner notes as “Ritual Dance of the Child-Killer,” a tribute to Igor Stravinsky's “Ritual Dance” movement from The Rite Of Spring.
- Amnesia Vivace musically quotes "The Rite Of Spring" and "The Firebird".
- Invocation & Ritual Dance Of The Young Pumpkin musically quotes "The Rite Of Spring"
- Soft-Sell Conclusion quotes the Royal March from L'Histoire Du Soldat, after Zappa says: "The pumpkin is breathing hard".
- Status Back Baby quotes "Petrouchka".
- Igor's Boogie might be a reference to Stravinsky's first name.
- Zappa said in an interview that his decision to parody 1950s doo-wop and rock 'n roll on Cruising With Ruben & The Jets was inspired by Stravinsky's neoclassicistic works which parodied 17th and 18th century classical music: "It wasn't really a parody. If you are familiar with the development of the music of Igor Stravinsky; at one point he started writing a whole series of compositions that were in a style grossly unpopular at the time.He styled his own ideas in the old-style classicism; the rigid and certain type of harmony and certain type of scale structure. Basically that was what was happening with Ruben and the Jets. It was a neo-classic album. It uses all the structural elements of those type of songs. And it adhered to that form, except it was a modern-day thing, a modern day production." (FZ in Mother In Lore)
- Fountain Of Love quotes the introductory notes of The Rite Of Spring.
- In-A-Gadda-Stravinsky quotes In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida by Iron Butterfly and The Rite Of Spring.
- In Zappa's song Titties 'n Beer the protagonist, like in L'Histoire Du Soldat, also meets the Devil who wants to make a deal with him.
- Zappa covered the Royal March from L'Histoire Du Soldat on Make A Jazz Noise Here.
- A live cover of "Petroushka" can be heard on 'Tis The Season To Be Jelly (BTB).
Zappa about Stravinsky
Zappa played the Royal March from "L' Histoire du Soldat" as a guest in Musik Für Junge Leute.
Zappa played Stravinsky's "Greeting Prelude" as a guest on Dr. Demento.
He played the "Berceuse" from The Firebird and the Royal March from "L' Histoire du Soldat" in WSTM, Chicago.
Two extracts from "The Rite Of Spring" are played in Frank Zappa's Jukebox.
In 1972 Zappa performed the narration for "L' Histoire Du Soldat" for a performance by Lukas Foss at the Hollywood Bowl.
Stravinsky is mentioned in "My Favorite Records", a FZ penned article in Hit Parader (1967): "Also, buy everything that you can by Igor Stravinsky and dance to it - especially "L'Histoire Du Soldat", which means "Soldier's Tale", and the "Agon" ballet, which is a beautiful thing."
"The Royal March" from "L' Histoire du Soldat" was mentioned during "Star Special", FZ as a guest DJ on BBC Radio 1 in 1980.
"The Royal March From 'L'Histoire Du Soldat'" and "The Rite Of Spring" were two of the ten records FZ selected (in 1989) for the American radio show Castaway's Choice, hosted by John McNally.
