Igor Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring is widely accepted as one of the most influential classical compositions of the twentieth century. But this masterpiece was not met with acclaim at its 1913 premiere. Originally presented as a ballet in Paris by the Ballets Russes, the first performance was a disaster. The aristocratic audience threw a minor riot - tossing trash at the stage, starting fights amongst themselves - eventually forcing the curtains to close on the performance part-way through. Stravinsky was disgusted.

The music, ahead of its time, was unexpectedly thorny in rhythm, harmony and timbre (tone quality/character). But the true cause of the riot was the ballet’s choreography. With avant-garde depictions of pagan rituals, the plot revolves around fate choosing a young girl to dance herself to death as a sacrifice to the gods of spring. The experimental choreography style shocked those in attendance.

In conjunction with the eerie and aggressive music, the audience found themselves quite disturbed. It wasn’t until the following year that the music had its first exhibition as a concert piece. Without the choreography, Stravinsky’s composition was widely acclaimed as a masterpiece. To this day, The Rite of Spring is primarily known as a concert piece rather than a ballet.

In contrast to the music that preceded it, The Rite emphasized rhythm and timbre rather than melody and harmony. A Beethoven symphony would develop melodic themes you can hum along with. In contrast, The Rite treats rhythm as paramount. A vast percussion section pounds the orchestra along, strings pluck in percussive hits rather than playing lush melodies.

Stravinsky incorporated unusual instruments to add to the exoticism of the composition’s timbre. Harmonically, it often exists in multiple keys at the same time, creating intense and unnerving dissonance.

Further, the piece is exceptionally hard for an orchestra to pull off, raising the bar for the expected skill level of elite ensembles. The Rite of Spring’s chaotic rhythms, timbres and harmonies influenced an entire century of music. Varèse, Copland, Reich, Messiaen and many other composers were deeply inspired by it. Walt Disney included it in Fantasia. All modern composers have been directly or indirectly affected by The Rite of Spring whether they are aware of it or not. Its influence is inescapable.

Personally, it is my favorite composition I have ever seen live. The large orchestra and unpredictable rhythms make it a deeply exciting experience. I highly recommend listening to this epically thrilling piece, often titled in French as Le Sacre du printemps. Although it was written over a century ago, it sounds as though it was composed yesterday.

Jack Gaffney is a local musician and piano teacher. He can be reached at JackGaffney.com.