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Stravinsky's Rite of Spring 

Analysis by Joseph Straus

Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring is the most famous musical work of the twentieth century—as fresh and powerful now as it was when it was written, in 1913. This detailed analytical study consists of eighteen videos. The first five videos are general discussions of meaning, form, melody, harmony, and rhythm. The rest are a detailed, close analysis of the piece, scene by scene, block by block, and note by note. The author (Joseph Straus) is a well-known and widely published scholar of Stravinsky’s music. He is Distinguished Professor of Music Theory at the Graduate Center of the City University of New York.


Music performed by the London Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Simon Rattle. Used by permission of Naxos.

The visual images come from the Mariinsky Ballet’s performance based on Millicent Hodson’s recreation of Nijinsky’s original choreography and staging. Used by permission of Sputnik images.


Project completed with the help of: Ines Thiebaut (producer), Naomi Barretarra (consultant); and the wonderful editing skills of Drake Andersen, Annie Beliveau, Whitney George, Stephen Gomez, Scott Miller, Demi Nicks, Matthew Sandahl, and Lina Tabak.

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