Towson University Classifieds>Towson University Online Courses>First Nights - Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring: Modernism, Ballet, and Riots

First Nights - Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring: Modernism, Ballet, and Riots

About this Course

Igor Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring premiered in Paris in 1913, sparking a riot and screaming so loud that the dancers could not hear the orchestra, and the choreographer had to shout numbers from backstage to keep the dancers on beat. The Rite of Spring continues to challenge listeners. According to Stravinsky, The Rite of Spring was intended to portray “the surge of spring, the magnificent upsurge of nature reborn.” As you will see, Stravinsky’s description is almost frighteningly apt! Harvard’s Thomas Forrest Kelly (Morton B. Knafel Professor of Music) guides learners through The Rite of Spring , highlighting not only the contributions of Stravinsky, the composer, but also those of his collaborators. Professor Kelly takes learners through the ballet’s development, rehearsals, and finally, premiere performance, and he explores just how and why The Rite of Spring challenged (and to a certain extent, continues to challenge) its listeners. You will learn about the ballet’s innovative choreography, the basics of 20th-century orchestral form and technique, and the circumstances of this ballet’s first performance and subsequent history. Learners in this course need not have any prior musical experience.

Created by: Harvard University

Level: Introductory


Related Online Courses

La littérature médicale et soignante met de plus en plus en lumière l’importance de la spiritualité dans le processus de restauration de la santé, et ce pour le meilleur (l’intérêt pour et par le ... more
Conversion is a multidimensional phenomenon with religious, social, political and legal implications. By examining these implications, one can learn how religious communities function, how they... more
A New Birthof Freedom: The Civil War, 1861-1865 narrates the history of the American Civil War. While it examines individual engagements and the overall nature of the military conflict, the focus... more
Understanding how gender intersects with various cultural and social concepts is not only essential to understanding gender studies as a scientific discipline, it is also an important part of... more
You love music. You listen to music all the time. Maybe you sing, play an instrument, or compose music. You don’t need to have musical talent to use music to enhance your well being, and even y... more

CONTINUE SEARCH

FOLLOW COLLEGE PARENT CENTRAL