More Stravinsky

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From “An Autobiography” by Igor Stravinsky (1936)

The book wasn’t THAT well written but I did find some gems. (PR)

“It is very doubtful whether Rimsky-Korsakov [his teacher} would ever have accepted Le Sacre, or even Petroushka. Is it any wonder, then, that the hypercritics of today should be dumfounded by a language in which all the characteristics of their aesthetic seem to be violated? What, however, is less justifiable is that they nearly always blame the author for what is in fact due to their own lack of comprehension, a lack made all the more conspicuous because in their inability to state their grievance clearly they cautiously try to conceal their incompetence in the looseness and vagueness of their phraseology.”

Stravinsky, Igor (2011-05-24). An Autobiography (Kindle Locations 2190-2195). . Kindle Edition.

And when Stravinsky refers to “the hypercritics of today” remember this book was published in 1936.

THE BOOK IS IN THE PUBLIC DOMAIN and is free to read on a Kindle.

Stravinsky Notes (3)

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From “An Autobiography” by Igor Stravinsky (1936)

“For me, as a creative musician, composition is a daily function that I feel compelled to discharge. I compose because I am made for that and cannot do otherwise. Just as any organ atrophies unless kept in a state of constant activity, so the faculty of composition becomes enfeebled and dulled unless kept up by effort and practice. The uninitiated imagine that one must await inspiration in order to create. That is a mistake. I am far from saying that there is no such thing as inspiration; quite the opposite. It is found as a driving force in every kind of human activity, and is in no wise peculiar to artists. But that force is only brought into action by an effort, and that effort is work. Just as appetite comes by eating, so work brings inspiration, if inspiration is not discernible at the beginning. But it is not simply inspiration that counts; it is the result of inspiration—that is, the composition.”

Stravinsky, Igor (2011-05-24). An Autobiography (Kindle Locations 2169-2175). . Kindle Edition.

Stravinsky Notes (1)

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From “An Autobiography” by Igor Stravinsky (1936)

I have just read this autobiography and I found many interesting comments and anecdotes. Here’s one:

“I should like to quote a remark of Rimsky-Korsakov’s that he made later on when I became his pupil. I asked him whether I was right in always composing at the piano. “Some compose at the piano,” he replied, “and some without a piano. As for you, you will compose at the piano.” As a matter of fact, I do compose at the piano and I do not regret it.”

Stravinsky, Igor (2011-05-24). An Autobiography (Kindle Locations 41-43). . Kindle Edition.

Stravinsky Notes (2)

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From “An Autobiography” by Igor Stravinsky (1936)

“I can never concentrate on my work if I am where I can be overheard, so that it was impossible for me to settle down with my piano in the boarding house in which I was staying with my family. I therefore chose this isolated place in the hope of finding peace and solitude, free from all importunate neighbors.”

Stravinsky, Igor (2011-05-24). An Autobiography (Kindle Locations 1786-1788). . Kindle Edition.

 

THE BOOK IS IN THE PUBLIC DOMAIN and is free to read on a Kindle.