Strawinsky: a New Composer by Carl Van Vechten

In America we are not accustomed to look to performances of the ballet, which, after all, is not an institution with us, for musical manna. There have doubtless been ballets given here with music by composers whose names occur in Grove's Dictionary, sometimes performed by a fairly good band, but we have not expected, or received, revelations on these occasions. Since the Russian Ballet (the organization directed by Serge de Diaghilew) has travelled to and fro in Europe, Paris, and more especially London, have learned a thing or two in this respect. For much of the most interesting of the modern music has been brought to these cities by the Russians, who include not only ballet but also opera in their répertoire. They are responsible for the productions, outside of Russia, of Moussorgsky's two operas, _Boris Godunow_ and _La Khovanchina_ (this latter music-drama was not produced by the Imperial Theatres in Russia until over twenty years after its publication in the Rimsky-Korsakow version. Its presentation at Moscow took place after its Paris and London performances, and at Petrograd only a month or so before! ); Rimsky-Korsakow's operas, _Ivan the Terrible_, _A Night in May_, and _The Golden Cock_; and Borodine's _Prince Igor_.

As for ballets, Richard Strauss wrote _The Legend of Joseph_ for these dancers; Maurice Ravel, _Daphnis et Chloë_; Debussy, _Jeux_; Reynaldo Hahn, _Le Dieu Bleu_; Paul Dukas, _La Péri_ (to be sure, this work was finally produced under other auspices; withdrawn by the composer from the Russians a few days before the date set for the first performance, on the ground that insufficient time had been allotted for rehearsals); and Tcherepnine, _Narcisse_ and _Le Pavilion d'Armide_; but most important of all are the three ballets (and the lyric drama) contributed by Igor Strawinsky, who has, in a sense, developed a new medium out of the orchestra by writing a new language for it, although it may be plainly seen that he is the logical descendant of the really Russian composers (brushing aside the Tschaikowsky-Rubinstein interlude; nationalism was, of course, no object with these musicians). There are suggestions of Strawinsky's style so far back as Glinka, in the Oriental dances of _Russlan and Luidmilla_. You will find the germs of his method in Borodine's symphonies; from Moussorgsky to Strawinsky is but a step, especially if you refer to the original text of _Boris Godunow_ and not the Rimsky-Korsakow version. In fact, Strawinsky, in spite of his radical departures from academic methods, is the inevitable defender of the faith of the famous "Five" whose slogan was "Nationalism and Truth. " As all real progress in art is dependent, in a measure, on the past, it is necessary to establish this fact.