Origins and Creation
In 1910, Igor Stravinsky had a striking vision - he imagined a pagan ritual where a young girl dances herself to death as a sacrifice to the spring. This powerful image became the seed for what would become The Rite of Spring (Le Sacre du Printemps). Stravinsky collaborated with choreographer Vaslav Nijinsky and the impresario Sergei Diaghilev of the Ballets Russes to bring this vision to life.
The Music
Stravinsky's score was revolutionary for its time. He abandoned traditional Western harmony in favor of dissonant chords, complex polyrhythms, and harsh, primitive sounds. The opening bassoon solo, played in an unusually high register, sets an otherworldly tone that continues throughout the piece. The orchestra is massive, featuring expanded percussion and wind sections.
The music is characterized by:
- Irregular rhythmic patterns that often feel like musical earthquakes
- Sharp dynamic contrasts between quiet passages and explosive orchestral outbursts
- Use of Russian folk melodies transformed into something primal and aggressive
- Innovative orchestration techniques that created entirely new timbres
The Premiere
The ballet's premiere at the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées in Paris on May 29, 1913, is one of the most infamous events in artistic history. The audience, confronted with Nijinsky's angular, earthbound choreography and Stravinsky's radical score, erupted into chaos. Some viewers were so outraged they began shouting and throwing objects, while others defended the piece, leading to fistfights in the audience. The police had to be called during intermission. Despite (or perhaps because of) this scandalous debut, the work went on to become one of the most influential pieces of the 20th century.
The Story
Part I - The Adoration of the Earth
As winter's grip loosens, a mysterious bassoon melody signals the first stirrings of spring. Young men and women from the tribe emerge, marking the end of winter's dormancy. The earth itself seems to be awakening from slumber.
In the Augurs of Spring, young men perform divination rituals, stamping the ground in complex patterns to read nature's omens. This section features the famous "Augurs" chord that pounds relentlessly, representing the raw power of the earth awakening.
The Ritual of Abduction follows, where young women arrive, and a ritual mock-abduction begins. This references ancient marriage customs where young men would ceremonially "kidnap" their brides. The dance becomes increasingly frenzied as couples pair off in this primitive courtship ritual.
During the Spring Rounds (Rondes Printanières), the entire tribe joins in circular dances, moving in intricate patterns that mirror the cycles of nature. The music alternates between gentle folk-like melodies and violent eruptions, suggesting both the beauty and brutality of the natural world.
The sequence concludes with the entrance of the Sage, who blesses the earth with a kiss, followed by an ecstatic Dance of the Earth where the entire tribe celebrates the earth's awakening.
Part II - The Sacrifice
As night falls, young women begin gathering for the sacred ritual. They perform mystic circles in the moonlight until one maiden is chosen as the sacrificial victim. The tribe glorifies the Chosen One, forming a circle around her as she realizes her fate - she has been selected to dance until death to ensure spring's return.
The tribe calls upon their ancestral spirits, and the elders perform ancient rites to prepare the chosen one. The finale is the infamous Sacrificial Dance (Danse Sacrale), where the chosen one performs her dance of death - violent, convulsive movements that continue until she expires.
The dance progresses through several phases:
- Initial fear and resistance
- Acceptance of her fate
- Ecstatic frenzy
- Physical exhaustion
- Final moments of transcendence
The piece ends abruptly with her death, the music cutting off as suddenly as life itself.
Symbolic Elements
Throughout the narrative, several key themes emerge:
- The cyclical nature of life, death, and rebirth
- Humanity's complex relationship with nature
- The tension between individual and community
- The price of renewal and regeneration
- The raw power of primitive ritual
- The connection between violence and fertility
The story resonates particularly because it avoids simplistic good-versus-evil dichotomies. Instead, it presents the sacrifice as both terrible and necessary, beautiful and brutal - much like nature itself. This moral complexity helps explain why the work continues to fascinate audiences and inspire new interpretations more than a century after its premiere.
Impact and Legacy
The Rite of Spring's influence extends far beyond ballet and classical music. Its musical impact liberated rhythm from traditional constraints, opened new possibilities for orchestration and harmony, and influenced composers from classical to jazz to rock music. It demonstrated that music could be primitively powerful rather than just beautiful.
In dance, it challenged the traditional ballet aesthetic of lightness and grace, introduced angular movements and turned-in positions, influenced modern dance's development, and showed that dance could express primal human experiences.
Culturally, it marked a decisive break with 19th-century Romanticism, helped establish modernism in the arts, demonstrated art's power to shock and provoke, and influenced fashion, visual art, and even film scores.
Contemporary Relevance
The work continues to inspire new interpretations. Choreographers regularly create new versions, finding contemporary relevance in its themes of sacrifice, community, and humanity's relationship with nature. The score remains one of the most performed and recorded 20th-century orchestral works.
The Rite of Spring represents a pivotal moment when art moved decisively into the modern era. Its combination of primal power and sophisticated structure continues to move audiences today, while its innovations in both music and dance remain influential more than a century after its premiere.