 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Bob Culbreth
Date: 2001-09-19 01:05
Does anyone out there know if there was more than one revision of Stravinskys Rite of Spring? I've heard someone mention a 1946 revision. Is there a possibility of a later revision? By the way, I really enjoy hearing all the different comments from such a diverse crowd of clarinet lovers.
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Author: GBK
Date: 2001-09-19 01:58
The revision to the Rite of Spring was published in 1945 (not 1946) and that is the final revision.
The story of the revision is somewhat complicated, but is based on the following: In 1943 Stravinsky decided to rescore the 'Sacrificial Dance' for an upcoming performance by the Boston Symphony Orchestra (it never did actually come to take place). Instead of the 16th note as the unit of measure, he changed the scoring to the eighth note as the unit of measure as a means to facilitate the counting. Therefore the time signatures changed from 3/16 2/16 3/16 3/16 2/8 2/16 3/16 3/16 2/8 to 3/8 3/8 2/8 3/8 2/4 3/8 2/8 3/8 2/4. (or in simpler terms: 3+3+2+3+2+2+3+2+3+2+2) He also revised the string parts, some of horn parts (2nd horn in particular) and changed the voicing of the final chord.
The rescoring only took place in the 'Sacrificial Dance', and was published by Associated Music Publishers in 1945. The manuscript orchestral score was in the collection of Nadia Boulanger, and some of the original sketches were still in Stravinsky's possesion upon his death in 1971.
I hope that this explanation helps...GBK
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Author: David Spiegelthal
Date: 2001-09-19 14:56
This may be off-topic, but some years ago I played a reduced-orchestra version of the Rite in which, for example, both bass clarinet parts were rolled into a single part. Does anyone out there know about that version, and who arranged it?
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Author: GBK
Date: 2001-09-19 15:49
Dave...Most orchestras traditionally play the original 1913 version of The Rite of Spring, and aside from the 1945 revision I mentioned above, there was also a 1938 revision (I told you that this is a complicated story).
In 1938, Stravinsky was approached by Walt Disney for permission to use The Rite of Spring in their upcoming cartoon "Fantasia". Stravinsky gave his consent, but Disney had told him they were going to use the music even if he did not consent. As this was a 'Russian' work, it was not copyrighted in the United States. Stravinsky modified the score to suit Disney, and some of the movements were reordered, there were some cuts made, and some of the instrumentation was changed (I can only recall that the horn glissandi was transposed an octave higher!) - perhaps there were others.
Although these changes did radically alter the original, the success of 'Fantasia' acquainted the public with Stravinsky's music.
Maybe this is the version you are thinking about...I'm not 100 percent sure...GBK
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Author: David Spiegelthal
Date: 2001-09-19 16:39
GBK,
You may be right --- all I can recall is that I was the only bass clarinetist and both of the bass clarinet lines were combined into my part --- because of the circumstances at the time I was too busy to notice what the other changes in instrumentation were --- the occasion was accompanying the Boston Ballet, so perhaps there is a non-concert version of Rite out there?
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Author: Bob Culbreth
Date: 2001-09-20 01:42
The reason I posted the original queston about a later revision than the 1945 edition is that I have a recording of the Boston Symphony directed by Micheal Tilson Thomas in which it states in parenthesis that the recording was of a 1965 revision. I did not have this recording at home with me when I did the first post and could'nt remember the date. I had also talked with a couple of people who stated as you did that the forties revision was the latest. Oh well nothing like a good mystery. So, I guess we have a new quest for someone. If I find out anything I'll be sure to post.
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Author: GBK
Date: 2001-09-20 02:55
Dave, Perhaps this is the version of the Rite of Spring that you remembered;
http://www.abt.org/library/archive/ballets/rite_of%20_spring.html
I'm not familiar with this particular orchestral reduction, but it looks like your memory was correct...Another mystery solved...GBK
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Author: Ron Krentzman
Date: 2001-09-20 04:37
I think the reduction you are thinking of is by Colin McPhee. The publisher (Boosey and Hawkes) only rents it for ballet productions where the orchestra is in the pit.
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Author: GBK
Date: 2001-09-20 18:17
Dave...thanks for the compliment. Every now and then that old M.A. in Music History comes in handy...GBK
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