Listening Journal 10:
Part II of The Rite Spring, composed by Igor Stravinsky, is an exemplary musical work of suspensebuilding, combining elements of dynamics, instrumentation, and dissonance to create a clear visualization
of text painting. The piece is composed in a minor key, which creates an aura of rising tension. Although
the tempo remains constant throughout the period of suspense-building, however the tempo drastically
increases once the climax of the sequence is reached. One of the defining elements of this sequence is the
prominent dissonance – the bass notes are clearly unsynchronized with the treble notes, thereby
conveying a sense of ominousness. At around 13:20, the notes repeatedly go up and down a scale, which
is intended to paint a sense of nervousness. Moreover, since there are usually multiple violins playing
each of the treble notes, the switch to just one violin playing implies a notion of slowing down, with
something being ‘wrong’. There are sequences of triplets at 14:04, in which Stravinsky intentionally
slows the tempo down and includes an ominous bass line along with repetition of the treble notes in the
string instruments; this can be analogized to ‘knocking on the door’, showing how Stravinsky skillfully
engages in text painting. In the sequence at 14:16, the dynamics rise from mezzo piano (which conveys
normalcy amidst the building suspense) to powerful fortissimo notes from the string and percussion
instruments. Furthermore, instrumentation is employed in mimicking loud sounds such as thunder, which
is played using the ‘rolling’ of a bass drum and crashing of cymbals. The actors’ hitting the ground
represents this as well, making it seem as though a threat is ‘walking’ towards the audience. The sequence
at 14:32, with the fortissimo repeated notes, sounds the story’s climax ‘alarm’, following which the actors
then shield themselves for cover. Thus, these are the various techniques Stravinsky skillfully utilizes to
communicate an aura of suspense, which is well received by listeners.
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