Nature of Human Nature: Stravinsky's The Rite of Spring

The well known experimental psychologist, Steven Pinker, has said that art "should conform to human nature and thus artists should simply give people what they want"(Sanderson 4). He also stated that modern art is "ugly, baffling, and insulting"(Pinker, 2002:416). It seems to me that not only does Pinker have a narrow view of human nature, he also has a narrow view on what constitutes true art.

To prove the inefficiency of Pinker's statement on modern art, one only needs to cite the example of Stravinsky's "The Rite of Spring". Although this orchestral masterpiece is not an example of modern art, it was written around the year 1912, it was considered at its time to be much of what modern art is considered to be now by many critics. As some background information, before Stravinsky wrote "The Rite of Spring" he had found success with the piece "Firebird". This piece, then made into a ballet, had a "fanciful story and gorgeous music in the grand and familiar style of Tchaikovsky"(Gutmann 2001/2002). No one expected Stravinsky to create an orchestral piece that would cause so much commotion as "The Rite of Spring". This piece, as well as the accompanying ballet, told the story of pagans sacrificing a maiden to the gods to help bring about spring. When the ballet was introduced on May 29, 1913, the audience responded in an all out riot. They were shocked not only by the ballet but also by the foreign music they were hearing. Stravinsky pushed the boundaries of his audience and as a result, his audience revolted.

Now almost 100 years after the piece was originally written and performed, "The Rite of Spring" is considered one of the greatest modern pieces of all times. Walt Disney used the score in his masterpiece, Fantasia bringing "The Rite of Spring" to the masses. This goes to show that sometimes, the audience does not know what is best for art, and just because an audience does not react kindly to a piece of art, it does not mean that the art itself is "ugly, baffling, or insulting". Rather, maybe the audience is just not ready or enlightened enough to fully grasp the art.

Below are the pieces, "Firebird" and "The Rite of Spring". These clips were taken from Fantasia and Fantasia 2000. My suggestion is that instead of watching the clips, rather just listen to the music.This is so you can visualize the music for yourself rather than become a slave to Walt Disney's interpretations and miss Stravinsky's original intentions.