Combinatorics as a constant principle of I. Stravinsky’s orchestral writing
Authors: Savchenko Hanna 
Published: March 2021

Background. I.Stravinsky’s orchestration is quite an original phenomenon; its essential characteristics are influenced not only by objective intra-musical factors (reconfiguration of musical language on the verge of XIX–XX centuries) or by subjective individual and stylistic determinants, but also by the changes, which occurred in the cultural context of the first half of XX century under influence of scientific and technical progress (Arkadev, 1992; Gerasimova-Persidskaya, 2012). The first two decades of XX century became the time, when the new generation of composers emerged, who reflected complexity of the world and different understanding of temporal and spatial relations in sound matter of their works. First, we mean C. Debussy, I. Stravinsky, the composers of the Second Viennese School and B. Bart&#243;k. Objectivation of the worldview largely influenced the orchestration as it is one of the means to organise musical matter in space-time. Literature review. Orchestration by I. Stravinsky is the object of research in the articles of V. Gurkov (1987) and A. Schnittke (1967; 1973). Valuable observation and commentary on composer’s orchestration are found in several monographs (Asafev, 1977; Baeva, 2009; Druskin, 2009; Savenko, 2001; Yarustovskiy, 1982). In the available works, orchestral writing by I. Stravinsky has not been examined, especially in the aspect of its constant principles. Results. Concept of “orchestral writing” needs to be clarified; it is widely used, although scarcely developed. We suggest our own definition of this concept. Orchestral writing is an individual system of technological devices and principles, determined by composer’s musical language and common, basic rules of orchestration, aimed at realisation of timbre and textural aspects of the work, conditioned by style, genre and artistic idea and incarnated in functional interaction of orchestral parts in horizontal and vertical axes. General principles of I. Stravinsky’s orchestral writing became discernible in his early works; we define them as multi-figure composition, combinatorics and plastique. Combinatorics can be understood as universal principle of I. Stravinsky’s compositional method and orchestral writing, which affects all the levels of compositional whole, the work itself. Combinatorics is widely used in visual arts, where it is interpreted as a method to find various combinations through rearrangements, moving, different configurations of given elements, their juxtaposition in a certain order. Used as a term to define orchestral writing, combinatorics supposes manipulation with small timbre and textural elements and structures; this is conditioned by type of the themes, used by the composer as well as by variability of intervals and motives. Frequent succession of thematic structures causes rushed tempo of changes of timbre and textural structures, which, in its turn, causes musical time to be densely filled with informational events, and musical space became heterogeneous, contrasting, motley. Combinatorics is embodied in such tools as timbre transmissions and switching, when thematic structures distributed between several timbre groups by the means of split, handoff or juxtaposition, combination of orchestral groups, while remaining in the same structural and compositional section; as a rule, this does not result in a change of orchestral texture. This engenders mosaic-like orchestration, intense contrasts of timbre. Combinatorics in I. Stravinsky’s scores is skillfully realized through increase and decrease in quantity of voices (timbres) in horizontal and vertical axes. In vertical axis it is achieved by usage of incomplete and inexact (fragmentary, variable) doubles, having role of timbre “highlighting”, creating timbre variants of the main line, filling orchestral texture with unremitting timbre move and spatiality. As fragmentary and variable doubles are used, density of the texture is regulated through pauses in doubling lines; thus, the composer avoids risk of overloading the texture. In horizontal axis combinatorics causes alternation of timbres and timbre mixtures within rather shorts periods of musical time with the same orchestral texture, which causes constant timbre development and indicates wise usage of orchestral resources. In the light of combinatorics it is possible to examine and a type of orchestral tutti, raising on the basis of multi-layered orchestral texture, composed from several timbre and textural strata. Conclusions. Continuous usage of combinatorics allows to interpret it not only as constant principle of I. Stravinsky’s orchestral writing, but also as “universal” (according to definition of S. Savenko, 2001) in composer’s orchestral thinking. The same can be applied to such principles as multi-figure and plastique. Their interaction spawns diverse combinations in the Stravinsky’s compositions of the “Russian”, “Neo-Classical” and late stages of his creativity, their influence might be either conspicuous or hidden. Abovementioned principles are used to different extent in each case, depending on the type of space-time that I. Stravinsky employs in the works of different periods: time filled with events and motley, heterogeneous space in the works of the “Russian” period; relatively continuous time, rich with information and events, and more homogenous space in the works of the “Neo-Classical” period; Eternity and simultaneous usage of different time models and strictly geometrical (pure in its abstractness) Space in the works of the late period.