Influence in Isolation

The Russia that we see today has a cultural history that is clearly defined. This is evident through
the multitude of thinkers, artists and artisans who have cemented the nation’s place in history by
way of their legacies. But true cultural progress only started once the Russia of old expanded its
borders and sought knowledge from the world that surrounded it, either by force or by chance.
Given the contextual history of the formation of modern Russian culture, it was perhaps
inevitable that Debussy and Stravinsky would cross paths.

Russia: The original EU candidate

“I like to think of Russia as a Eurasian land mass which is, culturally, a bit like a revolving door. It doesn’t
have any clear geographical borders to defend; it’s a vast territory. It has been crossed by all sorts of
cultural influences.”1

The Russian land is incredibly far reaching but mostly uninhabitable and desolate. Its violent and
tumultuous history eclipses the people themselves. From the beginning, Russia has been stuck in
a fierce love-hate relationship not only with the rest of the world, but with itself and its national
identity. Constant geopolitical conflicts from the days of the monarchy through to Communist
rule and the current Russian Federation have given the country a mixed reputation. The nation
has had its share of unlikely alliances, but even during moments of cooperation at least one of
the parties involved has been on the receiving end of political acerbity.

Several centuries of Mongol rule had been a huge influence on Russia. However, the learning
stage and true reverence of other cultures stemmed from time of Peter the Great. The precise
turning point was his incognito educational expedition across Western Europe (1697-1698) the
‘Grand Embassy’. It was during these travels that Peter gained an understanding of how the
European heavyweights operated.

"...he carried a seal with the inscription: 'I am a student and I seek teachers.'” 2

Most importantly it showed Peter what truly separated Russia from the West; education. In the
mid to late 17th century the Rus’ of old was somewhat of an eyesore in comparison to the grand
powers of Europe. The government and the Holy Church were the two driving forces but rarely
pooled together their resources.

1http://voiceofrussia.com/uk/news/2013_12_28/Revealing-Russia-II-Emancipation-and-the-discovery-of-
who-Russians-are-8224/
2 http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=-Ag2bbYzgacC&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false page 40
“Peter was born in a country which was poised to play an increasingly active role in world affairs but was
hampered in many ways from pulling its full weight.”3

Upon his return from Europe, Peter laid out the foundation for complete governmental reform.
His primary focus was the overhaul of Russia’s military institutions and the creation of a naval
fleet. Peter wanted to establish a fighting force that would be able to drive the Swedish from the
Baltic lands bordering Russia.

“Preparing for the outbreak of the Northern War, creating a new army, and building the navy-led to a
sharp upswing in the activity government officers and to an expansion of the scope of their work. The war
required money. To obtain it, the government strove to centralize the collection of taxes and their
disbursement, to introduce new indirect taxes, and to institute supervision over the riches of the church.
The basic idea of all the reforms of that time did not consist of creating something fundamentally
different from the old state apparatus... but to ensure at all costs - victory in the Northern War.”4

This arduous conflict lasted for over two decades (1700 – 1721) but victory over the Swedes
established Russia as the pre-eminent Baltic Empire. St Petersburg was built during the course of
the war (1703 – 1712) and would become the Russian capital until the rise of Communism in 1914.
It was the foot in the door that Russia needed - a hub of industrial, military and intellectual
might whose rise became quickly apparent.

“The city’s remarkable transformation from swamp to showcase paralleled the emergence of Russia as a
major European power, from Peter’s 1709 victory over the Swedes at Poltava to Alexander I’s 1814 arrival
in Paris. The city came to represent precisely this change from isolation to European integration.”5

3http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=-
Ag2bbYzgacC&pg=PA3&source=gbs_toc_r&cad=4#v=onepage&q&f=false
4http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=B9odY-
NlXwwC&printsec=frontcover&dq=peter+the+great+reform&hl=en&sa=X&ei=7ylFU5LIAaqq7Qbhk4DAAw&ve
d=0CDoQ6AEwAQ#v=onepage&q=peter%20the%20great%20reform&f=false
5 Encyclopdia Russia Gale pg. 1483
There are undeniable parallels within Stravinsky’s and Debussy’s compositions, but it is their
philosophies regarding musical creation that bear most resemblance to each other.
Impressionism, symbolism and primitivism all intertwine in one way or another in works of both
composers. Even though they both spoke the musical same language (parallel fourths and fifths/
octatonic, pentatonic and exotic scales/style or orchestration/polytonality and bitonality) this
doesn’t necessarily mean anything at face value, the importance lies in why they were
employed.

Debussy was a prodigious talent and had a supreme command of his instrument along with a
thorough understanding of musical theory, the latter which he disregarded. Debussy’s musical
revisionism was unique because it was perhaps for the first time that someone had explicitly
stated their disregard for the formalities of composition. A conversation between him and his
tutor Guiraud whilst Debussy was still in his formative years gives us a great deal of insight into
Debussy’s method.

“I have no faith in the supremacy of the C major scale. The tonal scale must be enriched by other scales.
Nor am I misled by equal temperament. Rhythms are stifling. Rhythms cannot be contained within bars. It
is nonsense to speak of "simple" and "compound" time. There should be an interminable flow of both.
Relative keys are nonsense, too. Music is neither major nor minor. Minor thirds and major thirds should be
combined, modulation thus becoming more flexible. The mode is that which one happens to choose at the
moment. It is inconstant. There must be a balance between musical demands and thematic evocation.
Themes suggest their orchestral coloring.”

Granted, it is farfetched that a student’s record of a conversation between Debussy and Guiraud
could have had a direct influence on Stravinsky, but it does give us a clear idea of how devoted
Debussy was to his own philosophy. After the long period of Wagner-instilled ‘absolute music’,
the approach suggested by Debussy had much to do with his desire for music to be evocative of
the images that drove him.

Jazz guitarist Allan Holdsworth says of Debussy’s ‘Claire De Lune’ - “It's about the emotion, rather
than what the piece actually is.”6 Though Holdsworth is of a different era, what he says remains true
and is evidence of another link between Debussy and Stravinsky and the latter’s appreciation for
the former. Without too much generalization it is true that the pure emotive nature of Debussy’s
music is what collates audiences’ and musicians’ appreciation of Debussy. The biggest influence
on Debussy in regards to his idea of music stemmed from a desire to express an outside idea. The

6 http://www.therealallanholdsworth.com/allansinterviewgp.htm
idea of programmatic music had existed before Debussy’s time but the fruit of these endeavors
was not as freewheeling in its implementation of such audacious musical language.

Stravinsky’s formative years were spent under the tutelage and guidance of Rimsky-Korsakov, but
the aspiring composer’s recollections of this period leave us with mixed feelings.7 Stravinsky was
fiercely dedicated to honing his yet frustrated at the lack of attention placed upon the French
impressionists whose music was only performed at a bohemian gathering known as the ‘Soirees of
Contemporary Music’. In regards to Debussy, Rimsky-Korsakov said that it was “better not listen to
him; one runs the risk of getting accustomed to him and one would end by liking him.”8 There is little
documentation as to why Rimsky-Korsakov or the ‘old masters’ (as Stravinsky referred them to)
were so skeptical. As Stravinsky himself says, they were disapproving simply because it didn’t
line up with their beliefs.

“Indeed, every doctrine of aesthetics, when put into practice, demands a particular mode of expression—
in fact, a technique of its own; for, in art, such a thing as technique founded on no given basis—in short, a
technique in the void—would be utterly inconceivable; and it would be still more difficult to imagine
when a whole group, or school, is under consideration. I cannot, therefore, reproach my teachers for
having clung to their own aesthetics.”9

Our Academy pretended to know nothing of all these French composers of widespread fame, and never
included their works in the programs of the big symphony concerts.

7 http://www.gutenberg.org/files/36169/36169-h/36169-h.htm
8 http://www.gutenberg.org/files/36169/36169-h/36169-h.htm
9 http://www.gutenberg.org/files/36169/36169-h/36169-h.htm
From a traditionalist perspective the ‘Rite’ and ‘Prelude’ do not lead the listener down an easily
discernible path. These works bear more resemblance to cave paintings than fully fledged
portraits. There are vast swathes of musical material but little thematic material

"Very little immediate tradition lies behind The Rite of Spring – and no theory. I had only my ear to help
me; I heard and I wrote what I heard. I am the vessel through which The Rite passed."10

“R.C. Of your early contemporaries, to whom do you owe the most? Debussy? Do you think Debussy
changed from his contact with you?
I.S. I was handicapped in my earliest years by influences that restrained the growth of my composer's
technique. I refer to the Saint Petersburg Conservatory's formalism, from which, however -- and
fortunately -- I was soon free. But the musicians of my generation and I myself owe the most to Debussy.”

10 http://www.theguardian.com/music/2013/feb/12/rite-of-spring-stravinsky
Benjamin John Davies’s dissertation on the fluctuating relationship between Debussy and
Stravinsky acknowledges the overall problem that is faced when tracing influence. The true
effects of influence reside in the work that an artist produces. Any verbal input one might have
in regards to influence should be taken with a grain of salt.

"...many musicologists are now deeply suspicious of what composers say about their own music, to the
extent that when a composer lays claim to a particular tradition or acknowledges a debt to a specific
predecessor, scholars immediately sense a smoke-screen hiding a deeper, jealously-guarded influence."11

The friendship between Debussy and Stravinsky crops up now and again in the musicological
realm, but each time their friendship is recounted, there are some differences between each
version of events. On the one hand Debussy was undoubtedly inspired by the innovations that
Wagner brought to the table. The German composer’s restructuring of harmony and the
dethroning of melody as the driving force behind musical development is one of the primary
foundations of Debussy’s music. However, with time, Debussy became disenchanted with Wagner
(and ‘Wagnerism’) whose influence amongst French composers had (in Debussy’s opinion) become
oversaturated in the output of his native contemporaries.12 Debussy’s views stemmed from a
sense of national pride and the desire to revert focus back to ‘French’ aesthetics. Or so he says.
A similar rousing ‘hold on to your heritage’-styled speech was directed at Stravinsky also in the
form of written correspondence between 1914-1918.

"Be with all your strength a great Russian artist. It is wonderful to be of one's own country, to be attached
to one's soil like the humblest of peasants."13

Debussy admired Stravinsky and had a genuine interest in the Russian’s work. Both composers had
been commissioned by the Ballets Russes to provide music for their productions and whilst
Stravinsky’s influence and public appreciation for him grew, Debussy’s works were met with
lukewarm reception. The ‘cold war’ between was most evident during the Ballets Russets spring/
summer season of 1913 as ‘Jeux’ and the ‘Rite’ went toe to toe, premiering within weeks of each
other. Stravinsky was twenty years younger than Debussy and had the ‘Firedbird, ‘Petrushka’ and

11 Stravinsky and Debussy BJD

12 http://www.academia.edu/503090/Debussys_Nationalism
13http://books.google.co.uk/books?
id=nvI8AAAAIAAJ&pg=PA34&lpg=PA34&dq=debussy+criticism+of+stravinsky&source=bl&ots=RPHdVNuPu5&sig
=vl3ldPoUo9ucsJjMXBOaXF-CI0M&hl=en&sa=X&ei=gdJLU--
UIqjU4wTs44GADg&ved=0CDgQ6AEwAg#v=onepage&q=debussy%20criticism%20of%20stravinsky&f=false PAGE
34
the ‘Rite’ under his belt by his early thirties. The infamy of the ‘Rite’ could have completely
destroyed Stravinsky’s reputation but for Debussy it was clear than Stravinsky had achieved what
Debussy fought for: sensory overload.14

Debussy’s call to Stravinsky to reinstate his Russianness (ref. 10) in the aftermath of the Ballets
Russes standoff perhaps goes deeper than simple advice. Imagine Debussy’s frustration in trying
to earn kudos amongst the Russian ballet circle in his native Paris

"I do not reproach the Russians for being what they are, what I blame in them is their pretending to be
what we are. They are still uncultivated; this state would at least allow room for hope; but I see them
incessantly occupied with the desire of mimicking other nations, and this they do after the true manner
of monkeys, caricaturing what they copy."15

“Stravinsky took from Debussy that which enabled him to realise himself as a better Russian composer.
Debussy, apart from helping him to abandon academic processes and patterns, also insisted on Stravinsky
strengthening his ties with his national tradition.”

14http://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/19/arts/music/radical-music-sometimes-shocking-sometimes-
subtle.html?adxnnl=1&pagewanted=all&adxnnlx=1397570797-rK8NxDLisv36mTC4Vi0ylA
15 http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=EMPoQxkeS8EC&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false