The Uses of Convention: Stravinsky and His Models

Author(s): Edward T. Cone

Source: The Musical Quarterly, Vol. 48, No. 3, Special Issue for Igor Stravinsky on His 80th
Anniversary (Jul., 1962), pp. 287-299
Published by: Oxford University Press
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VOL. XLVIII, No. 3 ,,o
SOR
pULCC
j JULY, 1962
eNIM

-SCHIftM

THE MUSICAL
QUARTERLY
THE USES OF CONVENTION:
STRAVINSKY AND HIS MODELS
By EDWARD T. CONE

T HE persisentvitalityof conventionalpatternsin music has often

been noted.Whateverthe reasonsfortheiroriginaldevelopment,
one advantage of theiruse is clear: in an art both abstractand temporal
theyfurnishsignpoststo aid the listener,who can neitherturnback nor
pause to look around him. The danger, of course,is that the composer
will use them as a crutch; and it is true that the academic conceptionof
the formsas molds has encouraged the productionof much facile and
undistinguished music. But when, as duringthe period of the Viennese
Classics,originalmusical thoughtand generallyaccepted proceduresfind
not only mutual accommodationbut mutual reinforcement, the results
are happy forcomposerand audience alike.
The acceptance of conventionspresentsanotherpossibility,which is
my concernhere. A composermay deliberatelydefeat the expectations
aroused by the specificpatternfollowed; the resultingtensionbetween
the anticipated and the actual course of the music can be a source of
esthetic delight. This is the way Stravinskyhas used conventions-
stylisticas well as narrowly"formal"- of the past, but it is important
@ Copyright,1962, by G. Schirmer,Inc.

287

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288 The Musical Quarterly
to realize that composersof the periods of interestto him have also
played with theirown conventions.A look at Haydn with this in mind
will, I hope, not only increaseour admirationforthe earliercomposer's
musical intelligenceand wit but also throwlighton what Stravinskyhas
been doing.

First,however,a word about one elementnecessarilyassociatedwith

any departurefromaccepted norms: surprise.CertainlyHaydn intended
the drumbeat in the "Surprise" Symphonyto shock; and no doubt
Beethovenwas countingon moresubtlereactionsof the same kind when
he began a symphonyon an apparent dominantseventhand a concerto
witha piano solo. But can anysuch effectescape beinggreatlydiminished
and even nullifiedby successivehearings?And is it possibleforaudiences
today,afterlong familiarity,to experienceto any degreethe sensationof
violated proprietyapparentlycalculated by the composers?

Logically the answersshould be "no." But just as, in seeing a sus-

pense-filledplay forthe second time,we are so caught up in the flowof
eventsthat we allow ourselvesto forgetthat we know what is coming
next,so in followinga skillfully
writtenpiece of music,howeverfamiliar,
we can become so intenton what we are actuallyhearingthatwe do not
anticipateexactlywhat is to come. When shocksoccur under these cir-
cumstances,they are never so violent as before,but they registertheir
artisticeffectnevertheless.(To be sure, this solutiondoes not apply to
the Beethovenexamples; but listenerstrainedto appreciatethe historical
effectof the cited openingscan, paradoxically,even prepare themselves
here to be caught offguard.)

The elementof pure surpriseis, afterall, of minorestheticinterest.

The considerationsof real importanceare that a deviation from the
anticipatedcourse should tell as a musicallyeffectivecontrast,and that
an apparentlyincongruousturn of eventsshould prove to be integrally
connectedwiththe whole. These relationsmay become the cleareras the
morevisceralmanifestations of shocksubside.Their appreciationrequires
a high degree of musical sophisticationon the part of the listener,and
it is enlighteningto contrastthe kindsof knowledgepresupposedby the
cases about to be discussed.Haydn, writingfor an eager audience that
constantlydemanded new works,could reasonablyassume as his ideal
hearer one familiarwith everydetail of the styleof his own day; Stra-
vinskyhas to relyon the passive,historicallyorientedconcertgoerof the
20th century.

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 The Uses of Convention: Stravinskyand His Models 289
II

Haydn's libertieswith patternshe himselfhad so notably helped

to establishare of two kinds. On the one hand, theymay arise appar-
ently spontaneouslyfrom the exigencies of the musical material, as
when motivicdevelopmentrecaststhe recapitulationof the firstmove-
ment of Op. 76, No. 1. But in othercases the composerseems deliber-
ately to play with the form-to use the patternitselfas a subject for
creativedevelopment.Such treatmentis a closeranalogue to Stravinsky's,
and for this reason I have chosen for analysisthe finaleof the Quartet
Op. 54, No. 2.
It is probable that no printedprogram accompanied the perform-
ance of a new Haydn quartet, and in any event the listingof move-
ments was not at that time a general practice. The Adagio of the
finale,then,must have found an alert listenertotallyunprepared,since
he would have been expectingthe usual fastromp. How would he have
taken the Adagio? No doubt as a typicalslow introduction;and if so,
he would have been guiltyof the firstof a series of mistakeninterpre-
tations,all encouraged by the composerand cleverlyorderedin such a
way that the subsequent correctionof each merelyexposes the listener
to the next error.The introductorycharacter of the opening motifis
immediatelythrowninto question by the exact balance of the eight-
measure period that it initiates;and when thisentiresectionis repeated,
one reinterpretsit, not as an introductionbut as the firststatementof
a song form.Wrong again! It is an introduction, althoughof an unusual
kind, and the real song formbegins with the firstviolin'snew develop-
mentof the openingmotifover the slowlyunfolding'cello arpeggiothat
takes shape aftermeasure 8-bis.
The three-partsong formnow developsso smoothlythat suspicionis
allayed- until the sudden turn to minor,emphasized by a succession
of threebarelydisguisedparallel fifths.The stand on the dominantthat
closes this section surely heralds a returnto major, and obviouslyto
anotherstatementof the principal theme of the song form.The major
appears, it is true; but nothingcan be accepted as obvious in thismove-
ment. Now, when all hope of a fastfinalehas been given up, a Presto
begins.Was the entireAdagio, huge as it was, an introductionafterall?
So the course of the Prestoseems to suggestas it runs throughits own
three-partpatternin a manner typicalof the openingsof many Haydn
rondos.But at the pointwherethe firstthemeshould normallycome to a
full cadence, to be followed by a contrastin key or mode (see, for

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290 The Musical Quarterly

example, the finaleof Op. 50, No. 1) - just here the cadence is made
deceptive, and it is followed by a dissolutionwith a pause on the
dominant.

What can thismean? What followsis probablythe singlemostorig-

inal strokein the entiremovement.One mighthave foreseena return
to thethemeof theslow song form,but surelynot a repriseof the opening
introductory period- a repriseat once so strikingand so satisfyingin
effectas to bring home the realizationthat it was more than a mere
introductionafterall, since it is now bearingthe weightof the recapitula-
tion. And indeed when the expansivesong of the firstviolin does return,
it is in the nature of a coda, with its characteristicbow to the sub-
dominantover a tonic pedal. Thus, althoughthe designof the whole is
establishedas a ternaryAdagio with a Prestointerlude,it is nevertheless
unique. The apparentlyintroductory periodof thefirststatementassumes
fullthematicstatureon its return;while the melodyoriginallydeveloped
most fullyis relegatedto the coda.

It is useless to ask of this movement,"What 'form' is it in?" -

useless but not irrelevant.Appreciationof the points discussed above
requiresthat the listenerbe familiarwith the conventionsof the day;
for the composer is constantlyarousing expectationsbased thereon,
and then defeatingthem - or fulfilling them in a novel way. He may
even be pokingfun at a pedantic insistenceon regularity.

At the same time it is importantto realize that he has created

a new design, valid for these specificmusical materials and compre-
hensiblewithoutreferenceto violatedstandards.From thispointof view
the movement can certainlybe understoodand enjoyed on its own
terms.But the invitedcomparisonbetweenthe unique patternand the
normal one leads to an awareness of the tension between them that
sharpens one's perception of the extent to which Haydn has here
widened the boundariesof his own style.

III
Stravinsky'spreoccupation with the contrast between the idioms
of earlier periods and those of his own is most obvious in works like
Pulcinella, based on franklyborrowedmaterials; and one can certainly
learn much about his methods from the way he adroitly and often
comically reworkshis sources. My concern, however,being the com-
poser's use of stylisticand formal conventions,I have chosen a work

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 The Uses of Convention: Stravinskyand His Models 291
based on a Classical model but without actual thematic quotation:
the Symphonyin C.

Unlike Haydn, Stravinskycould expect his audience to be more

familiarwith the musical language of the past than with that of the
present- familiarenough, at any rate, to draw certain conclusions
fromthe informationfurnishedby programshe could normally(again
unlike Haydn) expect them to be reading. What theywould findthere
- the announcementof a symphonyopenly characterizedas tonal,
with four movementsfollowingthe traditionalorder- would suggest
a conservative,not to say reactionary,pastiche. (What theymighthave
read previouslyin popular accountsof Stravinsky's would
"retrogression"
only confirmthis surmise.) But these signpostswould prove to be mis-
leading guides for the unwary; and Stravinsky(this time like Haydn)
may well have hoped that the more alert among his listenersmightgain
added enjoymentfromthe interplayof the anticipatedand the actual.

Certainlythe traditionalframework is emphasizedhere: the Classical

orchestrallayout, the diatonic melodies,the metricregularity,the ap-
parent harmonic simplicity,the ostensiblytypical patterns. At the
same time, any expectationof a work easily comprehensiblein a com-
fortablyfamiliaridiom is defeated,even for the most sanguine hearer,
by certain immediatelyperceptible features: the distinctiveinstru-
mental sound; the persistent,though mild, dissonance; the sudden
harmonic shifts;the peculiar heterophonicpart-writing(most obvious
in the second movement). Now, the simple filling-outof a Classical
mold withcontemporary could produce nothingmore important
stuffing
than a parody in the manner of Prokofiev,but Stravinsky'sintentionis
serious. He confrontsthe evoked historicalmanner at everypoint with
his own version of contemporarylanguage; the result is a complete
and transformation
reinterpretation of the earlier style.

A convincing demonstrationof Stravinsky'smethod depends on

closeranalysis,forwhich I have chosenthe openingModerato alla breve.
The traditionalmodel here is clearlythe sonata form;and as in the Fifth
and Ninth Symphoniesof Beethoven,an introductionadumbratesthe
firsttheme,whichappears in properformat m. 26. But the firstmeasure,
even as it (probablyintentionally)recallsthe openingof the Fifth,con-
tradictsits ancestryby its reiteration,not of the dominant,but of the
leading-tone;and the role of thisleading-tonein the movementto come
is one of the clearestindicationsof Stravinsky'sintent.For the shock of

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292 The Musical Quarterly
this apparentlyincongruousdetail is not produced for its own sake, or
for the purpose of parody; it calls attentionto the fundamentaltonal
ambiguityof the symphony:the tendencyof B to act as a dominant
ratherthan as a leading-tone.The consequentstrugglebetweenE and C
is evidentthroughoutthe introduction, and the tonicestablishedwiththe
appearance of the theme in m. 26 retainsthe E as the bass of its first
inversion.The E assertsits strengthlater at many crucial points: at the
end of the exposition;at the false recapitulation,heralded by the estab-
lishmentof the leading-toneof E; throughoutthe firsthalf of the coda.
Even the final chords of this movementand of the entiresymphony
retainthe invertedform.

Anotherexample of the new perspectiveon older proceduresis the

presentationof the firsttheme, recalling as it does the corresponding
passage in Beethoven'sFirst Symphonywith its I-II-V sequence. With
Beethoventhe movementfromeach degreeto the nextis a clearlyfunc-
tional harmonicstep; with Stravinskythese movementssound less like
true progressionsthan like his characteristicharmonicshifts.There are
several reasonsforthiseffect.In the firstplace, the C-E ambiguitycasts
doubt even on the solidityof the tonic. This doubt extendsto the dom-
inant, which is also suspiciouslytingedwith the E coloring.Then there
is the peculiar phrase-structure:extended,repetitivedevelopmentsover
an ostinatoso nearlystaticthat harmonicinflections withineach phrase
sound likeincidentsin the part-writing.Owing to the consequentabsence
of unambiguous harmonic cadences, clear phrase-divisionsmust be
achieved by interruptionand even by interpolation,as in mm. 39-42.
As a resultthe functionof the supertonicstatementthus prepared is
obscured,in contrastto the correspondingharmonyin the Beethoven,
unequivocally establishedby an applied dominant. When Stravinsky's
dominantarrives(m. 48) it is heavilycoloredby the previouslynoted E.
What we hear then,suggeststhe stepwiseshiftof I-II-III as an alternate
and even more persuasive interpretationof an ostensiblyfunctional
I-II-V.
This typicallyStravinskyankind of harmonicmotionexplains much
that happens later in the movement.Just as the I-II step of m. 43 is
alreadyhintedat in the innervoices of m. 30 and prophesiedeven more
clearlyin m. 35, so is it reflectedon a large scale in mm. 61-93. This
timethe tendencyof II to become a dominantis encouraged; but when
the expected theme arrives,another stepwiseshifttakes place, silently
as it were: IV replaces the long-preparedV. This substitutionin turn

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 The Uses of Convention: Stravinskyand His Models 293

permitsanotherseries of shifts(mm. 120-28), as a resultof which V

finallymakes its appearance.
Perhaps the most interestingof Stravinsky'stransformations is that
of the sonata form itself.The Moderato adheres only superficiallyto
the canons; its fundamentalrhythmis of a differentorder. The clue
is to be foundin a strikingcrescendothatoccurstwice. In the exposition,
it is part of the bridge that heralds the second theme (mm. 74-93);
in the recapitulation,now cut completelyout of the accordinglyreduced
bridge, it recurs, suitably transposed,as a preparation for the coda
(mm. 293-309). The passage is all the more noticeablefor the sudden
pause that followsit each time, and its displacementcannot go unre-
marked.This parallelismbetweentwo passages that,in the usual sonata
movement,would not correspond,pointsto a unique structure.Accept-
ing the pauses as importantpointsof articulation,I suggestthe following
divisions,more natural for this movementthan the standard ones, and
startlingin the close parallel of theirproportions:
Begins on m. 1 26 60 74 94
Intro. Th. I BridgeA -B Th. II
93 mm. 58 mm.
m. 152
Development
67Y2 mm.
m. 219 225 261 276 293 310 344
Trans. Th. I BridgeA Th. II BridgeB Coda X - Y
90' mm. 59 mm.
(Noteson the above:
1. I haveincludedthetransition
ofmm.219-25in therecapitulation,
becauseit furnished
an upbeatto Theme I corresponding
to theintro-
duction.
2. I have included a few measuresof upbeat each time as the begin-
ning of Theme II.
3. In spite of the emptymeasure at m. 148, I have regarded the
next threemeasuresas constituting the cadence of the exposition.There
is a close parallel here to the end of the movement.)

The balance of the movement,then, is not of expositionagainst

recapitulation,but ratherof the expositionon the one side against the

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 294 The Musical Quarterly

recapitulationplus coda on the other. Not only does the second theme
in the expositionbalance the coda, but the internal divisionsof the
two sectionsshow close parallels. The second theme,beginningin IV,
moves to V at m. 128, the resultingdivision being 34-24 measures
(of which the last three are cadential chords). The coda is divided
by the reappearance of Theme I in the proportions34-25 measures
(of which the last fiveare cadential chords).
The subdivision of Theme II in the exposition brings to light
anotherstructure,one even more at odds with the progressivedevelop-
mentinherentin the Classical form.Embedded withinthe more obvious
parallel balance is a completelysymmetricallayout:
Intro. Th. I Bridge Theme II C - D
25 mm. 34 mm. 34 mm. 34 mm. 24 mm.

This fails of being a perfectarch by only one measure. Nor is this all.
The shortenedand alteredrecapitulationis susceptibleof less subdivision
than the more relaxed exposition,and I thinkthat the score here can
be shown to justifythe clusterof Transition-ThemeI-Bridge A as one
group and Theme II-Bridge B as another. If these are accepted, the
entiremovementtakes on the shape of a huge arch. Such a symmetrical
ordering paradoxically appears to contradict the previouslyoutlined
balance of parallel sections; yet the composer undoubtedlymeant this
alternativeplan to be heard. The correspondenceof the beginningand
the end is apparent,for both Theme I in the expositionand Coda X
are divided by pauses into twice 17 measures. An analogous pause in
the recapitulationat m. 243, now the most obvious articulationin
Group I, produces a divisionmatchingthat of Theme II in the expo-
sition.These subdivisions,indicated by parentheses,underlinethe sym-
metryof the followingplan, in which each leg of the central arch is
itselfa smallerarch:
Intro. Th. I Br. Th. II Dev. Group I Group II Coda X - Y
25 mm. 34 mm. 34 mm. 58 mm. 67/2 mm. 56Y2 mm. 34 mm. 34 mm. 25 mm.
(2x17) (34 + 24) (24/2 + 32) (2 x 17)
The developmentis, of course,virtuallytwice 34 measures.This is the
middle of the movement,and perched square on the center (mm.
181-90) is the false recapitulation!The proportionsof the movement
are thus roughly:
5-7-7- 12 - 14 - 12 -7-7-5
(7+5) (2x7) (5 + 7)

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 The Uses of Convention: Stravinskyand His Models 295
A close examination of the phrase-structurewill disclose, even in the
details, a remarkablyconsistentadherence to ratios derived fromthese
numbers.
What is the importanceof all this? It is twofold.First, a scheme
of this kind affordsa clue to the problem of Stravinsky'sharmonic
rhythm,since it offersa rationale for his choice of turning-points be-
tween harmonic areas. Further,it indicates a reason for Stravinsky's
interestin the 18th-century framework.The Classical balance of phrases
and periods,so carefullyadjusted to the demands of functionaltonality,
becomesan analogue forthe organizationof his own kindof diatonicism.
But the typicalClassical balance, even when apparentlyrigid,controlled
contrastingeventsmovingat varyingspeeds,so that the listener'sexperi-
ence usuallybelied the exact parallel of the time-spansand defeatedmost
attempts to measure one against the other. Stravinsky'ssections -
rhythmically persistent,harmonicallystatic,melodicallycircular- not
only invite the hearer to make the comparisonsleading to just such
measurement,but also rewardhim fordoing so. Far fromexploitingthe
sonata formas thetraditionalvehicleforrealizingthemusicalor dramatic
potentialitiesof tonal conflictand progression,he adapts it to his own
perennialpurpose: the articulateddivisionof a uniformtemporalflow.

IV
Haydn was attacking certain conventional presuppositionsof the
Classical stylefromthe inside, since he had grown up withinit - or
rather,it had grown around him. Almost everymomentin his quartet
movementrepresentsa questioning,a reexaminationof thesestandards,
and in everycase the solutionavoids the obvious on the one side and the
arbitraryon the other.It is a narrowpath, but one thatHaydn maintains
successfullyto his goal: a broader redefinitionof his own style.

Stravinsky,approaching the Classical fromoutside,as a historically

definedmanner,superficiallyfollowsits conventionsmore closelythan
Haydn. The influenceof his personal idiom, however,is so strongthat
the resultingreinterpretation goes far beyond that of the earlier com-
poser. The resultis not an extensionbut a transformationof his model.

Now, it is interestingto see the same kind of force at work when

Stravinskyturnsto an idiom of his own day. When he uses the twelve-
tone methodit is again, so to speak, as an outsideradoptinga historically
definedmode. Since what he is now appropriatingis not a generalized

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296 The Musical Quarterly
plan of formalorganization but a detailedtechniquethat necessarily
influences thechoiceof everynote,theanalogymustnotbe pushedtoo
far; still,it willbe instructive
to contrastbriefly
Stravinsky's
handling
of a few aspectsof the new conventions withthat of one who had
eminently developedthem.
By the time Schoenbergcame to writehis late works,he was
manipulating his tone-rows in a way that,whileveryfree,nevertheless
alwaysrespected the basicstructuralroleoftheseries.In theStringTrio,
forexample,the ordering of the notesvariesgreatlyin detail,but the
fundamental hexachordsare rarelyviolated.Again, Schoenbergfeels
underno compunction to statetheentirerowin canonicalformat the
so
outset, long as itsbasicproperties are clear.In thePhantasy,Opus 47,
the appearanceof the secondhexachordis delayeduntilm. 10, and
onlyin mm. 32-33 is the row givenits firstunequivocalstatement.
But theseapparentlicensesrevealthe interaction betweenthe general
methodand thespecificformaldemands.The secondhexachordpunc-
tuatesan important phrase-division,and the entirerow underlines the
briefreprisethatclosesoffthefirst section.Throughout theseworks,the
importantdivisionsof phrases,periods,and sectionsare emphasized
in just such ways; and boththe twelve-tone textureand the rhythmic
shape gain clarityby thismutualreinforcement.
In the case of Stravinsky's
Movementsfor Piano and Orchestra,
it is obviousfromthestartthathis use of thesystem is divergent.After
an initialstatement, the rowis promptly obscured- obscuredin such
a way by orchestral doublings, and changesof order
note-repetitions,
that its profilebecomesunclearand its structural functiondoubtful.
Doubtfulit shouldbe, forin m. 7 thereemergesa series(not of twelve
tones,forthereare manyrepetitions), motivically relatedto but derived
in no conventional way fromthe original,and vyingwithit in im-
portance.The new seriesis completely statedthreetimesduringthe
firsthalf of thismovement, only disappearintothe tone-rowfrom
to
whichit came. At this pointit is alreadyevidentthat Stravinsky's
concernwiththe twelve-tone systemis morewithits vocabularyand
texturethanwithitsstructure. Earlier,the Classicalframework was an
aid in thecontrolof a preponderantly diatoniclanguage;now thenew
mode offersan even closercontrolof chromaticism, and servesas a
sourceof materialas well.
The real structure,now as before,remainshis own. What that is
can be seen most clearlythroughhis use of well-definedinstrumental

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 The Uses of Convention: Stravinskyand His Models 297
colors to mark important divisions: the trumpet that precedes and
follows the piano's initial statement; the contrastof the three state-
mentsof the subsidiaryseries- piano virtuallyalone, flute,and piano
with plucked strings; the sustained 'cello harmonic that closes the
section; the trombonesthat begin the second half. Stravinskyis pro-
ceeding here, as before,with clearly marked portionsof time, but his
formerharmonicallystatic blocks of sound have given way to a more
pliant, elastic, chromatic polyphony.Look for example at the three
strokesof the harp that accentuatethe pauses in the piano line of m. 42.
These form a kind of instrumentalostinato by the introductionof a
static,unifyingtone-color;at the same time theyare movingin pitch-
in fact,theyare inauguratinga new statementof the series.Again, the
transitionalpassages connectingeach movementwiththe next are some-
times clearly explicable as twelve-toneunits,sometimesnot; but they
are always easily perceptibleinstrumentalunits,set off fromthe main
body of the work as contrastingblocks, and each orchestrallydifferen-
tiated fromthe others.

Occasionally Stravinskyrevertseven now to a true pedal or ostinato

(although less frequentlythan in Canticum sacrum and Threni). Here
again a comparisonwithSchoenbergmay be of value. The passage begin-
ning with m. 40 of the Phantasyshows how an ostinatoaccompaniment
figurecan be logically introducedwithin a twelve-tonecontext. The
melody in the violin runs throughone hexachord; the ostinatoin the
piano is based entirelyon its complementaryinversion.The ostinato
is composed of two two-notemotifs,to which a third motif is soon
added; in termsof the row, theyare made up of elements1-2, 3-4, and
Thus withineach hexachordthe orderingis preserved;
5-6 respectively.
and because the hexachords are mutually complementary,no casual
doublingscan occur in spite of the continuedostinato.When the melody
moves on to another hexachord, the accompaniment shifts corre-
spondingly.
Contrastthistechnique,developed fromthe exigenciesof the system
itself,with that of Stravinskyin MovementsIV, which throwsthe piano
part into relief against a series of static four-notechords in string
harmonics.Each of these chords is derived in the same way: by the
sustainingof elements3-4 and 7-8 of a statedrow (retrograde-inversion
the firstand third times, inversionthe second). Thus the orderingis
not preserved,for these four notes are not normallyadjacent. Further-
more, since complete statements are sounded against each chord,

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298 The Musical Quarterly
fortuitousdoublings are inescapable. Unlike the Schoenberg ostinato,
which definesa thematicphrase by completingthe twelve-toneaggre-
gate, these act as harmonic poles to support a symmetricaldivision
into threetime-blocks.It is ironicthat thismovement,the clearestof all
in its derivationfromthe tone-row,should depart so far in its over-all
structurefromusually accepted twelve-toneideals.

The contrastbetweenSchoenbergand Stravinsky is roughlyanalogous

to the one involving Haydn. Schoenberg, like Haydn, modified the
conventionsand extendedthe techniquesof his musical language from
within- fromthe vantage groundof one who had played a preeminent
role in the shaping of the language in the firstplace. Stravinsky,ap-
proachingeach fromwithout,reinterprets and transforms it so radically
to fit his own needs that it remains only superficiallyrelated to the
original.
would have become at mostan interesting
If thiswere all, Stravinsky
mannerist, and an inconstantone at that. But this is not all. What has
been omitted or onlyhintedat up to now - is of crucialimportance:
-
the relationof manner and mannerismto style.Styleis the vitalitythat
comes fromthe integratedand balanced interactionof all the dimen-
sions of an art. By manner I mean a style,whetherof the past or of
the present,viewed reductivelyas rigidlydefined and historicallyre-
stricted.Mannerismis the resultof the personal appropriationof such
a manner, with the frequentconcomitantsof exaggeration,distortion,
and fragmentation.What Stravinskyhas demonstratedconvincinglyis
the feasibilityof puttingmanneristicelementsto good use in the service
of a powerfulstyle.

This discussionhas been misleadinginsofaras it has implied that

Stravinsky's borrowingsfrompast and presentand theirdistortionat his
hands are the chiefsources of interestin his music. I now suggestthat
exactlythe reverseis true: that the fate of these adopted elements,al-
thougha matterof legitimateestheticconcern,is nevertheless secondary
to theirreal value: theirinfluenceon his own highlyindividualmusical
image. With Stravinsky,as with Haydn and Schoenberg,the contrast
between the expectationsaroused by the accepted conventionsand the
actual use to whichtheyare put producestension- but withStravinsky,
direction.In listeningto the Haydn
the resultantpull is in a different

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~? ~i~-x

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 Debussy and Stravinsky

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 The Uses of Convention: Stravinskyand His Models 299
and Schoenberg examples we are engrossedby the way in which the
personalstyleis constantlyreshapingthe general convention.We should
hear Stravinskyin just the oppositesense: what is of prime importance
is how the borrowedconventionextendsand modifiesthe personalstyle.
We have already come to hear the neo-Classical worksin this way,
and that is why the Symphonyin C and other compositionsof its
period are now, after years of attack as parodistic pastiches, being
recognized as masterpieces.No doubt one day we shall be able to
hear the recentworksin the same way. Stravinsky'sstyleis too strong
and too individual to permit long disguise. To watch it preserveits
identitythroughall its adventuresis endlesslyfascinating.

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