STRAVINSKY, IGOR FEDOROVICH ), Russian composer, was born at Oranienbaum, near Leningrad, on June 5 (old style), 1882. He first studied law, and it was on Rimsky-Korsakov's advice that he finally made music his career. His first work, a symphony, was followed by other orchestral pieces. In 1910 he wrote his first ballet, The Firebird, for Diaghilev's Russian company, with which he was afterwards so closely associated. This made an immense impression on musi cians and the public by the extreme novelty of its construction. It was followed by Petrushka (1912), usually considered his masterpiece, and Le Sacre du printemps, which was produced in 1913 in Paris. He then wrote an opera on Andersen's "The Nightingale" (1914). This was not a success, and in 1917 he re-wrote the second and third acts as a symphonic poem, "The Song of the Nightingale," and also staged it as a ballet. Next came Renard (1915), L'Histoire du Soldat (1917), Pulcinella, a ballet with songs after Pergolesi, performed in Paris in 192o, a one-act opera Mavra (1921) and Les noces villageoises (1923).
His latest oratorio-opera, Oedipus Rex (1928), possesses some features of remarkable interest. In it he goes back to classical drama, achieving at last almost complete objectivity. The dra matic interest resides in the vocal parts, the orchestra providing often a mere accompaniment of transparent texture and moving statuesquely, with practically no thematic development and a pre ponderance of wind over strings. The text is in Latin and the chorus is a male one. Against this sober background the solo voices are treated with extraordinary freedom. To the year 1928 belongs the remarkable ballet, Apollo Musagetes.
Besides his works for the stage he has written a symphony for wind instruments (192o), rag-time for small orchestras, Concertino for string quartets, Pribaoutki (Chansons plaisantes) for voice and eight instru ments, Berceuses du chat for voice and three clarinets; Etude for pianola ; Pastorale, wordless song with piano ; rag-time music and a sonata (1925) for piano, etc.