Babel (Stravinsky)

Babel

by Igor Stravinsky

Igor Stravinsky

Composed| 1944 (1944)
Performed| 18 November 1945 (1945-11-18):  Los Angeles
Duration| 7 minutes
Scoring| TTBB chorus and orchestra

Babel is a neoclassical religious cantata composed by Igor Stravinsky in 1944.

## Composition

[edit]

Babel was written on commission from Nathaniel Shilkret, a music publisher, who asked Stravinsky to contribute to a collaborative work titled Genesis Suite, based on the early chapters of the Book of Genesis. Although Shilkret's intention was to create a descriptive suite, using representational music on aesthetic as well as religious grounds, Stravinsky relied on abstract musical form to present the biblical text in a more objective manner, believing that he should not make any attempts at dramatically portraying the voice of God.[1]

Arnold Schoenberg's Prelude was the first piece in the set, whereas Stravinsky's Babel was the last, on the subject of the building and destruction of the Tower of Babel. Stravinsky wrote his cantata on words taken from Genesis 11:1–9, in April 1944. Even though Béla Bartók, Paul Hindemith, and Sergei Prokofiev were also commissioned pieces for this suite, some of the pieces were never finished.[2] Like most composite works, The full suite never had any independent life of its own after its completion in October 1945, but some of its parts have been performed, especially those by better-known composers.

Stravinsky's first piece written exclusively in English, Babel was premiered on 18 November 1945, at the Wilshire Ebel Theatre in Los Angeles, California, by the Werner Janssen Symphony Orchestra, with Werner Janssen himself as the conductor. Hugo Strelitz acted as the chorus master. The piece was subsequently published by Schott.[3][4]

## Structure

[edit]

The piece is in one movement and has a total duration of about seven minutes. The text used is taken from the Bible verbatim. It is scored for a two-part male chorus, three flutes, a piccolo, two oboes, two clarinets, a bass clarinet, two bassoons, a contrabassoon, four French horns, three trumpets, three trombones, a harp, a piano, and a string section.[2] According to some scholars, the piece can be divided into four sections separated by tempo markings, though conductor Robert Craft often described the piece as "a passacaglia in which a fugue serves as one of the variations". Babel follows a neoclassical structure and form, and is a good example of Stravinsky's late neoclassical period.[5]

Contrary to the publisher's wishes, who deemed it more appropriate to entrust God's words to the narrator and leave the story of the construction and destruction of the Tower of Babel for the choir, Stravinsky eventually decided to leave the narrated parts for the narrator and the voice of God for the men's choir, believing that the spoken human voice could not express well God's word.[2] This was recurring for Stravinsky, as he made a clear distinction between the celestials and the terrestrials, intending that "the celestials should sing while the terrestrials should merely talk". He was, therefore, faced with this problem in Abraham and Isaac and The Flood.[4]

## Reception

[edit]

Stravinsky liked his own creation, as he claimed he preferred his own compositions performed untranslated, in the original language they were written. He stated: "musically speaking, Babel is a blessing".[6]

## Recordings

[edit]

Following is an incomplete list of some of the most notable recordings of this piece:

* Conductor Robert Craft and the Philharmonia Orchestra performed the piece with the Simon Joly Chorale and David Wilson-Johnson as the narrator. The recording took place at Abbey Road Studio No. 1, in London, on March 27, 2002. This recording was released by Naxos in 2006.[7]

## References

[edit]

1. ^ Strimple, Nick (2005). Choral Music in the Twentieth Century. Amadeus Press. ISBN 9781574673784. Retrieved 10 February 2019.
2. ^ a b c "Igor Stravinsky: Babel" (work details) (in French and English). IRCAM.
3. ^ "Babel". Schott Music. Retrieved 8 February 2019.
4. ^ a b White, Eric Walter (1979). Stravinsky: The Composer and His Works. University of California Press.
5. ^ Shrock, Dennis (2017). Choral Monuments: Studies of Eleven Choral Masterworks. Oxford University Press. ISBN 9780190469023.
6. ^ Albright, Daniel (1989). Stravinsky: The Music Box and the Nightingale. Gordon and Breach. ISBN 9782881242953. Retrieved 10 February 2019.
7. ^ "Stravinsky, I.: Mass / Cantata / Symphony of Psalms (Craft) (Stravinsky, Vol. 6) – 8.557504". www.naxos.com. Retrieved 9 February 2019.

* v
* t
* e

Igor Stravinsky

List of compositions
Discography

Operas and
musical dramas|

* The Nightingale
* Renard
* The Soldier's Tale
* Mavra
* Oedipus rex
* Perséphone
* The Rake's Progress
* The Flood

Ballets|

* The Firebird
* Petrushka
* The Rite of Spring (discography)
* Les noces
* Pulcinella
* Apollo
* The Fairy's Kiss
* Jeu de cartes
* Danses concertantes
* Scènes de ballet
* Orpheus
* Agon

Symphonies|

* Symphony in E♭
* Symphony of Psalms
* Symphony in C
* Symphony in Three Movements

Orchestral music|

* Scherzo fantastique
* Fireworks
* Funeral Song
* Four Études
* The Song of the Nightingale
* Circus Polka
* Ode
* Scherzo à la russe
* Greeting Prelude
* Variations: Aldous Huxley in memoriam
* Canon on a Russian Popular Tune

Concertos|

* Concerto for Piano and Wind Instruments
* Capriccio for Piano and Orchestra
* Violin Concerto in D
* Concerto in E♭ ("Dumbarton Oaks")
* Ebony Concerto
* Movements for Piano and Orchestra
* Concerto in D

Solo
vocal|

* Pastorale
* Pribaoutki
* Berceuses du chat
* Abraham and Isaac
* Elegy for J.F.K.
* "The Owl and the Pussy Cat"

Choral|

* Zvezdoliki
* Ave Maria
* Babel
* Mass
* Cantata
* Canticum Sacrum
* Threni
* A Sermon, a Narrative, and a Prayer
* Requiem Canticles

Piano and
pianola|

* "Tarantella"
* Scherzo
* Piano Sonata in F♯ minor
* Four Études
* "Valse des fleurs"
* Three Easy Pieces
* Five Easy Pieces
* Étude for Pianola
* Piano-Rag-Music
* Les cinq doigts
* Three Movements from Petrushka
* Piano Sonata
* Serenade in A
* Concerto for Two Pianos
* Tango
* Sonata for Two Pianos
* Two Sketches for a Sonata

Chamber
music|

* Three Pieces for String Quartet
* Three Pieces for Solo Clarinet
* Lied ohne Name
* Octet
* Duo Concertant
* Elegy
* Septet
* Epitaphium
* Double Canon (in Memoriam Raoul Dufy)

Other|

* Symphonies of Wind Instruments
* Fanfare for a New Theatre

Arrangements|

* Bluebird Pas de Deux (from Tchaikovsky's The Sleeping Beauty)
* Monumentum pro Gesualdo

Family|

| Parents|

* Fyodor Stravinsky (father)

|

Wives|

* Yekaterina Nosenko (first)
* Vera Sudeikina (second)

Children|

* Soulima Stravinsky
* Théodore Strawinsky

Amanuensis|

* Robert Craft

Named for Stravinsky|

* 4382 Stravinsky
* Igor Stravinsky (river cruise ship)
* Stravinsky (crater)
* Stravinsky Fountain
* Stravinsky Inlet

Related|

* Earnest Andersson
* Ernest Ansermet
* George Balanchine
* Ballets Russes
* Nadia Boulanger
* Coco Chanel & Igor Stravinsky (film)
* Jean Cocteau
* Sergei Diaghilev
* Samuel Dushkin
* Arthur Lourié
* Monday Evening Concerts
* New York City Ballet
* Pierre Monteux
* Neoclassicism
* Petrushka chord
* Psalms chord
* Charles Ferdinand Ramuz
* Werner Reinhart
* Serialism

*  Category
* Audio

Portal:

* Classical music

Authority control databases

International|

* VIAF

National|

* France
* BnF data

Other|

* MusicBrainz work

*[v]: View this template
*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template