Stravinsky, Igor
STRAVINSKY Igor Fyodorovich (b. 5 [17] June 1882, Oranienbaum, Russian Empire; d. 6 April 1971, New York) — a distinguished Russian composer of the 20th century, S. made a very small contribution to the field of Оrthodox liturgical music: three short prayers, in which he was able, in his inimitable fashion, to give each text a special character particular to it in Orthodox liturgical practice (in the “Bogoroditse Devo” [Rejoice, O Virgin] — a chant-like melodism; in the Creed — recitative in the style of liturgical recitation; and in the “Otche nash” [Our Father] — a succession of harmonic formulas reminiscent of the Obikhod, the common formulas used for hymns of the Octoechos), at the same time, expressing them in his distinctive musical language. Despite the multifaceted complexity of his musical idiom, Stravinsky clearly approached the musical solutions for these relatively simple works with a good deal of thought, reworking them for later editions. Interestingly enough, in 1949 as he translated the Church Slavonic versions into Latin, he preserved the musical character and the close relationship of the music and the text in each piece.