Symphonies of Wind Instruments

The Symphonies of Wind Instruments ( German Title wind symphonies ) are a factory for Wind Instruments by Igor Stravinsky. The first version for 24 instruments built in 1920, the revised version for 23 instruments in 1947.

Occasion in its creation was a call to the French journal Revue Musicale to send in a piano piece for a Tombeau in honor of Claude Debussy died in 1918. Stravinsky subsequently wrote the hymn, which now forms the end of the Symphonies of Wind Instruments, and sent the piano version of it to the magazine. He used sketches that were already before, in the course of work on the Piano Rag -Music and the Concertino for String Quartet, written for the remaining part.

From the classical symphony, the movement work differs not only by its brevity and instrumentation, but also by the lack of sonata form and harmonious development. The name in the title refers less to the generic name, but in the original meaning of the word ( harmony ).

Stravinsky made ​​the work according to its commonly used "building block method", in which he strung together various moldings without a thematic- motivic or harmonic development takes place. In the case of the Symphonies of Wind Instruments can be used as content characterizing moldings bells motif, chorale, dance motif, Russian melodies and pastoral melody make, as a formal moldings are transition phrases, a staccato quaver motif and a final twist used. A development will take place in that (also called invocation fragment) in the course of the play the beginning bells dominant motif gives way to the chorale. Inside, however, barely audible, context also arises by setting the tempos 72, 108 and 144, which are in the ratio 2:3:4 to each other.

In 1947, two years after receipt of American citizenship, the revised Stravinsky Symphonies of Wind Instruments, as well as some other works to secure the American copyright. Here he replaced little used instruments more consistent, provided for relief and playing techniques also adapted it to its converted musical aesthetics. Because of the major changes is explicitly spoken by two different versions.

The premiere on June 10, 1921 came to a failure, a critic judged that the initial part sounds according to the cry of a donkey.