WELCOME to  JAMS goes digital!

 
If you are reading this, then you must have read footnote 51 on page 331 of:

 

“Rigoroso (q = 126)”:  The Rite of Spring and the Forging of a Modernist Performing Style."

Journal of the American Musicological Society 52-1 (Summer 1999):  299-362.

by Robert Fink

 

And you are here to listen to the historical recordings I referenced in the text on pp. 331-35 and 346-47.  As I promised, here are all the recordings collated in Table 2, which appears on p. 356 of my article.  As a reference aid, here are the full bibliographic citations for the recordings excerpted in the table below:

 

Bibliographic Details for Performances Listed in Table 2 (Below)

 

A. Igor Stravinsky, Piano Roll (Paris, 1921).  Pleyela/Odéola Piano Rolls 8429-37. Performed 1989 by Rex Lawson, pianolist, on Innovative Music Masters MCD 25.
B. Pierre Monteux, Grand Orchestre Symphonique [de Paris] (Paris, 1929).  Gramophone W1016-1019.  Re-released on Pearl GEMM CD 9329. Liner notes by Louis Cyr.
C. Igor Stravinsky, Orchestre Symphonique [de Paris] (Paris, 1929).  Columbia LX119-123.  Re-released on Pearl GEMM CD 9334. Liner notes by Louis Cyr.
D. Leopold Stokowski, Philadelphia Orchestra (Philadelphia, 1930).  RCA-Victor 7227-30. Re-released on RCA-Victor 09026-61394-2.
E. Igor Stravinsky, Philharmonic-Symphony of New York (New York, 1940). Columbia 11375-78-D.  Re-released as Pickwick GLRS 107 and as Pearl GEMM CDS 9292.
F. Ernest Ansermet, L'Orchestre de la Suisse-Romande (Geneva, 1957). London LL 1730.  Re-released on London 443 467-2.
G. Leonard Bernstein, New York Philharmonic (New York, 1958).  Re-released on Sony Classical SMK 47629.
H. Sir Eugene Goosens, London Symphony Orchestra (London, 1960). Everest SDBR 3047. Re-released on Everest EVC 9002.
I. Igor Stravinsky, Columbia Symphony Orchestra (Hollywood, 1960).  Re-released on Columbia Masterworks MK 42433.
J. Benjamin Zander, Boston Philharmonic (Boston, 1989). Innovative Music Masters MCD 25.

 

And here is Table 2 itself.  Click any cell that appears as a “hyperlink” (underlined and in color), and - if you have Apple's Quicktime 4 software installed in your browser (if not, click here for a free download) - a small player will appear at the bottom of your browser window (in the yellow area) and begin playing automatically as soon as enough information has streamed across the 'net to your machine. 
 
The author would appreciate any feedback you have on this first tentative step towards a multimedia JAMS - especially if you have problems accessing the music.  (I will do my best to fix any compatibility issues.)  Complain (or just let me know you visited) to:  rfink@humnet.ucla.edu

 

Table 2 -- Some Recorded Tempos in the “Danse sacrale”

 

 Performance

 A

R142

B

R149

rit.?

R161

accel.?

bef R167

 A'

R167

C1

R174

A

R180

C2

R181

A"

R186

end

R199-end

Bernstein 1958
[4:27]		  138-42 130-32 no rit. no accel. 138-44 122-25; accel to
ca. 1410 at R180!		  138 112-16; (a)
very broad;
no accel. to end		  wants sudden 138; [b] gets 127-30; starts accel. 140+
Stokowski 1930
[4:53]		  126-28 115-18 slight rit. accel. only to
126-32		 116-18;
attempted accel. (128) collapses		 105-8; slight push at R178; sudden accel. to ca. 126 at end 128 98-100! very broad; R184-86, speeds up very slightly 106-8 wants 135-37
(gets it in low strings)		 no accel.;
ca. 132
Goossens 1960
[4:39]		  126-32 124-26 slight rit. no 133-35 116-18 132 starts at 96;
stabilizes at 114-16		 wants 148-50! gets 136-40 bass drum drives accel. to 140-44
Ansermet 1957
[4:42]		  126 134-36 rit. no 126 102-6; 112 at R178; pushes to 116 at last bar 126 116-20; slight accel. to 122-24 wants 135; settles into 126 bass drum drives slight accel. (132?)
Monteux 1929
[4:15]		  148-53 133-45 no rit. accel. to 157! 146-48 124-26; slow accel. to 133 (c) tries for 145-48 starts at 116-20, then accel. to 133 at R184 and ca. 138 at R186 wants 152 [!] and almost gets it; falls back to 148 accel. to 155+
Stravinsky 1929
[4:58]		  108-12 119-20 accel. to ca. 130 no rit. accel. to ca. 140 110-13 ca. 99; (d) accel. after R178 to ca. 116 116 108-13; solid 113
after R184		 wants 124-26? [e] falls back to ca. 113 accel. to 155+
Stravinsky 1940
[4:24]		  113; tries to push (ca. 118-20?) 143-45 [!];
pushes to 150-55 at ff		  no accel. to ca. 160! 130-32, (f) but loses tempo to 122-26 127-33; steady at 130-32 after R178 126-27 127-31 tries to stay at 127-30; messy but basically there pushes to 138? (g)
Stravinsky 1960
[4:31]		  120-22 135-38 no accel. to 145 122-26 124-26; pushes slightly after R178 122-26 130-32 remains a tempo at 130-32; perfect ensemble 122-26; no accel.
Pianola 1921 (h)
[4:13]		  140-44  134-39 no accel. to 144 135-40 124-26 135 starts at 108-10, then steadies at ca. 118-20 sudden speed up to 150-54 no accel. except right at R201

 

(a) If one were to calculate tempo from first two quarters, it would be Q=96! Agogic slowdown is noticeable.
(b) Author's inference of desired tempo from moments of collapsed ensemble; in this case, calculated from the tuba/bass/contrabassoon part in R186.
(c) Accel. begins with the reiterated offbeat D's at R178; same in 1951 recording.
(d) Very hard to hear; tempo is inferred from bass/tuba part.
(e) Extremely hard to hear (messiest section of recording); tempo inferred from bass figure at R186 and following string sixteenths.
(f) Clever! By taking the B section so fast, Stravinsky is able to get the orchestra to take A at a decent speed the second time around.
(g) Problem: bass drum (where one usually gets tempo) is out of time here.
(h) As realized by Rex Lawson on Innovative Music Masters CD MCD25, 1989.