Igor Stravinsky was undoubtedly the most versatile composer of the twentieth century, composing in styles ranging from Russian nationalism to neoclassicism to serialism. He was also known for his cutting wit, particularly when the topic was a fellow musician. Of Vivaldi, he remarked that the Venetian had not written hundreds of concertos but rather the same concerto hundreds of times. On another occasion, Stravinsky complained, “Why is it that whenever I hear a piece of music I don’t like it’s always by Villa-Lobos?” At least one composer, however, gave Stravinsky a dose of his own medicine: upon hearing The Rake’s Progress, Benjamin Britten said, “I liked the opera very much. Everything but the music.”
Youth and Studies
Igor Fyodorovich Stravinsky was born in Oranienbaum. There is some debate surrounding his date of birth, but, whatever the case, Stravinsky chose to celebrate h
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