Poetics of Music in the Form of Six Lessons

I came across Stravinsky's remarks on melody, improvisation, musical snobbery, and the State's impact on Russian music, which I found to be extremely useful. Additionally, I took great pleasure in his writing style. Every now and then, I would pick up this book and randomly reread certain passages. It always manages to make me reevaluate some aspect of performance or an attitude that I have long taken for granted. Just as another reviewer had mentioned, I found myself underlining certain parts for future consideration. Strangely enough, I usually get annoyed when I see underlining in books. But in this case, I guess it means I'll be holding onto this one. I'm really looking forward to reading "the Chronicles of My Life."

I didn't gain any new knowledge about music. Instead, I solely learned about all the things that Stravinsky detests: Wagner, snobs, "grimacers", Soviet music, and so on. The six lessons seemed more like six exasperating diatribes. It was truly a disappointment as I had expected to explore the wonderful world of music and discover new aspects and techniques. However, it turned out to be a one-sided rant about Stravinsky's pet peeves. I couldn't help but feel that I was missing out on the real essence of music. Maybe in the future, I'll have the opportunity to take a different music course that focuses on the positive and diverse aspects of this beautiful art form.

There are composers such as Arnold Schoenberg and Pierre Boulez who not only possess remarkable musical talent but are also excellent communicators and perceptive students of music history and theory. On the other hand, there are composers like Igor Stravinsky, whose genius of expression is confined solely to non-discursive domains.

This series of lecture transcripts presents the image of an animated yet disorganized speaker who speaks extemporaneously on rather vague topic areas without prior preparation. His fundamental unit of thought appears to be approximately the length of a sentence, and Stravinsky never gives the impression of developing coherent ideas. Occasionally, his observations hold anecdotal value, and there are hidden gems within, but in this slim book, there is a significant amount of chaff and relatively little wheat.

The most valuable thing I gained from reading it is a slight sense of personal connection to one of the great musical minds of the twentieth century. However, he provides very little insight into the essence of his genius or his creative method.

A truly fascinating document!

I must admit that I knew next to nothing about Igor Stravinsky before coming across this book. However, I was pleasantly surprised to find it to be an extremely interesting read.

Now, after delving into this book, I have developed a strong desire to know more about this remarkable composer. Stravinsky approaches music from a completely unique and unfamiliar perspective, one that I have never even considered before.

Despite this unfamiliarity, I am truly happy to have had the opportunity to learn about his musical ideas and innovations. It has opened up a whole new world of music for me to explore and discover.

I look forward to further immersing myself in the works and life of Igor Stravinsky and uncovering the many mysteries and wonders that his music has to offer.