Stravinsky's Chords (II)

Extract

In The Soldier's Tale there were instances of musical parody which could not possibly be elucidated by simple harmonic analysis within the work's own stylistic terms of reference; for example, it was necessary to allude to Bach's style in order to discuss the harmonies of Stravinsky's chorales. While it is not always correct to view neo-classical works as parodies, generically they present a ‘gloss’ on earlier styles—so that it becomes impossible to analyse such works without reference back, sometimes even to a particular work of a particular forerunner. Clearly an extended study of the use of classical harmonic functions in the works of Stravinsky's middle period would be an undertaking worthy of some months of research and several chapters of exegesis. Here I shall content myself with some instances of his use of cadential formulae.