‘Le Sacre du printemps’ by Igor Stravinsky can be seen as the beginning of modernism. To argue for this assumption, ballet must be discussed as well as the characteristics of modernism and pitted against each other. In this way the concept of modernism can be easily explained.
Le Sacre du printemps
‘The Spring Sacrifice’ is a ballet by Sergei Diaghilev’s Ballets Russes to music by the Russian composer Igor Stravinsky. The premiere took place on May 29, 1913 in the Théâtre des Champs-Elysées in Paris.
The performance is an unconventional ballet in terms of music and choreography. This is mainly due to the fact that this piece did not meet the strict conventions that existed for dance performances. The etiquette for ballet was completely violated in several areas: the way of dancing, the costumes, the decor and especially: the music. Anyone who has ever heard the Sacre du Printemps knows that it is a piece that is mainly based on the underlying rhythm sounds and not so much on melody. Even now the piece can sound modern and in 1913 it was completely not done.
On May 29, 1913, this led to total chaos: from the first notes, the Parisian socialite loudly expressed his disapproval in the Théátre des Champs Elysées, while the supporters tried to drown out the noise by ovatively applauding. Obscenities were shouted, such as Countess René de Pourtalès proclaiming that
she had never been fooled like this in her sixty years on earth, and the composer Florent Schmitt shouted to the expensive places: ‘Taisez-vous, les garces du seizième’ (shut up Gold Coast whores), someone scolded the enthusiastically clapping composer Maurice Ravel for ‘sale Juif’ (dirty Jew). Violence was used at every opportunity in what was later described in the newspaper as the ‘battle for the Sacre du Printemps’.
Modernism explained after the Sacre du Printemps
Modernism is not so much a movement as a determining factor in the art and media that emerged at the beginning of the 20th century. Examples include Impressionism (Monet, Manet), Expressionism (Pollack), and Cubism (Braque, Picasso).
Within modernism a number of concepts are of cultural-philosophical importance:
- Style diversity – multiple styles for a given theme, art, media. What is important is what the prescribed style is and whether there is any deviation from it.
- Taste uncertainty – there is no accounting for taste
- Nihilism – nothing is everything, everything is nothing, are we meaningful: doubting every truth
- Totality idea – not one detail is important, but the whole. A detail means nothing without the rest.
Modernism was above all a culture of sensational events, through which art and life become a matter of energy and as such merge.” (Eksteins)
Eksteins (cultural philosopher) indicates with this quote that in the twentieth century people are increasingly dancing to the rhythm of the controversial culture. He constantly emphasizes the idea of totality. In The ‘Sacre’, death and life are completely intertwined and the spectators have become participants. The dancers of the piece dance to the noise made by the audience. Eksteins calls this significant. The audience is as much a part of this performance as the corps de ballet.
In his ballet piece, Stravinsky aims to create an all-encompassing whole . This makes the Sacre also the work of nihilism: doubt about every truth. It’s not bad but not good either.
All this strongly points to the rise of the insecurity of taste that is so characteristic of modernism. New paths were sought , the urge for self-expression as expressed by the writers Gobrich and Elias. Here too, a difference arose between the taste of the specialists and the masses as described above, and which is typical of taste uncertainty.
The ballet provoked strong reactions because it was new to the audience. Not only the ballet, the music, the dance and the costumes of the dancers were innovative, the phenomenon of innovation was also innovative.
Because this piece is not as the prevailing trend dictated, it indicates style diversity: it is the style of an individual and not the style of the tastemakers.
People were confronted with this concept because the art form did not follow the regulations. And because this was so far outside the frame of reference, it was a great shame not to listen to the taste of the decision makers. It summarizes the reaction of the ruling elite to the rebellious artists and enthusiasts of other styles who no longer cared about this. But also the liberation of the supporters of these innovative artists.