Stravinsky and the Spiritual World of Orthodox Theology

This article concentrates on Stravinsky’s relations with the spiritual heritage of Orthodox theology — an area of thought that might at first sight seem somewhat marginal to his major interests, but which, on a closer look, proves to be deeply rooted in his poetic universe. My working hypothesis is that the influence of this spiritual tradition is reflected in various ways in the composer’s creative experience, contributing to his aesthetic choices and his actual way of working. This hypothesis is suggested by the presence of some theological references scattered through his writings, which will be examined and discussed in detail in the following pages. An analysis of these passages suggests some interpretations that will throw a new light on some aspects of his aesthetic: the conception of musical time and the tendency to plan form on the basis of a careful measuring of balance, symmetry and proportion; but also the question of expression in music and the aesthetic of objectivity. The last part of the essay concentrates on the delicate relation between Stravinsky and Schönberg, which will be re-examined in the light of the heritage of two different spiritual traditions, the Orthodox and the Jewish ones.