I really can’t let that pass. I suspect you might have made this assertion for that reason, because otherwise it’s hard to fathom how/why you state such a thing? Sure, the opening bassoon solo is based on a Lithuanian folk song but that’s it, the rest of the piece is all original. In context; it was a routine practice for numerous composers from the mid 1800’s through the C20th to quote folk songs/dances or incorporate folk idioms in their compositions, some composers extensively so: Grieg, Glinka, Mussorgsky, Bartok, Smetana, Vaughan-Williams, Albeniz, Copland and many others besides. Some compositions by these and others could loosely fit your description but the Rite of Spring is definitely not one of them, if anything, the exact opposite is true! Due to it being packed with novel/original ideas and the huge influence it had on other composers, the Rite of Spring is one of the most analysed compositions in the history of classical music and many speculated where all those original ideas came from. Stravinsky stated that other than the bassoon solo, he did not use any folk song references. It’s entirely likely that he was subconsciously influenced by some pieces of folk music but if so, the references are so obscure they need some deep analysis, along with some “creative interpretation” to identify. In either case, that’s a very far cry from your assertion that the piece is effectively just pagan folk music arranged in the western tradition.
The Rite of Spring was shocking for it’s lack of limitations, arranging/adapting folk music was not how Stravinsky “overcame them” and therefore it is pretty much the opposite of “helpful to understand” this!
It would be silly for me to claim that Stravinsky was not influenced by Rimsky-Korsakov (his private teacher as an older student) and certainly Korsakov’s penchant for researching and incorporating folklore in his work must have influenced the subject matter for the Rite of Spring but again, how Stravinsky executed that musically was so shockingly original/divergent from the late romantic period compositional conventions (exemplified by Korsakov), it could be seen as a rebellion against the “tools to create music” given him by Korsakov rather than due to them.
I presume you meant Stravinsky rather than Schoenberg? If so, again that really couldn’t be less true of the Rite of Spring! A striking feature of the Rite of Spring is the technical demands it places on the performers. The bassoon solo for example is effectively written in the range of an oboe (or at least a cor anglais), so it’s at the extreme high end of the bassoon’s range and this is a trend throughout the piece for many other instruments. Stravinsky did this deliberately, he wanted it to sound “strained”, it’s almost like he sat down and said to himself: “What’s right on the limit of what a professional bassoon, tuba, horn, flute, etc., player could do? OK, I’m going to write a piece of music made up of that.” It would be fascinating to hear one of the early performances because it’s doubtful any of the orchestras could get very close to being able to perform it accurately. Of course, it eventually became a standard part of the orchestral repertoire so we all had to learn how to play it but even today, it requires a talented, advanced student to even reasonably attempt it and it’s still very challenging even for the top players. So stating that Stravinsky had wishful intentions for it to be performed or sung by schoolchildren really couldn’t be further from the truth.
G