SLSL Intro "Grippe Espagnole"

[Dave Monroe]

"In the character of Callisto I was trying for a sort
of world-weary Middle-European effect, and put in the
phrase grippe espagnole, which I had seen on some
liner notes to a recording of Stravinsky's L'Histoire
du Soldat.  I must have thought this was some kind of
post-World War I spiritual malaise or something.  Come
to find out it means what it says, Spanish influenza,
and the reference I lifted was really to the worldwide
flu epidemic that followed the war." (SL, "intro," p.
16)

Igor Stravinsky, L'Histoire du Soldat (1918)

"Stravinsky and his friend C.F. Ramuz began the
project by translating and altering some classic
Russian tales by Aleksandr Afanasiev.  The stories
chosen all dealt with a certain wayward soldier and
his dealings with the Devil.  Ramuz and Stravinsky
took the soldier and the settings of the various
scenes out of any particular context, thus making the
story seem universal and timeless.  In later years,
Stravinsky urged producers of the piece to change the
language of the narration and the soldier’s uniform to
best suit the audience for the piece.  A Soldier’s
Tale includes four roles for actors: the Narrator, the
Soldier, the Devil, and the Princess.  The Devil and
the Princess must also be able to dance.  The music is
supplied by a small group of soloists:  violin, double
bass, clarinet, bassoon, cornet, trombone, and a
percussionist.  Stravinsky felt that this ensemble was
the simplest representation of the timbres of an
orchestra, but he also noted that the instrumentation
bore a certain resemblance to the American jazz combos
gaining popularity at the time....

[...]

"The piece was mounted for the first time on September
28, 1918, in Lausanne, after a great deal of
preparation and rehearsal.  Stravinsky recorded that
he felt the premiere was nearly perfect, and that he
was never as pleased with another performance of the
piece.  The planned tour of A Soldier’s Tale never
took place; influenza swept through Switzerland at the
time, incapacitating everyone involved and their
families.  A Soldier’s Tale is generally admired from
afar, as it demands great precision from all
participants.  As Ramuz wrote, 'We perceived rather
late that the most practical thing would have been to
work within a traditional framework and that to
innovate a new type of entertainment, even by the
process of simplification, meant complicating
everything.'  Stravinsky later reworked music from A
Soldier’s Tale into two suites, one for small
orchestra and another for clarinet, violin, and
piano."

http://www.kalamazoosymphony.com/SSnotes.html

"The first performance of L’Histoire du Soldat was a
success. Opening night was also closing night. Due to
the outbreak of the Spanish Influenza epidemic (which
would kill almost 20 million people in Europe and 500
thousand in America) every public hall was closed by
law. The work was not performed again until 1924.

"L’Histoire du Soldat is a variant of the Faust Legend
– a poor soldier sells his soul (represented by his
violin) to the Devil for youth, wealth, and power.
Stravinsky would turn to this theme again some 30
years later in his opera The Rake’s Progress; joining
Berlioz, Liszt, Wagner, Gounod, Mahler, Rachmaninoff,
Busoni, and others who were also inspired by the Faust
legend. The Germanic tradition through Goethe has
Faust redeemed at the end. In keeping with the French
tradition, Stravinsky and Ramuz send him to Hell.

"The influence of Jazz is discernable in L’Histoire du
Soldat...."

http://www.fuguemasters.com/stravinsky.html

Audio file at ...

http://www.wwnorton.com/classical/covers/63325.htm

And while I haven't tracked down the recording in
question ...

http://www.sonyclassical.com/music/63325/

http://www.originaljacket.com/

And note as well ...

http://www.duke.edu/~crh4/vonnegut/vonnegutia/drama/lhis.html

Will circle back to "entropy" ...

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