The musical material of Stravinsky's "Petit concert" from the Histoire du soldat consists only of quotations from the remaining movements of the piece. The beginning vertically combines two motives from the "Music to Scene 1" that are developed according to parameters inherent in the musical material, especially the major second or ninth. Stravinsky derived it from the space between the g and a strings of the violin that in the story is the actual reason for the "Petit concert." This development leads to new ideas that, once they are firmly established, turn out to be quotations themselves. Stravinsky quotes from movements with about the same tempo and uses consistent rhythmic patterns in order to achieve an optimal integration.

Index Classifications: 1900s

Contributed by: Andreas Giger