Thoughts on Neo-Classicism

            The term “classical” could have many connotations, it could refer to something being timeless (as in; “that song is a classic”), something plucked from antiquity (“classical” Greek sculpture) or more specifically to the musical period lasting roughly 1750-1820. When dealing in purely musical terms it seems the most likely association would be with the last of the possible definitions. Yet Morgan himself states that the “neoclassical” music of Stravinsky was much closer to being neo-Baroque, and many of his pieces including Pulcinella and the opera: “The Progress of the Rake” used harpsichord and not piano. This aligns it much closer to the styles and sounds of Scarlatti and Vivaldi much more so than Mozart or Haydn. This point is further emphasized with Stravinsky’s use of ornate ornaments in his 1924 piano sonata which sounds a great deal like Baroque harpsichord music. With all this in mind, it appears as though the first definition tempered by the second might be the best hope of stating the idea of “neoclassicism” in a concrete way. By taking the most timeless aspects of older styles of composition and coupling them with newer compositional techniques (such as polyrhythms or bitonality) an updated version of the timeless might ensue. The ballet Pulcinella is a solid example of this idea as it was not originally written by Stravinsky but arranged, reworked and orchestrated by him. To illustrate this point Morgan writes: “Although Pulcinella has the unmistakable flavor of eighteenth century music, the original has been subtly transformed so that it takes on a new and unexpectedly Stravinskyian, character.” (Morgan p 171) In this example, we see that in some way the first two definitions have been met, the music is indeed timeless (as has been proven by its many performances) and the original material was plucked from antiquity. The piece might have met all three definitions were it not so baroque in nature.

            The other side of the “neoclassical” discussion is Morgan’s pages spent on Cocteau, Satie and Les Six. It is interesting that at this point in time, virtually none of the “classical” definitions seem to work for the music of this period of French development. The music of Satie was not considered timeless (during the period we are discussing) it was not antiquated in style or substance and Satie (the hero of the movement as ordained by Cocteau) lived into the 20^th century far removed from the late 18^th century. It seems as though European composers as a whole were starting to embrace a compositional style much more adverse to the musical laymen. This led to understandable concern on the part of many members of the intellectual community and caused them to call for a “simpler” and more listenable style. In this respect it is neoclassicism in the way that older music was perceived as simpler and more beautiful (the phrase “back to Bach” was quoted several times in the textbook – although there is really nothing simple about the music of Bach). So in this respect, perhaps a better title for Les Six and Satie would have been “neosimpleism” it would, however; be difficult to remove the derogatory stigma from the term “simple” music and therefore it looks like “neoclassicism” will stay.