Pulcinella Suite
Igor Stravinsky
(b. June 17, 1882 near St. Petersburg; d. April 6, 1971 in New York City)
Stravinsky and his Russian countryman impresario Sergei Diaghilev produced three ballet blockbusters in four years—Firebird, Petrushka, and The Rite of Spring. It is hard to imagine something new in a similar vein topping or even equaling them. WWI intervened, enforcing a timeout and producing a cultural discontinuity, but Sergei Diaghilev pursued Stravinsky again after the war. In 1919 he envisioned a ballet based on the commedia dell’arte tradition. That tradition calls for stock characters to meet in various settings. One such character, Pulcinella (aka Punch, as in British Punch & Judy shows), was the subject of an opera believed to be by Giovanni Pergolesi (1710-1736). Diaghilev productively rummaged libraries in London and Naples and jubilantly brought Stravinsky a stack of music. The little Pergolesi music Stravinsky knew, he did not like, but he liked this unfamiliar material very much. Dance and music would bring Punch to life. (Sidenote: Newer scholarship has shown that much if not most of the music Stravinsky used was by lesser known contemporaries of Pergolesi. How much of Pergolesi Stravinsky actually liked is now an open question.)
A new Stravinsky ballet was on the way! Choreography by Léonide Massine with Pablo Picasso doing the costumes and sets! What could go wrong? Diaghilev was an audacious entrepreneur but he was a notoriously difficult person to work with. Diaghilev worried the music might be thought a misuse of a past master. He repeatedly raged at Picasso, getting him to redo his designs twice. The brilliant white floor on the set proved so delicate it needed repainting after every performance. Opening night, May 15, 1920, must have had everyone on tenterhooks.
The success was stunning. Stravinsky crowed, “[It was] one of those productions, where everything harmonizes, where all the elements—subject, music, dancing, and artistic setting—form a coherent and homogeneous whole.” Nevertheless Pulcinella was Stravinsky’s last commission from Diaghilev. Nor has the ballet sustained its original success. Today we hear it almost exclusively in the concert suite Stravinsky prepared in 1922. Eleven of the eighteen ballet segments are combined into eight movements and instruments replace the singers.
Behind the music of the suite is a tale from a 1700 manuscript called “Four Identical Pulcinellas.” Punch is the heartthrob and attracts the attentions of his chums’ girlfriends. Punch’s own steady isn’t pleased and hard feelings ensue. Impersonation, deceit, surprise, and forgiveness are followed by reconciliation. All couples marry happily at the end.
Diaghilev merely trusted Stravinsky to make magic as he always did, but didn’t really anticipate Stravinsky’s abrupt change of direction. Diaghilev imagined another work with a big orchestra and harps. Stravinsky’s work was a small orchestra with three singers. Either Stravinsky had to follow his own muse or perhaps understood better what the postwar ethos was. In Pulcinella the music is decidedly not bits of 18th century music pasted together. Stravinsky recreated every bit of it into something fundamentally new. It is often subtle, but he altered harmonies, shifted phrasing, a different balance for a fresh lilt, and he gave it a finely crafted blend of story and music that has assured its standing as a first-of-its-kind masterpiece of the 20th century.
Here is a listener’s roadmap to the eight parts of the suite.
I. Sinfonia (Overture). Trio Sonata in F major, attributed to Pergolesi, likely by Domenico Gallo who wrote in a very similar style. Brisk and energetic, the music playfully contrasts full orchestral moments with delicate solos.
II. Serenata. Serenade, Aria “Lungi da te” by Pergolesi. A lyrical and pastoral movement led by the strings. Intimate and reflective, melodies flow gently, evoking a sense of calm and nostalgia, yet with subtle rhythmic shifts showing Stravinsky’s modern sensibilities.
III. Scherzino / Allegro / Andantino. Scherzino’s origin is unknown but could be Pergolesi; Allegro is from the Trio Sonata in G major, by Domenico Gallo; Andantino from the duet “Contento forse vivere” by Pergolesi. Scherzino, a little joke, is bouncy and playful. The Allegro is more intense while Andantino is slower and full of charm.
IV. Tarantella. Trio Sonata in C major, attributed to Pergolesi but probably by Domenico Gallo. Tarantella dances with relentless energy. Its quick tempo and syncopated rhythms evoke the traditional Italian dance but with Stravinsky’s unique flair for quirky accents and orchestration.
V. Toccata. fragments from Pergolesi’s operatic overtures though some pieces are uncertain. Brash and bold, driven by punchy brass and vigorous string passages, it delivers a concentrated burst of energy, with sharp contrasts in dynamics and texture.
VI. Gavotta with two variations. From a harpsichord suite now considered to be by Domenico Gallo. Gavotta exudes grace and poise. The two variations are inventive reimaginings of the theme, each highlighting different instrumental colors and rhythmic nuances.
VII. Vivo. Trio Sonata in F major by Domenico Gallo. Stravinsky’s self-described goal in Pulcinella was idiosyncratic orchestration. He wrote, “I also look for truth in a disequilibrium of instruments, which is the opposite of the thing done in what is known as chamber music, whose whole basis is an agreed balance between the various instruments.” Listen for the duet between the trombone and double bass, both commanded to play fortissimo. The bass is totally outgunned, an obvious disequilibrium. A light-heartedness suggests it’s all in fun.
VIII. Minuetto / Finale. Minuetto based on material from Pergolesi’s operas or chamber works; Finale using the aria “Chi disse ca la femmena” from Pergolesi's opera Lo frate 'nnamorato. Minuetto has a poised elegance, paying homage to its Baroque dance roots. Finale, however, brings the suite to a dazzling close, with bold, lively orchestration and a triumphant flourish that ties together Stravinsky’s modern reinterpretation of the past.
(c) 2018, 2019, 2024, 2025 by Steven Hollingsworth,
Creative Commons Public Attribution 3.0 United States License.
Contact: steve@trecorde.net
