Run Time: Approx. 16 minutes

Hearing the name Igor Stravinsky likely brings to mind a few of the composer’s most iconic works. Perhaps The Rite of Spring, the jagged, even caustic work popularized in Disney’s original Fantasia (the one with the dinosaurs). Or perhaps his most famous ballet, The Firebird, with its transcendental finale you may remember from Fantasia 2000 (the one with the forest sprite and the volcano). But throughout his career, Stravinsky was a bit of a musical chameleon, and his body of work shifted through several distinct styles. Dumbarton Oaks hails from his Neoclassical era, when he turned his attention to musical practices of the past.

In music, the term Neoclassicism has become a bit of a catch-all for works that look back on previous eras. While Stravinsky certainly drew from the actual Classical era for many of his compositional endeavors, a more apt term for what he created in Dumbarton Oaks might be “Neobaroque”. For this work, Stravinsky looked to none other than the master himself, Johann Sebastian Bach—and in particular, the Brandenburg Concertos—for inspiration.

Dumbarton Oaks was commissioned in 1937 by Washington, DC power couple and influential arts patrons, Robert Woods Bliss and Mildred Barnes Bliss, on the occasion of their 30th wedding anniversary. The piece takes its title from the couple’s beloved Georgetown estate, which hosted the premiere performance of the work. Now owned by Harvard University, the estate was also the site of the historic meeting that led to the founding of the United Nations.

What’s borrowed from the past?

The Form: This work is written as a typical Baroque concerto grosso. Unlike the modern concerto, which features a single soloist backed by the orchestra, the concerto grosso highlights a group of soloists that weave in and out of the ensemble texture. The hallmark of this form is the dialogue between instruments acting in a solo capacity and the full ensemble. You’ll hear each unique voice come out of the texture at various points, and then fold back into a supporting role.

Style: Stravinsky borrows many tricks from the Baroque playbook, including fugues, walking bass lines, rhythmic imitation, and ornamentation.

Rhythm: Through much of the piece, the melodies are often underpinned by a chugging rhythmic impetus, like a motor that keeps things moving along. This is a frequently used device in Baroque music as well, where rhythmic ostinatos— short, continuously repeated rhythmic patterns—create cohesion and flow. However, the constantly shifting meters are all Stravinsky and play a big role in giving the piece its modern sound.

Dialogue: The instruments frequently pass melodic material between one another, each playing a small part of the larger phrase. The melodies coalesce from short motives circulated among the instruments, creating intricate interlocking textures and evoking the feeling of an ensemble cast of equally weighted characters.

The opening: Stravinsky’s opening is a clear homage to Brandenburg Concerto No. 3. That iconic descending line you might recognize from movies and television is essentially the same here, though dressed in Stravinsky’s modern clothes. He builds the entire first movement theme around this motif, seamlessly melding Baroque tradition and modernist innovation.