ABSTRACT
Stravinsky’s influence upon the development of contemporary music has been so potent that the changes in his style were often followed by minor revolutions among creative musicians. He was named Igor because he was born on St. Igor’s day according to the Russian calendar. His father was a bass singer of the Imperial Opera. Thus Stravinsky was reared in a musical atmosphere. He was not a child prodigy however. It was almost by accident that at the age of 19 he met Rimsky-Korsakov in Heidelberg and played for him some of his compositions; Rimsky-Korsakov found his harmonic sense insufficiently developed and recommended him to go for preparatory work to one of his experienced students, Kalafati. Rimsky-Korsakov accepted Stravinsky only in 1907, and gave him private lessons in orchestration and free composition. Stravinsky did not study at the Conservatory and so holds no Conservatory diploma or any other certificate of graduation.
