The real composer thinks about his work the whole time; he is not always conscious of this, but he is aware of it later when he suddenly knows what he will do.
- Igor Stravinsky

Born in Russia in 1882, Igor Stravinsky studied with Rimsky-Korsakov, and was influenced by Tchaikovsky, Borodin, Glazunov, Debussy and Dukas. This unusual mixture of influences lies behind The Firebird (1910), commissioned by Dyagilev for his Ballets Russes. Stravinsky went with the company to Paris in 1910 and spent much of his time in France from then onwards, continuing his association with Dyagilev in Petrushka (1911) and The Rite of Spring (1913). Stravinsky's styles are additive rather than symphonic, in that he placed blocks of material together without disguising the seams. The binding energy is much more rhythmic than harmonic, and the driving pulsations of The Rite marked a crucial change in the nature of Western music.

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