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it is treated in a more integrated fashion. What prominence it has in this

piece could be due more to its commission as a work for piano and orchestra
than any other factor.

Conclusion
Stravinsky's treatment of the piano in the orchestral works written
through the course of his long career can be seen to parallel and reflect the
evolution of his compositional style as a totality. In its earHest uses, it was
used primarily as a soloistic instrument or as a doubling instrument within the
context of a huge orchestra, in deference to his Russian tutelage under
Rimsky-Korsakov. As Stravinsky moved toward a thinner, ascetic, and more
contrapuntal style which relied on concertato principles, the role of the piano
increased in importance because its percussive and polyphonic qualities so
closely matched the aesthetic he was cultivating. Finally, when his
compositional style tumed to serialism in the 1950s, the technical and
polyphonic capabilities of the instnmient became secondary to the piano's tone,
which rose in importance as a distinct color in his textural and tonal spectrum,
and its use primarily as a single line instnmient reflected the more pointillistic
approach to composition in the final works.
The study of Stravinsky's treatment of the piano in his orchestral works
offers a wealth of information to anyone interested in new and creative uses
of the instrument; conductors and pianists in particular will find much of
value. He was a pioneer in the inclusion of the piano as an integral member
of the orchestra, and his unique, fascinating explorations into the possibilities
of piano treatment in the orchestral texture reveal yet another facet of his
genius.