This article introduces the topic through a international conference on " The

Collapse of Empires" held in Moscow in 2018. This article explores the musical

works written by two famous composers - Maurice Ravel of France and Igor

Stravinsky of Russia - in the context of the premise of the First World War, and how

these works are a reflection of that war era. This article delves into how the collapse

of empires during this period influenced their music and how their works reflected the

socio-political changes in their respective countries.

The article begins with a brief historical background to the collapse of empires in

the 20th century, with a particular focus on the decline of the French and Russian

empires. The First World War and the Russian Revolution of 1917 were key events

that brought about major changes in these countries, shaping the cultural landscape

and artistic expression of the time.

He mentioned that the First World War is not the immediate subject of this article

but the backdrop that determined how Stravinsky and Ravel wrestled with the

confusion and loss following the end of the imperial world they had known before the

war. From their different angles, both composers expressed a common tragedy that

they refer to as the “Collapse of Empires”.

Stravinsky, an aristocrat from the Volynsk gubernia (region) in the Russian

empire, was a representative of a cohort of outstanding artists in the early

twentieth-century.

The author mentions that works of art should be considered not so much as

objects of aesthetic contemplation, but as objects documenting cultural and historical

events and processes.

First, the author describes the work of Ravel, who was personally involved in the

war - a lorry driver with first-hand experience of it. He has seen first-hand the

brutality of war and understands the trauma it inflicts on people. The author said that

Ravel devoted the piano suite Le tombeau de Couperin to the memory of friends who

died at the front.

The second, the author describes Stravinsky's experiences. He did not take part in

the war himself, but he suffered the effects of it. He lost his possessions as well as his

friends. Stravinsky was an admirer of Alexander III, and he was steeped in nostalgia

for his former life. Of post-war Russia, Stravinsky was disapproving, as can be seen

in his works The Soldier’s Tale and Tango. The Soldier’s Tale is about a soldier's

longing to return to his homeland. In Tango, Stravinsky uses Russian folk elements

and neoclassical sources. In these works, Stravinsky returns more than once to themes

with Russian elements, reflecting his longing for his homeland. At the same time, he

uses grotesque and chaotic expressions to express his dissatisfaction with the current

state of affairs in Russia.

In this article, the author argues that Stravinsky is always considering his own

personal feelings about the losses and traumas he suffered under the impact of the

war.

In contrast, the author describes the shift in Ravel's work towards military

musical themes after the war. in 1919, Ravel gave a performance of his piano work La

Valse to a small group of musicians, including Stravinsky. The piano work, which
expresses the idea that reality swallows everything, was unanimously praised, but

Stravinsky didn't say a word about it. This work represents a wicked interpretation of

the classic 19th century waltz. Ravel presents the waltz as a picture of despair, full of

hysterical wailing, foreshadowing the eventual replacement of the old social system.

In this description, the author expresses Ravel's identification with reality, but

Stravinsky is not. Stravinsky has always believed that reality destroyed everything he

had and that the past was beautiful.

The author also analyses Ravel's Piano Concerto for the left hand, which

expresses Ravel's interpretation of the brutality and destruction of war through the

encounter of a pianist who loses his right hand on the war front.

Through reading, we find that the author believes that Ravel and Stravinsky share

the same views when it comes to articulating the destructive, brutal nature of war.

Stravinsky's work stems from an unhealthy, fractured human consciousness. It

suggests that the composer has experienced much suffering in the past. The work's

repeated return to the theme of 'Russia' demonstrates his yearning for the past and his

dissatisfaction with reality. But with Ravel's work, the new element is the one that

prevails. It shows Ravel's identification with reality.

In this article, the author illustrates the two composers' common views on the

devastating, destructive nature of war through their encounters in the same war

context. It also analyses the different ways of expression between the two composers

regarding the two forms of music, old and new, through the different circumstances of

their lives and their different experiences. I agree with the author's views in this
article.

After reading this article, I can understand that the creation of a musical style has

a lot to do with the composer's own living environment, social status and changes in

his own experience. Music is an expression and manifestation of the composer's own

emotions. For the music of composers of the same period, there are commonalities of

the era. However, due to the different environments in which the composers lived, the

musical styles can vary.