Igor Stravinsky

Igor Stravinsky was born in Russia in 1882. He became one of the most important composers of the 1900s. He wrote music for ballets, which are dances told with music. His music was bold and sounded different from anything people had heard before.

Growing Up

Igor's father was a famous opera singer. As a boy, Igor learned to play the piano. He studied with a great Russian composer named Rimsky-Korsakov. Soon he started writing his own music.

His Big Ballets

Stravinsky wrote three famous ballets for a Russian dance company in Paris. They were called The Firebird, Petrushka, and The Rite of Spring. When The Rite of Spring first played, people in the crowd were so shocked they shouted and stomped. Today it is seen as one of the greatest pieces of music ever written.

Fun Facts

• He later moved to France and then to the United States.
• The Rite of Spring was used in the Disney movie Fantasia.
• He wrote music for over 60 years of his life.

Did You Know?

Stravinsky once said he liked the music of his cat purring. He loved all kinds of sounds.