The Melodic Organization of The Rite of Spring.

Most previous analytical studies of The Rite of Spring have focused on its harmony and rhythm. This article shifts attention to its melodies—mostly short fragments that move repetitively within a narrow registral frame—and shows that they take on expressive meanings closely linked with the work’s dramatic scenario. In addition to operating in the manner of Wagnerian leitmotivs in relation to characters or dramatic situations, they are often bound together in expressive families through the manipulation of their dyads. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]