Mongolian, and most Central Asian music, is based on
pentatonic scales; which are scales based on five notes. Stravinsky has used
pentatonic-sounding melodies in the Rite of Spring, to portray the rural and
primitive atmosphere of a ritual and a sacrifice.
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| Extract from Mongolian Idyll-b1-4 |
This is the main melody of the Mongolian Idyll. The melody
is made up of the notes; G, F, D, C, and Bb, forming the pentatonic scale the
folk song is based on. The melody has a very specific ring to it, with the use
of a pentatonic scale, and this is what makes it similar to certain parts of
the Rite of Spring.
For example, in the last few bars of Spring Rounds in the
Rite of Spring Part 1, the alto flutes and the clarinet play the theme, which
is pentatonic-sounding.
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| Extract from Rite of Spring - Rehearsal 56, b2-8 |
