George Perle (1990). The Listening Composer, p. 84. California: University of California Press. .
• Regarding The Rite of Spring by Igor Stravinsky.
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The diatonicism of Le Sacre du printemps should not be understood in the restrictive sense of the major/minor system, but in terms of something more basic. Like the symmetrical partitionings of the twelve-tone scale in Le Sacre, its diatonicism may also be explained in terms of interval cycles--more simply and coherently, in fact, than in terms of the traditional modes and scales. With the single exception of interval[-class] 5, every interval[-class] from 1 through 6 will partition the space of an octave into equal segments. A seven-note segment of the interval-5 cycle [C5], telescoped into the compass of an octave, divides the octave into unequal intervals--'whole-steps' and 'half-steps.'

— George Perle on Igor Stravinsky

What It Means

This is a placeholder explanation generated by the low-overhead model. It interprets "The diatonicism of Le Sacre du printemps should not be understood in the restrictive sense of the major/minor system, but in terms of something more basic. Like the symmetrical partitionings of the twelve-tone scale in Le Sacre, its diatonicism may also be explained in terms of interval cycles--more simply and coherently, in fact, than in terms of the traditional modes and scales. With the single exception of interval[-class] 5, every interval[-class] from 1 through 6 will partition the space of an octave into equal segments. A seven-note segment of the interval-5 cycle [C5], telescoped into the compass of an octave, divides the octave into unequal intervals--'whole-steps' and 'half-steps.'" in the context of "George Perle (1990). The Listening Composer, p. 84. California: University of California Press. .
• Regarding The Rite of Spring by Igor Stravinsky." to mean that wisdom is timeless.

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Source: Wikiquote: "Igor Stravinsky" (Quotes about Igor Stravinsky) The 'What it means' explanation text was generated by Google Gemini Flash (accessed January 18, 2026). https://gemini.google.com/app
George Perle

About George Perle

George Perle (May 6, 1915 – January 23, 2009) was a composer and music theorist.