Music and Art

Lecture

Music and Art Musical Paintbrushes Primitivism

Tom Cimarusti, Ph.D., Program Coordinator and Professor of Music History, Florida Gulf Coast University

Igor Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring stands as one of the most revolutionary works in the history of music, shocking early 20th-century audiences with its raw energy, dissonance and rhythmic intensity. This lecture explores how the piece reflects a broader cultural fascination with so-called “primitive” art — an artistic movement that drew inspiration from non-Western and ancient traditions, often emphasizing ritual, instinct and elemental force. By examining the ballet’s music, choreography and original staging, we analyze how The Rite of Spring channels this aesthetic and how Stravinsky’s musical language breaks classical conventions, challenges artistic norms, and caused one of the most famous riots in music history.

This presentation is part of Tom Cimarusti's Music and Art series.

Tom Cimarusti

Tom Cimarusti

A native of Los Angeles, Tom Cimarusti received his Ph.D. at Florida State University and is currently a professor of music history at Florida Gulf Coast University. Although his primary research interests include 18th- and 19th-century Italian opera and song, chamber music and the music of communal utopias, he also lectures on world music and is an avid accordionist. He has presented his research at conferences in Europe, Asia and the United States. He is currently working on an edition of hymns associated with the late 19th-century religious cult, the Koreshan Unity. He has been the recipient of numerous research grants and excellence-in-teaching awards. In 2016, he founded the Center for Public Musicology, an organization that provides lectures, demonstrations and performances at venues throughout Southwest Florida. He lives in Naples with his wife, Christy, and two boys, Paul and Christopher.