the introduction to stravinsky’s the rite of spring begins with a melody played on the
The Rite of Spring The opening melody is played by a solo bassoon in a very high register, which renders the instrument almost unidentifiable;[121] gradually other woodwind instruments are sounded and are eventually joined by strings.[122] The sound builds up before stopping suddenly, Hill says, "just as it is bursting ecstatically into bloom". There is then a reiteration of the opening bassoon solo, now played a semitone lower.[123]