Igor Stravinsky lived from 1882 to 1971, a period marked by technological advancements in practically every social, political, and industrial infrastructure. Victorian influences were prevalent throughout this time period, as were two big international wars that reshaped global boundaries and a musical revolution that swept Western civilization.¹⁾

Stravinsky's mother was a talented pianist and his father was a vocalist with the Imperial Orchestra. They both desired that Igor follow a bureaucratic profession, so he studied law at the University of St. Petersburg before opting to pursue a career as a musician.²⁾

While in university, he met the son of composer Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov (whose reputation for orchestration and instruction at the St. Petersburg Conservatory was legendary), and after the death of his own father in 1902, he became his pupil.³⁾

He became an apprentice and received intensive home teaching from Rimsky-Korsakov rather than studying music in a regular setting. Stravinsky created and dedicated his Symphony in E-Flat and Pastorale to him and his wife, respectively.⁴⁾

Fireworks, one of Stravinsky's most famous pieces, was written as a wedding present for Rimsky's daughter. This orchestral fantasy work from 1908 is still popular today. Most reviewers see this little four-minute composition as his first completely distinctive work, free of any instructor's influence.⁵⁾