The Impact of Stravinsky's Serial Conversion: on Composers of the ?american Stravinsky School? an Examination of Selected Works for Piano

The purpose of this research is to assess the impact of Stravinsky's serial conversion in 1952, encountered in the works of composers of the ?American Stravinsky School? in the 1940s and 1950s who followed Stravinsky's Neo-Classicism. My research evaluates this period, investigates the American Stravinsky School, and analyzes its music--in particular, selected works for piano by five composers of the school: Arthur Berger, Irving Fine, Lukas Foss, Harold Shapero, and Leo Smit. Stravinsky's stylistic change directly influenced their compositional methods, and prompted completely disparate and diverse responses from each individual composer. After the 1952 turning point, composers of the school evaluated their years of Stravinskian Neo-Classicism, and re-oriented themselves independently. Stravinsky's serial conversion led the composers of the American Stravinsky School to stylistic independence, with their unique compositional voices grounded in the music of their Stravinskian Neo-classic period.