JAVS Spring 2026

rhythmic values. 13 Each sonority is initially presented in relative isolation, highlighting the distinct motivic ideas Stravinsky seeks to convey, such as forward motion or moments of stasis. When these rhythmic ideas intersect— for example, in m. 5, where quarter notes and eighth notes align and respond to one another—they inform the organization of phrasing. Closely related to the alignment of the “subjects” in the B section, the printed commas further reflect how these rhythmic groupings interact. These elements establish the material that will be developed and referenced throughout the remainder of the work. At the onset of the B section, an altered rhythmic structure emerges that recalls the prominence of the slower eighth-note motion from the exposition, while gradually combining all three sonorities into a developing variation.

Brief Displacement Synopsis Given the work’s use of polyscalarity across multiple pitch collections, any complete analysis must also account for the role of displacement. Displacement is a compositional tool frequently employed to foreground specific musical elements, challenge audience expectations, and shape pitch relationships in distinctive ways. Considering the expressive nature of an Élégie , the form is particularly well-suited to conveying themes of mourning and lament. Through rhythmic displacement, the music “can map out a form of development of its own, one capable of creating a sense of initial stability, departure, conflict, and resolution.” 12 Focusing on the first A section, three primary rhythmic sonorities emerge: thirty-second notes, eighth notes, and quarter notes—that is, faster versus slower moving

Figure 11. Élégie by Igor Stravinsky, start of the B section. mm. 16-19.

Figure 12. Élégie by Igor Stravinsky, mm. 23-28.

Journal of the American Viola Society / Vol. 42, No. 1, Spring 2026

13