Charles E. Burchfield, Journals, January 13, 1940

Evening-concert. The last number was “Petrouchca.” The intermission commentator gave a short talk on Stravinsky in which he said that in his later career Stravinsky had turned his back completely on “expressionism” in music averring that expressionism had no place in art. Perhaps it is over my head, but to me, it seems more like a confession of sterility. Perhaps “Petrouchka” is not profound music, but it is as profound as a man of 29 need be; and it is such gay, original music, that it seems to me a whole life-work could have been based on it – What indeed did happen to Stravinsky? Was it the Russian Revolution and the attendant collapse of the composer’s world? 

Charles E. Burchfield, Journals, January 13, 1940