I’m not sure Stravinsky ever had anything nice to say about anyone. I suppose when you’re lauded as the most important composer of the 20th century, you’ll do anything you can to hang on to the title. Also, a pithy putdown always makes for good copy.

It’s interesting then to come across so many images of Stravinsky with other composers. What was there that they could possibly talk about? Other than Stravinsky, I mean?

Perhaps it’s true that familiarity really does breed contempt. In the world of Igor Stravinsky, if you don’t have anything nice to say, say it!

“Why is it that whenever I hear a piece of music I don’t like, it’s always by Villa-Lobos?”

On Rachmaninoff: “He was a six-and-a-half-foot scowl.”

On Boulez’s “Pli Selon Pli”: “Pretty monotonous and monotonously pretty.”

On Britten’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”: “It’s a mistake to conclude each act with people going to sleep.”

On Messiaen’s “Turangalîla Symphony”: “Little more can be required to write such things than a plentiful supply of ink.”

On Handel’s “Theodora”: “It’s beautiful and boring. Too many pieces of music finish too long after the end.”

On Eugene Ormandy: “The perfect conductor of Strauss waltzes.”

In fairness, he sometimes got as good as he gave:

Ernest Newman on Stravinsky: “His music used to be original. Now it’s aboriginal.”

Britten on Stravinsky’s “The Rake’s Progress”: “I liked the opera very much. Everything but the music.”

Prokofiev on Stravinsky: “Bach on the wrong notes.”

At least two of Stravinsky’s works were first performed on this date:

In 1908, “Feu d’artifice” (“Fireworks”) was composed to celebrate the marriage of Nadezhda Rimsky-Korsakov, the daughter of his famed teacher, to rival composer-classmate Maximilian Steinberg, which must have been a bitter pill.

In 1957, “Agon” was given its first performance on a concert to celebrate Stravinsky’s 75th birthday. The first staged performance was held at the New York City Ballet, choreographed by George Balanchine, later in the year, on December 1, 1957.

Happy birthday, Igor Stravinsky!

PHOTO GALLERY: Puppet master Ego Stravinsky and his marionette theater (each labeled individually)