"What a joy it is to compose music to a language of convention, almost of ritual, the very nature of which imposes a lofty dignity! One no longer feels dominated by the phrase, the literal meaning of the words. Cast in an immutable mold which adequately expresses their value, they do not require any further commentary. The text thus becomes purely phonetic material for the composer. He can dissect it at will and concentrate all his attention on its primary constituent element--that is to say, on the syllable. Was not this method of treating the text that of the old masters of the austere style? This, too, has for centuries been the Church's attitude towards music, and has prevented it from falling into sentimentalism, and consequently into individualism."

Thus speaks Igor Strawinsky in his autobiography, about his opera-oratorio, "Oedipus Rex". Even a casual hearing confirms the fact that for his choral idiom Strawinsky has turned back to the principles of the classical style. Present-day choral composers, Vaughan-Williams and Delius among them, have studied how words sound, and in their music have concentrated on the flow and meaning of language. Strawinsky in "Oedipus" uses the choral technique of the eighteenth century masters. Employing the text purely as musical material, he achieves his effects by distorting the words, changing their pronunciation, and shifting accents, without regard for the sense of a phrase or its dramatic importance.

"Oedipus" was written in 1928, and marks a transition between Strawinsky's youthful and dynamic ballets and his poised contrapuntal modern style. It is primarily a lyrical work, and instead of the complex rhythms and fragmentary motifs of the ballets, has long melodies, with relatively simple rhythmic structures. The three performances of the work this weekend by the Harvard Glee Club and Boston Symphony Orchestra, one at Sanders Theatre tonight, the other two at Symphony Hall Friday and Saturday, will be a rich treat. The fact that it was conceived in purely auditory terms, and not, like the ballets, to be accompanied by a colorful stage spectacle, makes "Oedipus" even more intriguing, as the listener will not feel that he is missing half the show.