Stravinsky, Igor. An Autobiography. New York City: W.W. Norton and Company, 1962.

In chapter three of his autobiography, Stravinsky discusses how the idea of “The Rite of Spring” came about. He speaks of the early sketches for it and the collaboration involved. He describes rehearsals and stories leading up to the premier in Paris in 1913. Stravinsky describes his initial feeling of the crowd in the audience and how he quickly walked out when laughter started arousing from the opening bassoon notes. This is very interesting because we hear the composer's reaction toward that night and the feelings he had.. We also hear him speak years later reflecting on the opening night. Hearing from the man who wrote the work and who experienced the pain of feeling misunderstood, helps us to understand the actual circumstances surrounding this work that set many people off. This source undoubtedly explains how Stravinsky couldn't understand why people didn't like his work and how he thought it wasn't so bad.