Musicology Annotation << Back «Fly in borsch» or the Story how Allen Fort with Richard Taruskin have quarreled Glivinsky Valery V. This article is a relaxed reproduction of the nearly 50-year history of the English-speaking musicological polemic on the principles of pitch organization in the Rite of Spring and other Stravinsky’s works. Beginning with Richard Taruskin and Allen Forte’s discussion about Forte’s book The Harmonic Organization of The Rite of Spring, this polemic eventually grew into a sharp confrontation between supporters and opponents of the octatonic theory of Berger and Van den Toorn. The article describes step-by-step all stages of the discussion of Taruskin and Forte, who were late on joined by Van den Toorn, Tymoczko, Straus, Agawu, Whittall and a number of other English-speaking researchers. Particular attention is paid to the formation of the octatonic theory, begun by Berger and completed by Van den Toorn. Taruskin’s special role in providing this theory with a historical base is highlighted. A peek into the camp of opponents of the octatonic theory is represented by the viewpoints of Straus and Tymoczko. The final and most stormy stage (to date) of the discussion is reproduced based on the content of the journal Music Theory Spectrum (Vol. 35, No. 2, Fall 2011). The article concludes with joking advice to all readers on how to overcome the painful impression of all that was read before. Keywords: Stravinsky, The Rite of Spring, octatonic theory, Forte, Taruskin, Van den Toorn, Tymoczko. Contacts: E-mail: val@glivinski.com Pp. 44-51.