Written in 1914, Pribaoutki (Nonsense Rhymes) is a set of four witty, brief songs for solo voice and eight solo instruments. Renard (1915Â-1916), adapted from Russian folktales, features talking animals through whom Stravinsky comments ironically on human follies. The texts of these two works are in Russian, French, and German, each introduced by extensive prefatory notes by Stanley Appelbaum. The brilliant Ragtime for Eleven Instruments reflects Stravinsky's keen interest in the jazz idiom of the time.