Final answer:
Igor Stravinsky was a leader in the revitalization of rhythm in European art music, most notably with his work The Rite of Spring. Other composers like Arnold Schoenberg also made significant contributions by experimenting with atonality and twelve-tone scales, while the Renaissance period set the stage for these modern innovations.
Step-by-step explanation:
One leader in the revitalization of rhythm in European art music was Igor Stravinsky, a pioneering modernist composer known for his work, The Rite of Spring. This ballet, which depicted ancient fertility rites, was groundbreaking for its time, incorporating complex rhythmic structures and dissonance that challenged conventional musical forms. Beyond Stravinsky, other composers like Arnold Schoenberg also pushed the boundaries of rhythm and tonality, creating atonal music and employing a twelve-tone scale, which further altered the rhythmic landscape of European art music. The Renaissance period laid the groundwork for these modernist transformations by establishing a polyphonic style and a common musical language that thrived due to the burgeoning advancement in commerce, education, and technology. Additionally, the spread of ragtime by composers like Scott Joplin brought new syncopated rhythms to the forefront of American music, which had a significant impact on the global music scene.