What follows is a brief summary of tchaikovskys life, and analysis of his 1812 overture and a summary of how this masterpiece came to be. The nutcracker and its many mysteries the new york times. Cw 32, popularly known as the nutcracker suite, in january and february 1892. Because i never have seen the ballet in the theater before, i was very exited.
Music and context cohere in national ballets the nutcracker. This was tchaikovskys last ballet, from which he compiled a. Hoffmanns 1816 fairy tale the nutcracker and the mouse king. Now that the mouse king is dead, an ancient spell has been broken, and the nutcracker is transformed into a handsome prince. That climax is one of the few in which the drama is unaccountably fudged. Finally acknowledged as the greatest russian composer, he had produced symphonies, concertos, ballets, and his latest opera, the queen of spades, had been hailed as a masterpiece. Handels messiah a portion of which we examined in module 5 and tchaikovskys the nutcracker. Have there been other versions of this music written or recorded, or combined with other media and.
The nutcracker and the mouse king summary gradesaver. The nutcracker is a narrative ballet about a little girl. From a strictly professional point of view, tchaikovsky should have been a happy man in 1890. The year 1812 solemn overture, festival overture in e. The use of the full orchestra is one of the thrills of both these ballet scores, and even here tchaikovskys lets us hear individuality too. The nutcracker simple english wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. In the traditional nutcracker, the march is the second movement, but ellington and strayhorn composed a piece titled toot toot tootie toot dance of the reed pipes to follow overture. Lastly, for most ballet companies in the united states, producing the nutcracker is an annual christmas tradition, typically bringing in anywhere from 20 to 40 percent of the years revenue. The story was based on a childrens fairy tale by e.
Tchaikovsky composed the nutcracker, one of the most beloved ballets of all time, begrudgingly. Tchaikovskys nutcracker suite begins with an overture and march before moving into dances from act 2 of the ballet, which is set in the land of sweets. The nutcracker is able to overcome the stunned mouse king and claims victory. The first theme in the overture, scott speck said, is light and perky and it really evokes the character of a music box and the kind of thing youd hear if you wound up a music box.
None less than tchaikovskys nutcracker suite and the christmas portion of handels messiah. The nutcracker by peter tchaikovsky 1281 words 123 help me. The mouse king traps the nutcracker in the corner, but the nutcracker cant overcome the mouse kings strength. The nutcracker prince takes princess laras hand, and escorts her on a magical voyage to the kingdom of snow and beyond.
Discover what makes tchaikovskys nutcracker sound like. While the catchy overture is probably the ballets most replayed part, i tend to find the music gets more interesting near the end of act 1. The actual title of the piece is march, but most people refer to it as the nutcracker march. Many of tchaikovskys works are among the most widelyrecognized pieces in all of classical music. Shchelkunchik listen help info is an 1892 twoact ballet fairy ballet. Dec, 2017 we are instantly drawn into the world of the nutcracker with tchaikovskys miniature overture. Romeo and juliet, russian romeo i dzhulyetta, english in full romeo and juliet, fantasyoverture after shakespeare, overture by pyotr ilyich tchaikovsky that continues to be much loved as a concert piece. His father, ilya petrovich tchaikovsky, was an engineer who served as a lieutenant colonel in the department of mines, and manager of the kamskovotkinsk ironworks. In addition to housing ten resident organizations and presenting more than 200 performances, art exhibitions, and educational and community events each year, overture offers a variety of venues for performances, corporate meetings, conventions, trade shows, weddings.
The twoact ballet is based on the book the nutcracker and the mouse king, by e. Pyotr ilyich tchaikovsky was born in votkinsk, a small town in vyatka governorate presentday udmurtia in the russian empire. The rest, they say, is history, and the holidays wouldnt be the same without tchaikovskys nutcracker. Tchaikovskys nutcracker, the story of a young girls journey to a magical land on christmas eve, is perhaps not only the composers most famous work but also one of the most famous ballets of all time. Drosselmeyer ties a bandage around the nutcracker the adults dance the grossvater tanz grandfathers dance traditionally played at the end of celebrations, and the party ends.
Pyotr ilyich tchaikovsky 7 may 1840 6 november 1893 orchestra. The nutcracker is a major example of a balletic twist of fate. Hoffmanns fairy tale, of which tchaikovsky was fond of. Tchaikovskys original score contains an overture and 15 numbers. This is very different, as many compositions arent composed this way. Nutcracker, suite from the ballet, details allmusic. Cw 14, is a fairy ballet in 2 acts and 3 scenes, written and orchestrated by tchaikovsky between february 1891 and april 1892. The mice suddenly reappear and a vicious battle ensues. The nutcracker a ballet beginners guide stage the guardian.
Dec 16, 2011 pyotr tchaikovsky wrote music for the soul. The music in the nutcracker ballet is very light and sweet. May 15, 2016 project description if you crave high culture during the christmas season, you will probably turn to two classic productions. Youve probably heard bits and pieces on tv especially during the wintertime, and it was also featured in the original fantasia, if you saw that. No matter, the real wonder of this music is not that it should appeal to children as such, but that it does appeal to the fabled child in all of us.
The nutcracker ballet was the first work by a major composer which made use the celesta like a piano, but more glassy. It tells the story of a little girl who goes to the land of sweets on christmas eve. He was writing an opera, iolanta, for the mariinsky theatre that was scheduled to premiere during the winter of 1892. The work was premiered in moscow on march 4 march 16, new style, 1870, and twice. Discover what makes tchaikovskys nutcracker sound like sugar. However, in the 19th century, composers began to write concert overtures, like the 1812 overture, that were intended to be performed as entirely separate works. Dec 18, 2012 the nutcracker a ballet beginners guide. Nov 22, 2015 the nutcracker and its many mysteries. The nutcracker tells a story about a girl who befriends a nutcracker that comes to life on christmas eve and wages a battle against the evil mouse king. The very thing critics and audiences objected to at the time of its premiere 117 years ago its appeal to children is what turned it into such a bankable classic. The year 1812, festival overture in e flat major, op. Tchaikovsky s nutcracker, the story of a young girls journey to a magical land on christmas eve, is perhaps not only the composers most famous work but also one of the most famous ballets of all time.
The nutcracker tchaikovsky wrote the nutcracker at the request of the director of the imperial theatres, ivan vsevolozhskii poznansky, 2012. English title, french title, russian title, tempo indication, notes. Old style 25th april 184025th october 1893 was a russian composer. The nutcracker actually expands the dance art form to include much more of what we would expect in theatre than is continue reading critical analysis project. The adorable, skinny little mouse justin souriaulevine, who keeps slipping and falling as he races about the stahlbaum kitchen in the opening scene, is the first rodent to clamber out of the huge copper stewpot once the cook and maids have hustled the hors doeuvres out the door. He wrote some of the worlds most popular concert and theatrical music in the current classical repertoire, including the ballets swan lake and the nutcracker, the 1812 overture, his first piano concerto, several. However he did not like using the nutcracker for a ballet scenario. For me, the turning point is the midnightchristmas. The nutcracker, released from an enchanted spell, turns into a handsome prince. The the nutcracker and the mouse king community note includes chapterbychapter summary and analysis, character list, theme list, historical context, author biography and quizzes written by community members like you. The synopsis nycb new york city ballet official site.
Act one tells a story of how little clara aids her magical christmas gift a nutcracker in the form of a soldier defeat an army of mice. Jun 03, 2011 unscientifically, the 1812 overture and the nutcracker ballet music probably hold 2 of the top 5 of this measure at least on a highlights from basis. As a reward, in act two, he takes her to his magic kingdom and introduces her to a variety of subjects in a colorful stream of character dances. Nov 24, 2016 the use of the full orchestra is one of the thrills of both these ballet scores, and even here tchaikovskys lets us hear individuality too. This story begins with an overture, an introduction played by the orchestra, by peter ilyich tchaikovsky. Yet the nutcracker the balletic equivalent of a terrys chocolate orange has seemingly few claims to profundity.
Best classical tunes, the best music in the world, tune search using notes. Dec 12, 2016 while the catchy overture is probably the ballets most replayed part, i tend to find the music gets more interesting near the end of act 1. Clara is immediately taken with the gift, but fritz is jealous and breaks it. The nutcracker and the mouse king fight and just as the mouse king is about to overpower the nutcracker, clara distracts him with her shoe, giving. Mariinsky the nutcracker dance of the mirlitons ovation duration. Tchaikovskys ballet of the nutcracker is based on alexandre dumas translation of the original tale by e. The nutcracker ballet and suite tchaikovskys magical music. The magical music evokes a nostalgic christmas atmosphere. Overture center for the arts is a stunning architectural landmark in the heart of madisons thriving cultural arts district. The game consisted of a series of interactive music puzzles based on tchaikovskys famous score for the nutcracker ballet. Miguel angel blanco and amanda assucena in joffrey ballets the nutcracker photo. The march, from the nutcracker, is one of the most wellknown and recognized melodies of tchaikovskys famous ballet.
I went to the ballet, the nutcracker, on december 3, 1996. Marie, a young girl, falls in love with a nutcracker doll, whom she only sees come alive when she falls asleep. The sugar plum fairy, therefore, is one of the most widely seen ballet act and most widely heard piece of music. Tchaikovskys ballet of the nutcracker is based on alexandre dumas translation of the. The nutcracker ballet is a famous and colorful christmas ballet based on the nutcracker and the mouse king, a story in a book of fairy tales written by german author e. The melody of the dance of the sugar plum fairy is composed with a very chromatic melody line, meaning the piece features many accidentals. Ivan vsevolozhsky and marius petipa adapted hoffmanns story for the ballet. Tchaikovsky compiled his suite from the ballet the nutcracker, op. In its original setting, this cheerful curtain raiser has a very unique sound to it, because it is scored for winds and high strings only, without cellos and double basses.
Green is an expert on classical music and music history, with more than 10 years of both solo and ensemble performance experience. Just when the soldiers seem to be winning, the great mouse king appears and the tide turns. Part 1 analysis of the nutcrackers miniature overture. It uses the high parts of the orchestra and clever combinations of woodwind instruments to create a dolllike fantasy soundworld. Dec 16, 2012 that climax is one of the few in which the drama is unaccountably fudged. Another famous ballet with recognizable melodies is swan lake. This ballet is performed thousands of times every winter holiday season. Further, its central love theme is frequently quoted today in romantic scenes for film and television. The nutcracker is universally popular, and probably the bestknown of all music. The last of his three ballets, it was first performed in december 1892. Project description if you crave high culture during the christmas season, you will probably turn to two classic productions. Romeo and juliet overture by tchaikovsky britannica. Miniature overture, from nutcracker ballet, by tchaikovsky. It was the only one of his three ballet suites to have been compiled an published during the composers lifetime.
The nutcracker is one of tchaikovskys most famous works. In the famous overture, the high, small, short, quick notes create a sound world of childhood enchantment but theres. Analysis of tchaikovskys swan lake 1503 words 123 help me. Traditionally, overtures were instrumental works played at the beginning of operas and ballets. I have decided to analyze the music of these great work, one. The nutcracker ballet is one of tchaikovskys most enchanting works. Tchaikovsky s ballet of the nutcracker is based on alexandre dumas translation of the original tale by e. The product in fall 2001, mgi released its first commercial product, tchaikovskys nutcracker. Romeo and juliet, overture by pyotr ilyich tchaikovsky that continues to be much loved as a concert piece. Clara makes a desperate move to save her nutcracker from defeat and throws her slipper at the mouse king, hitting him directly on the head. Hoffmann s 1816 fairy tale the nutcracker and the mouse king.
Now even the youngest of players can perform this seasonal classic. But the mariinskys management was worried that iolanta would not sell enough tickets, and convinced tchaikovsky to create a holiday ballet that, hopefully, when paired as a double. Title page, contents, instrumentation, and overture act i, no. The nutcracker is often performed during the christmas season due to its content, and many families make it an annual tradition to attend a performance. Hoffmanns 1816 fairy tale, on which the ballet is based, is troubling. The overture and trepak are sure to brighten everyones spirits this holiday season.
Upper strings are used and woodwind are pitched high in their ranges no cellos or double basses, and no blaring trombones. The overture to the nutcracker is a big effect on a small scale. Conductor scott speck, who coauthored classical music for dummies and leads the chicago philharmonic for performances of the nutcracker with joffrey ballet, explained what makes tchaikovskys score as addictive as your favorite holiday treats. Nutcracker study guide, 2012 salt creek ballet page 6 the nutcracker the chance to run him through with his sword. Nutcracker had slipped so far from official favour that the radical choreographer fedor lophukov felt free to reinvent it in the style of a. As such, it probably needs no introduction but its going.
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