Peter Tchaikovsky “Nutcracker”

Biography

1840 – 1893

• Peter Tchaikovsky was born on May 7, 1840 in Votkinsk Russia in the family of an engineer.

• Received the sound education from governess.

• First composed song for his mother at age four

• Mother death at age fourteen

St . Petersburg Law Schoolgraduates , 1859 . PiotrTchaikovsky , 6th right

• Tchaikovsky attended law school in St. Petersburg, Russia

• While studying law and government, he took music lessons

• Tchaikovsky graduation• Met Rubinstein brothers

Russian first conservatory building

• In 1862 Anton Rubinstein opened Russia's first conservatory

• Tchaikovsky was attending it as a first student

Moscow Conservatory Building

• In 1866 Nikolai Rubinstein invited Tchaikovsky to Moscow

• Became professor of composition at the Moscow Conservatory

• Financial trouble started

The musical poems Fatum and Romeo and Juliet were written in 1869

• First works that shows the style in which he became famous for

Russian composers—Balakirev, Aleksandr Borodin (1834–1887), Modest Mussorgsky (1839–1881), Nicolai Rimsky-Korsakov (1844–1908), and César Cui and Tchaikovsky

• Communication between Tchaikovsky and “Mighty Five”

• Work for IRMS• Period of improvement of

skills

Composed Piano Concerto No. 1 and ballet Swan Lake

Peter and Antonina Miliukova

• Get married in1877• Life with wife• Wife’s death in 1917• Dark times , thoughts of

suicide

Nadezhda von Meck

• New relationship• Helpful arrangement• Starts travel

Period of greatest and famouse creations 

Eugene Onegin in 1879

Violin Concerto (1881)

The Fifth Symphony (1888)

The ballet Sleeping Beauty (1889)

Opera Queen of Spades (1890)

• Fame and his activity had extended to all of Europe and America

• Retreat period• Great success of “Queen of

Spades”• Von Meck rejection• Trip to USA

Sixth symphony

• Six • October 1893 Sixth symphony presentation

• First conducting

Tchaikovsky funeral, St. Peterburg  11/06/1893

Composition History

• 1890, Tchaikovsky was commissioned by the Directorate of Imperial Theatres

• “Nutcracker” order• Work with the

choreographer Marius Petipa and Vsevolozsk

• Completing period• “Nutcracker” performance

December 6,1982 ,Mariinsky Theatre“Nutcracker” performance

Listening guide“Nutcracker” content structure

• Act One• Miniature Overture• No.1 Scene of decorating and lighting the Christmas tree• No.2 March• No.3 Little Gallop [of the children] and entry of the parents• No.4 Scene dansante [Drosselmeyer's arrival and distribution of presents]• No.5 Scene and Grandfather Dance• No.6 Scene [Departure of the guests]• No.7 Scene [the battle]• No.8 Scene [usually entitled either Journey Through the Snow or A Pine Forest

in Winter]• No.9 Waltz of the Snowflakes• Act Two• No.10 Scene [Introduction]• No.11 Scene [Arrival of Clara and the Prince]• No.12 Divertissement• No.13 Waltz of the Flowers• No.14 Pas de Deux:• No.15 Final Waltz and Apotheosis

Overture

0:00 It  is  polyphonic  smooth,  conjunct,  very  harmonic  melody.  It’s  a  major  mode quadruple meter melody in average tempo

0:18  This polyphonic melody continue be in quadruple meter, major mode. Now we can hear flute that started play in unison with other instruments. We can hear how increasing tempo. This part I can describe like ascending, conjunct, crescendo melody.

0:35 This excerpt from the overture I can describe like a naughty tune part, where we can hear some xylophone playing. It is still quadruple mater, major mode, conjunct in crescendo dynamic ascending melody. We can hear increasing tempo and volume at the and.

0:42 Melody has repetition and contrasts, it is going from slow motion to faster, and from faster to slow. It is a major mode melody, but we can feel some action going on at this interval of overture. After 1:15 melody become in ascending and crescendo motive.

1:35 From this moment melody repeats first episode (0-0.18) but in higher note. Slow conjunct start, but after 1:45 the speed that the music moves growing and melody become ascending.

1:52 It’s a polyphonic, smooth, diminuendo, conjunct descending overture part.2:00 Then melody getting faster and dynamic. 2:10  Beautiful melody with dynamic and speed variations, conjunct ascending motive in

quadruple meter major mode. 2:56-3:12

Final part of overture repeating moment from 1:15 to 1:35, but much faster. Its culmination of overture. Compose emphasized on ascending crescendo melody. Compere to the major part you can hear dissonance in harmony.

Decoration and lighting Christmas trees

0:00 Uniform melody  start.  It’s more dissonance  than consonance conjunct major mode polyphony melody with harmony repetition.  

0:30  The same melody in higher note, then motive become crescendo ascending. 0:58  Melody repeating itself, but getting slow and ends abruptly. It’s a diminuendo

descending major mode part.1:13 We can hear smooth conjunct ascending do 1:24 melody, then motive going down in

volume and dynamic and getting up again1:34  On this rest melody transformed to consonance major mode descending low tempo

melody1:53 Slow ascending crescendo motive2:14 Very sharp start of fast descending melody2:30 Melody became in minor mode, increasing tempo ascending melody. You can feel the

rush, some action.2:52 Then melody getting back to major mode, very intensive interval, you can hear big

tempo, ascending crescendo melody.3:23-3:44 Stunning end to the action. Descending diminuendo major mode melody, letting us

know that is something became to the end.

Dance of Shepherds

0:00 Major mode, conjunct repetition melody with ascending and descending motives. 0:42 The same motives in melody, but on higher notes. Major theme, but its ascending

crescendo melody that accenting on something important at the end of this part 1:11 Melody became in F minor mode in uniform style. Now you can hear dissonance, at

the same time it sounds very conjunct. Cymbals some dangerous motive in melody.1:41-2:13

Melody getting back to major theme. Final part of the dance seems very smooth and consonance, but you can feel that is ascending and crescendo melody.

Final Waltz and Apotheosis – concluding part of “Nutcracker”

0:00 Waltz  starts.  Conjunct  very  smooth harmonic  polyphonic melody  in major mode. You  can  hear  repetition,  increasing  and  decreasing  melody  intonation.  After  30 seconds melody became more dynamic and ascending. Tempo getting fast.

0:58 The same melody, but in higher notes. At the end of this timing interval melody descending.

1:22 Interval starts in slow motion, but melody ascending at the end. Major theme music getting more intensive which is changing dynamic again and makes crescendo melody.

1:50  New slow motive. Conjunct melody, chimes and flutes make it very smooth and consonance harmony. Very bright major mode fragment. Uniform sunny melody.

2:34 The same waltz motive (0-0:58), major mode melody. Very higher notes 2:49 Very loud, ascending conjunct crescendo melody. Growing tempo level, melody (the

same motive repeated again and again) getting faster and faster. Very sharp end of the waltz.

3:25  Apotheosis starts. Very slow, major mode conjunct smooth melody. Its gives you comfort feeling. Consonance harmony.

4:22-4:55

Abrupt start, high tempo melody. Ascending crescendo, dissonance, minor mode conjunct melody. Culmination of the “Nutcracker” story.