The Nutcracker (suite) - Revision history

Tony at 20:11, 14 February 2023

2023-02-14T20:11:38Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 22:11, 14 February 2023
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	==Publication==		==Publication==
	On 9/21 March the composer wrote to [[Pyotr Jurgenson]]: "The suite from the ballet was successful. I don't think it would hurt to print it" <ref name="note7"/>. The full score of the suite was issued by [[Jurgenson]] in May 1892, and the orchestral parts the following month.		On 9/21 March, the composer wrote to [[Pyotr Jurgenson]]: "The suite from the ballet was successful. I don't think it would hurt to print it" <ref name="note7"/>. The full score of the suite was issued by [[Jurgenson]] in May 1892, and the orchestral parts the following month.

	The score of the Suite was not published separately from the ballet in Tchaikovsky's ''[[Complete Collected Works]]''.		The score of the Suite was not published separately from the ballet in Tchaikovsky's ''[[Complete Collected Works]]''.

Tony: Text corrections - "an" to "and" / "last" to "lasts"

2023-02-14T20:01:34Z

Text corrections - "an" to "and" / "last" to "lasts"

← Older revision		Revision as of 22:01, 14 February 2023
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	Tchaikovsky compiled his '''''Suite from the ballet "[[The Nutcracker]]"''''' (Сюита из бадета «Щелкунчик»), [[Op.]] 71a ([[TH]] 35 ; [[ČW]] 32), popularly known as '''''The Nutcracker Suite''''', in January and February 1892. It was the only one of his three ballet suites to have been compiled an published during the composer's lifetime.		Tchaikovsky compiled his '''''Suite from the ballet "[[The Nutcracker]]"''''' (Сюита из бадета «Щелкунчик»), [[Op.]] 71a ([[TH]] 35 ; [[ČW]] 32), popularly known as '''''The Nutcracker Suite''''', in January and February 1892. It was the only one of his three ballet suites to have been compiled and published during the composer's lifetime.

	==Instrumentation==		==Instrumentation==
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	</ol>		</ol>

	A complete performance of the Suite ~~last~~ around 20 to 25 minutes.		A complete performance of the Suite lasts around 20 to 25 minutes.

	==Composition==		==Composition==

Brett: /* Movements and Duration */

2022-09-18T14:22:09Z

Movements and Duration

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	The Suite consists of eight numbers, grouped in three movements:		The Suite consists of eight numbers, grouped in three movements:
	<ol style="list-style-type: upper-roman;">		<ol style="list-style-type: upper-roman;">
	<li>''Ouverture miniature''. Allegro giusto (B-flat major, 182 bars)<br/><small>Corresponding to the Overture from the ballet</small></li>		<li>'''Ouverture miniature'''. Allegro giusto (B-flat major, 182 bars).<br/><small>Corresponding to the Overture from the ballet.</small></li>
	<li>''Danses caractéristiques'':<ol style="list-style-type: lower-alpha;">		<li>'''Danses caractéristiques''':<ol style="list-style-type: lower-alpha;">
	<li>''Marche''. Tempo di marcia viva (G major, 88 bars)<br/><small>''March'' (Act I, No. 2) from the ballet.</small></li>		<li>'''Marche'''. Tempo di marcia viva (G major, 88 bars).<br/><small>''March'' (Act I, No. 2) from the ballet.</small></li>
	<li>''Danse de la Fée Dragée''. Andante non troppo (E minor, 52 bars)<br/><small>Variation 2 from the Pas de deux (Act II, No. 14) in the ballet, omitting the coda, usually known in English as ''Dance of the Sugar-Plum Fairy''.</small></li>		<li>'''Danse de la Fée Dragée'''. Andante non troppo (E minor, 52 bars).<br/><small>Variation 2 from the ''Pas de deux'' (Act II, No. 14) in the ballet, omitting the coda, usually known in English as ''Dance of the Sugar-Plum Fairy''.</small></li>
	<li>''Danse russe. Trépak''. Tempo di trépak, molto vivace (G major, 84 bars)<br/><small>Russian Dance (Trepak) in the ballet (Act II, No. 12d)</small></li>		<li>'''Danse russe. Trépak'''. Tempo di trépak, molto vivace (G major, 84 bars).<br/><small>''Russian Dance (Trepak)'' in the ballet (Act II, No. 12d).</small></li>
	<li>''Danse arabe''. Allegro (G minor, 102 bars)<br/><small>Coffee (Arab Dance) in the ballet (Act II, No. 12b)</small></li>		<li>'''Danse arabe'''. Allegro (G minor, 102 bars).<br/><small>''Coffee (Arab Dance)'' in the ballet (Act II, No. 12b).</small></li>
	<li>''Danse chinoise''. Allegro moderato (B-flat major, 32 bars)<br/><small>Tea (Chinese Dance) in the ballet (Act II, No. 12c).</small></li>		<li>'''Danse chinoise'''. Allegro moderato (B-flat major, 32 bars).<br/><small>''Tea (Chinese Dance)'' in the ballet (Act II, No. 12c).</small></li>
	<li>''Danse des mirlitons''. Allegro (D major, 77 bars)<br/><small>Dance of the Reed-Flutes in the ballet (Act II, No. 12e).</small></li></ol></li>		<li>'''Danse des mirlitons'''. Allegro (D major, 77 bars).<br/><small>''Dance of the Reed-Flutes'' in the ballet (Act II, No. 12e).</small></li></ol></li>
	<li>''Valse des fleurs''. Tempo di valse (D major, 353 bars)<br/><small>Waltz of the Flowers in the ballet (Act II, No. 13)</small></li>		<li>'''Valse des fleurs'''. Tempo di valse (D major, 353 bars).<br/><small>''Waltz of the Flowers'' in the ballet (Act II, No. 13).</small></li>
	</ol>		</ol>

Brett: /* Performances */

2022-08-13T15:42:59Z

Performances

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	* [[Moscow]], special RMS symphony concert, 14/28 February 1893, conducted by Tchaikovsky		* [[Moscow]], special RMS symphony concert, 14/28 February 1893, conducted by Tchaikovsky
	* [[Moscow]], 1st Imperial Theatres symphony concert, 7/19 March 1893, conducted by Tchaikovsky		* [[Moscow]], 1st Imperial Theatres symphony concert, 7/19 March 1893, conducted by Tchaikovsky
			* Amsterdam, Concertgebouw, matinee concert, 4/16 April 1893, conducted by [[Willem Kes]]
	* [[London]], Queen's Hall, 5/17 October 1896, conducted by Henry Wood.		* [[London]], Queen's Hall, 5/17 October 1896, conducted by Henry Wood.

Brett: 1 revision imported

2022-07-12T11:13:55Z

1 revision imported

← Older revision	Revision as of 13:13, 12 July 2022
(No difference)

Brett at 09:08, 7 May 2021

2021-05-07T09:08:45Z

New page

Tchaikovsky compiled his '''''Suite from the ballet "[[The Nutcracker]]"''''' (Сюита из бадета «Щелкунчик»), [[Op.]] 71a ([[TH]] 35 ; [[ČW]] 32), popularly known as '''''The Nutcracker Suite''''', in January and February 1892. It was the only one of his three ballet suites to have been compiled an published during the composer's lifetime.

==Instrumentation==
The Suite is scored for an orchestra consisting of 3 flutes (3rd doubling piccolo), 2 oboes, English horn, 2 clarinets (in A, B-flat), bass clarinet (in B-flat), 2 bassoons + 4 horns (in F), 2 trumpets (in A), 3 trombones, tuba + 3 timpani, tambourine, triangle, cymbals, glockenspiel + celesta (or piano) + harp, violins I, violins II, violas, cellos, and double basses.

==Movements and Duration==
The Suite consists of eight numbers, grouped in three movements:
<ol style="list-style-type: upper-roman;">
<li>''Ouverture miniature''. Allegro giusto (B-flat major, 182 bars) Corresponding to the Overture from the ballet</li>
<li>''Danses caractéristiques'':<ol style="list-style-type: lower-alpha;">
<li>''Marche''. Tempo di marcia viva (G major, 88 bars) ''March'' (Act I, No. 2) from the ballet.</li>
<li>''Danse de la Fée Dragée''. Andante non troppo (E minor, 52 bars) Variation 2 from the Pas de deux (Act II, No. 14) in the ballet, omitting the coda, usually known in English as ''Dance of the Sugar-Plum Fairy''.</li>
<li>''Danse russe. Trépak''. Tempo di trépak, molto vivace (G major, 84 bars) Russian Dance (Trepak) in the ballet (Act II, No. 12d)</li>
<li>''Danse arabe''. Allegro (G minor, 102 bars) Coffee (Arab Dance) in the ballet (Act II, No. 12b)</li>
<li>''Danse chinoise''. Allegro moderato (B-flat major, 32 bars) Tea (Chinese Dance) in the ballet (Act II, No. 12c).</li>
<li>''Danse des mirlitons''. Allegro (D major, 77 bars) Dance of the Reed-Flutes in the ballet (Act II, No. 12e).</li></ol></li>
<li>''Valse des fleurs''. Tempo di valse (D major, 353 bars) Waltz of the Flowers in the ballet (Act II, No. 13)</li>
</ol>

A complete performance of the Suite last around 20 to 25 minutes.

==Composition==
The Suite from the ballet ''[[The Nutcracker]]'' was compiled as a substitute for the symphonic ballad ''[[The Voyevoda (symphonic ballad)|The Voyevoda]]'' on the programme of a Russian Musical Society concert in [[Saint Petersburg]] scheduled for 29 February/12 March 1892, at which Tchaikovsky was due to conduct his own works. Having destroyed the score of the ballad ''[[The Voyevoda (symphonic ballad)|The Voyevoda]]'' following its premiere in November 1891, Tchaikovsky suggested replacing a suite of numbers from his new ballet ''[[The Nutcracker]]'', which he was preparing to orchestrate <ref name="note1"/>.

Among the surviving rough sketches of the ballet, and also among notes on the manuscripts and other documents, are a number of variants of titles of the Suite. Originally Tchaikovsky intended to call it '''Suite from the ballet "The Fir Tree"'' (Сюита из балета «Елка») <ref name="note2"/>, or ''Suite from the ballet "The Christmas Tree"'' (Сюита из балета «Рождественская елка») <ref name="note3"/>, suggesting that the title of the ballet had not yet been settled upon <ref name="note4"/>.

The earliest lists of numbers for the Suite also contained ''Chocolate (Spanish Dance)'' and ''Final Waltz''. The second movement — ''Danses caractéristiques'' — was to be called ''In the Kingdom of Sweets and Toys'' (В царстве лакомств и игруншек). The ''Danse des mirlitons'' was originally ''Reed Pipes'' (Свирелки), and the ''Danse de la Fée Dragée'' was to have been ''The Sweet Fairy'' (Фея конфект).

Tchaikovsky had begun orchestrating the numbers in the Suite by 28 January/9 February 1892 <ref name="note5"/>. By 31 January/12 February 1892 the first number of the Suite was ready <ref name="note6"/>. According to the author's note on the manuscript score, the orchestration was completed on 8/20 February, at [[Maydanovo]].

==Performances==
The Suite was performed a week later than intended, at the ninth symphony concert of the [[Saint Petersburg]] branch of the Russian Musical Society on 7/19 March 1892, with Tchaikovsky conducting. The Suite quickly became a popular favourite, and other notable early performances included:
* [[Moscow]], 1st Electrical Exhibition concert, 4/16 July 1892, conducted by Vojtěch Hlaváč
* Chicago, Auditorium, 10/22 October 1892, conducted by [[Theodore Thomas]]
* [[Brussels]], 2/14 January 1893, conducted by Tchaikovsky
* [[Odessa]], 1st RMS symphony concert, 16/28 January 1893, conducted by Tchaikovsky
* [[Odessa]], Rishelyevskaya School charity concert, 21 January 1893/2 February, conducted by Tchaikovsky (2 unspecified movements only)
* [[Odessa]], 3rd RMS symphony concert, 24 January/5 February 1893, conducted by Tchaikovsky
* [[Moscow]], special RMS symphony concert, 14/28 February 1893, conducted by Tchaikovsky
* [[Moscow]], 1st Imperial Theatres symphony concert, 7/19 March 1893, conducted by Tchaikovsky
* [[London]], Queen's Hall, 5/17 October 1896, conducted by Henry Wood.

==Publication==
On 9/21 March the composer wrote to [[Pyotr Jurgenson]]: "The suite from the ballet was successful. I don't think it would hurt to print it" <ref name="note7"/>. The full score of the suite was issued by [[Jurgenson]] in May 1892, and the orchestral parts the following month.

The score of the Suite was not published separately from the ballet in Tchaikovsky's ''[[Complete Collected Works]]''.

==Autographs==
At the request of the Russian Musical Society, Tchaikovsky donated the manuscript full score of the Suite to the library of the [[Saint Petersburg]] Conservatory, and it carries the inscriptions: "To the [[Saint Petersburg]] Conservatory, as a souvenir of the concert on 7 March 1892. P. Tchaikovsky" <ref name="note8"/>.

For many years the full score was believed to have been lost, until it was discovered by chance by the conductor Yevgeny Zablotsky among some unrelated papers in 1946. It is now preserved in the [[Klin]] House-Museum Archive (a{{sup|1}}, No. 46), and consists of pages extracted from the full score of the [[The Nutcracker|ballet]].

==Recordings==
{{reclink}}

==Related Works==
: ''See [[The Nutcracker]]''.

==External Links==
* {{imslpscore|The_Nutcracker_(suite),_Op.71a_(Tchaikovsky,_Pyotr)|The Nutcracker (suite)}}

==Notes and References==
<references>
<ref name="note1">See [[Letter 4604]] to [[Pyotr Jurgenson]], 25 January/6 February 1892.</ref>
<ref name="note2">See the sketchbook for the ballet — [[Klin]] House-Museum Archive.</ref>
<ref name="note3">See the title page of the manuscript full score of the Suite.</ref>
<ref name="note4">See [[Letter 4634]] to [[Pyotr Jurgenson]], 6/18 March 1892.</ref>
<ref name="note5">See [[Letter 4606]] to [[Pyotr Jurgenson]], 28 January/9 February 1892.</ref>
<ref name="note6">See [[Letter 4610]] to [[Modest Tchaikovsky]], 31 January/12 February 1892.</ref>
<ref name="note7">See [[Letter 4641]] to [[Pyotr Jurgenson]], 9/21 March 1892.</ref>
<ref name="note8">See also [[Letter 4643]] to [[Pyotr Jurgenson]]. 14/26 March 1892.</ref>
</references>
[[Category:Suites]]