This web page contains an active listening lesson for a general music class (grades 7-12).  Included in this site is a complete lesson plan and procedures along with a musical excerpt.              

This piece is characteristic of a Russian dance which has a fast moving tempo. The meter of this piece is 2/4
throughout. Each section is based on a repetitive rhythm. Rhythmic building blocks consist of eighth notes, sixteenth
notes, quarter notes, and an eighth note tied to two sixteenth notes. Theme B uses a different rhythm than Theme A
but still uses the same building blocks. Sforzando accents occur on the second beats of many measures throughout
this piece. This piece is extremely fast and energetic.

                                                          Melody
 

The melody is written in a major key and although it is fast, it is very singable. The first four measures of Theme A's
melody are based on a sequence. In other words, the music in the first two measures is repeated in the second two
measures on different pitches. The melody of Theme B is simply a variation of the melody of Theme A. The phrases
of the two melodies consist of eight bars. The melody is also very repetitious throughout the piece.

                                                       Harmony
 

The harmony is also in a major key. Very little or no dissonance is used. The harmony consists of a very simplified
form of the melody. The texture is homophonic. The melody sounds against a chordal harmonic accompaniment
which is mostly I, IV, and V in the key of G Major.

                                                        Form
 

The form of this piece is ABA. There is a short transition section between the end of Theme B and the return of
Theme A. The ending also includes a codetta, a shortened coda, which concludes the piece. There is a definite
contrast between Theme A and Theme B. Theme A is louder and more accentuated than Theme
B.
 

                                                   Expressive Elements
 
 

This piece contrasts in timbre by changing instrumentation of parts. For example, Theme A begins with the melody in
the 1st violin part but gains more depth when the flutes and clarinets play the melody as well. In Theme B, the lower
register instruments such as the cellos and string basses pick up the melody. There is a great deal of dynamic contrast
in this piece. Accents emphasize and separate important notes. Staccato markings are found throughout.

                                                     The Work

    
        "The Nutcracker" ballet is based on a story by E.T.A. Hoffman.  The ballet was completed

and produced in 1892 in St. Petersburg.  The story is a holiday fairy tale about a little girl's

favorite Christmas in which she receives a nutcracker as a gift from her godfather.  The story

continues with a battle between the Mouse King and the Nutcracker.  The ballet tells a story of

the girl's adventures which turn out in the end, only to be a dream.  However, the original story

was actually quite morbid in character and not intended as a children's story.
 

                                                                        -(http://www.kirovballet.com/story.html)
 

                                            Piotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
 
 

        Tchaikovsky was a Russian composer from the 19th century known for his background and

ballet music.  He studied music at the St. Petersburg Conservatory where he composered his first

overture.  Although "The Nutcracker" is known and loved by many today, the work was not

very successful during Tchaikovsky's lifetime.  Contemporaries of Tchaikovsky include Dvorak,

Bruckner, Brahms, and Liszt.  Other ballets by Tchaikovsky include "Swan Lake", "Sleeping

Beauty", and "Romeo and Juliet".

                                                                       -(http://www.kirovballet.com/tchaikov.html)
  

Click here for complete  lesson plan and procedures  Click here to take a test.