A comparison of dance music: Tchaikovskys Waltz of the Flowers from The

Nutcracker Suite and Stravinskys Ritual of Abduction from Rite of Spring

Waltz of the Flowers The Nutcracker Suite

Tchaikovsky had been commissioned to compose the music for a new ballet
based on the story of E.T.A. Hoffmann's story, The Nutcracker and the Mouse King. Director of
the Imperial theatres, Ivan Vsevolozhsky asked him to write the music, although Tchaikovsky was not
particularly interested in composing the piece. The work was complete in 1891. Tchaikovskys skill as
a composer had already been greatly appreciated, and so it is unsurprising that Tchaikovsky should
be asked to compose the music. Although, in many ways, his previous pieces were not as well
received as The Nutcracker was to be, Tchaikovskys ability to write emotive and imaginative dance
music had already been acknowledged.
Despite not being fully convinced with the suite, Tchaikovsky was most certainly keen to wow and
impress. Having heard of a new instrument called the celesta Tchaikovsky was keen to purchase the
instrument (due to its beautiful tone) and furthermore to be the first to use it. It is said that Tchaikovsky
feared other composers, such as Rimsky-Korsakov and Glazunov, would use the celesta in their
music if he didnt showcase it first. The celesta produced a dreamlike sound which very much suited
the fairy-tale nature of the piece.
The suite is loved and admired for its romantic and memorable melodies, of which Tchaikovsky was
expert. It features surprisingly advanced harmonies and aims throughout to wow its audiences.
Instead of just supporting the dancing on stage, Tchaikovsky wrote in such a way that the music
became a source of heightened dramatic depth for each individual character. Music director and
principal conductor for Boston Ballet, Jonathan McPhee, said of the composer, Tchaikovsky is the
one who broke the mould of the relationship between music and dance, without him we wouldnt have
Prokofievs Romeo and Juliet, Stravinskys Rite of Spring or the Ballets Russes. The emphasis of a
dance works relationship with its music is clear throughout the music and has, as McPhee suggests,
been extremely influential for other composers. So much has the work been acknowledged as an
impressive masterpiece, it is the only score of his that has remained throughout the years as
Tchaikovsky had originally intended.
The instrumentation for the full suite is, as one would imagine, of a very large nature, using many
interesting and less common instruments. The orchestration includes: piccolo, both clarinets and
trumpets in B flat and A, celesta, timpani, cymbals, triangle, castanets, tam-tam, glockenspiel, harp
and SA chorus.
Remaining in simple triple metre throughout, the Waltz of the Flowers is undoubtedly in dance
tempo. This makes the piece, rhythmically, an easy one for performers to dance to. The first beat of
the bar is continually emphasised, making the pulse steady and easy to follow. Features such as
dotted rhythms, triplets and quintuplets contribute to the rhythmic and romantic style of the piece
without disturbing or distracting the neat dance pulse.
Melodies are pictorial and memorable. The drawn out, lyrical writing with notes tied over the beat
causes lilting melody lines that encourage graceful, elegant dancing. Undoubtedly Romantic,
melodies include chromaticisms and angular leaps. The tunes are throughout shared with and passed
through a number of instruments with countermelodies and interweaving sequences providing much
opportunity for the narrative input of an ensemble of dancing characters. Use of divisi and doubling in
octaves gives a full textural sound, mimicking the fullness of the stage, in which a number of dancers
Waltz together.
The piece is comfortable to listen to and comfortable to dance to; melodic lines are easy to follow,
strong beats are emphasised and the lyrical tunes exude an elegance which cannot be resisted by
any dancer. Such features are certainly not those with which one would associate Stravinskys Ritual
of Abduction.

Ritual of Abduction The Rite of Spring

As a 20th century composer, Stravinsky was a composer who unsurprisingly
wanted to challenge and shock the cultured members of society. His Rite of
Spring certainly did this, premiering in Paris, May 29 th 1913, causing the most
famous riot in the history of classical music. The premier performance of the
piece resulted in overnight stardom for the composer. The very nature of the
pieces subject matter was revolutionary a story of pagan fertility rites. Both
musically and physically, the piece shows an utter disregard for accepted ballet
forms.
Unlike the Waltz of the Flowers, which maintains a very steady and comfortable
rhythm, the Ritual Abduction has over 30 changes in metre, starting in 9/8;
compound triple time. Offbeat entries are very common, further confusing any
possible, recognisable pulse. Rhythmic movement is extremely fast and
incorporates grouped notes such as nonuplets. Unusual accented beats make
dancing in time challenging, without a consistent beat to follow. Rehearsals were
said to have been very much disliked by dancers, and were generally referred to
as arithmetic classes. According to Strivinskys Expositions, due to the raucous
and uproar of the audience, choreographer Nijinsky had stood on a chair in the
wings beating out he rhythm with his fists and shouting numbers to the
dancers, like a coxswain.
Whereas in Tchaikovskys Waltz of the Flowers, melodies are lyrical, memorable
and revisited/established thoroughly, in the Ritual of Abduction, themes/motifs
are not easily discerned. Melodic movement is supported by atonal harmony and
is thus even more difficult to identify. Themes are extremely short, repeated and
rearranged but often using no more than four notes. Any strong or interesting
melodic line is almost always overshadowed by moments of extremely thick
texture, and therefore it is hard to differentiate between instrumental parts.