P.I. Tchaikovsky "Waltz of the Flowers": history, content, interesting facts

Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky "Dance of the Little Swans"

Swan Lake - this unsurpassed masterpiece of the great Russian composer Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky, written more than a century ago, is well known not only in our country, it conquers human hearts all over the world. The work, called the symbol of beauty and greatness of Russian culture, is currently very popular and is included in the list of the most performed ballets. Swan Lake has many editions, but there are undeniably magnificent numbers that move from one stage to another. Such bright pearls are the "White" adagio, the "Black" pas de deux, and no doubt "Dance of little swans"- a small dancing miniature deserving extraordinary love and respect for the audience.

The history of the creation of the "Dance of Little Swans" PI Tchaikovsky, as well as many interesting facts and musical content of the work, read on our page.

History of creation

Since "The Dance of Little Swans" is a piece of music ballet "Swan Lake", the story of his writings is closely related to the creation Tchaikovsky his immortal masterpiece, the work on which began in May 1875. In that period of his life, which was distinguished by its special creative activity, the composer received an order from the leadership of the imperial theaters, which led him to bewilderment: Peter Ilyich was offered to write ballet. It is worth noting that at that time this type of art was not considered a priority: it was equated in importance with a second-rate genre, such as vaudeville. Despite this, the maestro often attended ballet performances and was even interested in dance technique. Surprising his colleagues with his consent to composing ballet music, Tchaikovsky himself pursued two goals. The first is financial, because for this work the Moscow Directorate promised him a weighty fee of 800 rubles and the second - creative: the composer still wanted to test himself in this genre.

Initially, the ballet was called "Lake of the Swans", and according to the memoirs of contemporaries of Peter Ilyich, this plot was proposed by Vladimir Petrovich Begichev himself - the manager of the imperial Moscow theaters, and besides, a talented playwright. Since at that time such romantic fantasy stories as Friedrich de la Mott Fouquet’s “Ondine” and Johann Museus’s “The Stolen Veil” were very popular, Vladimir Petrovich also decided to invent his own magical story about a girl turned into a swan. This tale later formed the basis of a new ballet. Similar legends about enchanted princesses were met in the folklore of different nations and even in "The Tale of Tsar Saltan“Alexander Sergeevich Pushkin, Prince Gvidon, kills the evil-doer of the sorcerer and takes the princess who came to him as a swan.

The composer, interested in the romantic plot of the ballet, with great responsibility began to work on a new work. Before starting to compose music, he studied the composition and structure of several choreographic performances, talked with choreographers in order to understand in detail the new genre for him.

Summer Peter Ilyich usually spent at the Kamenka estate, located not far from Kiev, where the composer's sister Alexander Davydov lived with his family. This place Tchaikovsky loved, because there he could not only fully relax and unwind, but also be inspired to create new works. Arriving on the estate that year, Peter Ilyich worked on the Third Symphony until August and only then resumed work on Swan Lake. At the end of the last summer month, the composer composed the initial two acts, in the number of numbers of which the aforementioned "Dance of Little Swans" entered. The work on the ballet's score was finally completed by Tchaikovsky in April of the following 1876.

Interesting Facts

• Tchaikovsky’s first ballet is considered to be Swan Lake, but four years before the Directorate of the Imperial Theaters ordered Pyotr Ilyich to write music for this performance, he was already the author of such a work. In 1871, the composer, while in Kamenka, visiting his sister, for her nieces, who loved to dance, composed a small ballet, which was called "Swans Lake".
• "Dance of the Little Swans" - this charming catchy dance composition lasts only one minute and forty-six seconds.
• After the first two failed performances of the ballet Swan Lake, the libretto of the performance was redone, but this happened after the death of Peter Ilyich. The composer's brother, Modest Ilyich Tchaikovsky, became the author of the new plot. Dancing was engaged in himself Marius Petipa, and the ballet master Lev Ivanovich Ivanov, who was the choreographer who composed the charming "Dance of Little Swans", helped him.
• The first dance of the little swans was printed in 1877. Publisher P.I. Jurgenson published clavier for the ballet Swan Lake, which of course included this delightful number.
• Initially, in the ballet score, the number, which we know as “The Dance of Little Swans”, was called quite differently: pas de quatre, which is translated from French as the movements of four. However, Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky still had a dance with the same name, but it is completely different and sounds in the performance in the fourth and final act.
• For the performance of the Dance of Little Swans, in the ballet Swan Lake, unknown but very promising ballerinas are usually chosen, since the technique of performing this number is rather complicated and not all dancers cope with it.
• "The dance of little swans" has become so popular that his music can be heard in many movies and cartoons. She also often sounds in radio and television shows. But the most remarkable thing is that they like to perform funny parodies on this dance on holidays, skittles and various family celebrations.

Contents of the Dance of the Little Swans

As mentioned above, the plot of the ballet Swan Lake was based on a magic story about a beautiful girl turned into a white swan by an evil sorcerer. Initially, the performance of the play takes place in a park near the castle of the Master Princess. Prince Siegfried with friends celebrates his coming of age. When dusk came, the guests parted. The young man was bored alone and he, in order to have a little fun, took a crossbow and went hunting. Seeing a flock of white swans flying past, Siegfried followed her into the forest. Making his way through the thickets, he came across a large lake, where swans swam across the water surface. The prince pulled the bowstring and was about to shoot an arrow to hit one of the birds, but suddenly a beautiful girl appeared in snow-white clothes. She pleaded with the young man not to shoot swans.

Odette, that was the name of the beauty, told Siegfried that they were all bewitched by an evil magician: in the morning they turn into white swans, and at night they acquire a human appearance. From the ruins, which was located on the shore of the lake of an ancient castle, go girls - birds and children. The number begins, in the ballet presented to the viewer in the second act, and in the score having the name "Swans Dance". This is a kind of divertissement, consisting of seven episodes, the fourth of which is a variation, which later became world famous under the title "Dance of Little Swans". It begins like this. Four ballet dancers come to the fore. They hold each other with their arms crossed and, moving in a straight line from one side to the other, simultaneously perform very graceful steps. The whole dance is built on springy jumps, the lightness and elegance of which creates the impression that ballerinas take off and hover in the air.

Despite the fact that Tchaikovsky chose the tone of F-sharp minor for the composition, its music is playful and even humorous in its character. The episode concluded by the author in a simple three-part form can be represented by the following scheme: A II: Q: II A. The tempo indication of the author is Allegro moderato. Dance music opens bassoon. His funny trampling sound, which includes only two sounds, then as an accompaniment will sound throughout the first and then the third part. After the clock bassoon introduction, the theme of the little swans begins, which in the initial sentence of the first part sounds exquisitely performed by oboes, and at the second carrying out passes to flutes and clarinets.

In the middle section of the composition, the mood of the dance varies slightly. The music becomes more melodic and even gets a lyrical shade. Initially, the topic is carried out violinsand then in the second sentence flutes are added to them. Further, after the reprisal repetition of the middle part, the thematic material of the first part returns. The dance ends with a small five-stroke coda.

"Dance of little swans"- this small episode from the famous ballet" Swan Lake "gained such popularity among the people that if you ask any person to sing the tune of this composition, he will not only sing it, but also show some dance movements. In addition, the amusing music of the miniature constantly attracts many performers Her transcriptions were made for different instruments and even words were invented to her. The result was a funny children's song, in which the ballet is told with enthusiasm.