The Classic Tale of a Girl, a Toy, and a Mouse
Great Hearts Academies December 21, 2023 -
Many tales from classic literature have become synonymous with Christmas Eve. Whether it’s Ebeneezer Scrooge’s visitation from three mysterious spirits on Christmas Eve in Charles Dickens’ classic “A Christmas Carol” or Clement Clarke Moore’s 1823 poem, “A Visit from St. Nicholas,” more well-known as “’Twas the Night Before Christmas.” Another well-known tale set on Christmas Eve has had many adaptations throughout the years but is best known as a celebrated ballet.
Seeing a performance of “The Nutcracker Suite” composed by Pyotr Tchaikovsky, has become a holiday tradition for many, as the opening scene is set on Christmas Eve. Great Hearts Harveston Music Teacher, Stuart Coles shared that he has introduced his music classes to the Tchaikovsky masterpiece. “With entering the winter holidays we’ve been studying Pyotr Tchaikovsky and “The Nutcracker Suite,” and I had a student come up to me with a lot of excitement before class saying that they talked to their parents, and they got tickets to go see The Nutcracker Suite.” Coles was particularly encouraged that he was able to spark his student’s interest in the piece.
“The Nutcracker Suite was written at the end of Tchaikovsky’s career in the late 1800s. It was the last composition before he passed away,” said Coles. “While the first performance of ‘The Nutcracker Suite’ was not well received for various reasons, it, over time, as they started polishing up the choreography and the set design, it became extraordinarily popular and with that popularity with music and dance it was performed all around the world.”
While the beloved ballet and the music behind it have become world renowned, especially around this time of year, many are unaware that the story was an adapted from the German book, “The Nutcracker and the Mouse King” or “Nussknacker und Mausekönig” written by E.T.A. Hoffman in 1816. This tale follows seven-year-old Marie Stahlbaum and her favorite Christmas toy, the Nutcracker, who comes to life one Christmas Eve and, after defeating the evil Mouse King in battle, whisks her away to a magical kingdom populated by dolls. The story was originally published in Berlin, Germany as part of a collection of children’s stories.
In 1844, Alexandre Dumas published “The Nutcracker,” which is a retelling of the Hoffman story with an almost identical plot, however, the main character of Marie has been changed to Clara. It is this adaptation the Tchaikovsky drew from when composing the ballet in 1892.
Second graders at Archway Glendale were recently invited to see the famous ballet. “Ballet Arizona arranged everything for us so well,” said second grade teacher, Lauren Lam. “The experience was interactive and started off with a Q and A for the students and the students were taught different ballet positions. During the performance, the students were captivated by the beautiful costumes, colorful stage, and amazing choreography. Watching The Nutcracker, or any ballet, is an experience every student should have.”
Especially during this season, you will undoubtably catch yourself humming one of the musical scores from Tchaikovsky’s holiday classic. Whether you have seen the ballet or not, it has left its fingerprint on the season. But now that you know this classic Christmas tale came from literature written almost two centuries ago, perhaps you will want to add this classic to your holiday reading list during the winter break. It’s never too late to start a new tradition.
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