Alexandre dumas pere s adaptation of the story by e. The story was later republished in the first volume of hoffmanns own. His original story, called the nutcracker and the mouse king, was a bit darker and scarier than the story told in the modern ballet. Although what is seen on the stage today is different in detail from the original story, the basic plot remains the same. The composer made a selection of eight of the more popular pieces before the ballets december 1892 premiere, forming what is currently known as the nutcracker suite, op. The nutcracker ballet article about the nutcracker. The nutcracker simple english wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Hoffman german original of 1816, the nutcracker and the mouse king, but alexandre dumas 1844 french adaptation of hoffmans story, histoire dun cassenoisette the tale of the.
The nutcracker ballet was written during the classical period of ballet, a time when many famous ballets were being written and performed. Hoffmanns original story was darker than the ballet, but the plot remains largely the same. You may have seen hoffmans name recently in matthew guerrieris new book the first four notes. The original stories behind everyones favorite christmas ballet it wasnt until the 1950s that seeing the nutcracker at christmastime became an american tradition. The story of the nutcracker in pictures books the guardian. I dont know whether its because of the fake homely feeling corporations force down upon us, those same twenty wretched songs played over and over again each year, or the fact that a one or two daylong celebration is stretched thin across more than a months time. Hoffmanns 1816 story of the nutcracker and the mouse king. Hoffmann, and an interpretation of hoffmans story written by alexandre dumas. While the original story was centered around a girl named marie and was considered dark and scary, french writer alexandre dumas adapted it to. Having danced the nutcracker daily from september to december for 11 years in various roles, i find it difficult to remember hearing the opening strains of tchaikovskys ballet for the first time.
Marie stahlbaum loves christmas and all its magic and wonder even with her older brother fritzs teasing. Its now been 200 years since hoffmann wrote the original story, so its high time it likewise becomes just as famous. Hoffman published the nutcracker and the mouse king, a scary fairytale intended only for adults. The hip hop nutcracker a unique take on an holiday. The nutcracker 1984 read online free book by maurice sendak. Hoffmann was set to music by tchaikovsky and originally choreographed by marius petipa. The original 1853 edition with illustrations hoffmann, e. The nutcracker and its many mysteries the new york times. The nutcracker ballet provides the history of the nutcracker ballet, nutcracker music, nutcrakcer links, nutcracker movies and information on nutcracker ballet performances in your area. Balanchine was perhaps the first to recognize that an immigrant ballet could have multiple personalities, that the nutcrackers comingof. The dark, romantic roots of the nutcracker few people today remember e. In 1892, the story premiered on the russian ballet stage as the nutcracker by tchaikovsky. Learn the origins of the nutcracker and about the many famous hands that helped make it the christmas tradition it is today.
Dec 25, 20 the dark roots of the nutcracker and the man who wrote it this is the time of year when one mans work is widely if indirectly celebrated. I know lev ivanov was the first to choreograph the ballet and that it later became more popular because of balanchines production with nycb but i was under the impression balanchine had written the story which cant be true. Hoffmanns tales were so bizarre, sigmund freud wrote about them in the uncanny. Hoffmann 17761822 wrote the original story on which the ballet is based. Below is a synopsis based on the original 1892 libretto by marius petipa. Im trying to find out who actually wrote the original story that the nutcracker ballet is based on.
Bertalls original french illustrations were also used in chapman and halls 1847 edition of the history of a. Alexandre dumas, pere, wrote a lighter adaptation, which he called the tale of the nutcracker. He wrote this novella, originally titled the nutcracker and the mouse king, in 1816, and it is among his most notable works. This is one of the earliest known english translation of e. Dec 24, 2015 the story of the nutcracker in pictures. Nov 27, 2015 the scenario had been put together by ivan vsevolozhsky, director of the imperial theaters and a great francophile.
Balanchine was perhaps the first to recognize that an immigrant ballet could have multiple personalities, that the nutcrackers comingofage theme and its fantasies were serious. Learn the origins of the nutcracker and about the many famous hands that helped make it the christmas tradition it is today the original production of the nutcracker, 1892. The hip hop nutcracker a unique take on an holiday favorite. The snowflakes in the original 1892 production of the nutcracker.
The nutcracker one of the bestloved and most widely known ballets of our time, the nutcracker, tells the story of a young girls enchanted christmas eve. The author of the original tale the ballet the nutcracker is based. She awakens in bed and is saluted by the nutcracker prince. Published in 1816, the original story was a complex world of intrigue, adventure, and true love between a girl and her nutcracker doll. Nutcrackers original credentials by incorporating parts of hoffmanns short story that the ballet libretto ignored, such as the tale of the hard nut. He was a germanborn in prussia, which is now russia, and he was a lawyer and judge.
Dec 04, 2015 published in 1816, the original story was a complex world of intrigue, adventure, and true love between a girl and her nutcracker doll. It was on this folklore that eta hoffman drew in his nutcracker and mouse king. The 2 act, 3 scene ballet was written for a large, full orchestra and has some of the most recognizable classical music, heard especially during the holiday season. However, what you probably dont know is that the original nutcracker story was written years early in 1816. The story of the original nutcracker a mothers random thoughts. The nutcracker, russian shchelkunchik, ballet by pyotr tchaikovsky. Instead, it was originally a story written in 1816 by prussian author e. The nutcracker and the mouse king was a story by e. The nutcracker ballet is based on the story the nutcracker and the king of mice written by e.
Graeme murphy 1992 graeme murphys version, entitled nutcracker. History of nutcracker moscow ballets great russian nutcracker. While the original story was centered around a girl named marie and was considered dark and scary, french writer alexandre dumas adapted it to be much lighter. Vsevolozhsky and the ballet master marius petipa, who had choreographed the sleeping beauty, wrote the libretto for the nutcracker and handed it off to tchaikovsky to compose the music, with very specific instructions as to tempo and length of each section of music. Hoffmann, in which young marie stahlbaums favourite christmas toy, the nutcracker, comes alive and, after defeating the evil mouse king in battle, whisks her away to a magical kingdom populated by dolls. The nutcracker tells a story about a girl who befriends a nutcracker that comes to life on christmas eve and wages a battle against the evil mouse king. Despite the failure of its initial performance, the nutcracker has become the most. It retains tchaikovskys music, but throws out virtually all of the original story, adding some quite intense scenes not found in a usual nutcracker. Why this was once the worlds creepiest ballet from pedophilic godfathers to gruesome seven. The number was choreographed by lev ivanov to music written by tchaikovsky.
Hoffmann in 1816, has fascinated and inspired artists, composers, and audiences for almost two hundred years. Dec 24, 2014 reutersfabrizio bensch the nutcracker s disturbing origin story. Be sure to check out the nutcracker site before you decide where you will see a holiday performance of the nutcracker. Russian composer pyotr ilich tchaikovsky 18401893 set the tale to music. Selections from the nutcracker were first performed as an orchestral suite in march 1892. The story of the original nutcracker a mothers random. Dec 22, 2015 how tchaikovskys nutcracker became a christmas classic. The nutcracker site provides a central location for nutcracker ballet information. The story centers on a young girls christmas eve and her awakening to the wider world and romantic love. One of the bestloved and most widely known ballets of our time, the nutcracker, tells the story of a young girls enchanted christmas eve. The story of clara, was created in 1992 for the australian ballet, released on video in 1994, and released on dvd in 2008. The origin of the nutcracker, a classic christmas story, is a fairy tale ballet in two acts. The nutcracker 1984 read online free book by maurice. In the grimms tale konig drosselbart adopts a variety of disguises to carry out the.
The story of a young german girl who dreams of a nutcracker prince and a fierce battle against a mouse king with. At this point, clara notices a nutcracker, and asks to whom he belongs. The story was translated into many other languages and spread widely throughout europe. Reutersfabrizio bensch the nutcracker s disturbing origin story. Why the nutcracker will forever be a holiday classic. But the story itself is much older and its original intent more complex. Mar 10, 2009 who actually wrote the story the nutcracker. The legend says that a nutcracker represents power and strength and serves like a trusty watch dog guarding your family from evil spirits and danger. Dance of the sugar plum fairy simple english wikipedia, the. How the nutcracker became a holiday tradition wttw chicago. Dance of the sugar plum fairy simple english wikipedia.
The origin of the nutcracker, a classic christmas story, is a fairy tale ballet in two acts centered on a familys christmas eve celebration. The nutcracker ballet was actually based upon an adaptation of hoffmanns original story written by french author alexandre dumas. Year the story the nutcracker and the mouse king was written. Hoffmanns 1816 fairy tale the nutcracker and the mouse king. It has retained its freshness because it appeals to the sense of wonder we all share. The scenario had been put together by ivan vsevolozhsky, director of the imperial theaters and a great francophile.
In 1892 the story was turned into a ballet by alexandre dumas that is based on. But of course it once was heard for the very first time, one week before christmas in 1892, by the soldout audience. The dark roots of the nutcracker and the man who wrote it this is the time of year when one mans work is widely if indirectly celebrated. This man was a lawyer who turned to music and writing after the invasion of his homeland, prussia, in 1806. But there is a darker history to the story, and the french writer alexandre. The hip hop nutcracker doesnt deviate much from the original story line, based on the alexandre dumas adaptation of e. A nursemaid guarding princess pirlipata bertalls original french. Hoffmann story, the young heroine is called marie stahlbaum and clara klarchen is her dolls name. Hoffmanns original story, nutcracker and mouse king, is. Ivan vsevolozhsky and marius petipa adapted hoffmanns story for the ballet. She accepts, and in a year and a day he comes for her and takes her. The dance of the sugar plum fairy is a dance for a ballerina. Pyotr ilyich tchaikovsky wrote the music for the nutcracker ballet between february 1891 and april 1892. The original clara was the 12 year old stanislava belinskaya and the original nutcrackerprince was the 17 year old sergei legat.
The original nutcracker story was written by a man named e. The dark roots of the nutcracker and the man who wrote. Alexandre dumas peres adaptation of the story by e. This version was choreographed and adapted into a fulllength ballet, which premiered at the imperial mariinsky. Originally published in 1816, the original nutcracker story was a. It was translated into many other languages, spreading widely throughout europe. The story begins on christmas eve, at the stahlbaum house. In 1892 the story was turned into a ballet by alexandre dumas that is based on the original story the nutcracker and mouse king. The plot revolves around a german girl named clara stahlbaum and her. He wrote the same story down for publication, and the version of the nutcracker most audiences are familiar with today was born of dumas.
In 1815, hoffmann encountered his first nutcracker in a local market and then in 1816 he wrote a tale called the nutcracker and the mouse king. Sep 24, 2016 peter tchaikovsky wrote the nutcracker 18911892. The nutcracker is based on the book the nutcracker and the mouse king, by e. The story varies from production to production, though. Dumas simplified the original story, which was multilayered with a story within the story within the story, kind of like a gobstopper. Written in the early 1890s, this was the last ballet score tchaikovsky wrote. Hoffman wrote the original story, titled the nutcracker and the mouse king. Why this was once the worlds creepiest ballet from pedophilic godfathers to gruesome sevenheaded mice, the first versions of. The dark roots of the nutcracker and the man who wrote it.
Feb 26, 2020 the nutcracker, ballet by pyotr tchaikovsky. According to german folklore, nutcrackers were given as keepsakes to bring good luck to your family and protect your home. The battle goes to the dolls at first, but they are eventually overwhelmed by the mice. The story of clara and her magical nutcracker far predates the ballet, and with disneys new movie, it is clear that the evolution of the nutcracker is far from over. Dec 19, 2012 the original nutcracker play was written by e. The nutcracker ballet article about the nutcracker ballet. How tchaikovskys nutcracker became a christmas classic. Hoffmans influence played a crucial role in the romantic literary movement in the nineteenth century, and his works have been heavily adapted and analyzed by the likes of notables such as pyotr ilyich tchaikovsky. The story of the nutcracker is loosely based on the e. Dumas adaptation was lighter and less scary than hoffmanns original version. The last of his three ballets, it was first performed in december 1892. It tells the story of a little girl who goes to the land of sweets on christmas eve. This revised story was the basis for the libretto of the original ballet version of the nutcracker with choreography by marius petipa and lev ivanov, and with music by peter tchaikovsky. Hoffmanns classic childrens tale, nutcracker and mouseking, which was penned in german in 1816.
Many people are familiar with music from the nutcracker. Hoffmanns original story, the nutcracker and mouse king, maries claras, journey becomes a fevered delirium that transports her to a land where she sees sparkling christmas forests and marzipan castles, but in a world populated with dolls. History of the nutcracker pacific northwest ballet. The dumas adaptation is also most like the childrens tale we see performed nutcracker ballets of today. Maurice sendak designed brilliant sets and costumes for the pacific northwest ballets christmas production of nutcracker and has created. He wrote the same story down for publication, and the version of the nutcracker most audiences are familiar with today was born of dumas l. Nutcracker performance listings are provided by state and city and by the company performing the nutcracker ballet.
1422 1375 1260 405 370 1491 437 1375 1628 540 212 1567 1470 386 1490 24 1039 218 1238 1032 67 621 824 858 375 521 707 1354 964 1290 614 1372 777 576 1229