2016 Term 1 Weeks 5 and 6: More Tchaikovsky

This is a very short dance from the Nutcracker suite, called the Chinese Dance or Tea. It is one of four short pieces of music representing four different countries: Spain, China, Russia and Arabia. Tchaikovsky knew Russian music well, of course, but he had never travelled to the other countries and the music he wrote was based on his knowledge folk songs and instruments, and people's  understandings of the cultures of these countries at that time (1890s).  Remember, in those days there was only live music - no recorded music at all, so people only know what they heard, or what they could play themselves if they had the sheet music to follow.  It is interesting that Tchaikovsky wasn't terribly happy with the music he had to write  for this as it had to fit the needs  and timing of the dancing (choreography). 

Why do you think the audience clapped twice during this short dance? Do you think they should have clapped? Why did they applaud for such a short time? 

Here's another version by another ballet company. 
 
There has been some discussion about the racial stereotypes these dances portray and that maybe they could be offensive  nowadays. What do you think?  Some versions  of the ballet now use a dragon as a more appropriate  Chinese reference.

Even though the Nutcracker is one of the world's most loved and popular ballets, when it was first performed in Russia in 1892, it wasn't  particularly popular.  It wasn't until Walt Disney made the Nutcracker Suite part of his 1940 Fantasia movie that the music became well known and popular in America. The ballet was revised, with a Christmas tree, and became an annual favourite at Christmas time. 


In the Fantasia interpretation of The Chinese Dance, note how cleverly the animators show the personality of the littlest mushroom: he makes no sound, and no face or hand gestures.  The little mushroom represents the trill of the flute, and the larger mushrooms represent the pizzicato plucking of the string section.  

Watch an orchestra play the Chinese Dance - how many instruments can you identify?  Is this faster or slower than the other versions you have seen and heard on this blog?  This is the Japanese conductor Seiji Ozawa conducting the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra. 

Here is one version of a listening map for The Chinese Dance. 
Can you work out how the sounds are represented?  

 

 This is a video of The California Philharmonic Dancers performing several of the dances from the Nutcracker ballet. . . but is this ballet?   (The Chinese Dance starts at 6:25) 


Here's a link to the simplified piano music for the Chinese Dance.

And for a bit of fun -  a cat's version of the Chinese Dance.