Hoffmanns story began on christmas eve at the stahlbaum house. Marius petipa, chief ballet master of the russian imperial ballet, liked this new story and decided to have it made. The nutcracker site provides a central location for nutcracker ballet information. 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. Unseen, drosselmeyer remains behind and casts his magic. The original story, the nutcracker and the mouse king, was written by german author e. It was a christmas eve and marie was waiting for uncle peter. Shchelkunchik listen help info is an 1892 twoact ballet fairy ballet. Nutcrackers are a huge part of christmas decorating. 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. History of the nutcracker pacific northwest ballet. Peter tchaikovsky, the famous russian composer, was commissioned by mastermind choreographer marius petipa to compose the ballet, score based on alexandre dumass adaptation of e. Image of the nutcrackerwho is really drosselmeiers nephew proposing to marie, provided here as fair use for educational purposes.
The story of the original nutcracker a mothers random. The nutcracker story royal opera house learning platform. This edition carefully reconstructs the text of the 1853 edition, and also includes the original woodcut illustrations that accompanied it. The famed christmas toy heritage the nutcrackers origin comes from the erzgebirge region of germany.
The nutcracker ballet is a holiday tradition, but how did it begin. But like all good folkloric traditions, the nutcracker also has a more romantic origin story. One origin story attributes the creation of the first nutcracker doll to a craftsman from seiffen. Tchaikovskys nutcracker, the story of a young girls journey to a magical land on christmas eve, is perhaps not only the composers most famous work but also one of the most famous ballets of all time. Nm the history of nutcrackers leavenworth nutcracker museum. The most common nutcracker is the in the form of a wooden soldier, which weve had for about 200 years now. Just as the mouse king is about to overpower the nutcracker doll, clara distracts him, allowing the nutcracker to strike the winning blow. Read on to find out about the legend of the nutcracker. However, nutcracking devices have had a longstemming evolution for a few thousand years. A study of nutcrackers is a study of history itself as they reflect the cultural values and innovations of the place and time of origin. Hoffmanns original story, nutcracker and mouse king, is. A fierce protector, the nutcracker bares its teeth to the evil spirits and serves as the traditional messenger of good luck and goodwill.
This revised story was the basis for the libretto of the original ballet. Hoffmanns 1816 tale the nutcracker and the mouse king had been adapted by alexandre dumas he of three musketeers fame in 1844, and. The nutcracker was first developed around 1870 and is nowadays one of the most famous representatives of the erzgebirge. Filmmakers tell story of nutcracker, a boozy beverage. Often the nutcracker is the image of authorities from the past. They were often given as gifts, and at some point they became associated with christmas season. Hoffmann, which was subsequently adapted by renowned french author alexandre dumas as the story of a nutcracker in france in 1844. Dumas story was an adaptation of the dark fairytale the nutcracker and the mouse king, written by e. They were at last allowed into the parlor, where they received many splendid gifts, including. The party ends and clara leaves her nutcracker by the tree before going to bed. The nutcracker doll itself is a legend of its own which dates back to the 1700s. In the first act of the ballet, claras parents, the stahlbaums, throw a christmas.
Marie stahlbaum, seven years old, and her brother fritz, eight, sat outside the parlor speculating about what kind of present their godfather drosselmeier, who was a clockmaker and inventor, had made for them. Maurice sendak worked on a version of the nutcracker for the pacific northwest ballet in 1983, and put out a book in 1984. These dolls were first made in the 1700s, due to the ample supply of wood and depleting supply of metal. However, what you probably dont know is that the original nutcracker story was written years early in 1816. We can trace accounts of wooden nutcrackers springing to life back to the folk tales of bohemia, poland and muscovy. The nutcracker ballet is based on the story the nutcracker and the king of mice written by e. The idea of a limited nutcracker produced an overwhelming response because it contributed to the collectability of the nutcrackers and greatly increased their value. Long ago, so another tale goes, a miserly farmer promised a reward to anyone who could crack his walnuts. As she and her siblings are passing the nutcracker around and cracking nuts, its jaw breaks. Read on to learn more about the history of the nutcracker and how they evolved into todays form. In 1890, the russian composer tchaikovsky was commissioned to compose a double bill that featured the.
Approximately three decades later after hoffman penned his nutcracker, alexandre dumas, the author famous for writing the three musketeers and the count of monte cristo wrote the nutcracker of nuremberg, a french adaptation of hoffmans book, simplifying the storyline and making it much lighter and sweeter. Nutcracker performance listings are provided by state and city and by the company performing the nutcracker ballet. Nutcrackers got what would turn out to be their biggest boost when peter tchaikovsky adapted an 1816 e. The nutcracker is the story of clara, a little girl who is given a wooden nutcracker as a christmas gift by the mysterious dr. This is designed to quickly educate the nondance oriented about this wonderful story ballet. 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 nutcracker. The nutcracker and the mouse king was a story by e. Marie started grinding the candy while nutcracker told the whole story of the battle with the mouse king. From the village of seiffen came a carver with a marvellous wooden puppet, its jaws colourfully painted and powerful enough to crack nuts.
He was a germanborn in prussia, which is now russia, and he was a lawyer and judge. Alexandre dumas peres adaptation of the story by e. But, the origins of the nutcracker isnt the history of one nutcracker story. Hoffman, the nutcracker and the mouse king follows the story of marie on christmas eve. In the late 1800s, the brilliant composer peter ilyich tchaikovsky unveiled a ballet called the nutcracker, which brimmed with soaring melodies and quickly became a christmastime favorite. It tells the story of a little girl who goes to the land of sweets on christmas eve. And tchaikovsky isnt in my story until the very, very. Uncle peter got a funny looking nutcracker toy as her gift. The origin of the nutcracker has its roots in the great success of the. Especially kings, soldiers and gendarmes are often used as a model.
The narrated story of the nutcracker ballet in under 5 minutes. In fact, it is a history of four different nutcrackers. Jen adams here, ready to take you behind the scenes for the real story of the nutcracker. The dark, cocainefueled history of the nutcracker ballet. Hoffmann in 1816 and then adapted into pyotr ilyich tchaikovskys famous ballet in 1892. Hoffman story nutcracker and mouse king or in alexandres dumass the tale of the nutcracker, the retelling on which the ballets first libretto was based. The nutcracker prince musters his toy infantry and the cavalry. A hoffman christmas story called the nutcracker and the mouse king for theeventually. Although what is seen on the stage today is different in detail from the original story, the basic plot remains the same. Over 100 years old, the nutcracker ballet was first presented at the mariinsky theatre in st.
Why this was once the worlds creepiest ballet from pedophilic godfathers to gruesome sevenheaded. Dance channel tv provides a colorful, detailed history of the origins of the nutcracker as we know it today. That night, she experiences the nutcracker s battle with an army of mice and his transformation into a handsome prince. 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. A reallife nutcracker prince jeremy blanton and his snow queen veronica tennant give the christmas season a fairytale flourishas they sign autographs for youngsters in the opening day audience at okeefe centre after national ballets annual christmas presentation of. She is nominated as the nutcrackers special caretaker. Why this was once the worlds creepiest ballet from pedophilic godfathers to gruesome sevenheaded mice, the first versions of the classic ballet were.
Christmas nutcrackers made in germany wooden nutcracker. 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. How the nutcracker became a holiday classic marketplace. W hen the san francisco ballet company performed the first complete version of the nutcracker in the u. Ivan vsevolozhsky and marius petipa adapted hoffmanns story for the ballet. Hoffman published the nutcracker and the mouse king, a scary fairytale intended only for adults. In 1892, the story premiered on the russian ballet stage as the nutcracker by tchaikovsky. His voice and the sound of the mortar were like a lovely, low chant, which grew fainter. It was a tradition for uncle peter to give marie presents the night before christmas. Vsevolozsky thought another ballet based on a childrens story.
The nutcracker simple english wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. What black friday is to bigbox stores, the nutcracker is to ballet companies. The last of his three ballets, it was first performed in december 1892. 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. This week, author nathalia holt brings us a surprising origin story from her book the queens of animation. They grew in popularity around the 19th century and spread to nearby european.
When herr steinbach crossed the atlantic, he visited many collector shows and spoke to both existing collectors and those who were interested in starting a collection. The stage was set for tchaikovsky to bring the story into the 20th century in his famous ballet. The story of a young german girl who dreams of a nutcracker prince and a fierce battle against a mouse king with. A visual history of the nutcracker in 100 photos huffpost. Ironically, the sugar plum fairy is not found in the original e. Mitrofanovs illustrations appear in a version of hoffmans talethe nutcracker and the mouse kingtranslated into russian by. 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.
He described hoffmanns story as having bite and muscle, the way the. Suddenly, a silver mist descended like clouds in which the pages and the. Once again drosselmeyer calls upon his magic and the nutcracker is transformed into a handsome boy. Hoffmann was set to music by tchaikovsky and originally choreographed by marius petipa. But this happy comedic ballet has a slightly darker origin story. The origin of the nutcracker, a classic christmas story, is a fairy tale ballet in two acts centered on a familys christmas eve celebration. Interesting facts since the wagners opened the leavenworth nutcracker museum in 1995, it has been visited by 74 foreign countries. What would erzgebirge folkart be without its nutcrackers.
The story of the nutcracker originally derives from the nutcracker and the mouse king, by e. History of nutcracker moscow ballets great russian nutcracker. The original ballet was created by marius petipa and lev inavov with an original music score composed by pyotr ilyich tchaikovsky. Its not just the story of the nutcracker, its a story of a people. Nutcracker dolls originate from late17th century germany, particularly the ore mountains german. And thanks to the lush musical score, the story has lived on and thrives in our imaginations nearly 200 years after it. The history of the nutcracker ballet in america time. The nutcracker is often performed during the christmas season due to its content, and many families make it an annual tradition to attend a performance. That night, she experiences the nutcrackers battle with an army of mice and his transformation into a handsome prince.