About the composer...

Tchaikovsky was born May 7, 1840 in Kamsko-Votkinsk.  Because his family was not particularly talented musically, and, while he was given private piano lessons as a young boy, his talents went unnoticed  His parents enrolled him into the School of Jurisprudence at the age of ten, where he took classes for nine years and in 1859 became a first-class clerk in the Ministry of Justice.  While in the School of Jurisprudence, he joined the choir and composed some waltzes and polkas. Tchaikovsky always had a love for music but it was not until 1863, that he decided to pursue music wholeheartedly.  At this time, he entered the St. Petersburg Conservatory full-time taking one class in form and one in instrumentation and giving piano and theory lessons to have some income.  Throughout his entire life, despite his Western-style training, Tchaikovsky's music seemed filled with Russian melodies and rhythms.  Tchaikovsky died on November 6, 1893 from cholera.

One aspect of Tchaikovsky music that is particularly interesting, is the lack of division in his writing.  While some composers, like Beethoven, have distinct periods Tchaikovsky alternates between different styles.  It was suggested that because he never had to base what he wrote on a specific mold he wrote more of his music based on emotions, rather than a format.  Whatever the case may be, Tchiakovsky's ability to write beautiful, lyric melodies led to his domination over his 19th century Russian contemporaries.  Well known for works like The Nutcracker Suite and the ballet Swan Lake, Tchaikovsky continues to be one of the most popular composers of his time.
 
 

About the piece...

This piece was first performed January 15, 1890 in St. Petersburg, Russia.  Ivan Vsevolozhsky, the Director of the Imperial Theatres in St. Petersburg wrote to Tchaikovsky in May of 1888, asking him to compose music for the ballet.  After reading the story that the ballet would be based on, Tchaikovsky was excited to begin work on the ballet. After completing the orchestration of the piece, Tchaikovsky pronounced it to be one of his best works.  Unfortunately, the public's response to the piece was not particularly favorable.  Today, however, The Sleeping Beauty is considered one of Tchaikovsky's most popular works.

This particular web page deals specifically with "The Dance of the Bridesmaids and the Pages", one of the many dances in this work.  Click here to listen. 

Rhythm

Because there are only three different themes in this piece, there are also just three different rhythmic themes to be learned, as well.  The A theme, the B theme and the C theme. The rhythms between the A and B theme are very similar, while the C theme differs drastically (See below).  One transition occurs between the C and A themes (see Concentration  Call Chart under the subtitle Form).

After looking at these rhythms, it should be apparent that these themes consist of three different note values or "building blocks"; these building blocks are quarter notes, eighth notes and sixteenth notes.  With the exception of some grace notes in the piece, which serve as ornamentation, these make up the rhythmic structure of the entire piece.

Form:

Some of the themes are listed as A and A' or B and B'.  The differences between these themes are very small.  For instance the A' theme that starts in measure 13  differs from the A theme because the notes differ in the sixteenth notes in the last measure.  If we were to take out all of the A', B' and C', and attach them to the A, B and C themes, the piece would have the form ABAC(t)A.  This is would be a rondo form!
 
 

Melody:

This piece is fairly easy to follow in terms of melody.  The phrases are generally 4 measures each (this changes only in the C theme and transition), and the melodies are very repetitious.  Also, the melody changes enough from one phrase to the next, so that it is fairly straightforward where the phrases change and the  divisions in themes occur.  Aside from some ornamentations such as trills, grace notes and added sixteenth note runs in some of the orchestral parts, we hear the same three basic themes throughout the entire piece.  The melodies are all very tonal.  While we hear a large leap in the first two notes of the A theme, they also tend to be scaler as well.
 
 

Harmony:

This piece is written in a major key and in a 4/4 time signature.  It is written using consonance instead of dissonance.  Tchaikovsky tends to blend Western-style harmonic progressions with Russian folksong.  He also uses chromaticism in his music, but it usually occurs in a transition area where the music is progressing into another section.  For example, the transition area in this piece is very chromatic before it establishes the key in the A section that follows.  Click here to listen to transition.
 
 

Expressive Elements:

Tchaikovsky uses many expressive elements to enhance his piece.  One of the first things noticeable in this piece is his use of dynamics.  The very beginning of the piece starts off at a  p marking.  As the piece progresses, the dynamics build so that by the end of the piece, the orchestra has reached a ff dynamic marking.  Another very effective element used within the piece is a grand pause which occurs at the very end of the transition.  Before this point, the piece has been building in dynamic and tempo, meaning the listener does not anticipate this sudden break in the music.  Following this break, Tchaikovsky uses another technique to enhance his music, by changing the instrumentation, making the re-entry of the orchestra that much more emphatic.  Here Tchaikovsky adds timpani and low brass to the string and wind sections of the orchestra, giving it a heavier orchestral sound.  The driving timpani in particular adds to this, almost never ceasing its steady stream of eighth notes until the final chord.
 
 

Listening Lesson:

Concepts

1.  Rhythm (quarter, eighth and sixteenth notes)
2.  Differentiate between A, B and C themes

Behavioral Objectives

Students will:

1.  Read correct rhythms using Kodaly syllables
2.  Transfer rhythms to body motions
3.  Put rhythm to A theme in feet
4.  Recognize when the A theme stops and stop activity

National Objectives

1.  Content Standard: Reading and notating music
    Achievement Standard:
    Students
    a.  read whole, half, quarter, eighth, sixteenth and dotted notes and rests in 2/4, 3/4, 4/4, 6/8,
        3/8, and alla breve meter signatures
6.  Content Standard:  Listening to, analyzing, and describing music
     Achievement Standard:
     Students
     c.  demonstrate the knowledge of the basic principles of meter, rhythm, tonality, intervals,
          chords and harmonic progressions in their analyses of music

Materials

1.  Recording of "Dance of the Bridesmaids and the Pages" from The Sleeping Beauty
2.  Poster board and markers (rhythm of A theme written on poster board) or handouts of A theme
     to give to students
3.  Rhythm instruments (drum, tambourine and rhythm sticks)

Teaching Process

1.  Teacher color codes rhythm on poster board; quarter notes-green, eighth notes-purple, 
     sixteenth notes-red (or comparable colors)
2.  Students read through the rhythms of A theme on poster board using Kodaly rhythmic syllables
3.  Teacher assigns body motions for each one of the note values on the poster
 
     quarter note     = stamp
 
     eighth notes     = clap

     sixteenth notes = pat legs

4.  Students perform body motions without music saying rhythm syllables (1 or 2 times)
5.  Students perform body motions with A theme on recording (stop recording after A theme)
6.  Students form a line
7.  Teacher instructs students to put rhythm to A theme in feet with the recording; when students
     reach a theme they do not recognize, they freeze
8.  One student is the leader, the other students are to follow the motions of this person, including
     those sections where everyone freezes
9.  Students sit in place
10. Teacher hands out rhythm instruments
11. Students are divided into three group; each group plays a designated rhythmic value

     quarter notes   =  tambourine

     eighth notes     = drum

     sixteenth notes = rhythm sticks

12.  Students put instruments away