"Danse des Petits Cygnes" from Tchaikovsky's "Swan Lake" - Music and the Fictive Dream Post

The "Swan Lake" ballet was composed by Russian composer Pyotr Illyich Tchaikovsky between 1875 and 1876 in Moscow, Russia.  Tchaikovsky received a commission from the intendant of Moscow's Russian Imperial Theatres, Vladimir Petrovich Begichev, to compose the piece.  

Given its popular today, it's surprising that the "Swan Lake" ballet was unsuccessful for the first year after performance.  On Friday, March 4th of 1877, "Swan Lake" was premiered at the Bolshoi Theatre.  Tchaikovsky's music was considered much too complicated and "noisy" for a ballet by the audience.  It received a great amount of criticism and was considered "uninspiring and unoriginal."  The "Swan Lake" ballet wasn't considered impressive and didn't become popular until after Tchaikovsky's death.  However, the "Swan Lake" ballet was revised by Marius Petipa and Lev Ivanov in 1895.  They shortened the piece significantly and reconstructed the choreography of the piece.  Their choreography is still featured when the ballet is performed today.

The Story Behind The "Swan Lake" Ballet

No one is currently certain of how the story behind Tchaikovsky's "Swan Lake" ballet came about.  There are several Russian fairy tales that some suspect may have been inspiration for the ballet.  However, others believe that perhaps Reisinger or Begichev developed it.

This ballet tells the story of Prince Siegfried falling in love with Princess Odette.  The evil sorcerer, Baron von Rothbart, cast a spell on Odette and her friends.  This spell transformed them into swans.  They spend their days on the lake but can only return to human form at night.  The only way to break the spell is true love.

In the first and second acts, the story begins with Siegfried at his coming-of-age celebration.  He doesn't feel prepared to choose his future wife and leave his single life behind.  Overwhelmed with the pressure, Siegfied and his friends get drunk and travel into the woods to hunt.  Siegfried's friends go out to begin hunting the swans at the lake.  While Siegfried is alone, Odette appears before him and transforms into human form.  She reveals to him that her and her friends are under a spell.  She explains that the only way the spell can be broken is with true love from a man whose never promised his heart to another.  Siegfried falls in love with Odette and promises to break the spell.  Odette doubts his capability to break the spell and warns him of the evil sorcerer.  

In the third and fourth acts, women are brought from around the world to ask for Siegfried's hand in marriage.  Von Rothbart, the sorcerer, arrives with his daughter, Odile.  Odile has been disguised to look like Odette and pretends to be her.  Odile seduces Siegfried and convinces him that she is Odette.  Siegfried, fooled by Odile, asks for her hand in marriage.  Just as this happens, Odette comes in for Siegfried to ask for her hand in marriage.  Siegfried immediately realizes that he's been tricked.  It's too late for him to save Odette as he has already promised his heart to another.  Odette goes back to the lake and explains to her friends that Siegfried has broken his promise.  Siegfried chases after Odette to beg for her forgiveness.  Realizing that it's too late, Odette throws herself into the lake to die.  Siegfried follows her and sacrifices his life.  His sacrifice breaks the curse.  The two lovers are finally united in death.

"Danse des Petits Cygnes" from Tchaikovsky's "Swan Lake"

"Danse des Petits Cygnes" is performed in the second act of Tchaikovsky's "Swan Lake," the fourth movement of No. 13.  The title of the piece translates to "dance of the little swans."  It is very challenging for the dancers to perform as they are all expected to move completely synchronized.  The "Danse des Petits Cygnes" piece is performed after Siegfried declares his love for Odette.  It's directly after he has promised to break the spell of the sorcerer that is on Odette and her friends.  It is performed at the end of Act II.  

Articulation

"Danse des Petits Cygnes" from Tchaikovsky's "Swan Lake" ballet uses several different music articulations.  This piece has lots of staccato notes throughout it.  Staccato notes are played short and detached.  It also has slurred notes between the staccato notes.  The slurred notes are played smoothly one after another.  Throughout the piece, we can hear the violins switching back and forth from staccato notes to slurred notes.  We can see that the ballet dancers' choreography matches the different musical articulation used.  The articulation of the piece connects the music with the dancers.  They work together to form unity in the performance.

Dynamics

"Danse des Petits Cygnes" makes use of dynamics throughout the whole piece.  Dynamics dictate how loudly or softly the notes should be played.  The piece starts out softly and gradually cresendos, or grows louder.  It then goes back to being soft and gradually cresendos again.  At the end of the piece, the music ends loudly.  The dynamics used throughout "Danse des Petits Cygnes" adds emotion.  It lets the audience feel the emotion of the characters in the piece that the dancers are representing.

Message Behind Tchaikovsky's "Swan Lake"

During the time that Tchaikovsky's "Swan Lake" was composed, women were often kept in circumstances and situations without much choice.  Men had most of the control and often made choices for women.  The "Swan Lake" ballet illustrates a woman stuck in a situation that a man put her in.  The ballet demonstrates that even when it seems that there is no way out, there always is a choice.  This was encouraging for women as the ballet depicted that even when you feel trapped, there always is a way of escape. 

Literature Cited:

Green, A.  11 March 2018.  History of Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake.  Live About.

3 November 2020.  Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake: the story and music of the Russian composer's ballet.  Classic FM.

Mackevic, E.  All you need to know about Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake.  Reader's Digest.

Nicholas, J.  3 March 2023.  'Swan Lake': Masterpiece Guide to Tchaikovsky's Romantic Ballet.  Udiscovermusic.

Lorenzon, M.  10 June 2018.  Deep Listen: Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake.  ABC Classic.