Peter and the Wolf is a composition by Sergei Prokofiev written in 1936 after his return to the Soviet Union. It is a children's story (with both music and text by Prokofiev), spoken by a narrator accompanied by the orchestra.
History of Peter and the Wolf
In 1936 Sergei Prokofiev was commissioned by Natalya Sats and the Central Children's Theatre in Moscow to write a new musical symphony for children. The intent was to cultivate "musical tastes in children from the first years of school". Intrigued by the invitation, Prokofiev completed Peter and the Wolf in just four days. The debut on 2 May 1936 was, in the composer's words, inauspicious at best: "[attendance] was poor and failed to attract much attention". He could scarcely have foreseen quite how successful his playful classic would become or how consistently it would delight and inspire children and adults of all ages for years to come.
Instrumentation of Peter and the Wolf
Peter and the Wolf is scored for flute, oboe, clarinet in A, bassoon, 3 horns, trumpet, trombone, timpani, triangle, tambourine, cymbals, castanets, snare drum, bass drum and strings.
Each character in the story has a particular instrument and a musical theme, or leitmotif:
- Bird: flute
- Duck: oboe
- Cat: clarinet
- Grandfather: bassoon
- Wolf: french horns
- Hunters: woodwind theme, with gunshots on timpani and bass drum
- Peter: string instruments
Peter and the Wolf. The story >>>
Peter and the Wolf. Recordings >>>
Peter and the Wolf. Adaptations of the work
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Peter and the Wolf. Walt Disney, 1946 >>>
Peter and the Wolf. Russia, 1958 >>>
Peter and the Wolf. Others >>>
Peter and the Wolf. Suzie Templeton, 2006 >>>
