Peter Tschaikowsky and the Nutcracker Ballet

Great Musicians

by Opal Wheeler

Describes the classical composer Tchaikovsky's life from the time he left home until just after he wrote the Nutcracker Ballet.

Genres: Music, Biography, Childrens

Hardcover

First published January 1, 1959

Reviews

[Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well illustrated children’s book by noted author. Includes musical scores.

My curiosity is awakened. I want to learn more about this incredible composer who needed quiet ti write, loved to travel and had a soft heart for children.

The Nutcracker is featured in the last chapter.

[ladydusk · Rating 5 out of 5]

Own.

We read this because the girls are going to see The Nutcracker this weekend. We loved it.

The writing is so sweet and lovely. She makes Tchaikovsky come to life. He was loving, shy, and creative. The music was just there and he drew inspiration from the world around him. His love for the world and travel are expressed, while at the same time his love for a quiet, retired home life is clear.

His love for children ... nieces, nephews, students, beggars on the street ... is endearing.

One minor complaint is that the Nutcracker Ballet is not as much a focus as I had expected from the title. If you're looking for the Nutcracker as a story, you should look elsewhere.

I've been collecting Opal Wheeler books and reading this made me so happy that I've done so.

[Krista the Krazy Kataloguer · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'd been looking forward to reading this, and was very disappointed that I didn't like it. The writing was so disjointed, jumping from scene to scene abruptly and obviously skipping over a lot. This biography was fictionalized, which was all right except I can't imagine that he called his two twin brothers "my dears" and "my dear children" in reality. It left me wanting to find a real biography of Tchaikovsky so that I could get the real story with the straight facts.

[Monica Norris · Rating 1 out of 5]

Very disappointed with this book. I love Tchaikovsky and his music and the Nutcracker ballet… this book was a disorganized disheveled mess, poorly written… didn’t know half of what was going on, it jumping all over the place from scene to scene with no connections between them, no character development, barely any historical accuracy of how Tchaikovsky lived his life or the deeply sad yet beautiful origin of the Nutcracker. There was almost NOTHING in the book about the process of Tchaikovsky’s writing The Nutcracker even though that’s the title of the book. Less than two pages of this 96 page book even mentioned The Nutcracker and all it was… was someone telling Tchaikovsky what the story was, him saying he would compose it into a ballet, and thats it. Terrible book, don’t bother reading it

[Jessica Roberts · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautifully written narrative with lovely, simple illustrations. So fun that sheet music is included throughout for readers (assuming a level of musical literacy) to play and hear, adding more dimension and understanding to the storyline. I cannot speak to the historical accuracy, but it’s a wonderful way to pique interest and inspire new ideas. A very fun read, especially for children already interested in his music or ballets! My 4 and 6 year old, ballet-loving children, and their parents thoroughly enjoyed this book.

[M Guerette · Rating 3 out of 5]

I skimmed this. Will be entertaining for 6-10yo. The story is choppy as it jumps from one exciting moment to the next. There is an overuse of exclamation points. However I appreciated reading about the different pieces that came from different menta in his life. There are QR codes for the musical scores included.

[Cheryl · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5-4 this was a good read, but I didn’t think it was as good as the one we read last month on Handel. I still learned from it, and the girls said they wanted to use these books for all the composers we do.

[M Guerette · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an ok read. I liked reading about the history of his work and how life events influenced his compositions. But the writing was jerky and filled with excessive exclamation points. Also has QR codes to play the music pieces included. Recommend if student is already interested in the subject.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5

Doesn’t actually talk much about the Nutcracker, but still interesting.

[Sally · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun introduction to Tschaikowsky and some of his music.