In 1936, Russian born composer Sergei Prokofiev, for reasons that scholars still debate today, settled permanently in Russia after living abroad for several years.  He returned as Stalin’s purges and harsh policies, responsible for between fifteen and twenty-million deaths, were escalating (Fiero). He apparently believed that his talent and worldwide fame would give him the opportunity to create music without having to pander to anyone else’s agenda.  He was wrong.  In this time of terror and uncertainty, he composed “Peter and the Wolf”; an uplifting fairy tale that appealed to a wide audience.  It should be preserved because it is an example of how art, beauty and hope can come into being despite grim circumstances.

“Peter and the Wolf” is the story of a young Russian boy who lives with his protective grandfather.  In spite of his grandfather’s efforts to keep Peter inside and safe from harm, Peter ventures outside of their home into the field.  There, he encounters a wolf and captures it before hunters can shoot it.  In the end, Peter convinces the hunters and his grandfather to donate the wolf to the zoo.

The piece is a mixture of a narrated text accompanied by music.  You can read the transcript of Prokofiev’s original story here - http://library.thinkquest.org/C005400/musi/prokofievpnw.html.  A recording of “Peter and the Wolf” narrated by David Bowie can be found in four parts here - http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=peter+and+the+wolf+david+bowie&amp;oq=peter+and+the+wolf+David+&amp;gs_l=youtube-reduced.1.0.0l2.12010331.12011989.0.12013942.7.5.0.2.2.0.230.811.1j2j2.5.0...0.0...1ac.1.M89OUTgyo6c; all total the piece is about 25 minutes long.

The Soviet government unionized all of its artists (writers, painters, musicians, etc.) in 1932.  Ostensibly, the unions were “an organized system of patronage” that was supposed to free artists from the need to cater to their audiences.  In reality, the unions were “dictatorial organizations which made it easier for the authorities to maintain conformity through coercion” (Knight).

Nicolas Slonimsky points out that, “[p]opular songs everywhere are written mostly by musicians lacking formal education while the greatest composers of the classical past rarely if ever produced songs that people sing” (Slonimsky, Changing 247).  Prokofiev and other classically trained composers in the Soviet Union were essentially hostages to the unpolished tastes of the Communist Party; required to follow specific union dictates while trying to create something unique.

Through the unions, the Soviet government required its artists to conform to  “Socialist Realism” which exalted “the ideological benefits of communism” (Fiero).  In music, this meant that composers were obliged to create music that was accessible to the people; in essence, catchy tunes, and reminiscent of the traditional and familiar.

The proper style of music that fulfilled this goal was “realist music.”  In order for their music to qualify as realist, composers needed to include harmony (including scale progressions and cadential patterns), counterpoint, chromatic melodies, traditional instruments and form (Slonimsky, Changing Style 245-246).  “Peter and the Wolf” complied with these elements in various ways.

The work is full of chromatic elements (half-tone notes rapidly played in order).  The leitmotif (a recurrent theme in music generally associated with a particular character, idea or situation) of the bird in the flute part is an excellent example of Prokofiev’s compliance with realist music’s requisites for harmony, melody and instrumentation.  An example of a chromatic scale on the piano can be found here - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dpquC1HPyAI; it is 13 seconds long.  A chromatic scale on the flute can be found here - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2nljZdtxgx8 (25 seconds).  The leitmotif of the bird can be found at http://youtu.be/dHmu7XOP_Eg?t=1m18s; listen for 15 seconds.

Peter’s theme, played by the violins, is an example of the type of melody that the unions were looking for; “considerably chromatic,” meaning that it had a “folk-song-like” feel (Slonimsky, Changing Style 246).  You can hear an example this here - http://youtu.be/dHmu7XOP_Eg?t=49s; listen for about 20 seconds.

The instrument parts that Prokofiev composed for each character in the story were from “the orthodox orchestration of old Russian symphonic music, with a considerable role given to the lowest and the highest registers” (Slonimsky, Changing Style, 246). Prokofiev chose to use a bassoon to represent the character of Grandfather; you can hear the grandfather’s theme here - http://youtu.be/dHmu7XOP_Eg?t=2m23s; listen for about 20 seconds.  Not only did the instrument itself follow the prescribed format for realist music, but the grandfather’s theme contains cadential passages.

It is important to understand that the Soviet requirements for realist music meant that composers were not supposed to write compositions with modern and formalistic elements; predictably suppressing creativity and originality.  According to Guillaumier, Prokofiev’s “one governing principle, despite the aesthetic challenges he faced after his return to the Soviet Union, was to be original at all times and to be different.  To him, this meant that he was a ‘student of [his] own ideas.’”

So, while he wrote, “Peter and the Wolf” in an effort to be non-offensive to the Soviet regime, he also managed to managed to imbue the endorsed components of realist music with modern elements and did it subtly enough to not be censured (MacDonald).  The most prominent modern element in “Peter and the Wolf” is the use of ostinato, a persistently repetitive phrase.  An example of ostinato can be found here - http://youtu.be/AsD0FDLOKGA?t=47s; listen for about 20 seconds.

The grandfather’s theme is one place where Prokofiev used the ostinato technique; you can here it here - http://youtu.be/dHmu7XOP_Eg?t=2m45s; listen for just a few seconds.  Ultimately, the grandfather’s theme, while satisfying one of the components for realist music also satisfied Prokofiev’s need to produce original work and remain “‘a student of my own ideas’” (Guillaumier).

Other Russian composers lacked Prokofiev’s ability to toe the party line and remain true to themselves.  For example, in 1936, Dmitri Shostakovich was publicly rebuked in an article appearing in Pravda; the officially sanctioned Soviet newspaper.  The article maintained that his opera “Lady MacBeth of the District of Mtsensk” was vulgar and formalistically grotesque. (Schalks, Slonimsky, Soviet Music 7)  He promptly issued a statement accepting the Pravda criticism, endorsed it as valid and then withdrew his Fourth Symphony from rehearsals, presumably to protect himself from further government attacks.  His Fifth Symphony appeased the government and he was able to continue with his career.  From that point on, however, he carefully followed the dictates of the Soviet Union.

Typically, people received and interpreted “Peter and the Wolf” from their own perspectives and to promote their own agendas.  At first, it wasn’t popular with adult audiences, but within a few showings that rapidly changed.  “In short order, the work was charming audiences far beyond Soviet Russia. It clearly knew no geographic or demographic boundaries” (Smith).

It became a teaching tool for children about orchestral instruments and introducing them to music.  Prokofiev himself said that, “for me - the story was important only as a means to induce the children to listen to the music” (Smith).

The score is advanced enough that adults can enjoy it.  At the same time, the music is engaging and interesting enough to appeal to children.  It is only about 20 minutes long and each section of the music is broken up by narrated text that explains what is happening in the story.

As popular as it was, it did not escape criticism.  One music critic for the “Music Letters and Review,” the leading journal of British music scholarship said that the music was simplified “to the point of childishness... As a composition the thing does not hang together... [The story] is delivered by a speaker who again and again holds up the limping progress of the score” (E.B.).

Some people looked for hidden moral and political meanings in the music.  Nicolas Slonimsky proposed a theory that the interactions between the duck and the bird represent the fight for superiority between air and land power in war while the wolf represents Adolf Hitler (Slonimsky, Soviet Music 9).  Harlow Robinson put forth the idea that the moral of the story is to think independently, question authority (even to the point of outright disobedience) and courageously take risks.  “Seen in this light, ‘Peter and the Wolf’ is a subtly subversive tract, encouraging children to rely on their wits and not on the greater experience (and inertia) of their elders” (Smith).

“Peter and the Wolf” is one of the most popular pieces of music in the twentieth century.  It is just as popular today as it was when it was released.  Several film adaptations have been produced, including one by Disney in 1946.  You can watch it here - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rWaYWdAl14w; 15 minutes.  In 2010, PBS aired a stop action film directed by Suzie Templeton which did not contain any of the dialog that Prokofiev wrote.  It also changed certain parts of the story, reflecting a more modern bent.  It can be viewed in its entirety here - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n7jkJU9p0N0; it is 32 minutes long.

It is almost a given that celebrities will narrate the story for either a commercial venture or a live performance.  Past narrators of “Peter and the Wolf” include Dom DeLuise, Patrick Stewart, Sting, Sharon Stone, Peter Ustinov, Sophia Loren, John Gielgud, Eleanor Roosevelt, Dudley Moore and even Captain Kangaroo (Azerrad).

In 1975, Jack Lancaster produced a progressive rock version of “Peter and the Wolf.”  It was narrated by Viv Stanshall.  In this adaptation, each character is still represented by a musical instrument, however, each part is performed by different rock musicians; among them Phil Collins, Percy Jones, Stephanie Grappelli, Gary Moore and Manfred Mann.  You can listen to it here - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fVfjGhLmqUY; 38 minutes long.

In 1988, Weird Al Yankovic released an album containing his version of “Peter and the Wolf.”  In typical Yankovic fashion, he revised the script.  Instead of a rope, Peter captured the wolf with his grandfather’s spool of unwaxed dental floss.  The hunters in the story are members of the National Rifle Association and they enter the scene “firing their magnums, uzies [sic] and bazookas.”  According to Yankovic’s script, “[b]oys like Peter are afraid of a lot of things, like nuclear annihilation and flunking algebra, but they're not afraid of wolves. You can read the script here - (http://www.sing365.com/music/lyric.nsf/Peter-and-the-Wolf-lyrics-Weird-Al-Yankovic/989A160D24E0B796482578E6003559A0).  You can hear his performance here - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MEapbu2F8ao; about 30 minutes long.

Igor Stravinsky wrote a piece of music for children called “The Five Fingers” in 1921. “The work is a set of eight little piano pieces, in each of which the pianist’s right hand is kept over a set of five keys that are within reach of the hand without a change of position” (Cazden 61).  In theory, it was for children, but it did not appeal to children at all.  Actually, it was reminiscent of the hours and hours of tedious and boring exercises that all musicians must endure.  You can listen to the music and watch the hand position here - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mL5Ouvt9xUY; about three minutes long.

The composition itself is too complicated to engage a child’s attention or interest.  In spite of the fact that the music was spawned by childhood experiences, it was really written for the “music-aesthete who [was] intrigued by the constructive technique of Stravinsky” (Cazden 61).  As a result, even though it is a relatively simple piece to play, it does not inspire an interest in music (Cazden).

Conversely, “Peter and the Wolf” delights young and old listeners alike.  The melodies are distinctive and memorable.  The story draws a child’s attention thereby sparking a fascination for music.  Its appeal lies in the universal, fairy tale like quality of Peter’s story.

Instead of a particularly individual starting point, one that not everyone can appreciate like Stravinsky’s in “The Five Fingers”, “Peter and the Wolf” is based on the common experience of almost everyone’s childhood.  “Peter [is] immediately recognizable as a boy we know, or as a boy any of us might have been... In Peter’s music there is no trace of despair” or unpleasant experiences (Cazden 62).

I used to listen to “Peter and the Wolf” as a child. When I listened to it recently to research this project, it brought back wonderful memories and feelings.  I learned again things I’d forgotten about instruments in an orchestra.

I used to think Peter was awesome for venturing out into the meadow in defiance of his grandfather.  Now, as a mother, I am not happy with Peter because his disobedience put his safety at risk.  It is my job to keep my children safe; in this case, killing the wolf would be my responsibility.  I recognize that, as they grow, children need to mature and take ownership of their own safety, but in Peter’s case, he had not matured enough to place himself in that type of jeopardy.

In spite of the bittersweet memories and feelings I have when I listen to this work, the story behind it is actually rather grim.  I find myself wishing that I never knew about the fact that Prokofiev was vulnerable to the whims of the Soviet powers that be.

Future generations need to learn from Prokofiev’s example; be aware of and utilize a child’s natural interest and curiosity as a starting point for learning.  Just like the science experiment where children build a papier-mâché model of a volcano and then mix baking soda and water to spark an interest in chemistry and geological phenomena, educators need to search for and create similar circumstances for learning.

For more advanced reasons, future generations will be able to appreciate Prokofiev’s example of how artistic creativity can be achieved in spite of precarious circumstances.  All artists in the Soviet Union were in a precarious position.  If they did not conform to the totalitarian dictates, they were vulnerable to any number of consequences; even death.  In spite of totalitarian attempts to control artistic expression, sometimes an original piece of art successfully slips under the radar.  Prokofiev managed such a feat with “Peter and the Wolf.”  He was surrounded by uncertainty, terror and danger but he still managed to produce a wonderful piece of music that did not completely bow to the repressive and strict dictates of the Soviet Union.

Works Cited

Azerrad, Michael. "The Wolf at the Door: Stalin and Prokofiev." eMusic - Stimulating Curious Musical Minds. Rovi Corporation, 08 2008. Web. 22 Nov 2012.  &lt;http://www.emusic.com/listen/#/music-news/spotlight/the-wolf-at-the-door-stalin-and-prokofiev/&gt;

This article provided most of the information I used about how “Peter and the Wolf” is viewed in modern times.  I got a partial list of narrators and also found about about the Rock-n-Roll and Weird Al Yankovic versions.

Bass, Richard. “Prokofiev’s Technique of Chromatic Displacement.” Music Analysis. 7.2 (Jul., 1988) (1988): 197-214. Web. 25 Nov. 2012.  &lt;JSTOR&gt;

This article talked about the talked about and compared the techniques used by Shostakovich in his “Children’s Album” and Prokofiev’s use of chromatic notes in his music.

Cazden, Norman. “Humor in the Music of Stravinsky and Prokofiev.” Science &amp; Society. 18.1 (Winter, 1954) (1954): 52-74. Web. 25 Nov. 2012.  &lt;JSTOR&gt;

This article specifically compared Prokofiev’s “Peter and the Wolf” to Stravinsky’s “The Five Fingers.”  Cazden was writing about how each composer used humor in their works, but I used it for the technical comparison.

E.B., . “Prokofiev, Sergei, “Peter and the Wolf: a Musical Tale for Children,” Op.67.” Music &amp; Letters. 23.3 (Jul., 1942 264. Web. 24 Nov. 2012.  &lt;JSTOR&gt;

A review of “Peter and the Wolf” that described Prokofiev’s compliance with Soviet dictates that required simple music and criticized him for dumbing down his work.

Elsworth, John. "Prokofiev And Twentieth-Century Culture." Slavonica 9.1 (2003): 35-37. Academic Search Complete. Web. 12 Nov. 2012.

This article is a review of a conference held in 2003 at the University of Manchester about Prokofiev and his influence on twentieth century culture.

Fiero, Gloria K.. Trans. Array The Humanistic Tradition. 6th ed. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2011. Print.

This is the humanities text for this course. It provides a good general overview of general history.  I used for background information about Prokofiev’s eventual denouncement by the Soviet government and the requirements by the Soviet unions for its artists.

Holoman, D. Kern. “Evenings with the Orchestra: A Norton Companion for Concert Goers.” First. New York: W. W. Norton &amp; Company, Inc., 1992. 430, 433, 436-437. Print.  22 Nov. 2012.

I used this for general background history and for a quote by Prokofiev about “Peter and the Wolf”; specifically what he was trying to accomplish when he wrote it.

Knight, Judson. "Sergei (Sergeevich) Prokofiev." Contemporary Authors Online. Detroit: Gale, 2001. Gale Biography In Context. Web. 25 Nov. 2012.

This page listed each and every writing, composition, symphony and opera that Prokofiev produced.  It also discussed the precarious political situation Prokofiev lived in after he emigrated permanently to Russia.  It is another source that described his naive belief that the Soviet Union would not intrude upon his output.

MacDonald, Ian. "An interpretation of the composer." Prokofiev, Prisoner of the State. Southern Illinois University Edwardson, n.d. Web. 25 Nov. 2012. &lt;http://www.siue.edu/~aho/musov/proko/prokofiev1.html&gt;.

This article discussed the Soviet Central Committee’s creation of centralized unions and Prokofiev’s apparent belief that the unions were benevolent entities.   Ian McDonald was a music critic and author who wrote “The New Shostakovich”.
&lt;http://www.enotes.com/new-shostakovich-salem/new-shostakovich&gt;

Montagu-Nathan, M. “Sergei Prokofiev (1891-1953).” Musical Times. 94.1323 (May, 1953) (1953): 209-210. Web. 25 Nov. 2012.  &lt;JSTOR&gt;

An obituary which discussed the unique situation that Russian composers faced under Soviet rule; a stifling of their creativity in order to maintain the approval of the government - a reality that could affect their livelihood or threaten their lives.

Prokofiev, Sergei. “Prokofiev Explains.” The Musical Times. 89.1266 (Aug., 1948) (1948): 233. Web. 25 Nov. 2012.  &lt;JSTOR&gt;

On February 22, 1948, “a resolution by the Central Committee for the Russian Communist Party” was published in the Soviet press.  The Musical Times criticized that resolution in their March, 1948 edition.  Prokofiev wrote an article for a Soviet newspaper that supported the resolution.  This article is the English translation of his words.

Schalks, Arnold. "Arnold Schalks, Lady Macbeth of the Mtsensk District, Muddle instead of music." Arnold Schalks Internet Archive, Arnold Schalks, visual artist, artist statement. N.p.. Web. 25 Nov 2012.

Contained a translation of the Pravda article from 1936 which condemned Shostakovich’s opera, “Lady Macbeth of the Mtsensk District.”  This gave background into the state of Soviet musicians and how the Soviet machine controlled the creativity and output of its composers.

"Sergei Sergeevich Prokofiev." Encyclopedia of World Biography. 2nd ed. Vol. 12. Detroit: Gale, 2004. 458-460. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Web. 24 Nov. 2012.

This article provided an example of one of Prokofiev’s contemporaries that died at the hands of the Soviet government for not successfully adhering to Soviet dictates.

Slonimsky, Nicolas. “The Changing Style of Soviet Music.” Journal of the American Musicological Society. 3.3 (Autumn, 1950) (1950): 236-255. Web. 23 Nov. 2012.  &lt;JSTOR&gt;

An article discussing how art was “conditioned by the political and national ideology of a secular power” and how that power influenced and dictated the evolution of Soviet music.

Slonimsky, Nicolas. “Soviet Music and Musicians." Slavonic and East European Review. American Series. 3.4 (Dec., 1944) (1944): 1-18. Web. 25 Nov. 2012.  &lt;JSTOR&gt;

An article describing the Pravda article that condemned Shostakovich’s opera, “Lady Macbeth of the Mtsensk District” and his efforts to redeem himself to the Soviet government.  This article also suggested a “hidden political meanings" in "Peter and the Wolf" including the idea that the wolf from the opera represents Adolf Hitler.

Smith, Tim. "Peter &amp; the Wolf - Essay: Prokofiev." Great Performances - PBS. Educational Broadcasting Corporation, n.d. Web. 27 Nov 2012.
&lt;http://www.pbs.org/wnet/gperf/episodes/peter-the-wolf/essay-prokofievs-peter-the-wolf/27/&gt;.

An essay about Peter and the Wolf written to introduce a stop action production that premiered in 2010.

Stewart, Andrew. "Sergei Prokofiev: Beyond 'Peter and the Wolf' - the rehabilitation of Stalin's composer." Independent. 08 2012: n. page. Web. 25 Nov. 2012. &lt;http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/classical/features/sergei-prokofiev-beyond-peter-and-the-wolf--the-rehabilitation-of-stalins-composer-6286438.html&gt;.

An interview with Vladimir Jurowski, principal conductor of the London Philharmonic Orchestra about Prokofiev wherein he tries to offer a more complete view of Prokofiev’s mindset when he returned to Russia in 1936 and other aspects of Prokofiev’s personality.

Tarchalski, Helen Smith. "Meet The Composers Serge Prokofiev." Clavier Companion 4.2 (2012): 76-77. Academic Search Complete. Web. 24 Nov. 2012.

This is another article that described the political situation that Prokofiev lived with in the Soviet Union and the dilemma he faced with his compositions; if he was too original he was censured but if he was too traditional he was not creative enough.

Further Readings and Interesting Links

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kEXDKQIJkS4 - A performance of Peter and the Wolf,  narrated in Russian by Natalia Sats, the woman who asked Prokofiev to compose "Peter and the Wolf."  At around eight minutes, the narrator begins to introduce the instruments to the children in the audience.

Beatboxing Flute “Peter and the Wolf” - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c6SHsF1n9Qw&amp;playnext=1&amp;list=PL3CBF83AAF2AA77B1&amp;feature=results_video

What does Chromatic mean - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SOV-MhfBysg