Janewit Boonchai

5470160

Peter and the Wolf

Sergei Prokofiev composed Peter and the wolf in 1936. The intent of this
composition was to grow interest in music for children. The music is basically a story for
children spoken by a narrator. It has a concept of telling story tale through orchestral
instruments. The composer wrote the music and the text by himself. The story is about
young boy who plans to catch the wolf. A specific instrument represents each character in
the story.
The opening section of the music introduces the characteristic of each instrument.
The instrument players will play their characters melody in the very beginning. The
theme of each instrument is played repeatedly in the music. Because each instrument has
a different personalize timber, it represents each character properly. Peter is represented
by the strings (violin, viola, cello and double bass). The flute plays high notes and
running passage to represent a bird. The oboe which sounds like a duck represents a
duck. The clarinet plays in low register to represent a clumsy fat cat. The bassoon
represents grandfather. And finally, horns represent the fox.
Prokofiev uses each instrument to play its melody to tell a story going on with
each character. When Peter goes out for hunting, the strings play a joyful melody. It also
sounds like a march too. Then, Peter met the bird; the flute plays the melody that
represents the bird. The bird is fast and it can fly up high, so the flute plays high notes
and some running passage. When the duck is chasing after the bird, the oboe and the
flute are playing together with energetic motif.
Peter and the Wolf has been a good example that let the audiences imagination
runs wild. He uses distinctive character of each instrument to the fullest. Each character
has its own melody to display what each character is doing. The orchestration in this
suite is exciting because Prokofiev used many instruments. He brought everything in
each instrument that shows how the music displays itself. Flute has a vibrant and bright
tone color in the high register, so he wrote the part for flute to imitate the sound of bird
song. Many composers are so inspired by bird song that they write some solo for flute.
Clarinet has a big warm sound in the low register. This sound can really relate to a fat cat
in the story. Oboe, which is a double reed instrument, has a clear and somehow
penetrating. Its sound in high register is thin, but in the other way strong in low register.
The instrument can express the lyrical passage very well. In Peter and the Wolf, oboe is a
duck. Bassoon is the other double reed instrument. It has a bigger sound because the
instrument is bigger. Horn has a heroic sound. This sound can relate to the manipulative
conniving wolf real good.

The story of Peter and the Wolf explained that Peter who loves adventures
walking in the woods. He saw a duck, a bird, and a cat. He wanted to go hunting the
wolf with his mew companions he met, but Peters grandfather wont allow it. So Peter
escape on his own. Finally he beat the nasty wolf. In the scene that the wolf swallow his
victims, this part of music is messy and fast.
The piece has been performed in many countries since Prokofiev wrote. It is a
new way of classical music appreciation for the new generation like me. I thank
Prokofiev a lot for writing this music, so I can learn and love classical music much more
than I already have.