Hello everyone! This time of year is iconic for its repertoire in music, art, and film. The works of the great masters of old shines so much in what we now consider to be the Christmas season. None less than Tchaikovsky's Nut-Cracker Suite and the Christmas portion of Handel's Messiah. I have decided to analyze the music of these great work, one movement at a time, in recognition of this Christmas season. I am posting my findings here in order to further my own understanding, and to provide some insights for you to read here. So, without further adieu, let's get into the Miniature Overture to Tchaikovsky's Nut-Cracker Suite!
Analysis
Form
One of the most important things to take into consideration when first analyzing a piece of music is its form. The form of a piece often provides insight in regards to the harmonic palette which will be explored. In this case, the piece's form is very similar to Sonata Form. The only difference being this piece does not include a development. It has a theme I in the tonic, a theme II in the dominant and then repeats moving theme II to the tonic. This reminds me very much of the relationship between a sonata movement's exposition (in which theme I is in the tonic and theme II is in the dominant) and a sonata movement's recapitulation (in which both theme I and II are in the tonic key). This overture is unique in that it does not incorporate a development. Because of this, it is possible that this could simply be classified as binary form (A-B) Which repeats with the B section in the tonic key. Whatever the case, this movement is already quite peculiar.
Orchestration
Next, I would discuss the orchestration (which I did not have time to copy). One of the first things which jumped out at me was the fact that this entire movement excludes any "bass" instruments. It does not incorporate the cellos or basses, and only includes 2 horns for brass. The entire movement sticks to the higher register of the orchestra, and, as a result, I feel that this movement has an interesting "magical" effect. This use of higher instruments also leaves something missing that will be further explored in the work to come, creating a sense of suspense for the audience. Overall, I would classify this orchestral decision as quite ingenious on Tchaikovsky's part.
A general observation which I have made in much of Tchaikovsky's work is that the themes fit the instruments. It seems as if each theme featuring an instrument is tailored to that specific instrument's abilities. A perfect example of this is the flute part in measure 17 and the clarinet part in measure 21. I think the effect of this section would be lost if any other instruments had played it. The embedded excerpt starts with measure 17.
If I were to speak of every smart decision made in regards to orchestration, this section would be 100,000 words long. Tchaikovsky is one of the greatest orchestrators of all time.
Harmonics
In this section, I will discuss the harmonic structure of the piece. Below, you can see my harmonic analysis of the piece. Here is a list of my color coding:
Maroon = Pedal point
Pink = Passing tone or harmony (obviously, I did not label every passing tone).
Light blue = Sequence (obviously, I did not highlight all of the sequences).
I will discuss some of the sections now.
First of all, within the first theme, I consider several notes to be non-functional passing harmonies. I labeled them this way because I felt they were not actually landing where they should, and were instead placed for the chromatic descent they create.
Within the second theme, I consider the c and f to be pedal points. I think that what is most important is the use of parallel thirds between the soprano and the bass. As a result of this, the only harmonic points which I consider functional were the I and the I6/3. I consider everything else to be contrapuntal.
Overall, Tchaikovsky does not mess around when it comes to harmony. Often, I found myself confused by decisions (such as in measure 4 of theme II where the vii°4/2/ii leads to V7 rather than ii). The movement is quite complex in its use of harmony, and I did my best to describe what I feel is going on. (If you are unable to view this on Steempeak, here is the YouTube video).
Previous Analyses
The Nutcracker Suite
Miniature Overture (12/4)
Upcoming Analyses
Overture to the Messiah (12/5)
Conclusion
Thanks to everyone who read/watched this! I hope that my analysis has brought to light some of the incredible aspects of this movement. Please remember that feedback is always appreciated! I would love to see what you've observed within this movement, as well as what you feel about what I have included. Hopefully I will see you tomorrow!
(Note) In order to encourage meaningful feedback on the platform, I will check comment trails of users who leave superficial comments (ie "Awesome post," or "Upvoted.") and will mute any users who exhibit a pattern of leaving "spammy" comments.