Peter and the Wolf
A symphonic tale introducing children to orchestral instruments.
Peter and the Wolf (Russian: Пе́тя и волк), Op. Described as a 'symphonic tale for children,' it combines a narrator telling a Russian folk tale with an orchestra that illustrates each character through specific instruments and themes. The work was commissioned by Natalya Sats, director of the Central Children's Theatre in Moscow, to introduce children to the instruments of the orchestra.
- composer
- Sergei Prokofiev
- opus
- 67
- genre
- Symphonic tale for children
- premiere_venue
- Main hall of the Moscow Conservatory
- typical_duration
- About 25 minutes
Lore & Background
The first draft of the libretto, about a Young Pioneer who rights a wrong, was rejected by Prokofiev due to dissatisfaction with the rhyming text by Nina Sakonskaya. He then wrote his own libretto in which Peter and his animal friends capture a wolf, promoting Pioneer virtues and illustrating Soviet themes. Prokofiev produced a piano version in under a week, finishing on 15 April, and completed the orchestration on 24 April.
Reader's Guide
A more successful performance with Sats narrating followed later that month at the Moscow Pioneers Palace. The U.S. The piece remains a staple for introducing children to orchestral instruments, with each character represented by a specific instrument: the bird by a flute, the duck by an oboe, the cat by a clarinet, the grandfather by a bassoon, the wolf by three horns, Peter by the string quartet, and the hunters by timpani and bass drum.
Did You Know?
- The duck is swallowed whole by the wolf, and careful listeners can hear her quacking inside the wolf's belly at the end.
- The 2006 stop-motion adaptation by Suzie Templeton won the Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film.
- The original libretto was about a Young Pioneer who rights a wrong by challenging an adult, but Prokofiev rewrote it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which orchestra instruments represent each character in Peter and the Wolf?
The bird is voiced by the flute, the duck by the oboe, the cat by the bassoon, the grandfather by the bass, the wolf by the French horns, and Peter by the full string section. This one-instrument-per-character design was the whole point of the piece: to let kids learn to pick out each timbre.
Why was Peter and the Wolf written in the first place?
Natalya Sats, director of Moscow's Central Children's Theatre, commissioned the work so that young audiences could learn to recognize individual orchestral instruments in context. Prokofiev built a narrator-led folk tale around that educational goal, letting each character's theme introduce a new instrument.
How does the story of Peter and the Wolf end?
Peter lassos the wolf with a rope and the captured animal is marched off to the zoo. The piece closes with a full-orchestra tutti passage, symbolizing the whole ensemble playing together as one.
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