Stories Within Stories in Rimsky-Korsakov's Scheherazade
III. The Young Prince and The Young Princess

Three Things to Catch Your Ear

Before you press play, I'd ask you to listen for the violins, the harp and the small percussion instruments I tucked into the score. The main tune is warm and swaying, so let it rock you gently instead of trying to count along. When the mood turns lively and dance-like, you may catch the tambourine and the triangle adding a little sparkle. Near the end a solo violin steps forward on its own, and that's your sign that the journey is almost over.

Why Two Young People Got Top Billing

I'll be honest with you: the title of this movement was not there from the very beginning. I first planned to call my four movements Prelude, Ballade, Adagio and Finale, and then I switched to titles drawn from the Arabian Nights, after advice that included that of my friend Anatoly Lyadov. Which tale I had in mind for this movement is something I've never made clear, so the story goes that a young prince and a young princess simply found each other in the music. In a later edition I removed the titles altogether, because I wanted you to hear fairy-tale music with an oriental flavour rather than follow a fixed programme.

Choosing the Shape Was an Adventure

Choosing the form for this movement was an adventure in itself, and I'll tell you right away that it is neither a sonata nor a rondo. It is in G major and in ternary form, which means a first section, a contrasting middle and a return of the first, and it is considered the simplest of my four movements. My tempo markings along the way are Andantino quasi allegretto, Pochissimo più mosso, Come prima and Pochissimo più animato, and they show you how gently the pace shifts. I'll take the sections one by one in the next paragraphs, so you'll know exactly where you are when you listen.

Section 1: A Love Tune Settles In

I begin at an easy Andantino quasi allegretto, a comfortable walking pace that never hurries. The music is built on a warm, swaying love tune in G major, and it sounds like two people who are in no rush to say goodbye. Nothing dramatic happens here, and that is exactly the point, because I want you to learn this melody well. You'll need it later, since the rest of the movement plays with it.

Section 2: The Tune Puts On Dancing Shoes

Now the middle section arrives, and it is a lively, dance-like variation of the love tune. The music gets a little more movement, and the calm sway of the opening turns into something brighter and more playful. I haven't brought in a new melody, so what you hear is the same tune in a different mood. That change of mood is the contrast the ternary form promises, and it's where the young couple feel most carefree.

Section 3: Back Home, a Little Changed

Then I mark the music Come prima, which simply means "as before", and the swaying love tune returns. You'll recognize it at once, because you met it at the very start. It feels like coming back to a familiar room after a lively evening, with everything in its place but you yourself a bit different. This return completes the ternary shape, and it gives the whole movement a feeling of having come full circle.

Section 4: A Violin Says Goodnight

The movement ends with a violin cadenza, a moment when the violin plays alone and is free to sing as it pleases. After that comes the coda, the short closing passage that gathers the music together and settles it down. I've used the marking Pochissimo più animato among my directions, and you'll hear that the pace never stays still for long. When the last notes fade, the love tune has had its say, and the young prince and princess have had their moment.

Your Turn: Press Play

Now I invite you to hear this movement for yourself, so go ahead and press play. Let the music carry you, and keep in mind what we've talked about: the swaying tune, the lively dance in the middle, the return and the violin at the end. You don't need to know anything about classical music to follow it, because the tune does most of the work. I hope you find the journey through The Young Prince and The Young Princess as delightful as I did when I wrote it.