Stretch Your Wings with Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake
Waltz
Swan Lake, Op. 20, ballet in four acts (1877)
I'm Tchaikovsky, and I'm pleased to explain the Waltz from my ballet Swan Lake to you. You'll hear the music for Prince Siegfried's coming-of-age celebration in the castle park, a waltz in A major whose melody slips in on the second beat, and that small detail makes it sway so naturally. Here on this site my fellow composers and I also teach you to recognize our pieces when you hear them, so put yourself to the test once the last waltz step has faded.
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How to Listen Without a Diploma
Before anything else, listen for the beat, because a waltz counts to three and the whole piece leans on that count. I wrote it in 3/4, so think of one slightly stronger step followed by two lighter ones, like someone walking down a staircase in very good shoes. Then wait for the melody, which doesn't start on the first beat but slips in on the second, just after the party has begun. If you can feel the count of three and notice that gentle late entrance, you can follow everything else I describe, whichever instruments happen to be playing.Why I Simply Called It Waltz
I called it Waltz because that is exactly what it is, a dance in three beats for people who want to move in circles. In the ballet it is No. 2 of Act I, and it belongs to the celebration of Siegfried coming of age in the castle park. A party like that needs music that everyone can step to, so a plain name seemed more honest than a fancy one. Critics of the first production called my score too symphonic, but I never understood why a good waltz shouldn't be allowed to sound full and grand.Choosing a Shape for the Dance
Choosing the form was an adventure, but anything too grand would have felt far too serious for a garden party. I picked something looser, a chain of waltz tunes in which the mood changes and the opening feeling comes back, much as guests keep returning to the same table. For this guide I'll split the piece into four sections, with A major as the bright home you can always come back to. Get ready, because I'm going to take them one by one in the next few paragraphs.Section 1: The Party Opens Its Doors
The first section sets the scene, and it sounds like a celebration that has just started and has plenty of time ahead of it. The music is in A major, which gives everything a warm, sunny color, and the pace is easy enough for a whole crowd to dance to. Nothing here is hurried or dramatic, because I wanted you to get comfortable with the three-beat sway before anything else happened. Think of it as the moment when you arrive, find a place to stand, and start smiling at strangers.Section 2: A Quick Change of Scenery
In the second section the color of the music shifts, and you can hear it even if you can't name what changed. The dancing pace stays steady, because dancers need something reliable under their feet, but the mood turns a little more playful and more varied. It feels as if the party has moved to another corner of the park, where a different group of guests is dancing a slightly different dance. This is where I show you that a waltz can wander a bit without ever losing its three-beat steadiness.Section 3: The Tune Comes Back for Seconds
By the third section you'll recognize the feeling of the opening again, like a friendly face coming back into the room. It returns in the sunny home key of A major, and after the wandering of the second section it sounds even more welcoming. I like this moment because the music doesn't need to explain anything, and you simply feel that you've arrived somewhere familiar. If you tap your knee in threes here, you'll notice that your hands already know exactly where to go.Section 4: Taking a Bow
The last section gathers up the energy of the whole dance and brings the party to a cheerful finish. Everything feels a little fuller and more festive, as if the dancers know the music is about to end and want to enjoy every last turn. In the story the prince is still enjoying his birthday, and he has no idea that a flock of swans will soon catch his eye. That small hint of what's coming is why I like to think of this waltz as a happy beginning rather than only a pretty one.Over to You
Now it's your turn to hear it for yourself, so find a comfortable spot and press play. As you listen, keep in mind the count of three, the melody that slips in on the second beat, and the way the mood changes from one section to the next. You don't need to catch everything on the first try, because a waltz is happy to be heard again. I hope the journey through my Waltz gives you as much pleasure as it gave me when I wrote it.---
I hope you enjoyed this listen guide to the Waltz from Swan Lake. If you did, I'd love to hear that it made the next listen feel a little different. The Waltz is only one small doorway into the ballet, and I'm glad you stepped through it. Once you know that the melody slips in on the second beat, you may start noticing how much of the piece is built on small, gentle surprises like that. There is still a great deal of Swan Lake left to explore. The ballet opened at the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow in 1877, and the first production was received rather coolly. I died in 1893, so I never saw the 1895 revival in Saint Petersburg, where the ballet began to find the audience it deserved. There are also different endings, different choreographies, and the story of the swans themselves, which changed in interesting ways over the years. If any of that makes you curious, please click on the links provided to keep exploring Swan Lake. You'll find more of the music there, and more of the stories behind it. Whenever you come back to the Waltz, I hope you hear it as a good friend and not only as a piece you've studied. Thank you for listening with me.