The Instrument: Peter and the Wolf

      Chances are, you have heard the tale of Peter and the Wolf. And when I say heard, I mean exactly that, as Peter and the Wolf is no ordinary story. It is a very well known children's story, but it is quite unique in the sense that the tale of Peter and his adventures in the forests is grounded to the musical world. Although since its birth and inception as a story, Peter and the Wolf has been adapted into almost all forms of media ranging from live action adaptations to Disney animations, Peter and the Wolf was originally just a soundtrack. Written by Russian composer Sergei Prokofiev in 1936, this unique composition told the story of a young pioneer named Peter and his interactions with all the animals of the forest near his home, and it does so solely with instruments and an accompanying narration. Just as a picture book relies on images to fabricate an imaginary world, Peter and the Wolf relies on sounds to provide the substance of the story. How are the themes of nature and the relationships between man and animal portrayed through sound? How does Peter and the Wolf accomplish this feat? Well, based on the lens of this blog, I'm sure you have already guessed the answer: instrumentation.

Record cover of Disney's adaptation of Peter and the Wolf

     The score of Peter and the Wolf is performed by a fully fleshed out orchestra, consisting of string, wind, brass, and percussion instruments. You have probably seen an orchestra perform before, and if you haven't, just trust me, they're big. It's quite an awesome experience to see the sea of musicians and their instruments, all swaying to the motions of the conductor. Anyways, this massive collective of music serves as the foundation for the story of Peter and the Wolf. It also presents a challenge. How can the emotional content of a story be portrayed by such a variety of instruments and components? And, since Prokofiev was commissioned to create this piece to "cultivate musical tastes in children from the first years of school," how could this be done in a way that could be appreciated by children? Well, before I delve into this, I suggest that you give this recording a listen. The introductory narrator will begin to paint you a picture of what really makes this piece tick. The entire piece is roughly around thirty minutes long, but just pay close attention to the opening couple of minutes and continue reading. 

     So, clearly, instrumentation really plays a vital role in Peter and the Wolf. Instead of solely composing a piece that contains the emotional connotations of certain musical modes and keys, Prokofiev does something extremely intriguing. He assigns instruments, and their distinct sounds, to the numerous characters of the story. Prokofiev did not do this randomly, either. He connected instruments to animals based on the relationship between the instrument's sound type and the personality of the animal. For example, the high, lightly fluttering sound of the flute represents the bird in the story. Meanwhile, the lower and more meandering sound of the oboe represents the waddling duck. There was definitely a method to his madness.