Peter And The Wolf
Peter And The Wolf is a musical composition and story written by the Russian composer Sergei Prokofiev. He wrote both the story and music in 1936 for a children's theatre in Moscow. It was written as an introduction to the orchestra with each character being represented by an instrument or group of instruments.
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You can read a shortened version of the story of Peter And The Wolf below. Click on the highlighted words to hear each character's theme.
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If you would like to watch a performance by the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, narrated by Maestro Bramwell Tovey, click here.
The Story
One morning, Peter opened the gate and went out on a big green meadow. (Peter's theme) On the branch of a tree sat a bird. (Bird's theme) The little bird chirped happily. A duck came waddling around. (Duck's theme) She went for a swim in the pond in the meadow. The bird and the duck argued because the duck didn't want to fly - she wanted to swim. Suddenly a cat came slinking up through the grass. (Cat's theme) "Look out!" shout Peter, and the bird and the duck flew to safety.
Grandfather came out. (Grandfather's theme) He was angry because Peter had gone to the meadow. "It's dangerous in the meadow! If a wolf should come out of the forest, then what would you do?" he demanded. Peter didn't pay any attention to his grandfather because he was a brave hunter. But grandfather took Peter home and locked the gate. No sooner was Peter gone than a wolf came out of the forest. (Wolf's theme) The cat and the bird hid in the tree while the wolf paced below. Peter watched from the gate. He ran home, got a rope and climbed up the stone wall. From the wall he climbed onto the tree, made a lasso and let it down, catching the wolf by the tail. The wolf tried to get loose. Just when it appeared the wolf might get loose, the hunters came out of the woods. (Hunters' theme) They helped Peter take the wolf to the zoo.
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The Characters
The Bird
Listen to the bird theme. Do you know which instrument plays this solo? It's the flute! What do you think makes the flute sound like a bird? Is the music fast or slow? Is it high or low?
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Find a ribbon or scarf and create a dance or movement for the bird solo.
The Duck
Listen to the duck theme. Do you recognize this instrument? It's the oboe! What is the tempo (speed) of this solo? Is it fast, medium or slow?
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Try patting the beat while you listen. Then listen again while moving to the music. It will help you figure out the tempo.
The Cat
Listen to the cat theme. Which instrument is playing? It's the clarinet!
Is the pitch high, medium or low? (Hint: If you listen to the bird (flute) and grandfather (bassoon), is the clarinet as high as the flute, as low as the bassoon, or in the middle?)
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How about the tempo (speed)? Is it fast, medium or slow? Try patting the beat and then moving like a
cat to the music.
Grandfather
Listen to Grandfather's theme. Do you know which instrument is playing? It's the bassoon!
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Is the pitch high, medium or low?
Is the tempo fast, medium or slow?
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The Wolf
Here is the wolf theme. It is played by three French Horns. How does the music feel to you? Does it feel happy, sad, scary or something else?
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Try moving like a wolf while you listen again to the wolf theme.
Peter
Hunters
Listen to the Hunters' theme. The melody is played by the woodwind family. In the background, the string family is playing pizzicato, meaning that the players are plucking the strings instead of playing with a bow.
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Try marching to the beat, like the Hunters.
Hunters' Rifles
At the end of the Hunters' theme, we can hear the timpani. Timpani are tuned kettle drums, so we hear the drums playing different pitches (high and low sounds). These timpani represent the Hunters' rifles.
Activities
Watch The Movie
Click here to watch an animated version of Peter And The Wolf.