Music and the Fictive Dream: Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy

 In this blog post, I chose to discuss Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy as it was performed in The Nutcracker. This piece of music was originally written by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky and originally performed in 1892 in St. Petersburg, Russia. This song was written to be performed by the lead female ballerina in The Nutcracker, which premiered at the same time. This piece of music is known as the most well known song performed in The Nutcracker musical, often being played in advertisements around Christmas time.

During its conception the Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy was designed to sound like "drops of water shooting from a fountain." Because of this, Tchaikovsky was in search of an instrument that could create such a sound. In 1891, he was introduced to the celesta and decided it was the exact sound he was looking for. A celesta is similar to a piano however its sound is much different. The instrument produces a chime-like sound, produced by hammers striking different metallic plates inside the instrument and creating the distinctive bell-like sound. Below is a picture of a celesta for reference and a snip of the instrument being played to show what it sounds like. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Aw7HAyq54rw



The Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy serves as the peak of the musical, when the main character is taken to a land of magical sweets and regaled with various stories about the land. Upon completion of this piece, the main character wakes up in her home and tells her family about the story, which they claim was not real and never happened. This musical is one Christmas-time story and performance that does not mention Santa or traditional Christian themes. Instead, this work, while happening on Christmas eve, is closer related to a story written by the Brothers Grimm. It receives mixed reactions from children, as some find it frightening while others find it exciting and magical. 

In a social context, the Sugar Plum Fairy depicted in the piece and the musical represents a higher being that is inherently good, kind, and helpful. She represents an otherworldly figure that can aid humans and inspires hope in others to do the right thing as well as to look at the magical side of life. In my personal opinion, this is one of my favorite musicals to watch and listen to during the holiday season, with Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy serving as my favorite piece of music included. With the difference in range, dynamics, timbre and pitch creating a magical feeling and leading the listener to believe they are in a dream. The piece features the celesta, with its distinctive timber causing it to stand out among other musical pieces cementing its place in history. The song features soft, high-pitches tones and differentiations between andante and allegro tempos which increase the intensity and emotion of the piece. The way this piece is performed sounds like a music box being played, adding to the feeling  of being in a dream. 

Below is a video showing Lauren Cuthbertson performing Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy during a performance of The Nutcracker at the Royal Opera House in 2018.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zV1qLYukTH8


Sources:

            Contributors to Wikimedia projects. (2025, July 3). Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy. Simple English Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dance_of_the_Sugar_Plum_Fairy

            The Origins of the Celesta:the Birth of the Celesta  - Musical Instrument Guide - Yamaha Corporation. www.yamaha.com/en/musical_instrument_guide/celesta/structure.

            Toronto Symphony Orchestra. “Introducing: The Celeste.” YouTube, 6 Feb. 2015, www.youtube.com/watch?v=Aw7HAyq54rw.

            MacInnes, Tom. “Keepin’ It Classy: Composition #47/50: The Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky.” Tom MacInnes, Writer, 7 Dec. 2023, tommacinneswriter.com/2023/12/07/keepin-it-classy-composition-47-50-the-dance-of-the-sugar-plum-fairy-by-pyotr-ilyich-tchaikovsky.

            “The Magic of the Sugar Plum Fairy Continues – Sierra Nevada Ballet.” Sierra Nevada Ballet, sierranevadaballet.org/the-magic-of-the-sugar-plum-fairy-continues.

            Royal Ballet and Opera. “Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy From the Nutcracker (the Royal Ballet).” YouTube, 1 Dec. 2017, www.youtube.com/watch?v=zV1qLYukTH8.


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