Swan Lake music box
For many people, Swan Lake is the sound of a jewellery box opening and a tiny ballerina beginning to turn. It is a natural choice for little dancers.
- Tune
- Swan Lake
- Composer
- Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
- Origin
- Ballet, Op. 20, premiered 1877
The story behind the tune
Tchaikovsky composed Swan Lake in 1875–76, and it was first performed at the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow in 1877. The ballet tells of Odette, a princess turned into a swan by a sorcerer’s curse.
The early production was not a great success. The version most companies dance today grew from an 1895 revival in St Petersburg, after Tchaikovsky’s death. The haunting swan theme has since become one of the most recognised melodies in ballet.
How it sounds on a music box
The swan theme is a long, singing line that sounds beautifully wistful on a comb, the same pairing generations of ballerina jewellery boxes made famous. Final arrangements for the Musical Drawer are still being developed.
Lovely for
- Little ballet dancers
- A dress-up or costume drawer
- Recital or end-of-year gifts