Peter And The Wolf

Peter and the Wolf composed by Sergei Prokofiev is a children's story that is told through various instruments performing as a symphony orchestra. There were seven characters in Peter in the Wolf all represented by different Instruments. The flute represented the bird, the oboe represented the duck, the clarinet represented the cat, the bassoon represented the grandfather, three french horns represented the wolf, the string section represented Peter, and the tympany and big bass drum represented the sound of gunshots.

The first instruments to begin playing are the strings (Peter), then enters the flute (bird), the oboe (duck), and eventually clarinet (cat). As these “characters” interact with each other the piece maintains a lighthearted tone. This lightheartedness is achieved by the andante tempo keeping everything fun and whimsical. The beginning of this piece is in a major key which is upbeat and happy. The key and tempo help to reinforce the innocence and purity of Peter, the duck, the bird, and the cat. …show more content…
This is foreshadowing to the reveal of the wolf. In this part of the piece the grandfather, wolf, and hunters are introduced. When I compared them to each other I realized that instruments like the flute and the clarinet typically played a staccato melody in order to mimic the bouncy characteristics of each animal that they represent. The bassoon typically plays a legato melody in order to mimic a slow grandfather, and the french horns play a legato melody when the wolf is being smooth and