Question by All I Want For Christmas Is You!: Is the Chinese Dance by Tchaikovsky as classical piece of music?
For school we have to do this paper on what we hear in a piece of music. This week we have to do a classical piece of music and I really want to do something from the Nutcracker and I would REALLY like to do the Chinese Dance but I’m not sure if it’s classical or not.
Answers and Views:
Answer by del_icious_manager
Yes, it is most definitely ‘classical’ (with a small ‘c’) in the generic sense of the word. It does not come from the ‘Classical’ (large ‘C’) period (approx 1750-1820), but the ‘Romantic’ period (approx 1820-1910). However, most people mean ‘classical’ music to mean all Western art music.
Read all the answers in the comments.
What do you think?
Alberich says
In the BROADEST sense of the term "classical", yes; in the STRICTEST, no.
You will note from the following article, Tchaikovsky lived from 1840 – 1893.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tchaikovsky
This article is about "Western Art Music"(what most refer to when they employ the term "classical"). If you look to the right, there's a "box" listing the different periods of W.A.M.; and that defined as the "classical" period, covers the era of from 1730 to 1820:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Classical_music_(dis…
So that presuming this assignment to be authoritative, Tchaikovsky would not be considered a "classical" composer; but most, do not relate to him in this strictest – or as "del_icio…" phrased it, "generic" – sense; but rather by and large, considered him to be a so called "classical" composer.
But the bottom line, we are each our own arbiter.
Alberich
i. jones says
Yup. The whole of the Nutcracker Ballet is in the Classical repertoire