1 00:00:01,280 --> 00:00:04,280 Speaker 1: Welcome to Stuff You Missed in History Class, a production 2 00:00:04,360 --> 00:00:13,800 Speaker 1: of I Heart Radio. Hello, and welcome to the podcast. 3 00:00:13,880 --> 00:00:18,360 Speaker 1: I'm Tracy Vie Wilson and I'm Holly Fry. The Nutcracker 4 00:00:19,680 --> 00:00:23,599 Speaker 1: has become such a huge tradition for so many people 5 00:00:23,640 --> 00:00:26,479 Speaker 1: around Christmas. I know, for my own part, my mom 6 00:00:26,520 --> 00:00:28,680 Speaker 1: and I went to the North Carolina School of the 7 00:00:28,800 --> 00:00:32,440 Speaker 1: Arts production of The Nutcracker together for many, many years. 8 00:00:33,240 --> 00:00:35,239 Speaker 1: We had a family friend a little older than me 9 00:00:35,440 --> 00:00:39,480 Speaker 1: who went from being Clara as a child to being 10 00:00:39,560 --> 00:00:43,160 Speaker 1: asked to come back and be the sugar Plum Ferry 11 00:00:43,240 --> 00:00:46,000 Speaker 1: after she had gone on to continue her dance education 12 00:00:46,120 --> 00:00:49,920 Speaker 1: in New York. For a whole lot of people, the 13 00:00:50,000 --> 00:00:53,640 Speaker 1: Nutcracker is the first ballet they ever experienced, or maybe 14 00:00:53,680 --> 00:00:57,440 Speaker 1: the only ballet they ever experience, and it's by far 15 00:00:58,240 --> 00:01:01,160 Speaker 1: the biggest show and the I guest source of ticket 16 00:01:01,200 --> 00:01:05,959 Speaker 1: revenue for a lot of ballet companies. And even if 17 00:01:05,959 --> 00:01:09,600 Speaker 1: you have never experienced this whole ballet music from The 18 00:01:09,680 --> 00:01:13,560 Speaker 1: Nutcracker has also become a huge part not just of 19 00:01:13,600 --> 00:01:16,880 Speaker 1: the Christmas season, but also beyond it. Like I can 20 00:01:16,959 --> 00:01:22,280 Speaker 1: even remember a commercial from the nineteen eighties that set 21 00:01:22,360 --> 00:01:26,720 Speaker 1: a smurfberry crunch jingle to the march from Act one. 22 00:01:28,160 --> 00:01:32,680 Speaker 1: I will maybe sing that in our behind the scenes, Okay, 23 00:01:32,720 --> 00:01:37,080 Speaker 1: I will try to remember that you just said that. Uh. 24 00:01:37,319 --> 00:01:40,399 Speaker 1: It's a little odd when you think about it, that 25 00:01:40,560 --> 00:01:45,160 Speaker 1: the Nutcracker ballet has become such a phenomenon, particularly in 26 00:01:45,240 --> 00:01:49,160 Speaker 1: North America, but it's also spread to other places too, 27 00:01:49,880 --> 00:01:53,760 Speaker 1: considering that it is a Russian adaptation of a German 28 00:01:53,960 --> 00:01:57,680 Speaker 1: story that was never really a Christmas staple in its 29 00:01:57,720 --> 00:02:00,760 Speaker 1: home country. Um So that is the story that we're 30 00:02:00,760 --> 00:02:04,520 Speaker 1: going to tell on the show today. The ballet The 31 00:02:04,600 --> 00:02:08,960 Speaker 1: Nutcracker is based on the eighteen sixteen story The Nutcracker 32 00:02:09,000 --> 00:02:13,680 Speaker 1: and the Mouse King by Ernst Theodore Amadeus Hoffman or E. T. A. Hoffman. 33 00:02:14,400 --> 00:02:17,000 Speaker 1: His name at birth was actually Earnst Theodore ville Helm, 34 00:02:17,120 --> 00:02:20,440 Speaker 1: but he changed wille Helm to Amadeus out of admiration 35 00:02:20,520 --> 00:02:24,639 Speaker 1: for those gang Amadeus Mozart Hoffman was born in seventeen 36 00:02:24,639 --> 00:02:29,200 Speaker 1: seventy six and Khonugsburg, Prussia now Kaliningrad, Russia. Although he 37 00:02:29,280 --> 00:02:32,360 Speaker 1: spent most of his adult life in what is now Germany, 38 00:02:32,639 --> 00:02:35,720 Speaker 1: Hoffman wore a lot of hats. He trained as a lawyer, 39 00:02:35,919 --> 00:02:39,240 Speaker 1: and served as a law officer before turning his attention 40 00:02:39,280 --> 00:02:42,600 Speaker 1: to music. He worked as a composer and a music critic. 41 00:02:42,960 --> 00:02:46,320 Speaker 1: He was also an artist, a theater director, and a writer, 42 00:02:46,680 --> 00:02:49,600 Speaker 1: and his written work included a lot of fairy tales, 43 00:02:49,680 --> 00:02:53,720 Speaker 1: including works for children. His fiction tended to be pretty 44 00:02:53,760 --> 00:02:57,040 Speaker 1: haunting and strange, with stories that carried a whole sense 45 00:02:57,080 --> 00:03:00,880 Speaker 1: of ambiguity. They blurred the lime, are toyed with the 46 00:03:00,919 --> 00:03:05,480 Speaker 1: relationships between imagination and reality, and this included his work 47 00:03:05,560 --> 00:03:08,680 Speaker 1: for young readers, even though a lot of children's literature 48 00:03:08,720 --> 00:03:12,360 Speaker 1: at that point tended to focus more on more heavy 49 00:03:12,440 --> 00:03:16,800 Speaker 1: handed didactic stories and morality tales. Up that wasn't the 50 00:03:16,880 --> 00:03:20,359 Speaker 1: only stuff being published, but a lot of it was very, 51 00:03:20,560 --> 00:03:24,880 Speaker 1: very moralizing. The Nutcracker and the Mouse King is sometimes 52 00:03:24,919 --> 00:03:29,280 Speaker 1: described as the first fantasy written specifically for children. The 53 00:03:29,360 --> 00:03:33,280 Speaker 1: story contains fourteen short chapter, some of which just stop 54 00:03:33,440 --> 00:03:36,400 Speaker 1: rather than reaching any sort of logical pause in the narrative. 55 00:03:37,320 --> 00:03:39,760 Speaker 1: There is some speculation that it was broken up this 56 00:03:39,800 --> 00:03:42,360 Speaker 1: way so that it could be read one chapter per night, 57 00:03:42,520 --> 00:03:45,960 Speaker 1: starting on Christmas Eve as the story does, and ending 58 00:03:46,000 --> 00:03:49,680 Speaker 1: with Epiphany on January six, so parts of the story 59 00:03:49,880 --> 00:03:53,280 Speaker 1: will be familiar to anyone who has seen The Nutcracker ballet. 60 00:03:54,120 --> 00:03:56,880 Speaker 1: The main character is a seven year old girl, although 61 00:03:56,920 --> 00:04:00,160 Speaker 1: her name is Maurice Stalbaumb, not Clara Silber, how us, 62 00:04:00,200 --> 00:04:02,440 Speaker 1: as it is in a lot of productions of The Nutcracker. 63 00:04:03,040 --> 00:04:06,280 Speaker 1: She has a younger brother, Fritz, and an older sister, Louise, 64 00:04:06,440 --> 00:04:08,800 Speaker 1: although Louise does not play a big part in the story. 65 00:04:09,640 --> 00:04:14,280 Speaker 1: Their godfather, Drosselmeyer, is both beloved and a little frightening. 66 00:04:14,600 --> 00:04:17,560 Speaker 1: He is old and mysterious and wears an eye patch, 67 00:04:18,040 --> 00:04:21,520 Speaker 1: and he arrives on Christmas Eve with gifts for the family. 68 00:04:22,560 --> 00:04:26,120 Speaker 1: One of those gifts is an ingenious clockwork palace, but 69 00:04:26,200 --> 00:04:30,359 Speaker 1: the children, especially Fritz, are quickly bored of it. The 70 00:04:30,400 --> 00:04:33,160 Speaker 1: clockwork figures just do the same thing over and over. 71 00:04:34,200 --> 00:04:38,320 Speaker 1: Then Marie finds a nutcracker among the other Christmas gifts. 72 00:04:39,080 --> 00:04:42,400 Speaker 1: Basic tools made to crack nuts have existed at least 73 00:04:42,520 --> 00:04:46,880 Speaker 1: since the fourteenth century, but carved wooden nutcracker dolls, typically 74 00:04:46,880 --> 00:04:50,159 Speaker 1: made to look like soldiers, started to become popular in 75 00:04:50,240 --> 00:04:54,679 Speaker 1: seventeenth century Germany. In the story, the Nutcracker is meant 76 00:04:54,760 --> 00:04:58,280 Speaker 1: as a gift for everyone, but Marie is particularly taken 77 00:04:58,279 --> 00:05:01,680 Speaker 1: with it and deep upset when her brother breaks it 78 00:05:01,720 --> 00:05:03,839 Speaker 1: by forcing it to crack a nut that is much 79 00:05:03,880 --> 00:05:08,279 Speaker 1: too big. Marie tries to bind up the Nutcracker's injury 80 00:05:08,320 --> 00:05:11,760 Speaker 1: with a ribbon, and Drosselmeyer does a more thorough repair. 81 00:05:11,839 --> 00:05:15,800 Speaker 1: Later on that night, Marie puts the Nutcracker to bed, 82 00:05:16,080 --> 00:05:19,159 Speaker 1: and that's where the name Clara comes in. Clara is 83 00:05:19,200 --> 00:05:23,479 Speaker 1: Marie's new doll, and Marie commandeer's Clara's dollbed so that 84 00:05:23,520 --> 00:05:27,960 Speaker 1: the Nutcracker will have a comfortable place to recuperate. As 85 00:05:28,040 --> 00:05:31,000 Speaker 1: she is checking on the Nutcracker late at night, Marie 86 00:05:31,120 --> 00:05:34,359 Speaker 1: sees the mouse King and his army preparing for a 87 00:05:34,360 --> 00:05:38,279 Speaker 1: war against her brother's toy soldiers, who have all come alive. 88 00:05:39,240 --> 00:05:42,159 Speaker 1: The doll Clara saves the Nutcracker when he tries to 89 00:05:42,240 --> 00:05:44,840 Speaker 1: make a foolhardy leap from the top of a high 90 00:05:44,839 --> 00:05:49,240 Speaker 1: shelf to join in the fray. Marie also sees Drosselmeyer 91 00:05:49,600 --> 00:05:51,960 Speaker 1: on top of the Grandfather Clock in place of the 92 00:05:52,000 --> 00:05:55,320 Speaker 1: owl that is normally there, although he does not intervene 93 00:05:55,360 --> 00:05:58,160 Speaker 1: in the fight with the mice. After hitting the mouse 94 00:05:58,240 --> 00:06:01,680 Speaker 1: king with her shoe, Maurice wounds and later wakes up 95 00:06:01,680 --> 00:06:04,039 Speaker 1: in her own bed. So a lot of what we 96 00:06:04,080 --> 00:06:07,120 Speaker 1: have just said follows a lot of the action of 97 00:06:07,200 --> 00:06:11,040 Speaker 1: Act one in most productions of The Nutcracker, So if 98 00:06:11,040 --> 00:06:15,599 Speaker 1: you've seen The Nutcrackers, probably pretty familiar. But then Hoffmann's story. 99 00:06:16,080 --> 00:06:18,799 Speaker 1: Marie cuts her arm on a piece of broken glass 100 00:06:18,920 --> 00:06:21,880 Speaker 1: during this battle, and when drossell Meyer comes to visit 101 00:06:21,920 --> 00:06:25,560 Speaker 1: her during her recovery, he tells her a story, one 102 00:06:25,640 --> 00:06:30,240 Speaker 1: involving a royal clockmaker also named drossell Meyer, and the 103 00:06:30,400 --> 00:06:34,479 Speaker 1: story within a story. Clockmaker drossell Meyer served a king 104 00:06:34,520 --> 00:06:38,160 Speaker 1: and queen who had a beautiful baby daughter, Princess Perlapat. 105 00:06:39,000 --> 00:06:42,760 Speaker 1: The queen was preparing fat to make sausages or puddings, 106 00:06:42,760 --> 00:06:46,560 Speaker 1: which were the king's favorite dish, when Lady mouse Rank, 107 00:06:46,600 --> 00:06:49,240 Speaker 1: who's basically the queen of the mice, asked her for 108 00:06:49,320 --> 00:06:52,680 Speaker 1: some of it. The queen obliged, but then Lady mouse 109 00:06:52,760 --> 00:06:54,599 Speaker 1: Rank and her kin ate so much of the fact 110 00:06:54,640 --> 00:06:57,440 Speaker 1: that there was not enough left for the king's puddings. 111 00:06:58,320 --> 00:07:02,520 Speaker 1: The king was furious, and drossell Meyer, the clockmaker, decided 112 00:07:02,560 --> 00:07:05,240 Speaker 1: to use his ingenuity to build traps to get rid 113 00:07:05,279 --> 00:07:08,360 Speaker 1: of all the mice. Lady mouse Rank, of course, did 114 00:07:08,360 --> 00:07:11,160 Speaker 1: not appreciate that so many of her kin were killed 115 00:07:11,160 --> 00:07:14,360 Speaker 1: in the royal family's new mouse traps, so she cursed 116 00:07:14,400 --> 00:07:18,200 Speaker 1: Princess Pearl a Pat with ugliness. After consulting with the 117 00:07:18,320 --> 00:07:21,920 Speaker 1: royal astrologer, Drosselmeyer determined that Princess Pearl La Pat could 118 00:07:21,960 --> 00:07:26,080 Speaker 1: only be cured with a supernaturally hard krakatuck nut cracked 119 00:07:26,120 --> 00:07:29,000 Speaker 1: open and presented to her by a young man who 120 00:07:29,040 --> 00:07:33,880 Speaker 1: had never been shaved and never worn boots. After years 121 00:07:33,960 --> 00:07:38,400 Speaker 1: and years of searching, Drosselmeyer finally found a krakatuck nut 122 00:07:39,120 --> 00:07:43,600 Speaker 1: in possession of his brother in Nuremberg and his brother's son, 123 00:07:43,840 --> 00:07:46,960 Speaker 1: so his nephew turned out to have never been shaved 124 00:07:47,040 --> 00:07:50,800 Speaker 1: and never worn boots. Uncle and nephew returned to the 125 00:07:50,840 --> 00:07:53,880 Speaker 1: palace with the nut, where a long line of potential 126 00:07:53,960 --> 00:07:57,559 Speaker 1: suitors lined up to try to bite it open. All 127 00:07:57,640 --> 00:08:01,280 Speaker 1: of them failed until the younger draw ussell Meyer that nephew, 128 00:08:01,400 --> 00:08:05,240 Speaker 1: the last in line, succeeded, but the young drossell Meyer 129 00:08:05,360 --> 00:08:08,200 Speaker 1: and Princess Pear La Pat did not live happily ever after. 130 00:08:09,000 --> 00:08:12,360 Speaker 1: Just after breaking the curse on the princess, the clockmaker's 131 00:08:12,400 --> 00:08:17,360 Speaker 1: nephew accidentally stepped on Lady mouse Rink, killing her with 132 00:08:17,400 --> 00:08:21,520 Speaker 1: her dying breath. Lady Mousehrink curse him, transforming him into 133 00:08:21,560 --> 00:08:26,480 Speaker 1: a Nutcracker. Princess pear La, pat horrified banished the Nutcracker 134 00:08:26,600 --> 00:08:30,320 Speaker 1: and his uncle, the Clockmaker. The Royal Astronomer, who was 135 00:08:30,360 --> 00:08:33,599 Speaker 1: also exiled for his role in all of this, predicted 136 00:08:33,640 --> 00:08:36,920 Speaker 1: that the Nutcracker's curse would be lifted only if someone 137 00:08:37,000 --> 00:08:40,360 Speaker 1: fell in love with him. Of course, at this point, Marie, 138 00:08:40,600 --> 00:08:44,160 Speaker 1: hearing this story, concludes that it is real that her 139 00:08:44,240 --> 00:08:49,320 Speaker 1: beloved Nutcracker toy is really the transmogrified nephew of the 140 00:08:49,440 --> 00:08:53,679 Speaker 1: Royal Clockmaker, and that Royal Clockmaker is none other than 141 00:08:53,760 --> 00:08:58,840 Speaker 1: her godfather, Drosselmeyer. Marie demands to know why drossell Meyer 142 00:08:59,000 --> 00:09:01,839 Speaker 1: is not helping his nephew, after all, she saw him 143 00:09:01,960 --> 00:09:04,200 Speaker 1: right there on the clock on the night that the 144 00:09:04,280 --> 00:09:08,240 Speaker 1: Nutcracker fought the mouse King. Once Marie has deduced what's 145 00:09:08,280 --> 00:09:12,160 Speaker 1: going on, the mouse King starts demanding tribute, eating his 146 00:09:12,240 --> 00:09:15,640 Speaker 1: way through all her treats and toys. Then one day 147 00:09:15,720 --> 00:09:18,760 Speaker 1: she notices that the Nutcracker has a spot of blood 148 00:09:18,800 --> 00:09:22,080 Speaker 1: on his neck. As she's cleaning it off, he asks 149 00:09:22,120 --> 00:09:24,800 Speaker 1: for a sword. She gives it to him, and he 150 00:09:24,960 --> 00:09:28,160 Speaker 1: is finally victorious in his fight against the mouse King, 151 00:09:28,640 --> 00:09:32,320 Speaker 1: cutting off the mouse king seven heads and presenting Marie 152 00:09:32,480 --> 00:09:36,720 Speaker 1: with seven little crowns. The Nutcracker takes Marie to a 153 00:09:36,800 --> 00:09:41,040 Speaker 1: magical kingdom with meadows made of candy, a lemonade river, 154 00:09:41,200 --> 00:09:45,079 Speaker 1: and towns made of gingerbread and bond bonds. She soon 155 00:09:45,520 --> 00:09:49,480 Speaker 1: learns that the Nutcracker is the Prince of Comfort Turemburg, 156 00:09:49,720 --> 00:09:53,360 Speaker 1: or the Kingdom of Sweets. Marie once again wakes up 157 00:09:53,360 --> 00:09:55,200 Speaker 1: in her own bed, and when she tries to tell 158 00:09:55,200 --> 00:09:59,200 Speaker 1: her family what has happened, they are dismissive, but soon 159 00:09:59,400 --> 00:10:03,440 Speaker 1: her god father, Drossell Meyer's young nephew arrives from Nuremberg. 160 00:10:04,040 --> 00:10:07,319 Speaker 1: The nephew thanks Marie for saving him, and he proposes. 161 00:10:08,040 --> 00:10:10,640 Speaker 1: A year and a day later, Marie and the younger 162 00:10:10,720 --> 00:10:14,000 Speaker 1: Drossell Meyer Mary and from there Rain is King and 163 00:10:14,080 --> 00:10:18,400 Speaker 1: Queen of the Kingdom of Sweets. This whole story is 164 00:10:18,480 --> 00:10:22,959 Speaker 1: twisting and layered. It folds back on itself at various points. 165 00:10:23,679 --> 00:10:27,280 Speaker 1: Marie often tells her parents what she's experienced and seen, 166 00:10:27,480 --> 00:10:30,800 Speaker 1: only for them to blame her fevered mind and order 167 00:10:30,880 --> 00:10:34,960 Speaker 1: her to stop telling such wild tales. As her godfather 168 00:10:35,040 --> 00:10:39,080 Speaker 1: Drosselmeyer tells her this story, he also suggests that it's real, 169 00:10:39,200 --> 00:10:42,400 Speaker 1: but then when he talks to her parents, he dismisses 170 00:10:42,440 --> 00:10:46,280 Speaker 1: what she's saying as fancy. As one example, he tells 171 00:10:46,280 --> 00:10:48,960 Speaker 1: her parents that the mouse King's seven crowns are a 172 00:10:48,960 --> 00:10:52,320 Speaker 1: gift that he gave her years before, certainly not something 173 00:10:52,480 --> 00:10:57,720 Speaker 1: belonging to a seven headed mouse king gas lighting. The 174 00:10:57,840 --> 00:11:01,440 Speaker 1: book's tone is fairly ominous, actually, and it draws heavily 175 00:11:01,480 --> 00:11:05,360 Speaker 1: from German romanticism. The brothers grim and They're dark and 176 00:11:05,440 --> 00:11:08,800 Speaker 1: sometimes grewesome collections of fairy tales date from around this 177 00:11:08,920 --> 00:11:13,520 Speaker 1: same time. Past podcast subject Casper David Friedrich was another 178 00:11:13,640 --> 00:11:17,280 Speaker 1: of Hoffmann's contemporaries, and many of his landscapes have a 179 00:11:17,400 --> 00:11:22,840 Speaker 1: similarly eerie and foreboding, although still very beautiful feel. But 180 00:11:22,920 --> 00:11:26,599 Speaker 1: in eighteen forty four, more than twenty years after e 181 00:11:26,720 --> 00:11:30,719 Speaker 1: t A. Hoffman's death, past podcast subject Alexandre do my 182 00:11:30,920 --> 00:11:34,319 Speaker 1: Pair adapted The Nutcracker and the Mouse King and translated 183 00:11:34,400 --> 00:11:38,319 Speaker 1: into French. The resulting book had the same basic plot 184 00:11:38,360 --> 00:11:40,880 Speaker 1: and the same sort of story within a story, but 185 00:11:41,000 --> 00:11:43,680 Speaker 1: with a tone that was generally a lot lighter and 186 00:11:43,720 --> 00:11:46,520 Speaker 1: more cheerful than the original. And it is this version 187 00:11:46,720 --> 00:11:50,120 Speaker 1: that was adapted into a ballet, or at least part 188 00:11:50,160 --> 00:11:52,400 Speaker 1: of it was. We're going to talk more about that 189 00:11:52,520 --> 00:12:05,640 Speaker 1: after a sponsor break. Pyotr Iliot Chikovsky was born in 190 00:12:05,720 --> 00:12:09,079 Speaker 1: Russia in eighteen forty and he started composing music by 191 00:12:09,120 --> 00:12:11,959 Speaker 1: the age of four and taking piano lessons at five. 192 00:12:12,720 --> 00:12:15,800 Speaker 1: But Russia didn't have a formal system of education for 193 00:12:15,960 --> 00:12:19,320 Speaker 1: musicians and composers yet, so it did not occur to 194 00:12:19,360 --> 00:12:21,480 Speaker 1: his parents at first that this could be a career 195 00:12:21,600 --> 00:12:24,960 Speaker 1: for him, so they focused his education on the idea 196 00:12:25,000 --> 00:12:28,800 Speaker 1: that he would become a civil servant. That eventually changed, though. 197 00:12:29,000 --> 00:12:31,520 Speaker 1: He became one of the first students at the St. 198 00:12:31,520 --> 00:12:35,400 Speaker 1: Petersburg Conservatory after it was established in eighteen sixty two, 199 00:12:35,920 --> 00:12:39,800 Speaker 1: and he eventually became famous both within and outside of Russia, 200 00:12:39,920 --> 00:12:46,239 Speaker 1: composing seven symphonies, eleven operas and various concertos, cantatas, quartets, 201 00:12:46,440 --> 00:12:51,680 Speaker 1: choral works, and three ballets Swan Lake, The Sleeping Beauty 202 00:12:51,800 --> 00:12:54,880 Speaker 1: and The Nutcracker. And the Nutcracker ballet was part of 203 00:12:54,920 --> 00:12:59,000 Speaker 1: a two part commission from Russia's Imperial Theaters in St. Petersburg. 204 00:12:59,400 --> 00:13:03,080 Speaker 1: The other being a one act opera. The ballet was 205 00:13:03,120 --> 00:13:06,800 Speaker 1: his second collaboration to include both Imperial Theaters director Ivan 206 00:13:06,880 --> 00:13:11,640 Speaker 1: Vassevlowski and French choreographer Marius Petepa, chief choreographer of the 207 00:13:11,679 --> 00:13:15,560 Speaker 1: Imperial Ballet. The three men had previously worked together on 208 00:13:15,640 --> 00:13:19,160 Speaker 1: The Sleeping Beauty, with Zevlowski commissioning the work, writing the 209 00:13:19,240 --> 00:13:22,640 Speaker 1: libretto and being heavily involved in the costume and set design, 210 00:13:22,960 --> 00:13:27,400 Speaker 1: and Petepa choreographing the ballet and providing detailed instructions to 211 00:13:27,559 --> 00:13:31,000 Speaker 1: Chukovsky on the music. The Sleeping Beauty had been a 212 00:13:31,040 --> 00:13:34,960 Speaker 1: success after opening at the Marinsky Theater in St. Petersburg 213 00:13:35,080 --> 00:13:40,160 Speaker 1: in eighteen nine, and Vesvelovski was hoping for something similar 214 00:13:40,200 --> 00:13:43,600 Speaker 1: to happen with The Nutcracker. The Nutcracker and the Mouse 215 00:13:43,720 --> 00:13:47,560 Speaker 1: King had become a well known and widely read children's story, 216 00:13:47,720 --> 00:13:50,960 Speaker 1: and he chose Alexandre Duma's adaptation of it as the 217 00:13:51,000 --> 00:13:55,559 Speaker 1: ballet's starting point. Even though classical ballet does not typically 218 00:13:55,640 --> 00:13:59,400 Speaker 1: include spoken language or narration, by the nineteenth century, the 219 00:13:59,440 --> 00:14:03,079 Speaker 1: process of creating a ballet generally started still with a libretto, 220 00:14:03,120 --> 00:14:05,839 Speaker 1: a written narrative laying out the story that the ballet 221 00:14:05,920 --> 00:14:10,679 Speaker 1: would tell the composer, choreographer, set designer, and costume designer. 222 00:14:10,760 --> 00:14:14,640 Speaker 1: Basically everyone who worked on creating the ballet would rely 223 00:14:14,800 --> 00:14:18,000 Speaker 1: on this libretto to translate the story for the stage. 224 00:14:18,520 --> 00:14:23,640 Speaker 1: The Nutcrackers libretto is generally credited to both Velowski and Petipa, 225 00:14:23,720 --> 00:14:26,560 Speaker 1: although it is not entirely clear who did what in 226 00:14:26,640 --> 00:14:31,360 Speaker 1: preparing it. But the Nutcracker collaboration among these men did 227 00:14:31,400 --> 00:14:33,680 Speaker 1: not seem to have gone as well as it did 228 00:14:33,760 --> 00:14:39,000 Speaker 1: with The Sleeping Beauty. With both ballets, Petapa provided Tchaikovsky 229 00:14:39,120 --> 00:14:43,320 Speaker 1: with detailed instructions about the type of music that was needed, 230 00:14:43,360 --> 00:14:46,320 Speaker 1: as in the full ballet was broken down into its 231 00:14:46,320 --> 00:14:51,440 Speaker 1: scenes and dances and variations, with Petepa giving very precise 232 00:14:51,480 --> 00:14:54,960 Speaker 1: instructions about how many measures of what kind of music 233 00:14:55,080 --> 00:14:57,960 Speaker 1: was needed for each of them. It reads almost like 234 00:14:58,000 --> 00:15:02,520 Speaker 1: a shopping list. But in The Sleeping Beauty, these notes 235 00:15:02,600 --> 00:15:05,440 Speaker 1: and the libretto they had added up to a story 236 00:15:05,520 --> 00:15:09,600 Speaker 1: that had deeper themes which Chakovsky could explore through musical 237 00:15:09,680 --> 00:15:14,120 Speaker 1: devices like lip botifs. These represented aspects of the story 238 00:15:14,160 --> 00:15:18,240 Speaker 1: while also unifying the ballet. In addition to the story 239 00:15:18,320 --> 00:15:21,600 Speaker 1: of Princess Arora. The Sleeping Beauty also dealt with themes 240 00:15:21,640 --> 00:15:25,720 Speaker 1: of good versus evil, and Tchaikovsky could just explore all 241 00:15:25,760 --> 00:15:29,760 Speaker 1: of this and represent it through music. Meanwhile, the libretto 242 00:15:29,840 --> 00:15:33,600 Speaker 1: for The Nutcracker had abandoned the deeper themes and ambiguities 243 00:15:33,640 --> 00:15:37,880 Speaker 1: of Hoffmann's story. The entire middle portion of The Nutcracker 244 00:15:37,880 --> 00:15:41,160 Speaker 1: and the Mouse King had been cut almost entirely, leaving 245 00:15:41,160 --> 00:15:45,800 Speaker 1: only the Christmas party, Drossmeyer bringing gifts, the battle between 246 00:15:45,800 --> 00:15:48,080 Speaker 1: the Nutcracker and the Mouse King, and the voyage to 247 00:15:48,120 --> 00:15:52,000 Speaker 1: the Kingdom of Sweets after a grand final waltz. The 248 00:15:52,080 --> 00:15:55,440 Speaker 1: Nutcracker was to end with an apotheosis with a bee 249 00:15:55,480 --> 00:15:59,920 Speaker 1: hive surrounded by bees. The main character, now named Clara, 250 00:16:00,080 --> 00:16:02,720 Speaker 1: did not return home after her travels through the Kingdom 251 00:16:02,720 --> 00:16:05,880 Speaker 1: of Sweets, so it really wasn't even clear what the 252 00:16:05,920 --> 00:16:10,240 Speaker 1: point of it all was. On top of his creative dissatisfaction, 253 00:16:10,440 --> 00:16:15,240 Speaker 1: Tchaikovsky experienced depression and anxiety throughout his life, along with 254 00:16:15,320 --> 00:16:18,680 Speaker 1: social pressures and taboos stemming from his attraction to other 255 00:16:18,760 --> 00:16:22,080 Speaker 1: men at a time when homosexuality was both illegal and 256 00:16:22,320 --> 00:16:25,960 Speaker 1: deeply stigmatized, and all of this may have fed into 257 00:16:26,000 --> 00:16:30,160 Speaker 1: his struggle to get started on the Nutcracker. In April 258 00:16:30,200 --> 00:16:34,200 Speaker 1: of eight he wrote to Zevlovsky about it, saying, quote 259 00:16:34,280 --> 00:16:38,840 Speaker 1: here in Rouen, I had to call on extraordinary willpower 260 00:16:39,120 --> 00:16:42,760 Speaker 1: to make an agonizing effort in order to work. As 261 00:16:42,800 --> 00:16:47,440 Speaker 1: a result, what comes out is colorless, dry, hasty, and wretched. 262 00:16:48,120 --> 00:16:51,440 Speaker 1: The awareness that things are not going well torments me 263 00:16:51,880 --> 00:16:55,800 Speaker 1: and agonizes me to the point of sickness. A consuming 264 00:16:55,880 --> 00:16:59,840 Speaker 1: depression constantly gnaws at my heart, and I have not 265 00:17:00,080 --> 00:17:04,040 Speaker 1: for a long time felt as unhappy as now. The 266 00:17:04,160 --> 00:17:07,919 Speaker 1: day after Chaikovsky wrote this letter, he learned by reading 267 00:17:07,960 --> 00:17:11,440 Speaker 1: it in a newspaper that his sister Alexandra had died. 268 00:17:12,080 --> 00:17:14,320 Speaker 1: He was at that moment on the way to board 269 00:17:14,320 --> 00:17:16,760 Speaker 1: a ship for a tour of the United States, where 270 00:17:16,800 --> 00:17:20,359 Speaker 1: he would, among other things, conduct music he had composed 271 00:17:20,400 --> 00:17:23,879 Speaker 1: at the grand opening of Carnegie Hall. This would have 272 00:17:23,920 --> 00:17:28,600 Speaker 1: been terrible in any circumstance, but this was particularly terrible timing. 273 00:17:28,840 --> 00:17:32,080 Speaker 1: But Chikovsky did not cancel his tour or his appearances 274 00:17:32,080 --> 00:17:35,240 Speaker 1: in the United States. Insaid it seems as though he 275 00:17:35,280 --> 00:17:38,800 Speaker 1: took this transatlantic voyage as a time to contemplate and 276 00:17:38,840 --> 00:17:43,439 Speaker 1: to refocus. Music historians and theorists have noted that The 277 00:17:43,560 --> 00:17:48,919 Speaker 1: Nutcracker incorporates more borrowed folk melodies and existing musical themes 278 00:17:48,920 --> 00:17:52,040 Speaker 1: than most of his other work does, kind of suggesting 279 00:17:52,080 --> 00:17:55,360 Speaker 1: that once he did finally get underway, he still had 280 00:17:55,440 --> 00:17:59,440 Speaker 1: trouble feeling creative. There's also some suggestion that the character 281 00:17:59,520 --> 00:18:02,159 Speaker 1: of the sugar plumb Ferry is meant to embody his 282 00:18:02,320 --> 00:18:05,120 Speaker 1: late sister. He was known to the family as Sasha. 283 00:18:05,800 --> 00:18:08,639 Speaker 1: Chakovsky may not have been the only person who was 284 00:18:08,760 --> 00:18:12,919 Speaker 1: facing very real creative trouble with The Nutcracker. Although Marius 285 00:18:12,960 --> 00:18:15,760 Speaker 1: Petipa had been the one to write Chaikovsky's instructions for 286 00:18:15,840 --> 00:18:19,560 Speaker 1: the music and initial notations for the choreography, he did 287 00:18:19,640 --> 00:18:23,560 Speaker 1: not choreographed most of the ballet. He became ill shortly 288 00:18:23,600 --> 00:18:25,720 Speaker 1: after that work began, and he left most of it 289 00:18:25,840 --> 00:18:30,720 Speaker 1: to his assistant lev Ivanov. According to Petipa's memoirs, Ivanov 290 00:18:30,840 --> 00:18:35,000 Speaker 1: did all the staging and choreographed all the dances. Pettipa 291 00:18:35,160 --> 00:18:37,399 Speaker 1: was seventy three when this happened, but there is some 292 00:18:37,560 --> 00:18:41,000 Speaker 1: speculation that he really wasn't all that sick, and he 293 00:18:41,200 --> 00:18:43,840 Speaker 1: just kind of didn't want to work on this nonsensical show. 294 00:18:44,560 --> 00:18:48,600 Speaker 1: Evenov worked from Petipa's notes, but he didn't always follow them. 295 00:18:49,560 --> 00:18:52,960 Speaker 1: For example, in Act two, Pettypa called for a quote 296 00:18:53,119 --> 00:18:55,680 Speaker 1: tray pack for the end of the dance turning on 297 00:18:55,760 --> 00:18:59,439 Speaker 1: the floor. Tray Pack is a folk dance from Ukraine 298 00:18:59,440 --> 00:19:02,639 Speaker 1: and Russia. But even If took this piece in a 299 00:19:02,840 --> 00:19:08,120 Speaker 1: totally different direction using hoops and lead dancer Alexander Shiev 300 00:19:08,440 --> 00:19:13,000 Speaker 1: choreographed his part himself. This is why in some productions 301 00:19:13,040 --> 00:19:16,320 Speaker 1: of The Nutcracker to day Trepak is this intensely athletic 302 00:19:16,400 --> 00:19:18,719 Speaker 1: dance full of leaping and squatting and dancers that are 303 00:19:18,800 --> 00:19:22,000 Speaker 1: dressed as like peasants or maybe cossacks well and others 304 00:19:22,160 --> 00:19:25,560 Speaker 1: they are in candy stripes and dancing with hoops. If 305 00:19:25,600 --> 00:19:28,040 Speaker 1: you've only seen the first version, the first time you've 306 00:19:28,080 --> 00:19:33,080 Speaker 1: seen the second one, you might feel like it was 307 00:19:33,119 --> 00:19:38,920 Speaker 1: a rip off. Um yeah. Chakowski compiled and Nutcracker suite 308 00:19:39,040 --> 00:19:42,359 Speaker 1: featuring selections from the ballet, which was first performed in 309 00:19:42,560 --> 00:19:45,600 Speaker 1: March of eight and the full ballet premiered at the 310 00:19:45,640 --> 00:19:49,120 Speaker 1: marian Ski Theater in St. Petersburg, Russia on December eighteenth 311 00:19:49,200 --> 00:19:53,000 Speaker 1: of that year or December six under the old style calendar. 312 00:19:53,800 --> 00:19:57,440 Speaker 1: It followed Chakovsky's one act opera Yolanta, which had also 313 00:19:57,560 --> 00:20:00,480 Speaker 1: been the other part of this commission. One of the 314 00:20:00,560 --> 00:20:03,720 Speaker 1: criticisms of Chaikovsky's work during his lifetime was that it 315 00:20:03,840 --> 00:20:08,040 Speaker 1: was not Russian enough, but The Nutcracker includes several elements 316 00:20:08,080 --> 00:20:10,880 Speaker 1: that are really hallmarks of this period of Russian theater 317 00:20:11,040 --> 00:20:14,680 Speaker 1: and ballet. This is really considered to be Russian ballet's 318 00:20:14,800 --> 00:20:18,879 Speaker 1: golden age. Zar Alexander the Third was a patron of 319 00:20:18,960 --> 00:20:21,000 Speaker 1: the arts and the theater, and a lot of the 320 00:20:21,040 --> 00:20:24,800 Speaker 1: work that was created during his reign involved dramatic sets 321 00:20:24,880 --> 00:20:28,399 Speaker 1: and costumes and the sorts of spectacles that these are 322 00:20:28,640 --> 00:20:32,240 Speaker 1: generally enjoyed. Much of the second act of The Nutcracker 323 00:20:32,440 --> 00:20:36,240 Speaker 1: is also essentially a court celebration, with Clara as a 324 00:20:36,359 --> 00:20:38,879 Speaker 1: guest to the Kingdom of sweets being presented with a 325 00:20:38,960 --> 00:20:42,440 Speaker 1: pageant of all of the Kingdom's best and brightest, and 326 00:20:42,560 --> 00:20:45,960 Speaker 1: some of this court review highlights Russia in its presentation, 327 00:20:46,320 --> 00:20:50,760 Speaker 1: especially the series of Spanish, Chinese, Arabian and Russian dances 328 00:20:50,880 --> 00:20:55,119 Speaker 1: also known as Chocolate Tea Coffee trip Ack, especially in 329 00:20:55,160 --> 00:20:58,800 Speaker 1: Petipa's original notations. Tripp K was to be the show stopper, 330 00:20:59,240 --> 00:21:03,600 Speaker 1: suggesting the Russia was the best among nations. These dances 331 00:21:03,720 --> 00:21:06,480 Speaker 1: combine with others in Act two to suggest the idea 332 00:21:06,560 --> 00:21:10,560 Speaker 1: of many nations living together harmoniously under the rule of 333 00:21:10,680 --> 00:21:14,439 Speaker 1: one benevolent monarch, that is the sugar Plum Ferry along 334 00:21:14,520 --> 00:21:19,040 Speaker 1: with her Prince. Article in the journal Dance Research by 335 00:21:19,119 --> 00:21:22,760 Speaker 1: Damien Mayer also explores the idea that the use of 336 00:21:22,840 --> 00:21:26,240 Speaker 1: French songs and costumes inspired by fashion of the French 337 00:21:26,280 --> 00:21:30,479 Speaker 1: Revolutionary era allude to the alliance between France and Russia 338 00:21:30,560 --> 00:21:34,680 Speaker 1: that developed in the eighteen nineties. And Zar Alexander the 339 00:21:34,800 --> 00:21:38,560 Speaker 1: Third does seem to have liked this ballet. Chaikovsky wrote 340 00:21:38,560 --> 00:21:41,280 Speaker 1: a letter to his brother saying that the Czar quote 341 00:21:41,400 --> 00:21:44,159 Speaker 1: was delighted and sent for me to his box and 342 00:21:44,280 --> 00:21:48,119 Speaker 1: said a whole lot of kind words. I love that. 343 00:21:48,280 --> 00:21:50,399 Speaker 1: A whole lot of kind words is just a great 344 00:21:50,960 --> 00:21:55,399 Speaker 1: turn of phrase. But as for everybody else, reviews a 345 00:21:55,440 --> 00:21:59,280 Speaker 1: little bit mixed, and the bad reviews were often explicitly 346 00:21:59,400 --> 00:22:03,119 Speaker 1: and pointedly bad. People pointed out the same aspects of 347 00:22:03,160 --> 00:22:06,720 Speaker 1: the libretto that had caused Tchaikovsky so much frustration, including 348 00:22:06,760 --> 00:22:10,040 Speaker 1: the fact that Act one and Act two almost felt 349 00:22:10,080 --> 00:22:12,960 Speaker 1: like two totally different ballets, neither of which made a 350 00:22:13,000 --> 00:22:16,239 Speaker 1: whole lot of sense. Some critics insisted that Act one 351 00:22:16,400 --> 00:22:19,440 Speaker 1: was barely a ballet at all. People mostly stood around 352 00:22:19,480 --> 00:22:23,480 Speaker 1: and pantomimed. In the words of one critic, quote, first 353 00:22:23,560 --> 00:22:26,640 Speaker 1: of all, the Nutcracker can under no condition be called 354 00:22:26,680 --> 00:22:29,800 Speaker 1: a ballet. It does not satisfy even one of the 355 00:22:29,880 --> 00:22:33,560 Speaker 1: demands of a ballet. Ballet, as a basic genre of art, 356 00:22:33,720 --> 00:22:37,800 Speaker 1: is mimed drama, and consequently must contain all the elements 357 00:22:37,960 --> 00:22:41,119 Speaker 1: of norm drama. On the other hand, there must be 358 00:22:41,240 --> 00:22:45,120 Speaker 1: a place in ballet for plastic attitudes and dances made 359 00:22:45,200 --> 00:22:49,159 Speaker 1: up of the entire essence of classical choreography. There's nothing 360 00:22:49,359 --> 00:22:52,639 Speaker 1: of this in The Nutcracker. There is not even a subject. 361 00:22:53,240 --> 00:22:56,720 Speaker 1: And also, the stage was full of children. At this 362 00:22:56,840 --> 00:22:59,840 Speaker 1: point in Russian ballet history, younger ballet students did not 363 00:23:00,240 --> 00:23:04,119 Speaker 1: usually shared the stage with older teens and adults. Reviewers 364 00:23:04,200 --> 00:23:06,560 Speaker 1: bemoaned the fact that this ballet seemed to have been 365 00:23:06,640 --> 00:23:10,920 Speaker 1: made by children for children. To add to that, many 366 00:23:11,000 --> 00:23:13,280 Speaker 1: of the boys in it were not dance students at all. 367 00:23:13,480 --> 00:23:17,359 Speaker 1: They had been recruited from a military academy. The focus 368 00:23:17,440 --> 00:23:20,399 Speaker 1: on children and the ballet's first act also meant that 369 00:23:20,520 --> 00:23:24,520 Speaker 1: the most striking balletic performances done by the company's most 370 00:23:24,640 --> 00:23:28,800 Speaker 1: prominent dancers didn't happen until very late in the evening 371 00:23:29,400 --> 00:23:33,040 Speaker 1: in Act two, And because the Nutcracker followed this other 372 00:23:33,240 --> 00:23:35,919 Speaker 1: one act opera, that meant that they got on stage 373 00:23:36,200 --> 00:23:39,359 Speaker 1: very very late. People felt like they had watched a 374 00:23:39,480 --> 00:23:42,040 Speaker 1: whole opera and then a bunch of kids running around 375 00:23:42,080 --> 00:23:44,920 Speaker 1: for an hour before the real ballet even started, and 376 00:23:45,040 --> 00:23:49,280 Speaker 1: then that ballet was over with no real resolution. Overall, though, 377 00:23:49,400 --> 00:23:53,159 Speaker 1: Chaikowsky's score was praised, although sometimes that praise was a 378 00:23:53,200 --> 00:23:56,920 Speaker 1: little bit backhanded, as in quote in some it's a 379 00:23:56,960 --> 00:24:00,560 Speaker 1: pity that so much good music is expended on such nonsense, 380 00:24:00,760 --> 00:24:04,960 Speaker 1: so unworthy of attention, But the music in general is excellent. 381 00:24:05,840 --> 00:24:09,119 Speaker 1: Tchaikowski clearly had huge trouble getting started and found the 382 00:24:09,160 --> 00:24:12,280 Speaker 1: early work on the ballet incredibly difficult, but it does 383 00:24:12,320 --> 00:24:14,640 Speaker 1: seem that he was pleased enough with the score once 384 00:24:14,680 --> 00:24:17,680 Speaker 1: he was actually done with it. One thing to note 385 00:24:17,760 --> 00:24:20,880 Speaker 1: here is that we don't actually have the choreography from 386 00:24:20,880 --> 00:24:26,440 Speaker 1: the Nutcrackers debut performances. Pedopies instructions to Chaikovsky have survived 387 00:24:26,560 --> 00:24:29,359 Speaker 1: along with his notes and the libretto, but the oldest 388 00:24:29,520 --> 00:24:33,960 Speaker 1: surviving set of more complete comprehensive notes was not written 389 00:24:34,000 --> 00:24:36,640 Speaker 1: down until a few years later, so it's not really 390 00:24:36,760 --> 00:24:40,280 Speaker 1: clear whether any of the criticisms of the dancing itself 391 00:24:40,480 --> 00:24:45,440 Speaker 1: led the choreography to evolve over the Marinski Theaters to 392 00:24:45,600 --> 00:24:48,960 Speaker 1: ninety three ballet season once that season was over, though 393 00:24:49,080 --> 00:24:52,200 Speaker 1: it does not appear that major changes were made to 394 00:24:52,240 --> 00:24:56,160 Speaker 1: the Nutcracker until after the Russian Revolution. While the ballet's 395 00:24:56,240 --> 00:24:59,640 Speaker 1: reception was mixed to poor, its music became far more 396 00:24:59,720 --> 00:25:04,200 Speaker 1: pop puler, particularly the Nutcracker Sweet. Orchestras in Europe and 397 00:25:04,280 --> 00:25:07,320 Speaker 1: North America started performing the Nutcracker Sweet in the early 398 00:25:07,440 --> 00:25:11,040 Speaker 1: to mid eighteen nineties, and it became widely recognizable on 399 00:25:11,200 --> 00:25:15,040 Speaker 1: both sides of the Atlantic. It wasn't until decades later 400 00:25:15,280 --> 00:25:19,600 Speaker 1: that the Nutcracker became a winter holiday tradition, though you 401 00:25:19,680 --> 00:25:31,480 Speaker 1: will talk more about that. After a sponsor break after 402 00:25:31,600 --> 00:25:36,120 Speaker 1: the eight eighteen ninety three ballet season, the Nutcracker only 403 00:25:36,200 --> 00:25:40,280 Speaker 1: made spotty appearances on Russian stages for a while. Sometimes 404 00:25:40,359 --> 00:25:44,359 Speaker 1: companies performed only the second act or a selection of highlights. 405 00:25:45,119 --> 00:25:48,359 Speaker 1: The ballet was revived in nineteen o nine, and in 406 00:25:48,560 --> 00:25:52,720 Speaker 1: nineteen nineteen Alexander Gorsky staged a version that combined the 407 00:25:52,840 --> 00:25:55,480 Speaker 1: character of Clara with the sugar Plum Ferry for the 408 00:25:55,560 --> 00:26:00,200 Speaker 1: first time. Vasili Vinonen introduced new choreography in nine teen 409 00:26:00,240 --> 00:26:04,280 Speaker 1: thirty four, also casting adult dancers and what had originally 410 00:26:04,359 --> 00:26:09,399 Speaker 1: been children's thrills. But overall the Nutcrackers appearances on Russian 411 00:26:09,520 --> 00:26:13,959 Speaker 1: and then Soviet stages there's pretty spotty. Although the narrative 412 00:26:14,040 --> 00:26:17,520 Speaker 1: takes place at Christmas, it also was not a Christmas standard. 413 00:26:18,200 --> 00:26:21,159 Speaker 1: Easter is really the more important and festive holiday in 414 00:26:21,240 --> 00:26:25,560 Speaker 1: the Eastern Orthodox Church. The Soviet Union also banned Christmas 415 00:26:25,600 --> 00:26:28,520 Speaker 1: celebrations in the late nineteen twenties, leading to the rise 416 00:26:28,880 --> 00:26:32,720 Speaker 1: of New Year's as a secular holiday. The Nutcracker was 417 00:26:32,840 --> 00:26:35,560 Speaker 1: performed outside of Russia and the Soviet Union for the 418 00:26:35,600 --> 00:26:39,120 Speaker 1: first time in nineteen thirty four. That was in London, 419 00:26:39,520 --> 00:26:43,800 Speaker 1: based on choreographic notes by Nicholas Sergeyev, who had been 420 00:26:43,840 --> 00:26:47,280 Speaker 1: the company manager of the Imperial Ballet in St. Petersburg. 421 00:26:47,800 --> 00:26:50,800 Speaker 1: When he left Russia in nineteen eighteen. He had taken 422 00:26:50,880 --> 00:26:54,399 Speaker 1: the choreography for more than twenty ballets with him. They 423 00:26:54,440 --> 00:26:57,840 Speaker 1: had been recorded using a dance notation method that had 424 00:26:57,880 --> 00:27:02,520 Speaker 1: been developed by Vladimir ivanav It's Stepping Off. In nineteen forty, 425 00:27:02,640 --> 00:27:05,639 Speaker 1: the ballet Roust to Monte Carlo presented selections from The 426 00:27:05,720 --> 00:27:10,960 Speaker 1: Nutcracker while on tour in the US. Then Disney's Fantasia 427 00:27:11,160 --> 00:27:15,960 Speaker 1: debut in theaters on November thirteenth, nineteen forty. This film 428 00:27:16,119 --> 00:27:19,119 Speaker 1: was not a financial success, in part because World War 429 00:27:19,200 --> 00:27:22,159 Speaker 1: Two shut down movie theaters in Europe, but it is 430 00:27:22,240 --> 00:27:26,400 Speaker 1: credited with popularizing classical music in the United States, including 431 00:27:26,680 --> 00:27:30,880 Speaker 1: selections from the Nutcracker suite. Some of the Nutcracker pieces 432 00:27:31,000 --> 00:27:34,000 Speaker 1: in Fantasia include the Dance of the sugar Plump Ferry, 433 00:27:34,520 --> 00:27:38,920 Speaker 1: during which fairies flitter about, opening flowers and sending dew 434 00:27:39,000 --> 00:27:44,280 Speaker 1: drops down spider webs. Mushrooms twirl around. During the Chinese dance, 435 00:27:44,800 --> 00:27:48,840 Speaker 1: there are long tailed fish that gracefully swim around, and 436 00:27:49,040 --> 00:27:54,960 Speaker 1: coffee and thistles that very energetically danced during traypack. Although 437 00:27:55,040 --> 00:27:58,200 Speaker 1: neither the fish nor the mushrooms are human, they both 438 00:27:58,359 --> 00:28:02,040 Speaker 1: retain some of the exot size stereotype depictions that are 439 00:28:02,119 --> 00:28:05,600 Speaker 1: often part of the Nutcracker ballet. During the Chinese and 440 00:28:05,640 --> 00:28:09,960 Speaker 1: Arabian dances. The mushrooms, for example, have slanted eyes and 441 00:28:10,440 --> 00:28:14,000 Speaker 1: a posture that suggests they're wearing robes, and the fish's 442 00:28:14,080 --> 00:28:18,639 Speaker 1: movement and sensual demeanor suggests a harem. Fantasia has a 443 00:28:18,720 --> 00:28:21,600 Speaker 1: content warning when viewed on Disney Plus Today, noting that 444 00:28:21,720 --> 00:28:25,800 Speaker 1: it quote includes negative depictions and or mistreatment of people 445 00:28:25,960 --> 00:28:30,600 Speaker 1: or cultures, although that's usually interpreted as referencing centaurs who 446 00:28:30,640 --> 00:28:33,399 Speaker 1: appear in the pastoral symphony, some of which have been 447 00:28:33,440 --> 00:28:36,360 Speaker 1: cut out of the current version of the film. When 448 00:28:36,480 --> 00:28:41,480 Speaker 1: introducing the Nutcracker Sweet portion of Fantasia, narrator Deems Taylor 449 00:28:41,680 --> 00:28:44,440 Speaker 1: explains that the Nutcracker Sweet is part of a ballet 450 00:28:44,880 --> 00:28:49,240 Speaker 1: that wasn't much of a success and quote nobody performs 451 00:28:49,320 --> 00:28:53,960 Speaker 1: it nowadays. That was more or less true in but 452 00:28:54,080 --> 00:28:59,520 Speaker 1: today that sentence is hilarious. Four years after Fantasia, the 453 00:28:59,560 --> 00:29:03,680 Speaker 1: sand for Cisco Ballet staged the first US performance of 454 00:29:03,800 --> 00:29:08,280 Speaker 1: the full Nutcracker Ballet. The ballet's founder and choreographer William 455 00:29:08,360 --> 00:29:13,000 Speaker 1: Christensen's talked through ideas for it with choreographer George Balancheen 456 00:29:13,440 --> 00:29:18,360 Speaker 1: and Alexander Danilova of Ballet Russ. Christiansen had never actually 457 00:29:18,480 --> 00:29:21,760 Speaker 1: seen the full Nutcracker Ballet, and later said that these 458 00:29:21,880 --> 00:29:26,720 Speaker 1: conversations and particularly Balancings insights, had a huge influence on 459 00:29:26,760 --> 00:29:30,720 Speaker 1: the San Francisco production. Then, in nineteen fifty four, The 460 00:29:30,800 --> 00:29:34,040 Speaker 1: Nutcracker opened at the New York City Ballet with choreography 461 00:29:34,200 --> 00:29:38,480 Speaker 1: by co founder George Balancheen, whose name has been anglicized 462 00:29:38,600 --> 00:29:42,959 Speaker 1: from George Balanchivadza. He was born in St. Petersburg, Russia, 463 00:29:43,000 --> 00:29:45,080 Speaker 1: in nineteen o four, and he had studied at the 464 00:29:45,160 --> 00:29:48,560 Speaker 1: Imperial School of Ballet and the marin Ski Theater. He 465 00:29:48,680 --> 00:29:51,640 Speaker 1: appeared in productions of The Nutcracker before the Russian Revolution, 466 00:29:51,800 --> 00:29:55,120 Speaker 1: which means that he learned and observed choreography that had 467 00:29:55,200 --> 00:29:58,560 Speaker 1: started with Petepa and Ivenov back in the nineteenth century. 468 00:29:59,280 --> 00:30:02,600 Speaker 1: He also learned other versions by other choreographers before leaving 469 00:30:02,680 --> 00:30:07,480 Speaker 1: Russia in nineteen four. Lincoln Kirstein invited Balancheen to the 470 00:30:07,600 --> 00:30:10,560 Speaker 1: US in nineteen thirty three to establish the School of 471 00:30:10,600 --> 00:30:14,920 Speaker 1: American Ballet and the American Ballet Company. Kirstein and Balancheen 472 00:30:15,000 --> 00:30:17,360 Speaker 1: went on to establish the New York City Ballet in 473 00:30:17,520 --> 00:30:21,400 Speaker 1: nineteen In the New York City Ballet's nineteen fifty four 474 00:30:21,480 --> 00:30:25,000 Speaker 1: Nutcracker passed podcast subject Maria's Tall Chief danced to the 475 00:30:25,040 --> 00:30:27,720 Speaker 1: part of the sugar Plum Ferry. Tall Chief was a 476 00:30:27,800 --> 00:30:30,239 Speaker 1: citizen of o s Age Nation and is regarded as 477 00:30:30,280 --> 00:30:34,320 Speaker 1: the first prima ballerina in the United States. In this version, 478 00:30:34,520 --> 00:30:38,200 Speaker 1: the young protagonist name is Marie rather than Clara and Marie. 479 00:30:38,400 --> 00:30:41,200 Speaker 1: The Nutcracker prants and other roles in this first and 480 00:30:41,320 --> 00:30:44,120 Speaker 1: We're danced by almost forty children from the School of 481 00:30:44,120 --> 00:30:48,840 Speaker 1: American Ballet. This production was also one in which Treypack 482 00:30:48,960 --> 00:30:53,120 Speaker 1: features dancers dressed in candy stripes dancing with hoops. Although 483 00:30:53,160 --> 00:30:58,000 Speaker 1: Balancin's Nutcracker first opened on February second of nineteen fifty four, 484 00:30:58,160 --> 00:31:02,000 Speaker 1: it quickly became the heart of a special holiday ballet season, 485 00:31:02,480 --> 00:31:04,680 Speaker 1: and the New York City Ballet has performed it every 486 00:31:04,760 --> 00:31:08,400 Speaker 1: year since then. A lot of what made The Nutcracker 487 00:31:08,560 --> 00:31:13,000 Speaker 1: so reviled in Russia in had nearly the opposite effect 488 00:31:13,120 --> 00:31:16,560 Speaker 1: in the United States in ninety It was still not 489 00:31:16,680 --> 00:31:18,320 Speaker 1: a show that made a lot of sense from a 490 00:31:18,400 --> 00:31:22,880 Speaker 1: plot standpoint, but it captured a sense of childlike holiday wonder. 491 00:31:23,560 --> 00:31:26,640 Speaker 1: The audience response was less what are these children doing here? 492 00:31:26,720 --> 00:31:29,160 Speaker 1: This is ballet and more. Oh, look at those kids, 493 00:31:29,200 --> 00:31:33,720 Speaker 1: They're adorable. This is wholesome family entertainment. Even without a 494 00:31:33,840 --> 00:31:37,200 Speaker 1: logical plot to follow, the Nutcrackers seemed to celebrate values 495 00:31:37,280 --> 00:31:40,600 Speaker 1: like home and family and holiday cheer, and that was 496 00:31:40,760 --> 00:31:44,040 Speaker 1: not an accident. Balancheen and the rest of the creative 497 00:31:44,080 --> 00:31:46,440 Speaker 1: team at the New York City Ballet had understood that 498 00:31:46,520 --> 00:31:49,920 Speaker 1: their company desperately needed something that could have mass appeal, 499 00:31:50,520 --> 00:31:53,600 Speaker 1: and the Nutcracker wound up suiting that need extremely well. 500 00:31:54,560 --> 00:31:57,480 Speaker 1: And even though this was happening during the Cold War, 501 00:31:57,880 --> 00:32:02,160 Speaker 1: when the United States was deeply and increasingly distrustful of 502 00:32:02,240 --> 00:32:05,480 Speaker 1: the Soviet Union, which makes it seem real weird that 503 00:32:05,560 --> 00:32:08,880 Speaker 1: people would get so excited about a Russian ballet, ballet 504 00:32:09,040 --> 00:32:12,560 Speaker 1: was actually something of an exception. One of the many, 505 00:32:12,840 --> 00:32:15,400 Speaker 1: many ways that the US of the U. S s 506 00:32:15,520 --> 00:32:19,000 Speaker 1: Are maintained a rivalry and competed with each other during 507 00:32:19,040 --> 00:32:23,040 Speaker 1: the Cold War was through dance and ballet, specifically, an 508 00:32:23,080 --> 00:32:26,080 Speaker 1: abridged version of the New York City Ballet's Nutcracker aired 509 00:32:26,080 --> 00:32:29,240 Speaker 1: on CBS in nineteen fifty seven, and then a somewhat 510 00:32:29,280 --> 00:32:32,680 Speaker 1: more complete version aired the following year in Night, with 511 00:32:32,880 --> 00:32:36,760 Speaker 1: Balanchine in the role of drossel Meyer. In the ninety 512 00:32:36,800 --> 00:32:40,400 Speaker 1: eight version, June Lockhart, who had recently replaced Cloris Leachman 513 00:32:40,520 --> 00:32:44,320 Speaker 1: as Timmy's adoptive mother on the TV show Lassie, provides 514 00:32:44,360 --> 00:32:47,920 Speaker 1: an opening introduction in which she says, quote, Christmas Day 515 00:32:48,080 --> 00:32:51,360 Speaker 1: isn't Christmas without a real old fashioned story of magic 516 00:32:51,480 --> 00:32:56,040 Speaker 1: and miracles. Two televised ballets, two years in a row, 517 00:32:56,400 --> 00:33:01,480 Speaker 1: established the Nutcracker as an invented tradition. It reminds me 518 00:33:01,560 --> 00:33:06,760 Speaker 1: a little bit of the Yes Virginia story that had 519 00:33:06,800 --> 00:33:11,240 Speaker 1: a similar trajectory. So Balancine's Nutcracker was huge for the 520 00:33:11,280 --> 00:33:14,120 Speaker 1: New York City Ballet and for ballet as a whole. 521 00:33:14,640 --> 00:33:18,680 Speaker 1: As its popularity spread, it became the production that ballet 522 00:33:18,800 --> 00:33:21,800 Speaker 1: companies used to help fund the rest of their season, 523 00:33:22,280 --> 00:33:26,160 Speaker 1: sometimes getting about half of the year's ticket revenue just 524 00:33:26,400 --> 00:33:30,120 Speaker 1: from the Nutcracker. That, of course, is a blessing and 525 00:33:30,200 --> 00:33:34,480 Speaker 1: a curse. One widely repeated quote that's often attributed to 526 00:33:34,640 --> 00:33:38,400 Speaker 1: dance critic Richard Buckle is that each Christmas quote, we 527 00:33:38,560 --> 00:33:43,600 Speaker 1: are all one nutcracker closer to death. For much of 528 00:33:43,680 --> 00:33:47,080 Speaker 1: its history, before this point, ballet had typically been performed 529 00:33:47,160 --> 00:33:50,520 Speaker 1: on grand stages, and before royal courts, and while the 530 00:33:50,600 --> 00:33:54,760 Speaker 1: Nutcracker is certainly still performed among elite dance companies on 531 00:33:54,920 --> 00:33:58,360 Speaker 1: prestigious stages, it's also found a home in places like 532 00:33:58,480 --> 00:34:02,280 Speaker 1: elementary schools and youth centers. It has spurred on the 533 00:34:02,360 --> 00:34:06,520 Speaker 1: popularity of ballet as an art form. The popularity of 534 00:34:06,560 --> 00:34:10,040 Speaker 1: the nutcracker also goes beyond ballet. It's one of the 535 00:34:10,120 --> 00:34:15,520 Speaker 1: reasons why decorative nutcrackers ultimately spread beyond Germany, especially as 536 00:34:15,600 --> 00:34:20,080 Speaker 1: holiday decorations. In nineteen sixty one, First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy 537 00:34:20,239 --> 00:34:24,840 Speaker 1: chose nutcracker ballet themed decorations for a Christmas tree in 538 00:34:24,920 --> 00:34:27,840 Speaker 1: the Blue Room at the White House, and that established 539 00:34:27,880 --> 00:34:30,960 Speaker 1: the tradition to have a themed Christmas tree at the 540 00:34:31,040 --> 00:34:35,080 Speaker 1: presidential residence. Sadly, the people who were most involved in 541 00:34:35,160 --> 00:34:37,840 Speaker 1: the original creation of the nutcracker did not live to 542 00:34:37,920 --> 00:34:42,120 Speaker 1: see this success and influence. Lev Ivanov died in nineteen 543 00:34:42,120 --> 00:34:45,480 Speaker 1: o one at the age of sixty seven, Ivan Vizlowski 544 00:34:45,600 --> 00:34:47,799 Speaker 1: died in nineteen o nine at the age of seventy four, 545 00:34:47,880 --> 00:34:51,280 Speaker 1: and Marius Petipa died in nineteen ten he was ninety 546 00:34:51,320 --> 00:34:55,840 Speaker 1: two at that point. All three of them outlived Pyotr Iliatchikovsky, 547 00:34:56,000 --> 00:35:00,440 Speaker 1: who died on November six eight or October twenty five 548 00:35:00,560 --> 00:35:03,440 Speaker 1: in the old style calendar. His cause of death at 549 00:35:03,440 --> 00:35:05,959 Speaker 1: the time was reported as cholera, but there is also 550 00:35:06,040 --> 00:35:08,800 Speaker 1: speculation that he took his own life, and that this 551 00:35:09,040 --> 00:35:11,920 Speaker 1: may have been connected to a matter of honor related 552 00:35:11,960 --> 00:35:15,359 Speaker 1: to his sexual orientation. He was only fifty three at 553 00:35:15,400 --> 00:35:18,839 Speaker 1: the time, and the Nutcracker was his last ballet. One 554 00:35:18,920 --> 00:35:20,799 Speaker 1: of the things that we've touched on a little bit 555 00:35:21,080 --> 00:35:25,120 Speaker 1: is that parts of the Nutcracker often involved racist stereotypes, 556 00:35:25,800 --> 00:35:30,400 Speaker 1: especially the national dances of Spanish or chocolate, Arabian or coffee, 557 00:35:30,800 --> 00:35:34,799 Speaker 1: Chinese or tea, and Russian or traypack. Trapac of course, 558 00:35:35,000 --> 00:35:38,400 Speaker 1: was meant to be a reflection of Russian ideals, including 559 00:35:38,480 --> 00:35:42,680 Speaker 1: bravery and physical and military prowess, especially in its original 560 00:35:42,800 --> 00:35:46,040 Speaker 1: conception as a folk dance. Although the music for the 561 00:35:46,120 --> 00:35:50,120 Speaker 1: Arabian dance is adapted from a Georgian lullaby, it and 562 00:35:50,239 --> 00:35:54,120 Speaker 1: the Spanish, Arabian and Chinese dances have historically all used 563 00:35:54,280 --> 00:35:58,520 Speaker 1: musical elements and costumes and choreography to suggest some racial 564 00:35:58,600 --> 00:36:03,160 Speaker 1: and ethnic stereotypes. How or weather, ballet companies staging the 565 00:36:03,280 --> 00:36:06,040 Speaker 1: Nutcracker have dealt with this in more recent years is 566 00:36:06,200 --> 00:36:10,040 Speaker 1: really all over the place, from making zero changes to 567 00:36:10,320 --> 00:36:13,840 Speaker 1: re envisioning those pieces in a completely different direction, to 568 00:36:14,120 --> 00:36:16,800 Speaker 1: hiring dancers from places like China and the Middle East 569 00:36:16,920 --> 00:36:20,120 Speaker 1: to re choreograph those pieces in a more authentic way. 570 00:36:20,760 --> 00:36:24,920 Speaker 1: The Nutcracker has also proved itself to be almost infinitely adaptable. 571 00:36:25,480 --> 00:36:28,480 Speaker 1: At this point, there are multiple film and TV versions, 572 00:36:28,560 --> 00:36:33,759 Speaker 1: along with prequel sequels and reimaginings. Although many stage productions 573 00:36:33,840 --> 00:36:37,640 Speaker 1: are based on Balanchine's choreography or on other choreography that 574 00:36:37,719 --> 00:36:40,359 Speaker 1: has its roots in the work of Petaba and even 575 00:36:40,440 --> 00:36:43,800 Speaker 1: of there are so many others who are going to 576 00:36:43,920 --> 00:36:47,279 Speaker 1: list just a few examples. In the nineteen eighties, the 577 00:36:47,360 --> 00:36:51,680 Speaker 1: Pacific Northwest Ballet and choreographer Kent still wanted to return 578 00:36:51,840 --> 00:36:54,520 Speaker 1: to the spirit of E. T. A. Hoffman's original story. 579 00:36:55,160 --> 00:36:57,840 Speaker 1: To that end, they brought in Maurice Sendec to design 580 00:36:57,880 --> 00:37:00,320 Speaker 1: the sets and write the libretto for a news staging 581 00:37:00,360 --> 00:37:04,640 Speaker 1: of The Nutcracker. This became the Pacific Northwest Ballet's version 582 00:37:04,800 --> 00:37:07,680 Speaker 1: of The Nutcracker for about three decades, and it was 583 00:37:07,760 --> 00:37:11,720 Speaker 1: released as a film in nineties six. They also published 584 00:37:11,760 --> 00:37:14,520 Speaker 1: a translation of E. T. A. Hoffman's story as a 585 00:37:14,600 --> 00:37:18,080 Speaker 1: book that was translated by Ralph Mannheim and accompanied by 586 00:37:18,160 --> 00:37:23,160 Speaker 1: Senda's illustrations. A version called Hard Nut debuted in Brussels 587 00:37:23,239 --> 00:37:27,400 Speaker 1: in and it uses Tchaikovsky's score and is based on 588 00:37:27,480 --> 00:37:29,960 Speaker 1: the E. T. A. Hoffman story, but it is a 589 00:37:30,040 --> 00:37:33,880 Speaker 1: satiric comedy with choreography by Mark Morris and a production 590 00:37:34,000 --> 00:37:37,760 Speaker 1: designed based on the work of illustrator and cartoonist Charles Burns. 591 00:37:38,560 --> 00:37:44,239 Speaker 1: Harlem Nutcracker debuted in six choreographed by Donald Bird and 592 00:37:44,440 --> 00:37:47,840 Speaker 1: working off of Duke Ellington and Billy Strayhorn's arrangement of 593 00:37:47,880 --> 00:37:51,160 Speaker 1: the Nutcracker suite. And in this ballet, Clara is a 594 00:37:51,239 --> 00:37:54,840 Speaker 1: widowed grandmother facing her first Christmas without her late husband. 595 00:37:55,520 --> 00:37:59,680 Speaker 1: Debbie Allen Dance Academy's Hot Chocolate Nutcracker incorporates all kinds 596 00:37:59,719 --> 00:38:03,240 Speaker 1: of front music and dance styles, with the rats narrating 597 00:38:03,280 --> 00:38:07,080 Speaker 1: the story. Parts of this are shown in the documentary 598 00:38:07,280 --> 00:38:11,120 Speaker 1: Dance Dreams Hot Chocolate Nutcracker. And then there are also 599 00:38:11,280 --> 00:38:14,880 Speaker 1: just smaller special touches that ballet companies around the world 600 00:38:15,000 --> 00:38:18,239 Speaker 1: have used to ground their productions of the Nutcracker in 601 00:38:18,280 --> 00:38:21,279 Speaker 1: a particular time and place, and that includes in its 602 00:38:21,320 --> 00:38:25,680 Speaker 1: home of Russia, Moscow Ballet's Great Russian Nutcracker includes a 603 00:38:25,800 --> 00:38:29,640 Speaker 1: giant Matrushka doll and Russian folk figures like dead Morowats 604 00:38:29,680 --> 00:38:34,399 Speaker 1: and Snagaruchka. This ballet's heroine is known as Masha, which 605 00:38:34,480 --> 00:38:38,920 Speaker 1: is a Russian derivative of the name Marie. Oh, Nutcracker, 606 00:38:39,840 --> 00:38:42,320 Speaker 1: We'll talk about some more Nutcracker stuff in the behind 607 00:38:42,400 --> 00:38:46,120 Speaker 1: the scenes, because so much I have experience as an 608 00:38:46,160 --> 00:38:50,560 Speaker 1: audience member and you have experienced as a dancer. Yep uh. 609 00:38:50,680 --> 00:38:52,960 Speaker 1: Do you have listener mail in the meantime? I do. 610 00:38:53,120 --> 00:38:56,799 Speaker 1: This is from Larissa. Larissa said, I wanted to write 611 00:38:56,840 --> 00:38:58,919 Speaker 1: in to at least share a picture of my dog 612 00:38:59,040 --> 00:39:02,640 Speaker 1: with you two. Then saw these episodes while picking something 613 00:39:02,719 --> 00:39:05,040 Speaker 1: to listen to on my drive home from work. I 614 00:39:05,120 --> 00:39:07,320 Speaker 1: knew I had to write in. I will pause and 615 00:39:07,400 --> 00:39:10,600 Speaker 1: say the episodes in question are the iditar Bell episodes. 616 00:39:11,040 --> 00:39:13,239 Speaker 1: I'm going to return to the email. I grew up 617 00:39:13,280 --> 00:39:16,560 Speaker 1: in Titusville, Pennsylvania. This is one thing I did not 618 00:39:16,680 --> 00:39:20,720 Speaker 1: miss in history class, and Titusville itself, the Tarbell House 619 00:39:20,840 --> 00:39:23,680 Speaker 1: still stands, and last I knew you can book tea 620 00:39:23,760 --> 00:39:27,600 Speaker 1: parties there. The museum is interactive which depicts the timeline 621 00:39:27,600 --> 00:39:30,560 Speaker 1: of the oil boom and has engines and oil rigs 622 00:39:30,600 --> 00:39:34,280 Speaker 1: in the park. Drake's Well is also replicated to exactly 623 00:39:34,360 --> 00:39:37,040 Speaker 1: the original second one. The very first one ignited from 624 00:39:37,040 --> 00:39:41,239 Speaker 1: a lantern, so no photograph for recreation. The hills of 625 00:39:41,280 --> 00:39:43,839 Speaker 1: the area were just Derek's no trees. I know there 626 00:39:43,880 --> 00:39:47,040 Speaker 1: are photos of this by John Mather. Also, it was 627 00:39:47,120 --> 00:39:50,279 Speaker 1: interesting to hear the Tarbells lived in Rouseville. I had 628 00:39:50,360 --> 00:39:52,680 Speaker 1: never seen a historical marker like we have all over 629 00:39:52,760 --> 00:39:55,360 Speaker 1: the area that right in that small area is the 630 00:39:55,480 --> 00:39:59,160 Speaker 1: oldest still producing oil well. I was so happy to 631 00:39:59,200 --> 00:40:01,080 Speaker 1: see this come up as a topic. No one knows 632 00:40:01,120 --> 00:40:03,760 Speaker 1: about our little area. And I'm sure a future idea 633 00:40:03,840 --> 00:40:06,600 Speaker 1: could be Titus fill itself and or pit hole the 634 00:40:06,680 --> 00:40:09,680 Speaker 1: ghost town. Uh. And then we got a picture of 635 00:40:09,840 --> 00:40:13,200 Speaker 1: Laris's dog, Landing, who was three years old and as 636 00:40:13,200 --> 00:40:17,319 Speaker 1: a pit bullterrior mixing is adorable. Thank you so much 637 00:40:17,400 --> 00:40:20,480 Speaker 1: for this email and the picture of Larissa. If you 638 00:40:20,520 --> 00:40:22,840 Speaker 1: would like to send us an email or at History 639 00:40:22,920 --> 00:40:25,640 Speaker 1: podcast at I heart radio dot com. And we're also 640 00:40:25,719 --> 00:40:28,040 Speaker 1: all over social media at missed in History. That's where 641 00:40:28,080 --> 00:40:31,000 Speaker 1: you'll find our Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Instagram. And you 642 00:40:31,080 --> 00:40:34,439 Speaker 1: can subscribe to our show on the I heart Radio 643 00:40:34,520 --> 00:40:42,680 Speaker 1: app or wherever you like to get your podcasts. Stuff 644 00:40:42,719 --> 00:40:44,640 Speaker 1: you Missed in History Class is a production of I 645 00:40:44,800 --> 00:40:48,200 Speaker 1: heart Radio. For more podcasts from I heart Radio, visit 646 00:40:48,239 --> 00:40:51,120 Speaker 1: the i heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you 647 00:40:51,239 --> 00:40:52,520 Speaker 1: listen to your favorite shows.