Piano:

Parade of the Tin Soldiers (Die Parade der Zinnsoldaten) was written in 1897 by German composer Leon Jessel. The piece was originally composed for solo piano, which means only one person playing the piano. Just like you!

In this recording of Parade of the Tin Soldiers, you will hear the whole piece played on the piano as it was originally intended. Watch closely as the sheet music plays on the screen! See if you notice any notes or symbols that you know - quarter notes? forte or piano? time signatures?

Dance:

One of the most famous uses of Parade of the Tin Soldiers can be found in The Rockettes’ annual “Radio City Christmas Spectacular” performance. Every year since 1933, The Rockettes have performed their “Parade of the Wooden Soldiers” routine to an orchestral arrangement of this music.

(Notice how the name of the piece changed? Nowadays, this piece is sometimes called ‘Parade of the Tin Soldiers’ and other times ‘Parade of the Wooden Soldiers’. Which name do you like better?)

Watch this clip of The Rockettes’ performance and listen for differences between the piano version and the orchestral version of the piece:

Orchestra:

Here’s another example of this piece known by it’s other name! Parade of the Wooden Soldiers has very distinct sections of the piece that are easy to recognize if you know what to look for. With a little guidance, you’ll be able to spot how different sections repeat and change throughout the piece.

While listening to this recording of Parade of the Wooden Soldiers, follow along with this Listening Time Guide & Map: