Both
“Hedwig’s Theme” and “Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy” begin with an exposed
celesta part that introduces the piece’s main motif. The exposed feature is
then built upon as the piece progresses. In “Hedwig’s Theme,” the melody starts
in the celesta and is then passed between instrument groups, and in “Dance of
the Sugar Plum Fairy,” increasing accompaniment accentuates the celesta’s
constant melody.
Williams
uses imitation to create a layered texture in “Hedwig’s Theme.” The piece begins
with a celesta solo carrying the melody, which is then taken over by the
strings and low brass at 0:48 and repeated at 1:21. This imitation has the
effect of building upon the celesta’s lead, and the piece increases in
intensity as more instrument groups imitate the melody. The celesta begins as
the top “layer” of the piece, and is then supplanted as other instrument groups
take over the melody.
Similarly,
Tchaikovsky introduces his melody with a celesta solo that is then built upon
by the rest of the orchestra in increasing accompaniment. The piece begins with
a celesta solo as the main focus and soft violins in the harmony. At 0:34, the
woodwinds enter in descending notes as harmony, and their involvement in the
piece builds until an accented entrance in the strings at 1:00 serves as a call
and response with the celesta. The celesta again plays the original melody at
1:19, this time with increased string accompaniment that progresses the piece
to a fuller sound. In this way, Tchaikovsky and Williams both build upon the
celesta’s melody with increasing accompaniment and imitation.
Additionally,
both pieces have a small break for a celesta solo in the middle. In “Hedwig’s
Theme,” the celesta solo comes at 2:03, and in “Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy,”
it is at 1:09. In both pieces, the celesta solo serves to return to the
original focus of the piece—the ethereal sound of the celesta.
Although
from different cultures, the pieces are linked by their use of the celesta as a
means of introducing and carrying the melody.
