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This page list all the ballet, music and fairytale references in Princess Tutu.


The Nutcraker[]

  • The subtitle for AKT 1 is ～Der Nußknacker: Blumenwalzer～, or “The Nutcracker: Waltz of the Flowers”, referring to the aforementioned ballet, and a piece of music from Act II. This is a piece used later in the AKT.
  • Drosselmeyer the toymaker in the ballet is the name of Drosselmeyer.
  • Subtitle: Der Nußknacker (Akt 26)

Music[]

  • Dance of the Reed Pipes (Akt 2)
  • Dance of the Sugarplum Fairy (Akt 1, 6)
  • Miniature Overture (Akt 1)
  • March (Akt 1)
  • Waltz of the Flowers (Akt 22, 26, and 1)
  • Tchaikovsky, Piotr Ilyich: The Nutcracker: Act II, No.12(e) – “Dance of the Mirlitons” (Akt 21)
  • Tchaikovsky, Piotr Ilyich: The Nutcracker: Act II, No.14 - Variation II “Dance of the Sugar Plum Faerie” (Akt 14)
  • Tchaikovsky, Piotr Ilyich: The Nutcracker: Act II, No.13 – “Waltz of the Flowers” (Akt 26 and 14)
  • Tchaikovsky, Piotr Ilyich: The Nutcracker: Act I, No.2 – March (Akt 23)

The Battered Bride[]

  • The thematic music for this Akt is Smetana's The Bartered Bride. (Akt 20)
  • Raetsel's fiancée is named Hans, and that's also the German name of the sweetheart in The Bartered Bride. Hans is a short form of Johannes, common in Germany and Scandinavia. (Akt 20)
  • Subtitle: Die verkaufte Braut

Music[]

  • Smetana, Bedřich: The Bartered Bride: Overture (Akt 20)

Swan Lake[]

  • Princess Tutu's and her costume is based on Odette.
  • Rue/Princesses Krahehe is based on Odile
  • Raven is based on Rothbart
  • The Prince and the Raven
  • For 2.AKT, the subtitle is ～Shwanensee: Scène finale～, or “Swan Lake: Finale”.
  • Mytho real name is Siegfried who is the name of the Prince in Swan Lake.
  • Episode 7 title refers to Odile
  • Akt 10, 11 14, 16, 18, and 20 - Wagner, Richard: Gotterdammerung, from which Siegfried's funeral march which is used in this episode is taken. Mytho sword is Lohengrin Sword Lohengrin shows up in German Arthurian literature as the son of Percival which his story is a version of the "Knight of the Swan" tale.
  • Wagner, Richard: Siegfried Idyll (Akt 5, 13, 11, 14, 22, 25, 26 and 15)
  • Swan Lake episode title and prologue.
  • Subtitle: Schwanensee (Swan Lake)
  • The Swan is often thought of as "The Dying Swan", and has been danced to a lot.
  • Tutu and Kraehe dance to the same waltz that Rue and Duck danced a pas de deux to in episode 2.
  • The Siegfried Idyll was last used when Duck and Mytho danced in episode 5. It is also used a lot in the second season.
  • The Raven
  • Raven and Rue are like Rothbart and Odile.
  • Fakir asks Mr. Cat if an impure love can be made pure again. Mr. Cat asks, "What is an impure love? Was Odile's love impure?". We remember who is based on Odile, yes? (Akt 18)
  • There is a little similarity between Mytho's outfit and Rothbart as well (here he is with Odile), but it seems like the Rothbart costume varies somewhat. (Akt 18)

Music[]

  • Hungarian Dance (Akt 2)
  • No. 2 Waltz (Akt 2)
  • No. 28 Scene; No. 29 Finale (Akt 2)
  • Waltz (Akt 1)
  • Tchaikovsky, Piotr Ilyich: Swan Lake: Act II, No.14 (Akt 13)
  • same: Swan Lake: Act I, No.2 – Valse-Intrada (latter section) (Akt 14)
  • Tchaikovsky, Piotr Ilyich: Swan Lake: Act II, No.13 – Andante non troppo “Dance de cygnes” (Akt 16, 25 and 24)
  • Tchaikovsky, Piotr Ilyich : Swan Lake: Act IV, No.28 (Akt 26)
  • Tchaikovsky, Piotr Ilyich: Swan Lake: Music from main oboe melody (ex. Act I – No.9 Finale) (Akt 26)
  • Tchaikovsky, Piotr Ilyich: The Nutcracker: Act I - Overture (Akt 26)

The Ugly Duckling[]

  • We see the duck become a swan in the opening - just like in H.C. Andersen's The Ugly Duckling.
  • Duck becomes a swan-like with Princess Tutu.

Romeo and Juliet[]

  • Subtitle: Fantasy Ouverture of "Romeo and Juliet" (Akt 8)
  • Mytho is cast as Romeo and Fakir is cast as Mercutio (Akt 8)
  • "The Knight's Dance" fits Fakir. This movement is also known as Montagues and Capulets, which anyone with half a knowledge of Shakespeare knows are the warring families in Romeo and Juliet, and so the alternate title fits the fact that Fakir learns something about his family - or rather, ancestor - who he will have to fight eventually. (Akt 21)
  • Ahiru and Fakir's pas de deux in the Lake of Despair uses Prokofiev's Romeo and Juliet. The ballet, originally premiering in Czechoslovakia in 1938, has two well-known major stagings. The earlier (1940) is by Leonid Lavrovsky, a Soviet choreographer, for the Kirov Ballet; the later (1965) is by Sir Kenneth MacMillan for England's Royal Ballet. Princess Tutu draws its inspiration from the Lavrovsky version. The music is taken from the fifth movement ("Romeo and Juliet Before Parting") of Prokofiev's second Romeo and Juliet Suite. The dancing, however, is all set to that part of the movement which corresponds to Romeo and Juliet's parting pas de deux in the ballet -- the morning after their wedding night, the last time they dance with each other in life. (Akt 25)

Music[]

  • Tchaikovsky, Piotr Ilyich: Romeo & Juliet Fantasy Overture (Akt 23, 24, and 8)
  • Prokofiev, Sergei: Romeo & Juliet Act I - Introduction (Akt 8)
  • Prokofiev, Sergei: Romeo and Juliet: Act I, Scene 2 – “Balcony Scene” (latter section) (Akt 25)
  • Prokofiev, Sergei: Romeo and Juliet: Act I, Scene 2 no. 13 – "The Knight's Dance” (Akt 21)
  • Prokofiev, Sergei: Romeo and Juliet: Act III, Scene 6 – “Romeo and Juliet” (Akt 25)
  • Prokofiev, Sergei: Romeo and Juliet: Act III, Scene 6 – The Last Farewell (Akt 25)
  • Prokofiev, Sergei: Romeo and Juliet: Act III, Scene 6 – Interlude (Akt 25)

The Ugly Duckling[]

  • Ahiru who is a duck who becomes Princess Tutu who is like a swan.

Coppélia[]

  • The opening narration references the story of the ballet; The Sandman by E.T.A. Hoffmann, the short story Coppelia was based on. (Akt 15)
  • There music was in the marionette scene in Akt 23

Music[]

  • Music of the Automatica (Akt 2)
  • Waltz of the Hours (Akt 2)
  • Delibes, Léo: Coppelia: Act II, Scene 1 – “Scene & Waltz of the Puppets” (beginning with the last phrase before the beginning of the main waltz) (Akt 15)
  • The music played by Edel's barrel organ is "The Dance of the Automatons" from Coppélia (Coppélia: Act 2 No. 14 Musique des automates), a hint towards her true nature.
  • Delibes, Léo: Copelia: Act II, Scene 1 - "Music of the Automotons” (Akt 23)
  • Delibes, Léo: Copelia: Act II, Scene 1 – “Waltz of the Puppets” (Akt 23)

Pictures at an Exhibition[]

Music[]

  • Samuel Goldenberg and Schmuyle (Akt 2)
  • Ballet of the Unhatched Chicks (Akt 2)
  • Catacomb (Akt 4, 5)
  • Castle (Akt 11)
  • Promenade II (Akt 9)
  • Mussorgsky, Modest (orch. Ravel: Pictures at an Exhibition: Gnomus (Akt 25 and 14)
  • Mussorgsky, Modest (orch. Ravel): Pictures at an Exhibition: The Old Castle (Akt 17, 15)
  • Mussorgsky, Modest (orch. Ravel): Pictures at an Exhibition: The Little Hut with Chicken Legs (Akt 22)
  • Mussorgsky, Modest (orch. Ravel): Pictures at an Exhibition: The Old Castle (Akt 22)
  • Mussorgsky, Modest (orch. Ravel): Pictures at an Exhibition: The Little Hut with Chicken Legs (Akt 26)

Sleeping Beauty[]

  • The German subtitle now points us to “Panorama”, from Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s composition for Sleeping Beauty. (Akt 3)
  • Subtitle: Sleeping Beauty: Prologue  (Akt 6)
  • The German Dornröschen translates literally to "Thorn Rose". Sleeping Beauty refers to Mytho, who really has been asleep so far. Dornröschen, on the other hand, hints that even something that looks beautiful can sting - much like Mytho getting his feelings back. (Akt 6)

Music[]

  • Panorama (Akt 2 and 3)
  • Waltz of the Flowers (Akt 6)
  • Rose Adagio (Akt 6)
  • Puss in Boots and The White Cat (Akt 6)
  • Waltz of the Flowers (Akt 6)
  • Prologue, Introduction (Akt 6)
  • Tchaikovsky, Piotr Ilyich: Sleeping Beauty Act III – “Puss in Boots & The White Cat” (Akt 16)


A Midsummer Night’s Dream[]

  • Hermia and Lysander are named after 2 characters from the Shakespeare play, A Midsummer Night's Dream.
  • Episode 19 title

Music[]

  • Wedding March (Akt 1)
  • Mendelssohn, Felix Bartholdy: Incidental music to “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”: Scherzo (Akt 19)
  • Mendelssohn, Felix Bartholdy: Incidental music to “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”: Overture (Akt 19)

Hansel and Gretal[]

  • Ahiru thought that she and Mytho are in a reenactment of "Hansel and Gretel", which of course turns out not to be the case (Akt 3)

The Carnival of the Animals[]

It appeared in Akt 7.

Music[]

  • Aquarium (Akt 3, 17, 18 and 5)
  • March of the Lion" (Akt 5)
  • Saint-Saëns, Camille: Carnival of the Animals: Hens and Roosters (Akt 14, 16)
  • Saint-Saëns, Camille: Carnival of the Animals: March of the Lion (Akt 15)
  • Saint-Saëns, Camille: Carnival of the Animals: Kangaroos (Akt 15)
  • Hemioness (Akt 20)
  • Finale (Akt 21)
  • Saint-Saëns, Camille: Carnival of the Animals: The Swan (Akt 13 and 25)
  • Saint-Saëns, Camille: Carnival of the Animals: Swan (Akt 26)

Prince Igor[]

Music[]

  • Polovetsian Dances (Akt 3)

Lohengrin[]

  • Lohengrin shows up in German Arthurian literature as the son of Percival. As they say in the article linked, his story is a version of the "Knight of the Swan" tale.
  • Fakir gains the Lohengrin Sword in Akt. 10 to fulfill his duty as the knight. Lohengrin is a character in Arthurian literature who is a knight of the Holy Grail.

Music[]

  • Wagner, Richard: Lohengrin: Act III - Prelude (Akt 13)

Giselle[]

  • The Wili Maiden's is based on Giselle's.
  • Akt 4 episode title is Giselle.
  • Mr. Cat also references Giselle, which uses much of the same setting, but is a tragedy, whereas Coppelia is a comedy. (Akt 15)

Music[]

  • The Death of Hilarion (Akt 3)
  • Entrée de Giselle (Akt 4)
  • Entrance of the Prince and Giselle's Apparition (Akt 4)
  • Entrance of Hilarion (Akt 4)
  • Scene of the Fleeing of the Wilis (Akt 4)
  • Adam, Adolphe: Giselle Act I, No.3 – “Entrance of Giselle” (rehearsal reduction) (Akt 16)

The Red Shoes[]

  • The opening shoe story references H.C. Andersen's The Red Shoes (Akt 9)

Cinderella[]

  • Akt 10 Prologue made references to it.
  • Akt 10 Subtitle: Cinderella: Waltz-Coda
  • There are several references to the Cinderella fairytale in both Akt 9 and the Akt 10. There is the initial idea of Ahiru changing from Princess Tutu back to a bird after losing her pendant, a reference to the lost glass slipper and Cinderella's hidden identity by magical means. In "Black Shoes", Rue transforms into Princess Kraehe after putting on a pair of cursed dancing slippers. Also, in the original Grimm fairytale, Cinderella's stepsisters attend her wedding in the hopes of catching the Prince's eye, and subsequently have their eyes torn out by crows. In the wedding scene, Kraehe sets a flock of crows upon Tutu, who she views as her rival for Mytho's affections.
  • Edel is the name that Cinderella's fairy godmother took on when she acted as her mother's former maid to help out Cinderella with her stays.

La Sylphide[]

  • Subtitle: La Sylphide (Akt 11)
  • Løvenskiold, Herman: La Sylphide: Act II, No.8 – Finale (Akt 11 and 16)
  • The first version of the ballet La Sylphide was written for the same ballerina who had her shoes eaten. This version had music by Filippo Taglioni, though, while the music used here is by Herman Løvenskiold. A Sylph is a mythical being of the air. (Akt 11)

Carmen[]

Music[]

  • Habanera (Akt 3)
  • Bizet, Georges: Carmen: Act IV – Prelude “Aragonaise” (Akt 17)

Scheherazade[]

  • Subtitle: Scheherazade (Akt 12)
  • Music from Scheherazade is being used when Mr. Cat is telling a story. In the first season, "The Aquarium" was usually used when someone was talking about something from the story. Scheherazade has largely taken over that role in this season, possibly as a sign that rather than looking in through the glass, the characters are taking a more active part in actually shaping the story. (Akt 14)

Music[]

  • Rimskij-Korsakov's Scheherazade (Akt 10)
  • Rimsky-Korsakov, Nikolai: Scheherezade: Mvt 2 “The Story of the Kalender Prince” (Akt 23, 24 and 13)
  • Rimsky-Korsakov, Nikolai: Scheherezade: Mvt 3 “The Young Prince and the Young Princess” (Akt 14 and 26)
  • Rimsky-Korsakov, Nikolai: Scheherezade: Mvt 4 “Festival in Bagdad - The Sea - Shipwreck - Conclusion” (Akt 23)

Other Fairlytale References[]

  • Golden apples are common in fairy tales and mythology. (Akt 6)
  • The Female Narrator often said Once upon a time for the prologue at the beginning of the episodes.
  • Fakir is made to stand without food or drink for three days. Three is a magical number in fairy tales, and three days shows up other places as well: Jesus rose from the tomb after three days. (Akt 21)
  • The opening narration references a fairly common fairy tale/myth trope of trapping someone by taking something important to them - a name, an animal pelt, chain their wings, etc. (Akt 11)
  • Edel gets the love jewel from a bear lady. The bear lady may be a representation of Allerleirauh, or a gender reversal of Bearskin or Hans My Hedgehog. All of them are fairytales in which a person wears a skin that turns them (appearance only or entirely) into a 'monster' seemingly unfit for love. (Akt 11)
  • Mr. Meowzinsky is a reference to Vaslav Nijinsky. (Akt 14)
  • Ahiru thinks that she and Mytho are in a reenactment of "Hansel and Gretel", which of course turns out not to be the case. (Akt 3)

Mythology References[]

  • The Tale Spinner's Tree is an oak tree, and oaks have a lot of mythological significance - To the Celts, oak doors were the portal between worlds. One specific oak was sacred to a Germanic tribe, and its destruction marked the end of paganism and beginning of Christianity. Also, Fakir channels lightning, and oaks were sacred to the thunder god Thor.

Opera[]

  • Ruslan und Ludmilla (Akt 23)
    • Subtitle: Ruslan und Ludmilla
    • The subtitular music this time is Glinka's Ruslan und Ludmilla, based on Pushkin's epic poem. Note that Ludmilla was a daughter of Kiev, whose Great Gate we visited last episode.
    • Glinka, Mikhail: Russlan & Ludmilla: Overture
  • Subtitle: Romeo und Julia (Akt 25)

Other Music[]

  • Robert Alexander Schumann's "Arabesque"
  • Felix Mendelssohn’s “Auf Flügeln des Gesanges”, or “On Wings of Song”. (Akt 4)
  • Beethoven, Ludwig von: Coriolan Overture (Akt 5, 8, 13, 18, 25 and 11)
  • The Beautiful Blue Danube (Akt 7)
  • Gymnopedie No.1 (Akt 7, 8)
  • Gymnopedie No.3 (Akt 8)
  • same: same: Tuileries (central section) (Akt 9)
  • same: same: Gnomus (Akt 9)
  • Same: same: Act I, No.2 – Valse-Intrada (Akt 13)
  • same: same: Act II, No.10 (Akt 14)
  • same: same: Habanera (orch. arr. of Act I “L’amour est un oiseau rebelle”) (Akt 17)
  • Mozart, Wolgang Amadeus: Marriage of Figaro: *Mozart, Wolgang Amadeus: Marriage of Figaro: Overture (Akt 9)
  • Offenbach, Jacques: Orpheus in the Underworld: Act I – Overture (Akt 16)
  • Chopin, Frederic: Waltz in b-minor, Op.69 no.2 (Akt 9)
  • Mussorgsky, Modest (orch. Ravel): Pictures at an Exhibition: Bydlo (Akt 9)
  • Satie, Eric: Gymnopedie No.2 - (Akt 9)
  • same: same: The Old Castle (Akt 19 and 9)
  • same: same: Tuileries (Akt 19)
  • same: same: Notturno (Akt 19)
  • Chopin, Frederic: Mazurka Op.6, No.1 in f-sharp minor (Akt 11)
  • Borodin, Alexander (orch. unknown): String (Akt 11)
  • Quartet No.2 in D-Major: Mvt 3 “Nocturne” (orchestral) (Akt 11)
  • Subtitle: Blumenwalzer (Waltz of the Flowers) (Akt 14)
  • Chopin, Frederic: Nocturne in E-flat Major, Op.9 no.2 (Akt 15)
  • Badarzewska, Tekla: The Maiden’s Prayer, Op.4 (Akt 16)
  • Dvořák, Antonin: Symphony No..9 “From the New World”: Mvt 3 – Molto vivace (Akt 17)
  • Mussorgsky, Modest (orch. Ravel): Pictures at an Exhibition: Gnomus (Akt 17)
  • Debussy, Claude: Prelude to an Afternoon of a Faun (Akt 17)
  • Mazurka in f-sharp minor, Op.6 no.1 (Akt 18)
  • Beethoven, Ludwig von: Egmont Overture (Akt 23, 24, 25 and 18)
  • Chopin, Frederic: Mazurka in f-sharp minor, Op.6 no.1 (Akt 19)
  • Mendelssohn, Felix Bartholdy: On Wings of Song (Akt 16)
  • Mussorgsky, Modest (orch. Ravel): Pictures at an Exhibition: Dance of the Unhatched Chicks (Akt 16
  • Vieuxtemps, Henri: Reverie, Op.22 no.3 (Akt 16)
  • Liszt, Franz: Les Préludes (Akt 18)
  • Chopin, Frederic: Etude in E-Major "Tristesse," Op.10 no.3 (Akt 20)
  • Bizet, Georges: L'Arlesienne, Suite No.1: Overture (Akt 20)
  • Mussorgsky, Modest (orch. Rimsky-Korsakov): Night on Bald Mountain (Akt 20)
  • same: L'Arlesienne, Suite No.2: Intermezzo (Akt 20)
  • Bizet, Georges: L'Arlesienne, Suite No.1: Adagietto (Akt 20)
  • Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus: Rondo in a-minor, K.511 (Akt 21)
  • Mendelssohn, Felix Bartholdy: (arranger unknown): Lieder ohne Worte, Op.38, no.3 (arr. for horn & piano) (Akt 21)
  • same: same: The Great Gate of Kiev (Akt 22)
  • Ippolitov-Ivanov, Michail: Caucasian Sketches, Op.10: Mvt 2 "In the Village" (Akt 22)
  • Liszt, Franz: Les Préludes (Akt 22)
  • Debussy, Claude: Préludes, Book 1: Girl With the Flaxen Hair (Akt 22)
  • Borodin, Alexander (orch. unknown): String Quartet No.2 in D-Major Mvt 3 “Nocturne” (orchestral) (Akt 23)
  • Borodin, Alexander (orch. unknown): String Quartet No.2 in D-Major Mvt 3 “Nocturne” (orchestral) (Akt 24)
  • Dvořák, Antonin: Symphony No.9 “From the New World”: Mvt 2 – Largo (Akt 24)
  • same: same: Act IV, No.29 (Akt 26)
  • Saint-Saëns, Camille: Dance Macabre (Akt 24)
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