Gnome Nutcracker

Gnome nutcracker are small decorative statues, usually in the shape of a dwarf, with a pointed hat. They are often used to decorate gardens and are considered a symbol of good luck. In folklore, gnomes are said to protect mines of precious treasure hidden in the earth and to influence mankind’s melancholic temperament. They also guard against evil spirits. The gnome is closely related to the nisse or tomte of Scandinavia and the leprechaun. The gnome has gained popularity over the last century, particularly after the release of Disney’s animated feature film Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. Many modern artists have incorporated gnomes into their works, mainly in the form of ornaments and home decor.

A popular Christmas tradition is to give a garden gnome to friends and family as a gift. These figures are typically made of porcelain, ceramics, resin, or stone. They are available in a variety of shapes, sizes and colors. They are also commonly used as decorative household items such as planters or doorstops. They are usually crafted with whimsical details such as faces, hats, beards or mustaches and tails. Some gnomes are painted while others are left plain.

The Nutcracker ballet is a famous work of art that has been adapted into a wide variety of mediums. Tchaikovsky’s composition is based on the 1816 fairy tale by E. T. A. Hoffmann. The ballet is performed by major ballet companies all over the world. Major American ballet companies generate about 40% of their annual ticket revenues from performances of The Nutcracker.

Tchaikovsky’s music for The Nutcracker has been recorded numerous times. Many famous conductors of the twentieth century have recorded the piece, including Arturo Toscanini, Herbert von Karajan, Leonard Bernstein and Sir Georg Solti. A popular version of the suite was a 1977 television production with Mikhail Baryshnikov and Gelsey Kirkland, conducted by Leonard Slatkin. The National Philharmonic Orchestra of Washington, DC, also released a stereo recording in 1985.

Other musical interpretations of the suite include a rock version by the Trans-Siberian Orchestra on their first album, Christmas Eve and Other Stories. Spike Jones and his City Slickers released a comedic version of The Nutcracker Suite in 1945 as an LP on the RCA label with the title Spike Jones Presents for the Kiddies: The Nutcracker Suite (With Apologies to Tchaikovsky). The Los Angeles Guitar Quartet recorded arrangements for four acoustic guitars on their 1992 CD release Dances from Renaissance to Nutcracker.

The gnome has gained popularity in modern literature. In the early 1900s, German author Franz Hartmann wrote a children’s novel called Unter den Gnomen im Untersberg, which was translated to English in 1918 as Among the Gnomes of the Untersberg. The novel satirized materialism and was an important precursor to Franz Joseph I of Austria’s eponymous 1895 essay on the same topic, In Among the Gnomes of the Mountains.

The gnome has also appeared in a number of literary works, including novels by Terry Pratchett and Alexander Pope. The Discworld series of books by Pratchett includes several gnomes who are six inches tall and inflict pain upon anyone who underestimates them. The gnomes are closely related to the Norwegian tomte and Swedish nisse, as well as to the Irish leprechaun.