Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky composed the ballet The Nutcracker in 1891--1892. Based on Alexandre Dumas' adaptation of E. T. A. Hoffmann's story, "The Nutcracker and the Mouse King." Before the premiere, Tchaikovsky selected eight pieces from the ballet and created The Nutcracker Suite, Op. 71a, which became an immediate success and contains some of the most recognizable and best-loved holiday music. "Scenes from The Nutcracker" contains four numbers from Tchaikovsky's The Nutcracker Suite, Op. 71a.
