Stravinsky's Three Tales for Children were written at the height of his Russian nationalist period, 1915 - 1917, the period following the premiere of Le Sacre du printemps during which he was composing the first version of Les Noces. The texts are drawn from Russian folk texts and the melodies are recognizably derived from Russian folk melodies. But like the folk songs in Le Sacre and Les Noces, these melodies are thoroughly altered in Stravinsky's re-composition.
In published order, the Three Tales are "Tilimbom," "Les canards, les cygnes, les oies" (Ducks, Swans and Geese), and Chanson de l'ours (Song of the Bear). All three tunes first existed first as tunes Stravinsky wrote to amuse his childhood friends. They then grew into piano-accompanied songs in 1906. The piano accompaniments grew more expansive in 1913 with additional preludes and postludes. "Tilimbom" in its present form was composed in Morges, Switzerland, on May 22, 1917. "Les canards, les cygnes, les oies" was composed in Morges a few days later on June 2, 1917. Chanson de l'ours was the earliest of the three songs, having been composed in Morges on December 30, 1915. All three songs are dedicated Pour mon fils cadet. The first two were reorchestrated for flute, harp, and guitar as part of the Four Songs of 1954. ~ All Music Guide
