The Nutcracker is widely regarded as one of the world's greatest classical ballets, and one of the reasons why it has endured over the centuries is that Tchaikovsky's music has given the dance a strong, infectious quality. It is full of simple and mysterious fairy tales and a strong musical character for children.

The Nutcracker is typical of Tchaikovsky's later works, and his subtle use of strings gives the work a gloriously luminous soundtrack and a realistic realism rarely seen in ordinary music. Tchaikovsky's music is very dramatic and tense, with the cello and oboe pouring out rich emotions in a climactic and evocative manner. The music for the candy fairy solo dance is beautiful. When Petipa choreographed the dance back in 1891, he asked for the music to be "like a fountain, with drops of water shooting out". Tchaikovsky had a recently invented steel violin secretly shipped from Paris for this purpose, and he specifically asked that "Rimsky and Korsakov, who were also composers, must not know about it, otherwise they would be the first to use it". He kept it so secret that it was not even announced in the orchestral programme until the premiere, at which he played the Candy Fairy Dance himself. Sure enough, the steel sheet piano accompanied by the strings played a fantastical, sweet tone like a silver bell from the heavens, making the piece unforgettable.