L'Histoire du soldat (The Soldier's Tale) is a theatrical work "to be read, played, and danced" ("lue, jouée et dansée ") by three actors and one or several dancers, accompanied by a septet of instruments. The piece was conceived by Igor Stravinsky and Swiss writer C. F. Ramuz based on a Russian folk tale ("The Runaway Soldier and the Devil") drawn from the collection of Alexander Afanasyev.
L'Histoire du soldat has no intrumental accompaniment. 