Tchaikovsky Research : Cantata for the Opening of the Polytechnic Exhibition (TH 67)

Catalogue References	TH 67 ; ČW 63 (as "Cantata to the Polytechnic Exhibition in Moscow 1872")
Date	February–March 1872 (for the opening of the Moscow Polytechnic Exhibition, commemorating the bicentenary of the birth of Peter the Great)
Text	Yakov Petrovich Polonsky (1819–1898)
Language	Russian
Key	G minor–G major
Instrumentation	Tenor voice; Chorus (SATB) + Piccolo, 2 Flutes, 2 Oboes, 2 Clarinets (B♭, A), 2 Bassoons + 4 Horns (F), 2 Trumpets (D, E), 3 Trombones, Tuba + Timpani, Triangle, Side Drum, Cymbals, Bass Drum + Violins I, Violins II, Violas, Cellos, Double Basses
Notable Performances	Moscow, Polytechnic Exhibition, 31 May/12 June 1872, Aleksandr Dodonov (tenor), conducted by Karl Davydov Moscow, Bolshi Theatre, 14/26 June 1872, Aleksandr Dodonov (tenor), conducted by Karl Davydov [?] Saint Petersburg, Nobles’ Club, 8/21 January 1905, Fëdor Senius (tenor), conducted by Aleksandr Ziloti
Autograph Location	Lost
First Publication	Moscow: Muzgiz, 1960
Average Duration	32 minutes

History

At the end of 1871 (in November or December) Tchaikovsky received a request from the musical organisers of the Polytechnic Exhibition in Moscow to write a cantata in connection with the Exhibition, which was being arranged to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the birth of Peter the Great [1]. The text of the cantata was to be supplied by the poet Yakov Polonsky. Because of Tchaikovsky’s travels abroad, the text of the cantata was only delivered to him upon his return to Saint Petersburg in late January/early February 1872 [2]. A condition stipulated by the organisers was that the completed manuscript should be handed over to them not later than 1/13 April 1872, and it must be supposed that Tchaikovsky met this deadline.

The cantata was performed on 31 May/12 June 1872 at the opening of the Exhibition in Moscow, under a specially-erected marquee at the Trinity Bridge. The conductor was Karl Davydov, and the solo part was performed by Aleksandr Dodonov [3]. Tchaikovsky attended the performance, and on 2/14 June he wrote to Karl Davydov [4]: "The need for me to leave Moscow on 31 May [O.S.] prevented me from congratulating you on your efforts and benevolent attention to my cantata. This troubled me, and I had to write this quick note to express to you my most sincere gratitude. I heard the cantata from below [the bridge], not wishing to become an object of general curiosity" [5].

The cantata was performed again on 14/26 June at a grand concert held at the Bol’shoi Theatre. The soloist was again Aleksandr Dodonov, but the name of the conductor was not advertised on the concert bill. It seems likely that this would have been Karl Davydov once again.

To date, the autograph score has not been discovered. It was formerly preserved in the library of the Bol’shoi Theatre in Moscow [6]. In 1900, when Modest Tchaikovsky wanted to publish the cantata, it could not be found in the theatre library. However, some years previously the librarian A. Farsky had used the orchestral and choral parts to put together the full score [7], and this was acquired by Modest Tchaikovsky [8].

At Modest Tchaikovsky’s request, Yury Pomerantsev made a piano arrangement from the full score compiled by A. Farsky. Sergey Taneyev wrote about the arrangement to Modest Tchaikovsky: "Two days ago I returned from Yusha [Pomerantsev], bringing the cantata with me, but the parts still have to be written out, and the markings added" [9].

On 5/18 June 1902, Modest Tchaikovsky wrote to Sergey Taneyev [10]: "I had Yusha bring along your work to me... As a result I am now familiar with the cantata. I am glad that Kashkin was not mistaken when he said that Petia borrowed one of the themes for his Third Symphony (the humorous fanfare in the symphony’s scherzo). The first half of it comes from the finale of the First Symphony. I do not agree with Yusha that this is a bad thing—it brings me great pleasure, and great satisfaction". On the manuscript of Yury Pomerantsev’s arrangement is the date: "1902. 28 March" [O.S.].

In 1904, Aleksandr Ziloti wrote to Modest Tchaikovsky: "Pyotr Il’ich’s cantata is going ahead, probably on 8 January" [11]. This performance of the cantata did indeed take place at a concert organised by Ziloti on 8/21 January 1905, in the hall of the Nobles’ Club (now the Philharmonia) in Saint Petersburg. The conductor was Aleksandr Ziloti, and the solo performer F. L. Senius.

Russian and English Text

The Soviet edition which appeared as part of Tchaikovsky's Collected Works, under the title Cantata to Commemorate the Bicentenary of the Birth of Peter the Great (П. И. Чайковский. Полное собрание сочинений, том 27 (1960), pp. 189–337) is a reconstruction from the original orchestral and choral parts by Andrey Kovalev, and with a heavily revised text by Sergey Gorodetsky and Aleksey Mashistov. The statement of the hymn God Save the Tsar is excised from the published score, and also from the only two recordings of the cantata (see the Discography), which both use quite different versions of the texts. Thus the cantata has yet to be published or recorded in its original form.

Cantata for the Opening of the Polytechnic Exhibition

(Кантата на открытие Политехнической выставке)

History

Russian and English Text

Notes