Tchaikovsky
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Anastasie-valse

Анастасия-вальс

(1854).

History

Composed in August 1854 in a dacha at Oranienbaum, where the Tchaikovsky family was spending the summer. Dedicated to Anastasiia Petrovna Petrova—governess of the Tchaikovsky children.

Until 1913 this juvenile work by Tchaikovsky was unknown. In connection with the 20th anniversary of the composer’s death, the newspaper The Day (День) published a photographic reproduction of the autograph of the waltz, in an article by P. Zaitsev [1]. The newspaper printed the waltz in full. On the title page of the copy book containing the waltz was written: "Anastasie-valse composée et dedié á mademoiselle Anastasie Petroff par Pierre Tschaikovsky. Elêve de l'école Imperiale des Droit, Le 15 Aôut, le jour de son départ d’Oranienbaum pour St.-Petersbourg". And below he added: "Expromtum. Anastasie-valse par Pierre Tschaikovsky" [2].

The manuscript of the waltz belonged to Anastasiia Petrova, who gave it to her pupil, N. P. Al'ferova. The autograph remained in the Al'ferov family, who granted permission for its publication. The present whereabouts of the manuscript are unknown. This is the earliest known of Tchaikovsky's surviving juvenile works. The waltz has not been published independently.

From: Музыкальное наследие Чайковского (1958), p. 385
English text copyright © 2006 Brett Langston

Notes:

1. See P. Zaitsev, «Юношеское произведение П. И. Чайковского» [A youthful work by P. I. Tchaikovsky] in the section Неопубликованные материалы [Unpublished materials] of the supplement Литература, искусство, науча [Literature, Art, Science] to the newspaper День [The Day], 21 October 1913 [back]
2. "Anastasie-valse, composed and dedicated to Madame Anastasie Petrov by Pierre Tschaikovsky, pupil at the Imperial School of Jurisprudence, 15th August, the day he left Oranienbaum for Saint Petersburg", and below "Impromptu. Anastasie-valse by Pierre Tschaikovsky" [back]