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TH 151

Eighteen Pieces

Восемнадцать пьес

For piano solo, Op. 72 (1893).

  1. Impromptu
    Экспромт (F minor).
  2. Berceuse
    Колыбельная песня (A major)
    • Dedicated to Petr Moskalev.
  3. Tendres reproches
    Нежные упреки (C minor)
  4. Danse caractéristique
    Характеристический танец (D major)
  5. Méditation
    Размышление (D major)
  6. Mazurque pour danser
    Мазурка для танец (B major)
    • Dedicated to Luiza Jurgenson.
  7. Polacca de concert
    Концертный полонез (E major)
  8. Dialogue
    Диалог (B major)
  9. Un poco di Schumann
    Немного Шумана (D major)
  10. Scherzo-fantasie
    Скерцо-фантазия (E minor)
  11. Valse-bluette
    Вальс-безделушка (E major)
    • Dedicated to Nadezhda Kondrat'eva.
  12. L'espiègle
    Резвушка (E major)
  13. Echo rustique
    Сельский отзвук (E major)
  14. Chant élégiaque
    Элегическая песня (D major)
    • Dedicated to the memory of Vladimir Sklifosovskii.
  15. Un poco di Chopin
    Немного Шопена (C minor)
    • Dedicated to Sergei Remezov.
  16. Valse à cinq temps
    Вальс в 5/8 (D minor)
  17. Passé lontain
    Далекое прошлое (E major)
    • Dedicated to Nikolai Zverev.
  18. Scene dansante (Invitation au trépak)
    Приглашение к трепаку (C major)
    • Dedicated to Vasilii Sapel’nikov.
  • Composed April 1893.
  • No. 10 is based on the Scherzo from the abandoned Symphony in E-flat major (1892).
  • Scored for Piano solo (2 hands).
  • Average duration: 1h 5m (set).

History

Returning to Klin on 3 February 1893 after a long period of absence, Tchaikovsky straight away set to work on composing his Symphony No. 6. At around this time he also assembled materials which were to form the basis for a series of piano pieces.

On 5 February the composer told Modest Tchaikovsky: "In the meantime, in order to earn some money, I will compose a few piano pieces and romances" [1]

Tchaikovsky only began to composing these pieces in April, after completing the sketches of his Symphony No. 6 and fulfilling a number of concert engagements, from which he returned on 5 April 1893.

It seems likely that early sketches for some of the piano pieces were made somewhat earlier. Inside the cover of one volume from the composer’s complete edition of Mozart scores (preserved in his own library at Klin), themes for ten of the Op. 72 set can be found [2]. It is impossible to ascertain exactly when these sketches were made, but since they are found with sketches for the Symphony in E-flat major, they most probably date from 1892.

On 5 April 1893, Tchaikovsky wrote to Il'ia Slatin from Klin: "I have been on holiday in Saint Petersburg with my family, which was very nice. I came back today and began collecting my thoughts to compose a whole series of miniature pieces" [3]. On 11 April in a letter to Vladimir Davydov he reported on his progress: "I’ve been performing my duties very punctiliously, and each day a musical offspring is born. However, these offspring are very much premature and insubstantial; I have no inclination whatsoever to work, and do so only for the money. I’m only trying to make sure that they won’t sound too awful" [4].

By 15 April, ten pieces had already been written. "In the 10 days since returning from Petersburg, I have decided, for the want of money, to write a few little piano pieces, and have conditioned myself to write at least one a day during this month", Tchaikovsky wrote to Il'ia Slatin on 15 April [5]. "I’m continuing to bake my musical pancakes", he wrote on the same day to Vladimir Davydov - "Today the tenth is being prepared. It's remarkable that the further I get, I find the work easier and more enjoyable. At the beginning it went slowly, and the first two or three were merely the result of an effort of will, but now I cannot stop my ideas, which appear to me one after anther, at all hours of the day" [6].

On 21 April, having written the eighteenth piece, Tchaikovsky completed the series, despite his initial intention of writing thirty: "It seems that I won’t be able to write 30 pieces", he told Modest Tchaikovsky on 22 April - "In 15 days I’ve written 18 of them, and today I’ve brought them to Moscow" [7]. The pieces were immediately given to Petr Jurgenson for publication.

In a letter to Aleksandr Ziloti of 3 May 1893, the composer recounted how he had originally intended that the eighteen pieces should be divided into three sets, each one dedicated to him [8]. But because Tchaikovsky had promised dedications to so many people. he dedicated only one piece - Scherzo-fantaisie (No. 10) - to Aleksandr Ziloti, but promised to dedicated to him a large-scale orchestral. work. On the fair copy of the manuscript some of the pieces are dated, showing the day when they were completed. The first to be written was the Polacca de concert (No. 7) on 10 April; then Echo rustique (No. 13) - 11 April; Scherzo-fantaisie (No. 10) and Valse-bluette (No. 11) - both 12 April; Dialogue (No. 8) - 13 April; Invitation au trepak (No. 18) - 16 April; Chant élégiaque (No. 14) - 17 April; Passé lontain (No. 17) - 20 April; Tendres reproches (No. 3) - 21 April. The dates of completion for the other nine pieces were not given.

On the fair copy of the manuscript the name of the person to whom each piece is dedicated appears underneath the title: Impromptu (No. 1) is dedicated to Varvara. Maslova; Berceuse (No. 2) – to Petr Moskalev; Tendres reproches (No. 3) – to Avgust Gerke; Danse caracteristique (No. 4) – to Anatolii Galli; Méditation (No. 5) – to Vasilii Safonov; Mazurque pour danser (No. 6) – to Luiza Jurgenson; Polacca de concert (No. 7) – to Paul Pabst; Dialogue (No. 8) – to Ekaterina Laroche; Un poco di Schumann (No. 9) – to Anna Maslova; Scherzo-fantasie (No. 10) – to Aleksandr Ziloti; Valse-bluette (No. 11) – to Nadezhda Kondrat'eva; L'espiegle (No. 12) – to Aleksandra Svetoslavskaia; Echo rustique (No. 13) – to Alina Briullova; Chant élégiaque (No. 14) – to the memory of Vladimir Sklifosovskii; Un poco di Chopin (No. 15) – to Sergei Remezov; Valse à cinq temps (No. 16) – to Nikolai Lenz; Passe lontain (No. 17) – to N. S. Zverev; Invitation au trepak (No. 18) – to Vasilii. Sapel’nikov

The piano pieces were published by Petr Jurgenson in early September 1893 as Op. 72.

From: Музыкальное наследие Чайковского (1958), pp. 418-420
English text copyright © 2006 Brett Langston


Notes:

  1. Letter 4858 to Modest Tchaikovsky, 5/17 February 1893 [back]
  2. Nos. 2, 6, 9, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16 and 18 [back]
  3. Letter 4910 to Il’ia Slatin, 5/17 April 1893 [back]
  4. Letter 4913 to Vladimir Davydov, 11/23 April 1893 [back]
  5. Letter 4918 to Il’ia Slatin, 15/27 April 1893 [back]
  6. Letter 4916 to Vladimir Davydov, 15/27 April 1893 [back]
  7. Letter 4921 to Modest Tchaikovsky, 22-23 April/4-5 May 1893 [back]
  8. Letter 4925 to Aleksandr Ziloti, 3/15 May 1893 [back]

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