Tchaikovsky
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Six Romances
Шесть романсов
With piano accompaniment, Op. 57 (1884).
No. 1. Tell Me, What in the Shade of the Branches? (Скажи, о чем в тени ветвей)
| Catalogue References | TH 105 ; ČW 275 |
|---|---|
| Date | before September 1884 |
| Text | Vladimir Aleksandrovich Sollogub (1813–1882) [1], from Marta Petrovna's romance in his comedy-vaudeville Trouble from a Tender Heart (Беда от нежного сердца) (1850) |
| Language | Russian |
| Key | E major |
| Tempo/Section Listing | Andante sostenuto (E major, 63 bars) |
| Instrumentation | High voice + Piano |
| Autograph Location | Unknown |
| First Publication | Moscow: P. Jurgenson, 1885 |
| Average Duration | 3 minutes |
| Dedication | Fedor Petrovich Komissarzhevskii (1838–1905) |
| External Links |
IMSLP/Petrucci Music Library
 (downloadable score)The Lied and Art Song Texts Page (text and
translations) |
No. 2. On the Golden Cornfields (На нивы желтые)
| Catalogue References | TH 105 ; ČW 276 |
|---|---|
| Date | September–November 1884 |
| Text | Aleksei Konstantinovich Tolstoi (1817–1875), from an untitled poem (1862) |
| Language | Russian |
| Key | F minor |
| Tempo/Section Listing | Andante (F minor, 36 bars) |
| Instrumentation | Baritone voice + Piano |
| Autograph Location | Moscow (Russia): Glinka State Central Museum of Musical Culture (ф. 88, No. 143) |
| First Publication | Moscow: P. Jurgenson, 1885 |
| Average Duration | 4 minutes |
| Dedication | Bogomir Bogomirovich Korsov (1843–1920) |
| External Links |
IMSLP/Petrucci Music Library
(downloadable score) The Lied and Art Song Texts Page (text and
translations) |
No. 3. Do Not Ask (Не спрашивай)
| Catalogue References | TH 105 ; ČW 277 |
|---|---|
| Date | September–November 1884 |
| Text | Aleksandr Nikolaevich Strugovshchikov (1845) — a translation from the German of Heiß mich nicht reden, in book 3 of the novel Wilhelm Meisters Lehrjahre (1795) by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749–1832) |
| Language | Russian |
| Key | D minor |
| Tempo/Section Listing | Adagio molto sostenuto (D major, 32 bars) |
| Instrumentation | Medium voice + Piano |
| Autograph Location | Moscow (Russia): Glinka State Central Museum of Musical Culture (ф. 88, No. 143) |
| First Publication | Moscow: P. Jurgenson, 1885 |
| Average Duration | 3 minutes |
| Dedication | Emiliia Karlovna Pavlovskaia (1853–1935) |
| External Links |
IMSLP/Petrucci Music Library
(downloadable score) The Lied and Art Song Texts Page (text and
translations) |
No. 4. Sleep! (Усни!)
| Catalogue References | TH 105 ; ČW 278 |
|---|---|
| Date | September–November 1884 |
| Text | Dmitrii Sergeevich Merezhkovskii (1865–1941), from his poem of the same name (1884) |
| Language | Russian |
| Key | F major |
| Tempo/Section Listing | Andante sostenuto (F major, 53 bars) |
| Instrumentation | High voice + Piano |
| Autograph Location | Moscow (Russia): Glinka State Central Museum of Musical Culture (ф. 88, No. 143) |
| First Publication | Moscow: P. Jurgenson, 1885 |
| Average Duration | 5 minutes |
| Dedication | Vera Vasil'evna Butakova (1843–1923) |
| External Links |
IMSLP/Petrucci Music Library
(downloadable score) The Lied and Art Song Texts Page (text and
translations) |
No. 5. Death (Смерть)
| Catalogue References | TH 105 ; ČW 279 |
|---|---|
| Date | September–November 1884 |
| Text | Dmitrii Sergeevich Merezhkovskii (1865–1941), from an untitled poem (by 1883) |
| Language | Russian |
| Key | F minor |
| Tempo/Section Listing | Moderato (F major, 75 bars) |
| Instrumentation | Medium voice + Piano |
| Autograph Location | Moscow (Russia): Glinka State Central Museum of Musical Culture (ф. 88, No. 143) |
| First Publication | Moscow: P. Jurgenson, 1885 |
| Average Duration | 3 minutes |
| Dedication | Dmitrii Andreevich Usatov (1847–1913) |
| External Links |
IMSLP/Petrucci Music Library
(downloadable score) The Lied and Art Song Texts Page (text and
translations) |
No. 6. Only You Alone (Лишь ты один)
| Catalogue References | TH 105 ; ČW 280 (as "Only Thou Alone") |
|---|---|
| Date | September–November 1884 |
| Text | Aleksei Nikolaevich Pleshcheev (1825–1893), from an untitled poem (1884) — a translation from the German of Nur Du allein (1872) by Ada Christen (pseudonym of Christiane von Breden, 1844–1901) [7] |
| Language | Russian |
| Key | G major |
| Tempo/Section Listing | Andante non troppo (F major, 36 bars) |
| Instrumentation | Low voice + Piano |
| Autograph Location | Moscow (Russia): Glinka State Central Museum of Musical Culture (ф. 88, No. 143) |
| First Publication | Moscow: P. Jurgenson, 1885 |
| Average Duration | 3 minutes |
| Dedication | Aleksandra Pavlovna Krutikova (1851–1919) |
| External Links |
IMSLP/Petrucci Music Library
(downloadable score) The Lied and Art Song Texts Page (text and
translations) |
History
The earliest of the romances to be written was Tell Me, What in the Shade of the Branches? (No. 1). In a letter to Petr Jurgenson of 1/13 December 1884 (see below). the composer expressed his surprise at this discovery of this romance, which it seems he had forgotten about [2]. The exact time and place of its composition are uncertain.
The romances On the Golden Cornfields (No. 2) and Do Not Ask (No. 3) were composed at Pleshcheevo in late September 1884. Before the rough draft of No. 2 in the composer’s notebook is the date "Pleshcheevo, 26 Sept 1884" [O.S.]. Do Not Ask (No. 3) was composed next, and its text was probably chosen by Tchaikovsky after he read Goethe's novel The Apprenticeship of Wilhelm Meister ("God, how marvellous this is..."), which he found in Nadezhda von Meck's library at Pleshcheevo [3].
The remaining three romances were written in Paris between 19 November/1 December (the date of his arrival) and 1/13 December 1884, when Tchaikovsky wrote to Petr Jurgenson: "I was very surprised to learn that Komissarzhevskii has my romance. Incidentally, I already have another five. Congratulations to you on my new opus" [4].
On the title page of Op. 57, Tchaikovsky made the following note:
1. On the Golden Cornfields
2. Do Not Ask!
3. Sleep!
4. Death
5. Only You Alone...
Five romances, and a sixth with Komissarzhevskii’s
Writing to Modest Tchaikovsky from Paris on 3/15 December 1884, the composer reported: "I cannot say that I am bored from idleness. I managed here to devise the main revisions to Vakula, and to write three new romances, and one church number" [5].
Rough copies of the two romances to texts by Dmitrii Merezhkovskii can also be found in Notebook No. 16, following sketches for the revisions to Vakula the Smith, and the chorus To Thee We Hymn from Nine Church Pieces.
On the manuscript of the surviving five romances, Petr Jurgenson wrote: "Received in December 1884". The romances were published by Jurgenson in April 1885 [6].
Tchaikovsky made minor changes to the texts of the poems used in the romances On the Golden Cornfields (No. 2), Do Not Ask! (No. 3), Sleep! (No. 4), and more significant changes in Only You Alone (No. 6).
The romances are dedicated as follows: Tell Me, What in the Shade of the Branches? (No. 1) to Fedor Komissarzhevskii; On the Golden Cornfields (No. 2) to Bogomir Korsov; Do Not Ask! (No. 3) to Emiliia Pavlovskaia; Sleep! (No. 4) to Vera Butakova; Death! (No. 5) to Dmitrii Usatov; Only You Alone (No. 6) to Aleksandra Krutikova.
From:
Музыкальное наследие Чайковского (1958), pp. 455–456
English text copyright © 2006 Brett Langston
Notes:
- In the original editions the author of the text is not stated. In the score published by Félix Mackar in Paris during the composer’s lifetime, the authorship is attributed to Vladimir Sollogub. [back]
- See letter 2615 to Petr Jurgenson, 1/13 December 1884 [back]
- See letters 2544 and 2554 to Modest Tchaikovsky, 7/19–11/23 September and 20 September/2 October 1884, and letter 2562 to Nadezhda von Meck, 1/13–3/15 October 1884 [back]
- Letter 2615 to Petr Jurgenson, 1/13 December 1884 [back]
- Letter 2617 to Modest Tchaikovsky, 3/15 December 1884 [back]
- Passed by the censor on 9/21 March 1885 [back]
- See Richard D. Sylvester, Tchaikovsky's Complete Songs: A Companion with Texts and Translations (2002), p. 203–204 [back]