Op. 2, Souvenir de Hapsal
Written while Tchaikovsky was vacationing on what is now the Estonian coast, in (unshockingly) the town of Hapsal (now Haapsalu), the piece is distinctive for two reasons: it is Tchaikovsky’s first piano cycle, and the work’s third movement, “Chant sans paroles” (Songs Without Words) was Tchaikovsky’s first widely known hit. The cycle is dedicated to Vera Davydova, a member of the family Tchaikovsky was staying with, who also happened to be madly in love with the composer.
The first movement of the cycle is entitled “Ruines d’un chateau,” which translates to “Ruins of a Castle.” The opening section certainly conveys an image of ruins, as its ostinato (repeated) bass, which is seldom deviated from, gives the piece the feel of a funeral march. The sorrowful melody does much to contribute to the feeling of loss first introduced by the bass. The second section is substantially more upbeat and uptempo, and seems reminiscent of Schumann’s “Wild Rider.” Perhaps this section is supposed to be reflective on the castle’s previous glories and triumphs? After this relatively short interlude (the “B” section lasts about 58 seconds in the recording I listened to), the opening section returns, just as gloomy as before, though abridged, before it melts into the ostinato.
The second movement Scherzo (“Joke”), is a reworking of another one of Tchaikovsky’s earlier works from his student days. The work is characterized by a light-hearted melody, often drastic shifts in octave and dynamic, and sudden stops. All-in-all, these features, as well as it’s countless flourishes, leads to a fairly exciting and entertaining piece of music.
The final movement of the cycle, “Chant sans paroles,” is meant to mimic the lyriciism and style of a sung song. The form was made famous by Mendelssohn some 30 years or so before. Listening to the piece, you can certainly hear how a singer could sing the lovely melody (if it had words). That being said, I feel like it is a tad tame for lovers of Tchaikovsky’s more bombastic works. This movement, as well as all of the movements in this cycle, are certainly worth a listen, even if a tad tame from even some of his other early works.
Citations:
Recording:
Trabucco, Franco. Tchaikovsky: The Complete Piano Works. 2011, Dynamic. Reteived on Spotify.
Brown, David. Tchaikovsky: The Man and his Music. New York: Pegasus, 2007. 37-8. Print.
Tchaikovsky-research.net
http://www.tchaikovsky-research.net/en/Works/Piano/TH125/index.html
International Music Score Library Project
Op. 1, Scherzo à la russe and Impromptu
Published in 1867, Tchaikvosky’s Scherzo à la russe and Impromptu is a short collection of two piano works. The work represents what ended up being Tchaikovsky’s first published pieces, though they were not originally intended published together. According to Tchaikovsky-research.net, the Impromptu was not intended to be published at all, except that it happened to be in the same workbook as the Scherzo, and the publisher, who did not receive proper instructions, published both works, much to the chagrin of Tchaikovsky.
Despite this, I enjoyed both works from the (at the time) fledgling composer. The Scherzo was based off of a Ukrainian folk song that Tchaikovsky had heard some gardeners sing, and had also incorporated into a string quartet during his studies. The melody is for the most part built on having two eighth-notes (or some variation thereof) on the strong beat of the measure, followed by two sixteenths, and an 8th. This motif is the driving force behind the entire work. However, after about 7 minutes of what often is the same idea, I felt as if the work grew a tad monotonous. Not that there is not variety in the work, and many of the sections are repeated multiple times. The work contains a “B” section in 3/4 rather than the 2/4 much of the work is in, as well as a “Quasi Adagio” section that could have easily ended the piece, but in true scherzo (which means “joke”) fashion, the work returns to the original idea quite quickly. The end also hints at what I have personally come to call the “Tchaikovsky ending,” though, even in this case, it almost jokingly leaves a feeling of being unresolved. Among other ideas hinted at in this early work is that, despite relative lightness of the work, there is still a weightiness to the piece. Tchaikovsky seems to use the bass and often suddenly changing dynamics very effectively to convey this weight. Also, despite the work containing a fairly thin texture, the work seems to be deceptively difficult (though I am not a pianist myself, so most piano literature looks “really hard”).
The Impromptu, dating back to Tchaikovsky’s students days, displays a different aspect of the emerging Tchaikovsky, his gift for beautiful melody. After a weighty, energetic introduction (in the always fun key of Eb minor, featuring 6 flats), the “B” section features a very lovely melody, the likes of which Tchaikovsky would later be characterized by in later works. It is perhaps the simplicity of this melody that gives it its beauty. The work is able to convey an improvisatory feel, especially in the opening “A” section and the second half of the “B” section, which, after a short cadenza dividing the section in half, features a melody embellished with numerous glissandi. Despite some nice moments, it is hard to escape the fact while listening to the work or following the score that it is meant to be a college assignment, and not a published work. Much of the opening section has the feel of a scale study or etude. Despite this, it is a rather catchy tune, and has some very nice moments in it (such as the B section, of which I think Chopin would have been proud).
Citations:
Recording:
Trabucco, Franco. Tchaikovsky: The Complete Piano Works. 2011, Dynamic. Reteived on Spotify.
Tchaikovsky-research.net
http://www.tchaikovsky-research.net/en/Works/Piano/TH124/index.html http://www.tchaikovsky-research.net/en/Works/Chamber/TH110/index.html
International Music Score Library Project
The Project
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, 1840-1893 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Welcome to my blog! I think it should be interesting experience!
I got the idea to write a blog while listening to a composer’s entire catalog a few weeks ago. I tossed around a few twentieth century composers, such as Schoenberg, but in the end, there was only one composer I could do this with. Tchaikovsky has been my favorite composer since I have been interested in classical music. Tchaikovsky’s music has had a great impact on my life; I would not be a music major. That’s part of the excitement of doing this project for me: to explore the music of my favorite composer in a mode of communication that is new to me as well.
Some notes about the blog. Please do NOT use my blog as a cited source for things such as research papers. I will cite all my sources, so please reference them instead of this blog. Also, I’m kind of making up the rules of the blog as I go along. I already have already set up a Spotify playlist with nearly every Tchaikovsky work, by opus number, with the exception of his ballets, operas, and symphonies 4-6. For these I found Youtube videos. The Spotify can (maybe, hopefully) be found here:
The other videos will be posted in their respective blog posts. I chose to keep them out of Spotify so I would be able to actually watch performances and follow a coherent story. In the case of the symphonies, I wanted to be able to watch one of the master conductors conduct the Tchaikovsky’s greatest masterworks.
I was incredibly lucky that there were a few albums that contained “complete” collections of both Tchaikovsky’s songs and piano works. These were especially useful in finding some of his more obscure early works. Where applicable, I tried to stick to these albums when applicable.
I hope you all enjoy this journey as much as I do. I also hope that at least a few people end up reading it. And Lord save my sanity from the hours of Spotify ads I will have to endure.
Tchasing Tchaikovsky 