Music is indeed the most beautiful of all Heaven's gifts to humanity wandering in the darkness.
Alone it calms, enlightens, and stills our souls.
It is not the straw to which the drowning man clings;
but a true friend, refuge, and comforter,
for whose sake life is worth living.
----- Pytor Ilich Tchaikovsky
Alone it calms, enlightens, and stills our souls.
It is not the straw to which the drowning man clings;
but a true friend, refuge, and comforter,
for whose sake life is worth living.
----- Pytor Ilich Tchaikovsky
This year's Mystery Composer is Pytor Ilich Tchaikovsky! Our Mystery Composer Group Lessons where full of information; we watched videos, discussed the life and music of Tchaikovsky and generally had fun. Students received packets with information about Tchaikovsky as well as homework assignments. Homework is divided in half; written assignments are included in each student's packet. Aural assignments may be found below. Homework is due the week of April 27th at your student's private lesson.
Below are various links to YouTube videos that should be listened to and/or watched. As in most years of teaching about the various Mystery Composers the Studio has had, I have barely touched on the large body of works by Tchaikovsky. I've included some compositions that have two performances; be sure to listen to each performance so as to be able to complete your assignments.
Parents: Spread out the listening assignments over the next couple of weeks, especially for the elementary students. This is a lot of music to enjoy so take the time to do so. Family dinners, in the car, a daily 10 minute special "listen" time would be good choices for the entire family to enjoy the music of Tchaikovsky. Enjoy!
Homework Assignments:
Click on your appropriate group for a pdf file of your assignment
Elementary Students
High School Students
Listening Links
1. Children's Album, Op 39
Children's Album, Op. 39, is a collection of 24 short piano pieces for children composed between May and July 1878. Inspired by Robert Schumann's Album for the Young (Op. 68), Tchaikovsky aimed to create "little individual pieces just for children" of scenes of daily life during childhood (dolls, games, and morning prayers). He wished to fill a gap in the pedagogical literature with music that was both educational and artistically meaningful. That wish did not necessarily mean these pieces were for the young beginners to actually play. Since the titles were in Russian, the English titles are often translated differently. For example, Op. 39, #3 can be found titled either "The Horseman" or "The Hobby Horse". The recording listed here is under "Hobby Horse" but in my published score, it is "The Horseman". It can get rather confusing!
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Tchaikovsky and Carnegie Hall (New York City)
On May 5, 1891, Carnegie Hall opened its doors for the first time, with guest conductor/composer Pytor Ilich Tchaikovsky ushering in a new standard for the presentation of live music and public events in New York City. What an opening!
Front page of opening night program. |
Autographed portrait of Tchaikovsky given to Conductor Walter Damrosch as a "thank you " note. The dedication is written in French.
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For a brief look at the opening of Carnegie Hall, please click this link.
2. A. Piano Concerto #1, Op 24 (1941)
Recorded on May 5-14, 1941 at Carnegie Hall, New York City. "This earlier studio performance of this concerto by Toscanini and Horowitz is very different from the Gala performance of 1943. The tempi are much faster and the phrasings are tighter with much less rubato, making this one of the fastest performances we have ever heard. Maybe even too fast, but there is no doubt about the quality of the playing by both soloist and orchestra; quite amazing." Digital transfer (1991): RCA New York Field acoustic and sonic restoration (2024): Paul Howard - The Yucaipa Studio
2. B. Piano Concerto #1, Op 24 (1943)
This performance is a very historical one -- Vladimir Horowitz at the piano with Arturo Toscanini conducting the NBC Symphony Hall on April 25, 1943, as part of an all-Tchaikovsky concert in Carnegie Hall. Tickets to the concert were only available by purchasing war bonds to help pay for the United States' participation in WWII. Neither Horowitz nor Toscanini accepted a fee for their services. The event yielded $11 million!
This performance is a very historical one -- Vladimir Horowitz at the piano with Arturo Toscanini conducting the NBC Symphony Hall on April 25, 1943, as part of an all-Tchaikovsky concert in Carnegie Hall. Tickets to the concert were only available by purchasing war bonds to help pay for the United States' participation in WWII. Neither Horowitz nor Toscanini accepted a fee for their services. The event yielded $11 million!
3. The ballets of Tchaikovsky:
A. Swan Lake B. Sleeping Beauty
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Danse des petits cygnes is a dance from Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake, from the ballet's second act. Translated from French, it means "Dance of the Little Swans", also known as "Dance of the Cygnets". The choreography was meant to imitate the way cygnets huddle and move together for protection. Four dancers enter the stage in a line and move across with their arms crossed in front of one another, grasping the next dancers' hands. Ideally, the dancers move in exact unison. At the very end, they break their chain and try to "fly", only to drop to the ground.
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The "Waltz" (also known as the "Garland Waltz" or Valse Villageoise) from The Sleeping Beauty ballet occurs in Act I. It takes place during Princess Aurora's sixteenth birthday celebration, where villagers and court members celebrate with garlands of flowers, a tradition ordered by the King. |
C. The Nutcracker: Two versions of the Chinese Dance
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D. The Nutcracker: The Mouse King and the Nutcracker
4. Fantasy Overture: Romeo & Juliet
Shakespeare’s tragedy and Tchaikovsky’s tortured personal life collided to produce the first true expression of his genius as a composer, a tautly constructed masterpiece that boils Shakespeare’s narrative down to its essentials in 20 minutes of music that is, by turns, thunderingly dramatic and achingly beautiful. The fantasy-overture opens with a lengthy introduction before presenting its two main theme groups: oppressively brutal music representing the conflict between the Capulets and the Montagues, and a rapturous love theme for Romeo and Juliet. The second statement of this theme is interrupted by the music for the warring families as Romeo and Juliet’s love is crushed by the two families’ seething hatred for one another. After a somber reworked version of the love theme in the minor mode, it is transfigured into music that is serene and chorale-like, ending the piece on a triumphant and otherworldly note. ---- John Mangum Vice President of Artistic Planning for the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra.
5. Programatic March: Marche Slav
In 1876, Tchaikovsky was commissioned by the Russian Musical Society to compose a piece for a concert to benefit the Red Cross Society, in support of Serbian veterans wounded during the ongoing Serbo-Turkish war. Tchaikovsky composed the programmatic march in just five days. The piece begins with two Serbian folk songs, to describe the oppression of the Serbs by the Turkish. A simple dance melody in a major key follows, representing the Russian effort to rally support for the Serbs. The Russian national anthem ("God save the Tsar") is heard, followed by a frenetic section depicting the Russian army coming to assist the Serbs.
An eyewitness to the premier of the Marche wrote: "The rumpus and roar that broke out in the hall [is almost beyond] description. The whole audience rose to its feet ... It was one of the most stirring moments of 1876. Many in the hall were weeping." If this work sounds familiar, perhaps it's because Tchaikovsky used the Tsarist anthem again in his 1812 Overture. Marche Slav became one of Tchaikovsky's most popular works and he often used it as a dramatic finale to his concerts while on tour.
An eyewitness to the premier of the Marche wrote: "The rumpus and roar that broke out in the hall [is almost beyond] description. The whole audience rose to its feet ... It was one of the most stirring moments of 1876. Many in the hall were weeping." If this work sounds familiar, perhaps it's because Tchaikovsky used the Tsarist anthem again in his 1812 Overture. Marche Slav became one of Tchaikovsky's most popular works and he often used it as a dramatic finale to his concerts while on tour.
6. 1812 Overture
A. Finale, 2025 Capitol Fourth Concert, Washington, D.C B. Finale, The United States Army Band
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C. Complete Overture, 2013 |
Complete Overture with Chorus, 2012 |
Tchaikovsky’s 1812 (1880) commemorates Russia's defense against Napoleon's 1812 invasion, not the American War of 1812. Commissioned for the 1882 Moscow Arts and Industry Exhibition to celebrate the new Cathedral of Christ the Savior, the piece famously features cannon fire, church bells, and themes representing the clash between French and Russian forces. It was designed to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the failed French invasion of Russia, highlighting Russian patriotism and victory. The piece contrasts the French national anthem, La Marseillaise, with traditional Russian hymns, including "God Save Thy People," illustrating the conflict and eventual Russian victory. It was originally intended to be performed outside with a brass band, church bells, and live cannons, reflecting the, at the time, new, experimental nature of the composition. The piece is a dramatic, one-movement programmatic work designed to tell the story of the 1812 conflict, ending in a loud, victorious celebration. Despite its popularity, Tchaikovsky despised the piece, describing it as "very loud and noisy" and lacking artistic merit.
While it holds no connection to American history, it became a staple of U.S. Independence Day (Fourth of July) concerts in 1974 after a televised performance by Arthur Fiedler and the Boston Pops Orchestra.
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