Tchaikovsky
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Six Romances
Шесть романсов
With piano accompaniment, Op. 28 (1875).
No. 1. No, I Shall Never Tell (Нет, никогда не назову)
| Catalogue References | TH 99 ; ČW 238 |
|---|---|
| Date | April 1875 |
| Text | Nikolai Porfir'evich Grekov (1807–1866), from his poem Song (Песня) (1860) — a translation from the French of Chanson de Fortunio, from the comedy Le Chandelier (1835) by Alfred de Musset (1810–1857) |
| Language | Russian |
| Key | E♭ major |
| Tempo/Section Listing | Moderato quasi Andantino (E♭ major, 57 bars) |
| Instrumentation | High voice + Piano |
| Autograph Location | Moscow: Glinka State Central Museum of Musical Culture (ф. 88, No. 137) |
| First Publication | Moscow: P. Jurgenson, 1875 |
| Average Duration | 3 minutes |
| Dedication | Anton Nikolaevich Nikolaev (1836–1904) |
| External Links |
Internet Music Score Library Project
 (downloadable score)The Lied and Art Song Texts Page (text and
translations) |
No. 2. The Corals (Корольки)
| Catalogue References | TH 99 ; ČW 239 (as "The Little Corals") |
|---|---|
| Date | April 1875 |
| Text | Lev Aleksandrovich Mei (1822–1862), from his poem The Corals. A Song (Корольки. Песня) (1861) — a translation of the Polish ballad Korale: Dumka kozacka [7] (by 1854) by Władysław Syrokomla (pseudonym of Ludwik Kondratowicz, 1823–1862) |
| Language | Russian |
| Key | F♯ minor |
| Tempo/Section Listing | Moderato assai (F♯ minor, 114 bars) |
| Instrumentation | High voice + Piano |
| Autograph Location | Moscow: Glinka State Central Museum of Musical Culture (ф. 88, No. 137) |
| First Publication | Moscow: P. Jurgenson, 1875 |
| Average Duration | 4 minutes |
| Dedication | Aleksandr Mikhailovich Dodonov (1837–1914) |
| External Links |
Internet Music Score Library Project
(downloadable score) The Lied and Art Song Texts Page (text and
translations) |
No. 3. Why? (Зачем?)
| Catalogue References | TH 99 ; ČW 240 (as "What for?") |
|---|---|
| Date | April 1875 |
| Text | Lev Aleksandrovich Mei (1822–1862), after his poem of the same name (1861) |
| Language | Russian |
| Key | D minor |
| Tempo/Section Listing | Moderato assai (D minor, 64 bars) |
| Instrumentation | High voice + Piano |
| Autograph Location | Moscow: Glinka State Central Museum of Musical Culture (ф. 88, No. 137) |
| First Publication | Moscow: P. Jurgenson, 1875 |
| Average Duration | 3 minutes |
| Dedication | Mariia Ivanovna Il´ina; |
| External Links |
Internet Music Score Library Project
(downloadable score) The Lied and Art Song Texts Page (text and
translations) |
No. 4. He Loved Me So Much (Он так меня любил)
| Catalogue References | TH 99 ; ČW 241 |
|---|---|
| Date | April 1875 |
| Text | Aleksei Nikolaevich Apukhtin (1841–1893) [1] — a translation (by 1875) from the French of the 'romance' Il m'aimait tant! (by 1842) by Mme Emile de Giradin (pseudonym of Delphine Gay, 1804–1855) |
| Language | Russian |
| Key | D minor |
| Tempo/Section Listing | Moderato (D minor, 55 bars) |
| Instrumentation | High voice + Piano |
| Autograph Location | Moscow: Glinka State Central Museum of Musical Culture (ф. 88, No. 137) |
| First Publication | Moscow: P. Jurgenson, 1875 |
| Average Duration | 3 minutes |
| Dedication | Ekaterina Avgustovna Massini; |
| External Links |
Internet Music Score Library Project
(downloadable score) The Lied and Art Song Texts Page (text and
translations) |
No. 5. No Response, or Word, or Greeting (Ни отзыва, ни слова, ни привета)
| Catalogue References | TH 99 ; ČW 242 (as "Neither Response, nor Word, nor Greeting") |
|---|---|
| Date | April 1875 |
| Text | Aleksei Nikolaevich Apukhtin (1841–1893) [2], from an untitled poem (1867) |
| Language | Russian |
| Key | C minor |
| Tempo/Section Listing | Andante sostenuto (C minor, 58 bars) |
| Instrumentation | Medium voice + Piano |
| Autograph Location | Moscow: Glinka State Central Museum of Musical Culture (ф. 88, No. 137) |
| First Publication | Moscow: P. Jurgenson, 1875 |
| Average Duration | 2 minutes |
| Dedication | Bogomir Bogomirovich Korsov (1843–1920) |
| External Links |
Internet Music Score Library Project
(downloadable score) The Lied and Art Song Texts Page (text and
translations) |
No. 6. The Terrible Moment (Страшная минута)
| Catalogue References | TH 99 ; ČW 243 (as "The Fearful Moment") |
|---|---|
| Date | April 1875 |
| Text | "N.N." (= Composer). |
| Language | Russian |
| Key | F♯ minor |
| Tempo/Section Listing | Andante non troppo (F♯ minor, 50 bars) |
| Instrumentation | High voice + Piano |
| Autograph Location | Moscow: Glinka State Central Museum of Musical Culture (ф. 88, No. 137) |
| First Publication | Moscow: P. Jurgenson, 1875 |
| Average Duration | 3 minutes |
| Dedication | Evlaliia Pavlovna Kadmina (1853–1881) |
| External Links |
Internet Music Score Library Project
(downloadable score) The Lied and Art Song Texts Page (text and
translations) |
History
According to the date on the manuscript, composition of the romances was finished on 11/23 April 1875.
Published for the first time by Petr Jurgenson in May 1875 [3]. Tchaikovsky later singled out The Fearful Minute (No. 6) as one of his most popular romances [4].
The romance The Fearful Minute (No. 6) was orchestrated by Sergei Taneev in 1891, and this arrangement was published by Petr Jurgenson in 1892. The same romance was also arranged by Sergei Morozov for voice with cello and piano accompaniment; this arrangement was highly regarded by Tchaikovsky [5], and it was published by Jurgenson in 1882 [6].
The romances are dedicated as follows: No, I Shall Never Tell (No. 1) to Anton Nikolaev; The Corals (No. 2) to Aleksandr Dodonov; Why? (No. 3) to Mariia Il’ina; He Loved Me So Much (No. 4) to Ekaterina Massini; No Response, or Word, or Greeting (No. 5) to Bogomir Korsov; The Terrible Moment (No. 6) to Evlaliia Kadmina.
From:
Музыкальное наследие Чайковского (1958), pp. 442–443
English text copyright © 2006 Brett Langston
Notes:
- Aleksei Apukhtin is recorded as the author of the verses on the autograph score; however, the poem has not been traced in any of Apukhtin’s manuscripts or collected editions. Apukhtin's translation of a French poem by de Girardin was established first in П. И. Чайковский. Романсы, том 2 (1978) and А. Н. Апухтин: Полное собрание стихотворений (1991), p. 421 [back]
- In many editions the words are mistakenly attributed to Aleksei Tolstoi [back]
- Passed by the censor on 3/15 May 1875 [back]
- See letter 1849 to Petr Jurgenson, 1/13 September 1881 [back]
- See letter 2032 to Petr Jurgenson and letter 2030 to Sergei Morozov, both, 27 May/8 June 1882 [back]
- Passed by the censor on 27 November/9 December 1882 [back]
- See Richard D. Sylvester, Tchaikovsky's Complete Songs: A Companion with Texts and Translations (2002), p. 96, 99 [back]