Tchaikovsky
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Hymn in Honour of Saints Cyril and Methodius
(Гимн в честь святых Кирилла и Мефодия)
For unaccompanied mixed voices (1885).
| Catalogue References | TH 79 ; ČW 69 |
|---|---|
| Date | March 1885 (for the 1000th anniversary of the death of Saint Methodius) |
| Text | Traditional Czech hymn, in a Russian translation adapted by Tchaikovsky |
| Language | Russian |
| Key | F major |
| Tempo/Section Listing | Moderato (F major, 32 bars) |
| Instrumentation | Chorus (SATB) |
| Arrangements | Also arranged for solo piano by Tchaikovsky, March 1885 (for rehearsal purposes only) |
| Autograph Location | Lost |
| First Publication | Moscow: P. Jurgenson, 1885 |
| Average Duration | 2 minutes |
| External Links |
IMSLP/Petrucci Music Library
(downloadable score) |
History
In December 1884, the Slavonic Society approached Tchaikovsky with a commission for him to write something for the one thousandth anniversary of the death of Saint Methodius. On 16/28 February 1885, the composer received a similar request from Pyotr Jurgenson: "... to write in honour of Saint Cyril and Saint Methodius a hymn for four voices, and also suitable for one voice [1]. In his letter of reply the composer wrote: "I received your note yesterday. What hymn? Why? Who needs it? Why the hell?, etc. I’ve already been pestered to write something for a gala concert by some Slavonic Society or other. I refused. And now you!... Anyway, on Thursday I’ll be in Moscow and will speak with you then" [2]. During his visit to Moscow from 21 February/5 March to 25 February/9 March, Tchaikovsky acceded to Jurgenson’s request.
On 6/18 March, Pyotr Jurgenson sent the composer a Russian translation of the Czech text of the hymn, asking that he should shorten and revise the Russian text [3]. Tchaikovsky immediately completed this task, and on 8/20 March he sent the hymn to Jurgenson. While composing the hymn he was, in his own words "'tormented for 6 hours by this doggerel...". Jurgenson quickly prepared it for publication, and the choral score and parts were issued in March 1885.
From:
Музыкальное наследие Чайковского (1958), pp. 353–354
English text copyright © 2006 Brett Langston
Notes:
- Letter from Pyotr Jurgenson to Tchaikovsky, 16/28 February 1885 — Klin House-Museum Archive [back]
- Letter 2659 to Pyotr Jurgenson, 18 February/2 March 1885 [back]
- See letter from Pyotr Jurgenson to Tchaikovsky, 6/18 March 1885 [back]