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TH 56

Sérénade mélancolique

Меланхолическая серенада

For violin with orchestra, B minor, Op. 26 (1875).

  • Composed February 1875(?)
  • Scored for Violin solo; 2 Flutes; 2 Oboes; 2 Clarinets (Bb); 2 Bassoons; 4 Horns (F); Violins I; Violins II; Violas; Violoncellos; Double Basses.
  • Also arranged for violin with piano by Tchaikovsky, February 1875(?).
  • First performed in Moscow, 16/28 January 1876, by Adolf Brodsky, conducted by Nikolai Rubinstein.
  • Originally dedicated to Leopold Auer (later withdrawn).
  • Average duration: 9m

History

Composed in January-February 1875 in Moscow. There is no surviving information on when the piece was orchestrated.

In January 1875 in Moscow, Tchaikovsky was acquainted with Leopold Auer [1]. It is possible that at this time he promised to write for him a work for violin with orchestra. Information concerning the composition of the work is very scarce. Only in a letter to Modest Tchaikovsky of 13 February did the composer report: "I have finished my Piano Concerto, and have already written a violin piece I have promised to Auer" [2]

The Serenade was also dedicated to him. In 1881, Tchaikovsky was offended by Leopold Auer's refusal to perform the Violin Concerto, and withdrew that work's dedication to him, and at the same time presumably also withdrew the dedication of the Sérénade mélancolique. On 19 December 1881, Petr Jurgenson wrote to Tchaikovsky: "We are deleting Auer's name from the title pages, but is it too late? You see, this is only on the new editions. The Serenade, I think, can be done quickly [3]. This intention was not realized, and the dedication to Leopold Auer remained on the Sérénade mélancolique.

On 16 January 1876, Adolf Brodsky performed the Sérénade mélancolique at the seventh symphony concert of the Russian Musical Society in Moscow. This seems to have been the first performance of the Sérénade. Leopold Auer is believed to have performed the Sérénade on 6 November 1876 at a symphony concert of the Russian Musical Society in Saint Petersburg.

The Sérénade mélancolique was published by Petr Jurgenson - in February 1876 the orchestral parts appeared; in April the same year - the arrangement for violin with piano; and in November 1879 - the full score [4].

From: Музыкальное наследие Чайковского (1958), pp. 319-320
English text copyright © 2006 Brett Langston

Notes:
  1. See L. S. Auer, «П. И. Чайковский в воспоминаниях», Биржевые ведоиости, 24 October 1913 [back]
  2. See letter 391 to Modest Tchaikovsky, 13/25 February 1875 [back]
  3. Letter from Petr Jurgenson to Tchaikovsky, 19/31 December 1881 - Klin House-Museum Archive [back]
  4. See letters 865, 870, 872, 883, 885, 888 and 891 to Petr Jurgenson, 1/13 July, 12/24 July, 18/30 July, 29 July/10 August, 2/14 August, 3/15 August and 8/20 August 1878 [back]
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