Tchaikovsky
www.tchaikovsky-research.net
The Barber of Seville
(Севильский циргюльник)
Music for Count Almaviva's couplets in Beaumarchais' comedy (1872).
| Catalogue References | TH 18 ; ČW 19 (as "Couplets of Count Almaviva for P. Beaumarchais' comedy Le barbier de Séville") |
|---|---|
| Date | January or February 1872 (to accompany a production of Beaumarchais' play by students of the Moscow Conservatory) |
| Text | A translation by Mikhail Provych Sadovsky (1847–1910) of Count Almaviva's couplets "Vous l'ordonnez" from the play Le Barbier de Séville (1773) by Pierre Beaumarchais (1732–1799) |
| Language | Russian |
| Key | G major |
| Tempo/Section Listing | Andantino (G major, 20 bars) |
| Instrumentation | Tenor voice + 2 Violins |
| First Performance | Moscow, 12/24 February 1872 |
| Autograph Location | Moscow (Russia): Glinka National Museum Consortium of Musical Culture (ф. 88, No. 164) |
| First Publication | Moscow: P. Jurgenson, 1906 |
| Average Duration | 2 minutes |
| External Links |
IMSLP/Petrucci Music Library
(downloadable score) |
History
Composed early in 1872 for a student production of Beaumarchais’ The Barber of Seville at the Moscow Conservatory. Tchaikovsky composed music for Count Almaviva's couplets (for tenor, accompanied by two violins).
The production took place on 12/24 February 1872 at the Moscow Conservatory. No information survives concerning further performances of the couplets during Tchaikovsky's lifetime.
In 1906 the couplets were published by the firm of Pyotr Jurgenson.
From:
Музыкальное наследие Чайковского (1958), p. 192
English text copyright © 2006 Brett Langston