Tchaikovsky
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Souvenir de Hapsal
(Воспоминание о Гапсале)
Three pieces for piano solo, Op. 2 (1867).
No. 1. Ruines d'un château (Развалины замка)
| Catalogue References | TH 125 ; ČW 100 (as "Ruins of a Castle") |
|---|---|
| Date | June–July 1867 |
| Key | E minor |
| Tempo/Section Listing | Adagio misterioso (E minor, 114 bars) |
| Instrumentation | Piano (solo) |
| Autograph Location | Lost |
| First Publication | Moscow: P. Jurgenson, 1868 |
| Average Duration | 5 minutes |
| Dedication | Vera Lvovna Davydova (1843–1923) |
| External Links | IMSLP/Petrucci Music Library
 (downloadable score) |
No. 2. Scherzo (Скерцо)
| Catalogue References | TH 125 ; ČW 101 |
|---|---|
| Date | June–July 1867 |
| Key | F major |
| Tempo/Section Listing | Allegro vivo (F major, 368 bars) |
| Instrumentation | Piano (solo) |
| First Performance | Moscow, 27 February/10 March 1868, by Nikolay Rubinstein |
| Autograph Location | Lost |
| First Publication | Moscow: P. Jurgenson, 1868 |
| Average Duration | 5 minutes |
| Dedication | Vera Lvovna Davydova (1843–1923) |
| Note | Partly based on the incomplete Allegro in F minor (1863–64). |
| External Links | IMSLP/Petrucci Music Library
(downloadable score) |
No. 3. Chant sans paroles (Песня без слов)
| Catalogue References | TH 125 ; ČW 102 (as "Song Withour Words") |
|---|---|
| Date | June–July 1867 |
| Key | F major |
| Tempo/Section Listing | Allegretto grazioso e cantabile (F major, 69 bars) |
| Instrumentation | Piano (solo) |
| Autograph Location | Lost |
| First Publication | Moscow: P. Jurgenson, 1868 |
| Average Duration | 3 minutes |
| Dedication | Vera Lvovna Davydova (1843–1923) |
| External Links | IMSLP/Petrucci Music Library
(downloadable score) |
History
This was Tchaikovsky's first cycle of piano pieces. They were written during work on the opera The Voyevoda, in June and July 1867, while the composer was staying at Hapsal, together with Modest Tchaikovsky and Anatoly Tchaikovsky, and some members of the Davydov family. "Hapsal itself isn’t a bad place to stay", the composer wrote to Aleksandra Davydova at Kamenka. "It leaves me some memories, thanks to the presence of the Davydovs, but frankly at this moment I don’t feel at ease" [1].
The cycle of piano pieces, brought together under the title Souvenir de Hapsal, is dedicated to Vera Davydova. The second piece in the cycle—Scherzo—was a reworking by Tchaikovsky of the central section of his Allegro in F minor for piano, which had been composed during his studies at the Saint Petersburg Conservatory.
The Scherzo was performed for the first time by Nikolay Rubinstein at a special symphony concert of the Russian Musical Society in Moscow, on 27 February/10 March 1868. It is not known when the remaining pieces were first performed.
In 1884, choosing pieces for Pyotr Jurgenson, who was undertaking to publish a selection of his works for piano, Tchaikovsky included the complete cycle in his list of pieces to be reprinted [2].
The cycle was published for the first time by Pyotr Jurgenson in 1868.
From: Музыкальное наследие Чайковского (1958),
pp. 390–392
English text copyright © 2006 Brett Langston
Notes:
- Letter 101 to Aleksandra Davydova, 8/20 August 1867 [back]
- See letters from Pyotr Jurgenson to Tchaikovsky, 17/29 April and 3/15 May 1884 — Klin House-Museum Archive. See also letter 2485 to Pyotr Jurgenson, 8/20 May 1884 [back]