Tchaikovsky Research : Six Pieces, Op. 19 (TH 133)

Catalogue References	TH 133 ; ČW 112 (as "Evening Reverie")
Date	September–October 1873
Key	G minor
Tempo/Section Listing	Andante espressivo (G minor, 82 bars)
Instrumentation	Piano (solo)
Autograph Location	Moscow (Russia): Glinka National Museum Consortium of Musical Culture (ф. 88, No. 111)
First Publication	Moscow: P. Jurgenson, 1874
Average Duration	4 minutes
Dedication	Nikolay Dmitriyevich Kondratyev (1832–1887)
External Links	IMSLP/Petrucci Music Library (downloadable score)

No. 2. Scherzo humoristique (Юмористическое скерцо)

Catalogue References	TH 133 ; ČW 113 (as "Humorous Scherzo")
Date	September–October 1873
Key	D major
Tempo/Section Listing	Allegro vivacissimo (D major, 316 bars)
Instrumentation	Piano (solo)
Autograph Location	Moscow (Russia): Glinka National Museum Consortium of Musical Culture (ф. 88, No. 111)
First Publication	Moscow: P. Jurgenson, 1874
Average Duration	4 minutes
Dedication	Vera Viktorovna Timanova (1855–1942)
External Links	IMSLP/Petrucci Music Library (downloadable score)

No. 3. Feuillet d'album (Листок из альбом)

Catalogue References	TH 133 ; ČW 114
Date	September–October 1873
Key	D major
Tempo/Section Listing	Allegretto semplice (D major, 66 bars)
Instrumentation	Piano (solo)
Autograph Location	Moscow (Russia): Glinka National Museum Consortium of Musical Culture (ф. 88, No. 111)
First Publication	Moscow: P. Jurgenson, 1874
Average Duration	2 minutes
Dedication	Anna Konstantinovna Avramova (1848–1918)
External Links	IMSLP/Petrucci Music Library (downloadable score)

No. 4. Nocturne (Ноктюрн)

Catalogue References	TH 133 ; ČW 115
Date	September–October 1873
Key	C♯ minor
Tempo/Section Listing	Andante sentimentale (C♯ minor, 66 bars)
Instrumentation	Piano (solo)
Autograph Location	Moscow (Russia): Glinka National Museum Consortium of Musical Culture (ф. 88, No. 111)
First Publication	Moscow: P. Jurgenson, 1874
Average Duration	4 minutes
Dedication	Monika Terminskaya
Note	Also arranged for cello with orchestra by Tchaikovsky in 1888 (see TH 64)
External Links	IMSLP/Petrucci Music Library (downloadable score)

No. 5. Capriccioso (Каприччиозо)

Catalogue References	TH 133 ; ČW 116
Date	September–October 1873
Key	B♭ major
Tempo/Section Listing	Allegretto semplice (B♭ major, 150 bars)
Instrumentation	Piano (solo)
Autograph Location	Moscow (Russia): Glinka National Museum Consortium of Musical Culture (ф. 88, No. 111)
First Publication	Moscow: P. Jurgenson, 1874
Average Duration	4 minutes
Dedication	Eduard Langer (1835–1905)
External Links	IMSLP/Petrucci Music Library (downloadable score)

No. 6. Thème original et variations (Тема и вариации)

Catalogue References	TH 133 ; ČW 117 (as "Theme and Variations")
Date	September–October 1873
Key	F major
Tempo/Section Listing	Andante con moro (F major, 341 bars)
Instrumentation	Piano (solo)
Autograph Location	Moscow (Russia): Glinka National Museum Consortium of Musical Culture (ф. 88, No. 111)
First Publication	Moscow: P. Jurgenson, 1874
Average Duration	11 minutes
Dedication	Herman Laroche (1845–1894)
External Links	IMSLP/Petrucci Music Library (downloadable score)

History

Composed at the request of Pyotr Jurgenson [1], and completed 27 October/8 November 1873 in Moscow (according to the date on manuscript).

Rough sketches for two of the pieces—Nocturne (No. 4) and Capriccioso (No. 5)—are found in the same copybook as sketches for the opera Vakula the Smith (1874), the String Quartet No. 2 (1874), and the Six Pieces on a Single Theme (Op. 21) (autumn 1873). It is possible that some of the Op. 19 pieces were written during the summer of 1873 at Kamenka. In his diary entry for 11/23 July 1873 [2], Tchaikovsky noted down themes for a projected Symphony in B♭ major, which Tchaikovsky used in the Capriccioso (No. 5).

Some time later (around 1888), Tchaikovsky made an arrangement for cello with small orchestra of the Nocturne (No. 4) for Anatoly Brandukov, from a transcription for Wilhelm Fitzenhagen [3].

Each piece is dedicated to a different person: Evening Reverie (No. 1)—to Nikolay Kondatyev; Scherzo humoristique (No. 2)—to Vera Timanova; Album Leaf (No. 3)— to Anna Avramova; Nocturne (No. 4)—to Monika Terminskaya; Capriccioso (No. 5)—to Eduard Langer; Thème original et variations (No. 6)—to Herman Laroche.

The piece Rêverie du soir was performed for the first time by Nikolay Rubinstein in the presence of the author on 22 February/6 March 1874, and the Thème original et variations by Hans von Bülow in early/mid April 1874 [4].

Published by Pyotr Jurgenson in January 1874 as separate numbers, and in May 1874 as a single volume.

Six Pieces

(Шесть пьес)