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Tchaikovsky |
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TH 143 Six PiecesШесть пьесFor piano solo, Op. 51 (1881).
HistoryThe idea for these pieces came from Nikolai Bernard, editor of the Saint Petersburg journal Nuvellist. In January 1882, Bernard sent a letter to Tchaikovsky asking him to write for Nuvellist, "at the subscribers' request", six pieces for piano; if the composer was agreeable, four of them should have the titles Nocturne, Dreams, Salon Waltz and Russian Dance [1]. However, Tchaikovsky was bound by an agreement with his publisher, which gave Petr Jurgenson the right of first refusal to publish the composer's works. If Tchaikovsky were to write the pieces for Nuvellist this would be in breach of the terms of the agreement. At this point Petr Jurgenson expressed a willingness to publish the piano pieces for piano, and asked the composer to write them for his firm instead. Tchaikovsky viewed Jurgenson’s proposal as an attempt to deny him income from other publishing houses, and so he decided not to accept the commission [2]. On 1/13 February 1882, Tchaikovsky wrote: "I carried out your interdict and wrote Bernard a polite refusal, because I considered that your point of view you were completely within your rights, and your argument was well-founded. All the same, I think it’s rather a shame" [3]. Jurgenson wrote in reply: "You recently declared how you had profited by selling me now fewer than 6, 12, 24 piano pieces... Naturally I would not wish that your muse should be awakened just for financial reasons" [4]. But on 23 February, Jurgenson repeated his request for piano pieces [5]. However, Tchaikovsky was now occupied with other work, and did not start composing the pieces; on 19 July, Petr Jurgenson reminded him again: "You've not forgotten my order for piano pieces? The Jurgenson brothers expect them without fail" [6]. Tchaikovsky did not carry out his commission until the end of August. On 10 September he wrote to Modest Tchaikovsky, listing all the work he had done that summer, including "6 pieces for piano, which were commissioned from me my both the Jurgenson brothers" [7]. On 15 September he informed Petr Jurgenson, "The other day you anticipated my surprise, in the shape of 6 pieces for piano, which I only just delivered into the world. I wouldn't have written then, if Osip Ivanovich hadn’t encouraged me to do so" [8]. Of the titles suggested by Nikolai Bernard, Tchaikovsky retained only one, Valse de Salon, which was published as the first number. The fourth piece, Natha-valse, was written on 5 April 1878 (according to the date on the manuscript) and in its first version was entitled Nathalie-valse. In 1882 the composer rewrote and extended this waltz, and changed the title to Natha-valse, giving it a virtuosic style more suited to concert performance [9]. Each of the pieces from Op. 51 is dedicated to a different person: Valse de salon (No. 1) - to Mariia Kondrat'eva; Polka peu dansante (No. 2) - to Anna Davydova; Menuetto scherzoso (No. 3) - to Anna Merkling; Natha-valse (No 4) - to Natal'ia Pleskaia; Romance (No. 5) - to Vera Rimskaia-Korsakova; Valse sentimentale (No. 6) - to Emma Genton. All the pieces were published by Petr Jurgenson in 1882. The proofs (two sets) were corrected by the composer himself [10]. From: Музыкальное наследие Чайковского (1958),
pp. 411-413 Notes:
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