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Home > Works > Piano Music > Six Pieces (Op. 51)

Six Pieces

(Шесть пьес)

For piano solo, Op. 51 (1882).

No. 1. Valse de salon
Catalogue References TH 143 ; ČW 175 (as "Salon Waltz")
Date August–September 1882
Key A major
Tempo/Section Listing Allegro (A major, 342 bars)
Instrumentation Piano (solo)
Autograph Location Moscow (Russia): Glinka National Museum Consortium of Musical Culture (ф. 88, No. 117)
First Publication Moscow: P. Jurgenson, 1882
Average Duration 5 minutes
Dedication Mariya Sergeyevna Kondratyeva
External Links IMSLP/Petrucci Music Library (downloadable score)
No. 2. Polka peu dansante
Catalogue References TH 143 ; ČW 176 (as "Polka of Little Use for Dancing")
Date August–September 1882
Key B minor
Tempo/Section Listing Allegro moderato (B minor, 183 bars)
Instrumentation Piano (solo)
Autograph Location Moscow (Russia): Glinka National Museum Consortium of Musical Culture (ф. 88, No. 117)
First Publication Moscow: P. Jurgenson, 1882
Average Duration 5 minutes
Dedication Anna Lvovna Davydova (1864–1942)
External Links IMSLP/Petrucci Music Library (downloadable score)
No. 3. Menuetto scherzoso
Catalogue References TH 143 ; ČW 177
Date August–September 1882
Key E major
Tempo/Section Listing Moderato assai (E major, 203 bars)
Instrumentation Piano (solo)
Autograph Location Moscow (Russia): Glinka National Museum Consortium of Musical Culture (ф. 88, No. 117)
First Publication Moscow: P. Jurgenson, 1882
Average Duration 5 minutes
Dedication Anna Petrovna Merkling (1830–1911)
External Links IMSLP/Petrucci Music Library (downloadable score)
No. 4. Natha-valse
Catalogue References TH 143 ; ČW 178 (as "Natha Waltz")
Date August–September 1882
Key A major
Tempo/Section Listing Moderato (A major, 173 bars)
Instrumentation Piano (solo)
Autograph Location Moscow (Russia): Glinka National Museum Consortium of Musical Culture (ф. 88, No. 117)
First Publication Moscow: P. Jurgenson, 1882
Average Duration 3 minutes
Dedication Natalya Andreyevna Plesskaya (1837–?)
Note A revised version of the Nathalie-valse (1878).
External Links IMSLP/Petrucci Music Library (downloadable score)
No. 5. Romance
Catalogue References TH 143 ; ČW 179
Date August–September 1882
Key F major
Tempo/Section Listing Andante cantabile (F major, 124 bars)
Instrumentation Piano (solo)
Autograph Location Moscow (Russia): Glinka National Museum Consortium of Musical Culture (ф. 88, No. 117)
First Publication Moscow: P. Jurgenson, 1882
Average Duration 7 minutes
Dedication Vera Lvovna Rimskaya-Korsakova (1863–1888)
External Links IMSLP/Petrucci Music Library (downloadable score)
No. 6. Valse sentimentale
Catalogue References TH 143 ; ČW 180 (as "Sentimental Waltz")
Date August–September 1882
Key F minor
Tempo/Section Listing Tempo di Valse (F minor, 201 bars)
Instrumentation Piano (solo)
Autograph Location Moscow (Russia): Glinka National Museum Consortium of Musical Culture (ф. 88, No. 117)
First Publication Moscow: P. Jurgenson, 1882
Average Duration 5 minutes
Dedication Emma Genton
External Links IMSLP/Petrucci Music Library (downloadable score)

History

The idea for these pieces came from Nikolay 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 Pyotr 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 Pyotr 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/7 March, Jurgenson repeated his request for piano pieces [5].

However, Tchaikovsky was now occupied with other work, and did not start composing the pieces; on 19/31 July, Pyotr 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 late August/early September. On 10/22 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 15/27 September he informed Pyotr 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 Nikolay Bernard, Tchaikovsky retained only one, Valse de Salon, which was published as the first number. The fourth piece, Natha-valse, was written on 5/17 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 Mariya Kondratyeva; Polka peu dansante (No. 2)—to Anna Davydova; Menuetto scherzoso (No. 3)—to Anna Merkling; Natha-valse (No 4)—to Natalya Plesskaya; Romance (No. 5)—to Vera Rimskaya-Korsakova; Valse sentimentale (No. 6)—to Emma Genton.

All the pieces were published by Pyotr Jurgenson in 1882. The proofs (two sets) were corrected by the composer himself [10].

From: Музыкальное наследие Чайковского (1958), pp. 411–413
English text copyright © 2006 Brett Langston


Notes:
  1. See letter from Nikolay Bernard to Tchaikovsky, 3/15 January 1882 — Klin House-Museum Archive [back]
  2. See letters 1934 and 1939 to Pyotr Jurgenson, 14/26 and 18/30 January 1882, and from Pyotr Jurgenson to Tchaikovsky, 22 January/9 February–28 January/15 February and 6/18 February 1882 — Klin House-Museum Archive [back]
  3. Letter 1954 to Pyotr Jurgenson, 1/13 February 1882 [back]
  4. Letter from Pyotr Jurgenson to Tchaikovsky, 14/26 February 1882 — Klin House-Museum Archive [back]
  5. Letter from Pyotr Jurgenson to Tchaikovsky, 23 February/7 March 1882 — Klin House-Museum Archive [back]
  6. Letter from Pyotr Jurgenson to Tchaikovsky, 19/31 July 1882 — Klin House-Museum Archive [back]
  7. Letter 2103 to Modest Tchaikovsky, 10/22–13/25 September 1882 [back]
  8. Letter 2108 to Pyotr Jurgenson, 15/27 September 1882 [back]
  9. The first version—Nathalie-valse—was published for the first time in 1949 [back]
  10. See letter from Pyotr Jurgenson to Tchaikovsky, 27 October/8 November 1882 — Klin House-Museum Archive [back]

This page was last updated on 12 February 2013