Tchaikovsky
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Six Romances
(Шесть романсов)
With piano accompaniment, Op. 28 (1875).
No. 1. No, I Shall Never Tell (Нет, никогда не назову)
| Catalogue References | TH 99 ; ČW 238 |
|---|---|
| Date | April 1875 |
| Text | Nikolay Porfiryevich Grekov (1807–1866), from his poem Song (Песня) (1860) — a translation from the French of Chanson de Fortunio, from the comedy Le Chandelier (1835) by Alfred de Musset (1810–1857) |
| Language | Russian |
| Key | E♭ major |
| Tempo/Section Listing | Moderato quasi Andantino (E♭ major, 57 bars) |
| Instrumentation | High voice + Piano |
| Autograph Location | Moscow (Russia): Glinka National Museum Consortium of Musical Culture (ф. 88, No. 137) |
| First Publication | Moscow: P. Jurgenson, 1875 |
| Average Duration | 3 minutes |
| Dedication | Anton Nikolayevich Nikolayev (1836–1904) |
| External Links |
IMSLP/Petrucci Music Library
 (downloadable score)The Lied and Art Song Texts Page (text and
translations) |
No. 2. The Corals (Корольки)
| Catalogue References | TH 99 ; ČW 239 (as "The Little Corals") |
|---|---|
| Date | April 1875 |
| Text | Lev Aleksandrovich Mey (1822–1862), from his poem The Corals. A Song (Корольки. Песня) (1861) — a translation of the Polish ballad Korale: Dumka kozacka [7] (by 1854) by Władysław Syrokomla (pseudonym of Ludwik Kondratowicz, 1823–1862) |
| Language | Russian |
| Key | F♯ minor |
| Tempo/Section Listing | Moderato assai (F♯ minor, 114 bars) |
| Instrumentation | High voice + Piano |
| Autograph Location | Moscow (Russia): Glinka National Museum Consortium of Musical Culture (ф. 88, No. 137) |
| First Publication | Moscow: P. Jurgenson, 1875 |
| Average Duration | 4 minutes |
| Dedication | Aleksandr Mikhaylovich Dodonov (1837–1914) |
| External Links |
IMSLP/Petrucci Music Library
(downloadable score) The Lied and Art Song Texts Page (text and
translations) |
No. 3. Why? (Зачем?)
| Catalogue References | TH 99 ; ČW 240 (as "What for?") |
|---|---|
| Date | April 1875 |
| Text | Lev Aleksandrovich Mey (1822–1862), after his poem of the same name (1861) |
| Language | Russian |
| Key | D minor |
| Tempo/Section Listing | Moderato assai (D minor, 64 bars) |
| Instrumentation | High voice + Piano |
| Autograph Location | Moscow (Russia): Glinka National Museum Consortium of Musical Culture (ф. 88, No. 137) |
| First Publication | Moscow: P. Jurgenson, 1875 |
| Average Duration | 3 minutes |
| Dedication | Mariya Ivanovna Ilyina; |
| External Links |
IMSLP/Petrucci Music Library
(downloadable score) The Lied and Art Song Texts Page (text and
translations) |
No. 4. He Loved Me So Much (Он так меня любил)
| Catalogue References | TH 99 ; ČW 241 |
|---|---|
| Date | April 1875 |
| Text | Aleksey Nikolayevich Apukhtin (1841–1893) [1] — a translation (by 1875) from the French of the 'romance' Il m'aimait tant! (by 1842) by Mme Emile de Giradin (pseudonym of Delphine Gay, 1804–1855) |
| Language | Russian |
| Key | D minor |
| Tempo/Section Listing | Moderato (D minor, 55 bars) |
| Instrumentation | High voice + Piano |
| Autograph Location | Moscow (Russia): Glinka National Museum Consortium of Musical Culture (ф. 88, No. 137) |
| First Publication | Moscow: P. Jurgenson, 1875 |
| Average Duration | 3 minutes |
| Dedication | Yekaterina Avgustovna Massini; |
| External Links |
IMSLP/Petrucci Music Library
(downloadable score) The Lied and Art Song Texts Page (text and
translations) |
No. 5. No Response, or Word, or Greeting (Ни отзыва, ни слова, ни привета)
| Catalogue References | TH 99 ; ČW 242 (as "Neither Response, nor Word, nor Greeting") |
|---|---|
| Date | April 1875 |
| Text | Aleksey Nikolayevich Apukhtin (1841–1893) [2], from an untitled poem (1867) |
| Language | Russian |
| Key | C minor |
| Tempo/Section Listing | Andante sostenuto (C minor, 58 bars) |
| Instrumentation | Medium voice + Piano |
| Autograph Location | Moscow (Russia): Glinka National Museum Consortium of Musical Culture (ф. 88, No. 137) |
| First Publication | Moscow: P. Jurgenson, 1875 |
| Average Duration | 2 minutes |
| Dedication | Bogomir Bogomirovich Korsov (1843–1920) |
| External Links |
IMSLP/Petrucci Music Library
(downloadable score) The Lied and Art Song Texts Page (text and
translations) |
No. 6. The Terrible Moment (Страшная минута)
| Catalogue References | TH 99 ; ČW 243 (as "The Fearful Moment") |
|---|---|
| Date | April 1875 |
| Text | "N.N." (= Composer). |
| Language | Russian |
| Key | F♯ minor |
| Tempo/Section Listing | Andante non troppo (F♯ minor, 50 bars) |
| Instrumentation | High voice + Piano |
| Autograph Location | Moscow (Russia): Glinka National Museum Consortium of Musical Culture (ф. 88, No. 137) |
| First Publication | Moscow: P. Jurgenson, 1875 |
| Average Duration | 3 minutes |
| Dedication | Yevlaliya Pavlovna Kadmina (1853–1881) |
| External Links |
IMSLP/Petrucci Music Library
(downloadable score) The Lied and Art Song Texts Page (text and
translations) |
History
According to the date on the manuscript, composition of the romances was finished on 11/23 April 1875.
Published for the first time by Pyotr Jurgenson in May 1875 [3]. Tchaikovsky later singled out The Fearful Minute (No. 6) as one of his most popular romances [4].
The romance The Fearful Minute (No. 6) was orchestrated by Sergey Taneyev in 1891, and this arrangement was published by Pyotr Jurgenson in 1892. The same romance was also arranged by Sergey Morozov for voice with cello and piano accompaniment; this arrangement was highly regarded by Tchaikovsky [5], and it was published by Jurgenson in 1882 [6].
The romances are dedicated as follows: No, I Shall Never Tell (No. 1) to Anton Nikolayev; The Corals (No. 2) to Aleksandr Dodonov; Why? (No. 3) to Mariya Il’ina; He Loved Me So Much (No. 4) to Yekaterina Massini; No Response, or Word, or Greeting (No. 5) to Bogomir Korsov; The Terrible Moment (No. 6) to Yevlaliya Kadmina.
From:
Музыкальное наследие Чайковского (1958), pp. 442–443
English text copyright © 2006 Brett Langston
Notes:
- Aleksey Apukhtin is recorded as the author of the verses on the autograph score; however, the poem has not been traced in any of Apukhtin’s manuscripts or collected editions. Apukhtin's translation of a French poem by de Girardin was established first in П. И. Чайковский. Романсы, том 2 (1978) and А. Н. Апухтин: Полное собрание стихотворений (1991), p. 421 [back]
- In many editions the words are mistakenly attributed to Aleksey Tolstoy [back]
- Passed by the censor on 3/15 May 1875 [back]
- See letter 1849 to Pyotr Jurgenson, 1/13 September 1881 [back]
- See letter 2032 to Pyotr Jurgenson and letter 2030 to Sergey Morozov, both, 27 May/8 June 1882 [back]
- Passed by the censor on 27 November/9 December 1882 [back]
- See Richard D. Sylvester, Tchaikovsky's Complete Songs: A Companion with Texts and Translations (2002), p. 96, 99 [back]