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Home > Works > Songs & Duets > Six Romances, Op. 28

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:
  1. 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]
  2. In many editions the words are mistakenly attributed to Aleksey Tolstoy [back]
  3. Passed by the censor on 3/15 May 1875 [back]
  4. See letter 1849 to Pyotr Jurgenson, 1/13 September 1881 [back]
  5. See letter 2032 to Pyotr Jurgenson and letter 2030 to Sergey Morozov, both, 27 May/8 June 1882 [back]
  6. Passed by the censor on 27 November/9 December 1882 [back]
  7. See Richard D. Sylvester, Tchaikovsky's Complete Songs: A Companion with Texts and Translations (2002), p. 96, 99 [back]

This page was last updated on 14 February 2013