Tchaikovsky Research : Six Romances, Op. 57 (TH 105)

Catalogue References	TH 105 ; ČW 275
Date	before September 1884
Text	Vladimir Aleksandrovich Sollogub (1813–1882) [1], from Marta Petrovna's romance in his comedy-vaudeville Trouble from a Tender Heart (Беда от нежного сердца) (1850)
Language	Russian
Key	E major
Tempo/Section Listing	Andante sostenuto (E major, 63 bars)
Instrumentation	High voice + Piano
Autograph Location	Unknown
First Publication	Moscow: P. Jurgenson, 1885
Average Duration	3 minutes
Dedication	Fyodor Petrovich Komissarzhevsky (1838–1905)
External Links	IMSLP/Petrucci Music Library (downloadable score) The Lied and Art Song Texts Page (text and translations)

No. 2. On the Golden Cornfields (На нивы желтые)

Catalogue References	TH 105 ; ČW 276
Date	September–November 1884
Text	Aleksey Konstantinovich Tolstoy (1817–1875), from an untitled poem (1862)
Language	Russian
Key	F minor
Tempo/Section Listing	Andante (F minor, 36 bars)
Instrumentation	Baritone voice + Piano
Autograph Location	Moscow (Russia): Glinka National Museum Consortium of Musical Culture (ф. 88, No. 143)
First Publication	Moscow: P. Jurgenson, 1885
Average Duration	4 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. 3. Do Not Ask (Не спрашивай)

Catalogue References	TH 105 ; ČW 277
Date	September–November 1884
Text	Aleksandr Nikolayevich Strugovshchikov (1845) — a translation from the German of Heiß mich nicht reden, in book 3 of the novel Wilhelm Meisters Lehrjahre (1795) by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749–1832)
Language	Russian
Key	D minor
Tempo/Section Listing	Adagio molto sostenuto (D major, 32 bars)
Instrumentation	Medium voice + Piano
Autograph Location	Moscow (Russia): Glinka National Museum Consortium of Musical Culture (ф. 88, No. 143)
First Publication	Moscow: P. Jurgenson, 1885
Average Duration	3 minutes
Dedication	Emiliya Karlovna Pavlovskaya (1853–1935)
External Links	IMSLP/Petrucci Music Library (downloadable score) The Lied and Art Song Texts Page (text and translations)

No. 4. Sleep! (Усни!)

Catalogue References	TH 105 ; ČW 278
Date	September–November 1884
Text	Dmitry Sergeyevich Merezhkovsky (1865–1941), from his poem of the same name (1884)
Language	Russian
Key	F major
Tempo/Section Listing	Andante sostenuto (F major, 53 bars)
Instrumentation	High voice + Piano
Autograph Location	Moscow (Russia): Glinka National Museum Consortium of Musical Culture (ф. 88, No. 143)
First Publication	Moscow: P. Jurgenson, 1885
Average Duration	5 minutes
Dedication	Vera Vasilyevna Butakova (1843–1923)
External Links	IMSLP/Petrucci Music Library (downloadable score) The Lied and Art Song Texts Page (text and translations)

No. 5. Death (Смерть)

Catalogue References	TH 105 ; ČW 279
Date	September–November 1884
Text	Dmitry Sergeyevich Merezhkovsky (1865–1941), from an untitled poem (by 1883)
Language	Russian
Key	F minor
Tempo/Section Listing	Moderato (F major, 75 bars)
Instrumentation	Medium voice + Piano
Autograph Location	Moscow (Russia): Glinka National Museum Consortium of Musical Culture (ф. 88, No. 143)
First Publication	Moscow: P. Jurgenson, 1885
Average Duration	3 minutes
Dedication	Dmitry Andreyevich Usatov (1847–1913)
External Links	IMSLP/Petrucci Music Library (downloadable score) The Lied and Art Song Texts Page (text and translations)

No. 6. Only You Alone (Лишь ты один)

Catalogue References	TH 105 ; ČW 280 (as "Only Thou Alone")
Date	September–November 1884
Text	Aleksey Nikolayevich Pleshcheyev (1825–1893), from an untitled poem (1884) — a translation from the German of Nur Du allein (1872) by Ada Christen (pseudonym of Christiane von Breden, 1844–1901) [7]
Language	Russian
Key	G major
Tempo/Section Listing	Andante non troppo (F major, 36 bars)
Instrumentation	Low voice + Piano
Autograph Location	Moscow (Russia): Glinka National Museum Consortium of Musical Culture (ф. 88, No. 143)
First Publication	Moscow: P. Jurgenson, 1885
Average Duration	3 minutes
Dedication	Aleksandra Pavlovna Krutikova (1851–1919)
External Links	IMSLP/Petrucci Music Library (downloadable score) The Lied and Art Song Texts Page (text and translations)

History

The earliest of the romances to be written was Tell Me, What in the Shade of the Branches? (No. 1). In a letter to Pyotr Jurgenson of 1/13 December 1884 (see below). the composer expressed his surprise at this discovery of this romance, which it seems he had forgotten about [2]. The exact time and place of its composition are uncertain.

The romances On the Golden Cornfields (No. 2) and Do Not Ask (No. 3) were composed at Pleshcheyevo in late September 1884. Before the rough draft of No. 2 in the composer’s notebook is the date "Pleshcheyevo, 26 Sept 1884" [O.S.]. Do Not Ask (No. 3) was composed next, and its text was probably chosen by Tchaikovsky after he read Goethe's novel The Apprenticeship of Wilhelm Meister ("God, how marvellous this is..."), which he found in Nadezhda von Meck's library at Pleshcheyevo [3].

The remaining three romances were written in Paris between 19 November/1 December (the date of his arrival) and 1/13 December 1884, when Tchaikovsky wrote to Pyotr Jurgenson: "I was very surprised to learn that Komissarzhevsky has my romance. Incidentally, I already have another five. Congratulations to you on my new opus" [4].

Writing to Modest Tchaikovsky from Paris on 3/15 December 1884, the composer reported: "I cannot say that I am bored from idleness. I managed here to devise the main revisions to Vakula, and to write three new romances, and one church number" [5].

Rough copies of the two romances to texts by Dmitry Merezhkovsky can also be found in Notebook No. 16, following sketches for the revisions to Vakula the Smith, and the chorus To Thee We Hymn from Nine Church Pieces.

On the manuscript of the surviving five romances, Pyotr Jurgenson wrote: "Received in December 1884". The romances were published by Jurgenson in April 1885 [6].

Tchaikovsky made minor changes to the texts of the poems used in the romances On the Golden Cornfields (No. 2), Do Not Ask! (No. 3), Sleep! (No. 4), and more significant changes in Only You Alone (No. 6).

The romances are dedicated as follows: Tell Me, What in the Shade of the Branches? (No. 1) to Fyodor Komissarzhevsky; On the Golden Cornfields (No. 2) to Bogomir Korsov; Do Not Ask! (No. 3) to Emiliya Pavlovskaya; Sleep! (No. 4) to Vera Butakova; Death! (No. 5) to Dmitry Usatov; Only You Alone (No. 6) to Aleksandra Krutikova.

Six Romances

(Шесть романсов)