Tchaikovsky
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TH 180

Don Quixote

Дон кихот

Musical picture by Anton Rubinstein, arranged for piano duet (1871).

• Arranged January 1871.
• Scored for Piano duet (4 hands)
• Average duration: 27m 30s.

History

Made by Tchaikovsky in 1871 in Moscow, at the request of the publisher Vasilii Bessel. The arrangement was mentioned in a letter from the composer to Bessel of 25 November/7 December 1870: “Regarding Don Quixote, it seems that only the parts have been sent to me. Until the full score is in my hands, I cannot set about the arrangement” [1], and in another letter on 9/21 January 1871: "I would have carried my promise regarding Don Quixote a long time ago, if it had been possible. But for some reason the score was sent to Rubinstein, and he gave it straight away to a copyist to write out the parts... Today I. finally received the full score; I must warn you that there is at least two weeks' work involved before it will be ready. The arrangement of Don Quixote is very difficult. besides which I have plenty of other things to do" [2].

The arrangement was published in 1871 by Vasilii Bessel.

From: Музыкальное наследие Чайковского (1958), p. 491
English text copyright © 2006 Brett Langston

References:

1. Letter 216 to Vasilii Bessel, 25 November/7 December 1870.
2. Letter 225 to Vasilii Bessel, 9/21 January 1871.