Tchaikovsky
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TH 93

Six Romances

Шесть романсов

With piano accompaniment, Op. 6 (1869).

• Composed November 1869.
• Scored for high voice (Nos. 1, 2, 3, 5), medium voice (No. 6) or baritone (No. 4) with piano.
• Average duration: 20m (set).

History

Until mid/late November 1869, Tchaikovsky was occupied with composition of the overture Romeo and Juliet, amongst his other work. On 15/27 November, he wrote to Aleksandra Davydova: "I have been terribly busy; hurrying to finish my new overture... besides which I have quite a few other jobs to do; as a result my nerves are under considerable strain, and I intend to take some time off, i.e. to do nothing apart from my classes" [1].

On 18/30 November 1869 in a letter to Modest Tchaikovsky, he expressed his dismay about the delay in staging of his opera Undina, writing: "While my music is being held up, I’ve started to write some songs to earn a little money" [2].

However, the next week he joked to Ivan Klimenko: "...had dear Dorimedontova not burst in, like some malevolent spirit fulfilling a curse, then one-sixth (of my six romances) would have been completed" [3].

In early/mid December the composer wrote: '"My idleness (about which I wrote to you in a previous letter [4] did not last long, and lasted only a short times and last week I wrote six romances, which are going to be printed" [5].

The romances were first published by Petr Jurgenson in March 1870 [6]. Subsequently these romances, along with others, were frequently repeated, in their original keys, transpositions and arrangements (1873, 1876, 1884, etc.). In 1890 they were published by Jurgenson in a collected edition of romances, reviewed by the author [7].

At the time of this reprinting, Tchaikovsky stipulated that all the songs "ought to be in their original keys. Transpositions may also be published, but the proofs must be thoroughly examined... and checked against my texts of the original romances. Many of the romances in question not only have to be corrected, but also to be amended. I want the new edition to be a completely flawless edition" [8].

The texts of two romances from Op. 6 – Bitterly and Sweetly (No. 3) and A Tear Trembles (No. 4) – were shortened by Tchaikovsky, and in the romances Do Not Believe, My Love (No. 1) Bitterly and Sweetly (No. 3), A Tear Trembles (No 4) and Why? (No, 5) the composer made some alterations to the texts.

Tchaikovsky referred to Nos. 3 and 6 from this opus in his letters: "You know that out of all my romances only two are popular: None but the Lonely Heart and Bitterly and Sweetly [9].

The romance Not a Word, O My Friend (No. 2) was orchestrated by Sergei Taneev (for low voice with orchestra) [10].

Each of the Op. 6 romances has its own dedication: Do Not Believe, My Love (No. 1) to Aleksandra Menshikova; Not a Word, O My Friend (No. 2) to Nikolai Kashkin; Bitterly and Sweetly (No. 3) to Aleksandra Aleksandrova-Kochetova [11]; A Tear Trembles (No. 4) to Petr Jurgenson; Why? (No. 5) to Ivan Klimenko; None but the Lonely Heart (No. 6) to Alina Khvostova[12].

From: Музыкальное наследие Чайковского (1958), pp. 432–434
English text copyright © 2006 Brett Langston

References:

1. Letter 158 to Aleksandra Davydova, 15/27 November 1869 [back].
2. Letter 161 to Modest Tchaikovsky, 18/30 November 1869 [back].
3. Letter 162 to Ivan Klimenko, 26 November/8 December 1869 [back].
4. "At the moment I’m experiencing a strange aversion to composition, and I know that if this carries on I’ll not be a position to compose anything this month" (letter 160 to Anatolii Tchaikovsky, 18/30 November 1869) [back].
5. Letter 164 to Anatolii Tchaikovsky, by 4/16 December 1869 [back].
6. Passed by the censor on 17 December 1869 [back].
7. See letters 4249 and 4251 to Petr Jurgenson, 3/15 and 5/17 November 1890 [back].
8. Letter 4249 to Petr Jurgenson, 3/15 November 1890 [back].
9. Letter 723 to Nadezhda von Meck, 10/22 January 1878. See also letter 185 to Modest Tchaikovsky, 26 March/7 April 1870; letters 1849 and 4249 to Petr Jurgenson, 3/15 November 1890, and the composer’s diary entry for 3/15 March 1888 (see Дневники П. И. Чайковского (1923), p. 201) [back].
10. Taneev’s arrangement of No. 2 was first published by Muzgiz (Moscow) in 1957 [back].
11. This romance was performed, apparently for the first time, by Aleskandra Aleksandrova-Kochetova in Moscow on 14 March 1870, at the tenth symphony concert of the Russian Musical Society) [back]
12. This romance was performed, also apparently for the first time, by Elizaveta Lavrovskaia on 26 March/7 April 1870 in Moscow [back]