Tchaikovsky
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TH 107

Six Romances

Шесть романсов

With piano accompaniment, Op. 63 (1887).

• Composed November - December 1887.
• Scored for high voice (Nos. 1, 4, 5, 6) or medium voice (Nos. 2, 3) with piano.
• Average duration: 15m (set).
• See also the unrealized Two Songs (1886-87).

History

Composed at Maidanovo (and perhaps in Moscow) shortly after the production of the opera The Enchantress in November - early December 1887. It is possible that they were written immediately after the chorus Blessed is He Who Smiles, which was finished on 7 December 1887.

The idea for the romances dates back to 1886. In September 1886. the Grand Duke Konstantin Konstantinovich sent Tchaikovsky a book of his poetry. The Grand Duke wrote to the composer: "Perhaps you feel something from them might be suitable for setting to music" [1]. Tchaikovsky replied: " I am sorry... that when I set the texts of the romances dedicated to Her Majesty [Twelve Romances, Op. 57] that I did not have the pleasure of possessing your handsome volume, which... I now have in my hands. How opportune it would have been to have been able to use your poems! And how many of them are imbued with warm sentiments which are just right for setting to music! Reading your collection of poems, I immediately decided to use them in my next set of romances..." [2]. It is possible that Tchaikovsky's sketches in the Grand Duke’s book of poetry were made around this time.

In a letter to Grand Duke Konstantin Konstantinovich of 29 January 1887. Tchaikovsky declared his intention of begin work on the romances after he had completed the orchestration of the opera The Enchantress [3].

On 15 December 1887. the composer told him: "I have recently written six romances on most lyric and sensitive texts by the esteemed poet K R . I wrote them in particularly unfavourable conditions, and I fear that the romances may not please you... The romances are presently being engraved" [4]. In another letter. he wrote: "I fear only that they you will consider them (as unfortunately seems to be the case) much weaker than my previous romances" [5].

Six months later, Tchaikovsky wrote about the origins of the romances: "I recall that I wrote them after the production of The Enchantress, whose lack of success greatly upset me; besides this I had a big foreign tour ahead of me, which worried me terribly. In other words, I was not in the right frame of mind to work successfully. I did not want to put off composing music to your texts any longer because I had assured you I would do so considerably earlier. As a result the romances I produced were not particularly successful, when I wanted so much for them to turn out well" [6].

On 10 May 1888. Tchaikovsky wrote to the Grand Duke: "Until now our romances have not been brought out because my publisher has been awaiting a German translation of your verses, which he commissioned some time ago, but they will see the light of day as soon as they have been engraved and proof-read" [7].

After receiving a copy of the romances, the Grand Duke Konstantin Konstantinovch wrote to Tchaikovsky on 6 June 1888: "To me they are all inspirational; The First Meeting and the Serenade pleased me to a slightly lesser extent than the rest, but I am absolutely delighted by the second romance to the words I Opened the Window. I would like to know which of the six you consider to be the best?" [8]. On 11 June 1888, Tchaikovsky replied: "Perhaps they are not so bad as I had feared. This makes me extremely glad, but I will bear this in mind should I come to write a second set of romances to your words... It seems to me... that the romance "This our parting" is simply unremarkable. perhaps the Serenade fares better with the public when performed by a singer like Figner. I Opened the Window and The Fires in the Rooms Were Already Out are in my opinion the best of the six" [9].

The romances were published by Petr Jurgenson in May 1888 [10].

The romance Serenade (No. 6) was orchestrated by Sergei Taneev and published by Muzgiz in 1967.

The romances are dedicated to the author of the texts - "K. R."

From: Музыкальное наследие Чайковского(1958), pp. 456-459
English text copyright © 2006 Brett Langston

Texts

1. I Did Not Love You at First

2. I Opened the Window

3. I Do Not Please You

4. The First Meeting

5. The Fires in the Rooms Were Already Out

6. Serenade (O Child! Beneath Your Window)

Notes:

1. Letter from Grand Duke Konstantin Konstantinovich to Tchaikovsky, 12/24 September 1886 - Institute for Russian Literature, Manuscript Department [back]
2. Letter 3048 to Grand Duke Konstantin Konstantinovich, 18/30 September 1886. See also letter 3050 to Modest Tchaikovsky of the same date [back]
3. Letter 3166 to Grand Duke Konstantin Konstantinovich, 29 January/10 February1887 [back]
4. Letter 3435 to Grand Duke Konstantin Konstantinovich, 15/27 December 1887 [back]
5. Letter 3446 to Grand Duke Konstantin Konstantinovich, 28 December 1887/9 January 1888 [back]
6. Letter 3589 to Grand Duke Konstantin Konstantinovich, 11/23 June 1888 [back]
7. Letter 3564 to Grand Duke Konstantin Konstantinovich, 10/22 May 1888 [back]
8. Letter from Grand Duke Konstantin Konstantinovich Romanov, 6/18 June 1888 - Institute for Russian Literature, Manuscript Department [back]
9. Letter 3589 to Grand Duke Konstantin Konstantinovich, 11/23 June 1888 [back]
10. Passed by the censor on 13 January 1888 [back]