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TH 108

Six French Songs

Шесть Французский романсов

With piano accompaniment, Op. 65 (1888).

No Title Key Text Dedication
1 Sérénade (Où vas-tu, souffle d'aurore)
Серенада (Ты куда летишь)		 D major

Edouard Turquety, from his poem Aurore in th collection Amour et Foi (by 1833)

 Désirée Artôt-Padilla
(all 6 songs)
2 Déception
Разочарование		 E minor Paul Collin, from his poem of the same name in the cycle Mélodies (by 1878)
3 Sérénade (J'aime dans le rayon)
Серенада (В ярком свете зари)		 B♭ major Paul Collin, from his poem Sérénade in the cycle Mélodies (by 1878)
4 Qu'importe que l'hiver
Пуская зима		 D minor Paul Collin, from an untitled poem in his cycle Poëme d'Octobre (by 1878)
5 Les larmes
Слезы		 G major Augustine-Malvine Blanchecotte [1], from her poem of the same name (by 1874)
6 Rondel
Рондел		 G major Paul Collin, from his poem of the same name in the cycle Mélodies (by 1878)
  • Composed October 1888(?).
  • Scored for medium voice (Nos. 1, 3, 4, 5, 6) or low voice (No. 2) with piano.
  • Average duration: 15m.
  • See also the unrealized French Songs (1888).

History

The idea for the romances arose from Tchaikovsky's meeting with Désirée Artôt in Berlin during his foreign tour. Tchaikovsky met with her for the first time in twenty years on 23 January/4 February 1888 [2]. On 26 January/7 February the composer spent an evening with Désirée Artôt [3], during which she asked him to write a romance for her.

The origins of the romances' composition can be inferred from Tchaikovsky's correspondence with Désirée Artôt. The latter wrote on 2/14 April 1888: "I am impatiently awaiting my Lied, which you promised me. I need not tell you that, allowing for my voice, I shall put all my soul into it" [4]. Tchaikovsky replied on 16/28 May: "Do not take it as a mere compliment it tell you that the memory of our wonderful evening at 17 Landgrafstraße will literally be forever imprinted on my mind ... Of course I will write the Lied you honoured me by requesting. But permit me to do it a little later, since at the moment I have a large work on my hands, and I want to write something worthy of you, which I cannot do until this task is completed. The Lied will be ready no later than August" [5]. In a letter from Désirée Artôt to Tchaikovsky we read: "I want to reassure you regarding the Lied, which I asked you for... that there is no need to hurry. If one day you write some Lieder and think that I could perform one of them well, then just think of dedicating it to me—that's all I would like" [6].

During the summer, the composer’s time was taken up with various works, and the last of these–the overture-fantasia Hamlet—was completed on 7/19 October. On 8/20 October, Tchaikovsky wrote to Anna Merkling: "Now... all my main works are already finished and only trifles remain, which should be done by the end of the month" [7]. According to a note on the fair copy of the manuscript, the romances were finished on 10/22 October 1888.

They were soon on their way to Petr Jurgenson, to whom Tchaikovsky wrote on 16/28 October: "Partly in view of the speed with which I wrote these romances and their small size, but chiefly because you will have to pay for a translation, I’ve decided that I don't want more than 300 roubles from you" [8]. In the same letter, the composer asked for a copy of the romances to be given to the singer, Elizaveta Lavrovskaia, at her request.

On 17/29 October 1888, Tchaikovsky wrote to Désirée Artôt: "I have just delivered to my publisher, P. Jurgenson, 6 mélodies which I have written for you, and for which I ask you to consent to accept the dedication. I have tried to please you and I think you could sing all of them–in other words, all six will suit the present range of your voice. I would very much hope that these melodies will please you, but unfortunately, I am not at all sure. I must confess to you that I have been working too much of late, and it is more than probable that my new compositions are rather the product of good intentions than of true inspiration. And then, one is a little intimidated when one is composing for a singer one considers the greatest among the great" [9].

Désirée Artôt replied: "I wished for only one Lied, but you have so generously written six for me. They say "as generous as a king", but they have forgotten to add "or as an artist". Naturally I am very curious to make this new acquaintance, but I do not want to cause you additional work, so I will wait until Jurgenson has published them. But then ask him to send them to me as soon as possible. I will not thank you, but you can be sure of my happiness that you have so quickly and finely fulfilled your promise. I only hope that my talents are worthy of your inspiration" [10].

The first edition of the romances was slightly delayed. On 9/21 March 1889, Petr Jurgenson reported that he was sending out the proofs [11]. The romances were not issued until the spring–probably in April or May 1889 [12]. Around the same 1ime they were printed by Daniel Rahter in Hamburg [13].

Désirée Artôt received the romances in August 1889. She wrote to Tchaikovsky: "At last, dear friend, your Lieder are in my hands, waiting to be transferred to my voice. Indeed, 4, 5 and 6 are superb, while the first Sérénade is adorable and has a charming freshness. La Décéption also pleases me enormously. In short, I am in love with your new offspring, and so proud that you have created them with me in mind. One of my students here is already learning them, and many of others are making ready to perform them in September and October" [14]. "I am falling more and more in love with your last six Lieder which, as I expected, are becoming very popular" [15].

The romances were written to the original French texts of the poems. In the romances Décéption (No. 2) and Sérénade (No. 3), Tchaikovsky made some alterations to the Russian translations, which were made for the first edition by A. Gorchakova [16]. All the romances are dedicated to Désirée Artôt-Padilla.

From: Музыкальное наследие Чайковского (1958), pp. 460–465
English text copyright © 2006 Brett Langston

References:
  1. Misattributed to Paul Collin on the autograph score [back]
  2. See the composer’s diary–Дневники П. И. Чайковского (1923), p. 194–and also letter 3484 to Modest Tchaikovsky, 23 January/4 February 1888 [back]
  3. See diary entry for 26 January/7 February 1888–Дневники П. И. Чайковского (1923), p. 195 [back]
  4. Letter from Désirée Artôt-Padilla to Tchaikovsky, 2/14 April 1888 — Klin House-Museum Archive [back]
  5. Letter 3569 to Désirée Artôt-Padilla, 16/28 May 1888. The "large work" referred to was the Symphony No. 5 [back]
  6. Letter from Désirée Artôt-Padilla to Tchaikovsky, 21 May/2 June 1888 — Klin House-Museum Archive [back]
  7. Letter 3691 to Anna Merkling, 8/20 October 1888 [back]
  8. Letter 3699 to Petr Jurgenson, 16/28 October 1888 [back]
  9. Letter 3700 to Désirée Artôt-Padilla, 16/28 October 1888 [back]
  10. Letter from Désirée Artôt-Padilla to Tchaikovsky, 27 October/8 November 1888 — Klin House-Museum Archive [back]
  11. See letters 3754, 3771 and 3813 to Petr Jurgenson, 4/16 January, 18/30 January and 4/16 March 1889, and Jurgenson’s letters to Tchaikovsky of 21 January/2 February and 28 February/12 March 1889 [back]
  12. Passed by the censor on 11 February 1889 [back]
  13. See letter from Petr Jurgenson to Tchaikovsky, 12/24 August 1889 — Klin House-Museum Archive — and Tchaikovsky’s reply in letter 3921 to Petr Jurgenson, 13/25 August 1889 [back]
  14. Letter from Désirée Artôt-Padilla to Tchaikovsky, 9/21 August 1889 [back]
  15. Letter from Désirée Artôt-Padilla to Tchaikovsky, 24 February/8 March 1890 [back]
  16. See letter from Petr Jurgenson to Tchaikovsky, 17/29 October 1888 — Klin House-Museum Archive [back]
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