Tchaikovsky: Songs, Vol. 2

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Cat No: 8554358

Release Date: 03 January 2000

Label: Naxos - Nxc / Naxos Classics

Packaging Type: Jewel Case

No of Units: 1

Barcode: 636943435823

Genres: Classical

Composer/Series: TCHAIKOVSKY

Description
Pyotr Il'yichTchaikovsky (1840-1893)Songs, Volume 2Russia's contribution to European song during the second half of thenineteenth century and the early years of the twentieth is of considerableimportance and interest With little or no tradition of their own, apart from avery distinctive folk-song literature, Russian composers inevitably turned toother Continental models - to Germany in particular, and to Italy - but quicklyevolved a national school that may be said to have produced some of their country'sfinest music. The greatest Russian song composer of the nineteenth century is,without doubt, Mussorgsky, closely followed by Balakirev and Borodin, but closebehind them comes Tchaikovsky, whose qualities as a lyricist are understandablyovershadowed by his stature as an opera composer (just as his many pieces forsolo piano are by his concertos).Between 1869 and 1893 Tchaikovsky composed just over a hundred songs,most of them published in sets of six and settings of words by second-rateRussian poets. A change from the pervading drawing-room sentiment is offered bythe group of sixteen Children's Songs, Op. 54, which were composedbetween 1881 and 1883. Like the Schumannesque Children's Album, Op. 39for piano of 1878, the collection reflects his spontaneous love of children; hehad none of his own, of course, since his disastrous marriage of 1877 was neverconsummated and lasted barely three months, but his nephews, nieces and theiroffspring gave him great joy.The words of all but two of the Children's Songs are by AlexeyNikolayevich Pleshcheyev (1825-1893), a minor poet whom Tchaikovsky had knownsince he first went to Moscow in 1866, and two of whose lyrics he used for the Romancescomposed in 1869 (Op. 6 No. 2) and 1872-3 (Op. 16 No. 4). In January 1881he had made a setting of Konstantin Sergeyevich Axakov's A Little Children'sSong, and it was apparently the appearance of this some weeks later in themonthly periodical Recreation for Children that prompted Pleshcheyev tosend Tchaikovsky a copy of his anthology for children The Snowdrop, inscribed'as a mark of affection and gratitude for his beautiful music to my poorwords'. On 5th November 1881 Tchaikovsky wrote to his brother Modest: 'I haveset about composing children's songs and am writing one regularly every day...this is very light and pleasant labour, for as my text I am takingPleshcheyev's The Snowdrop, where there are many delightful things'. On15th November he sent fifteen songs to his publisher Jurgenson, saying 'If youlike, you can add A Little Children's Song to it' - which Jurgenson did.Most of the songs last less than three minutes, and nearly all of themare technically undemanding; Nos. 6, 14 and 16 are strophic. Children naturallyfeature prominently, most touchingly in A Legend (No. 5), where theChrist-child is crowned with thorns by children who have picked all the rosesin his garden (the theme, based on a well-known carol, was used in 1894, theyear after Tchaikovsky's death, by Arensky
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