Letter 502 - Revision history

Tony at 17:37, 23 March 2024

2024-03-23T17:37:49Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 19:37, 23 March 2024
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	\|Translated text={{right\|''[[Moscow]]''<br/>29 September 1876}}		\|Translated text={{right\|''[[Moscow]]''<br/>29 September 1876}}
	{{centre\|Dear friend Nikolay Andreyevich!}}		{{centre\|Dear friend Nikolay Andreyevich!}}
	On receipt of your letter <ref name="note1"/> I went to see [[Jurgenson]] and asked him about the quartet <ref name="note2"/>. This is what he said to me. He went to America this summer and in his absence there reigned such chaos at his place that he still hasn't managed to sort himself out. This circumstance and the fact that he has an enormous number of all sorts of manuscripts to be printed may justify his delay regarding your quartet. But if I am completely honest I will tell you something that, it seems to me, best explains why [[Jurgenson]] is taking his time. Last year, when the parts of your quartet were received, our quartet players tried it out at [[Nikolay Rubinstein\|Rubinstein]]'s in [[Jurgenson]]'s presence. These four gentlemen ''did not like'' your quartet, and they told [[Jurgenson]] that they were surprised that he was going to publish a piece that was doomed to be forgotten. This probably cooled our publisher's enthusiasm, which I have now rekindled. In addition, the quartet will be performed in the forthcoming series <ref name="note3"/> and, when the gentlemen quartet players get to know it better, they will most likely retract their opinion from last year. I am even sure of this because I know from myself that the more you scrutinise it, the more you like your quartet. I consider the first movement to be positively charming and ''ideally'' pure in craftsmanship. It can serve as a model of purity of style. The ''Andante'' may be dry, but in its very dryness it is characteristic - like a reminiscence of the age of wigs, the farthingale and the hoop skirt. The ''Scherzo'' is lively, piquant and must sound wonderful. As far as the finale is concerned, I must tell you frankly that I do not like it at all, although I cannot guarantee that when I hear it I will not become reconciled to its persistently haunting, rhythmic theme, and to its dryness which goes to the limits of what can be borne. You know that I consider your current state to be temporary: everything in you is in a state of ferment and nobody knows yet what you might achieve. I think that with your talent and your ''character'' you can achieve colossal results. But until all that ferment settles it is not surprising that your current works, including the quartet, are not yet masterpieces. However, I will make a proviso and repeat again that the 1st movement is a ''model'' of virginal purity of style. There is something ''Mozartian'' in its beauty and the way that it pours effortlessly from the pen.		On receipt of your letter <ref name="note1"/>, I went to see [[Jurgenson]] and asked him about the quartet <ref name="note2"/>. This is what he said to me. He went to America this summer and in his absence there reigned such chaos at his place that he still hasn't managed to sort himself out. This circumstance and the fact that he has an enormous number of all sorts of manuscripts to be printed may justify his delay regarding your quartet. But if I am completely honest I will tell you something that, it seems to me, best explains why [[Jurgenson]] is taking his time. Last year, when the parts of your quartet were received, our quartet players tried it out at [[Nikolay Rubinstein\|Rubinstein]]'s in [[Jurgenson]]'s presence. These four gentlemen ''did not like'' your quartet, and they told [[Jurgenson]] that they were surprised that he was going to publish a piece that was doomed to be forgotten. This probably cooled our publisher's enthusiasm, which I have now rekindled. In addition, the quartet will be performed in the forthcoming series <ref name="note3"/> and, when the gentlemen quartet players get to know it better, they will most likely retract their opinion from last year. I am even sure of this because I know from myself that the more you scrutinise it, the more you like your quartet. I consider the first movement to be positively charming and ''ideally'' pure in craftsmanship. It can serve as a model of purity of style. The ''Andante'' may be dry, but in its very dryness it is characteristic - like a reminiscence of the age of wigs, the farthingale and the hoop skirt. The ''Scherzo'' is lively, piquant and must sound wonderful. As far as the finale is concerned, I must tell you frankly that I do not like it at all, although I cannot guarantee that when I hear it I will not become reconciled to its persistently haunting, rhythmic theme, and to its dryness which goes to the limits of what can be borne. You know that I consider your current state to be temporary: everything in you is in a state of ferment and nobody knows yet what you might achieve. I think that with your talent and your ''character'' you can achieve colossal results. But until all that ferment settles, it is not surprising that your current works, including the quartet, are not yet masterpieces. However, I will make a proviso and repeat again that the 1st movement is a ''model'' of virginal purity of style. There is something ''Mozartian'' in its beauty and the way that it pours effortlessly from the pen.

	You ask if it is true that I have written a [[String Quartet No. 3\|3rd quartet]]. It is true. I brought it into the world during the last academic year immediately after my return from abroad, in the winter. It has an ''andante funebre'' which has had considerable success here so that in the course of 2 weeks during Lent the quartet was played 3 times. This also explains why [[Jurgenson]] was in more of a hurry with my quartet – it is already actually being published.		You ask if it is true that I have written a [[String Quartet No. 3\|3rd quartet]]. It is true. I brought it into the world during the last academic year immediately after my return from abroad, in the winter. It has an ''andante funebre'' which has had considerable success here so that in the course of 2 weeks during Lent the quartet was played 3 times. This also explains why [[Jurgenson]] was in more of a hurry with my quartet – it is already actually being published.

Brett: Text replacement - "your card" to "your picture"

2024-01-26T11:33:04Z

Text replacement - "your card" to "your picture"

← Older revision		Revision as of 13:33, 26 January 2024
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	Goodbye, dear [[Nikolay Andreyevich]], regards to [[Nadezhda Nikolayevna]] and please accept my wishes for the happiness of you both.		Goodbye, dear [[Nikolay Andreyevich]], regards to [[Nadezhda Nikolayevna]] and please accept my wishes for the happiness of you both.
	{{right\|P. Tchaikovsky}}		{{right\|P. Tchaikovsky}}
	When will you give me your ~~card~~? Anyway, I shall probably be in [[Piter]] soon and collect it myself.		When will you give me your picture? Anyway, I shall probably be in [[Piter]] soon and collect it myself.
	}}		}}
	==Notes and References==		==Notes and References==

Brett: 1 revision imported

2022-07-12T12:28:22Z

1 revision imported

← Older revision	Revision as of 14:28, 12 July 2022
(No difference)

Brett at 16:05, 25 February 2020

2020-02-25T16:05:41Z

New page

{{letterhead
|Date=29 September/11 October 1876
|To=[[Nikolay Rimsky-Korsakov]]
|Place=[[Moscow]]
|Language=Russian
|Autograph=[[Saint Petersburg]] (Russia): {{RUS-SPsc}} (ф. 640, оп. 1, No. 1015, л. 8–9)
|Publication={{bib|1900/35|Жизнь Петра Ильича Чайковского ; том 1}} (1900), p. 503–504 (abridged)<br/>{{bibx|1945/29|Советская музыка. 3-и сборник статей}} (1945), p. 132–133 <br/>{{bib|1961/38|П. И. Чайковский. Полное собрание сочинений ; том VI}} (1961), p. 76–77
}}
==Text and Translation==
{{Lettertext
|Language=Russian
|Translator=Anna-Maria Leonard
|Original text={{right|''Москва''<br/>29 сент[ября] 1876}}
{{centre|Милый друг Николай Андреевич!}}
Получив Ваше письмо, пошёл к Юргенсону и вопросил его насчёт квартета. Вот, что он мне ответствовал. Ездил он этим летом в Америку, и в его отсутствие царствовал у него такой хаос, что и до сих пор он не может опомниться. Это обстоятельство, а также то, что у него теперь огромная масса всяких рукописей, предназначенных к печатанию, могут служить ему оправданием в задержке Вашего квартета. Но чтоб быть вполне откровенным, я Вам расскажу одно обстоятельство, которое, мне кажется, лучше всего объясняет неторопливость Юргенсона. В прошлом году, когда были получены партии Вашего квартета, у Рубинштейна его пробовали наши квартетисты в присутствии Юргенсона. Этим четырём господам Квартет Ваш не ''понравился'', и они выражали Юргенсону своё удивление, что он решается издавать вещь, которая обречена на забвение. Это, вероятно, охладило рвение нашего издателя, которое я теперь подогрел. К тому же в предстоящей серии квартет будет исполнен и, по всей вероятности, ближе с ним познакомившись, г.г. квартетисты возьмут назад своё прошлогоднее мнение. Я в этом уверен даже, потому что сам по себе знаю, что квартет Ваш тем больше нравится, чем больше в него всматриваешься. Первую часть его я считаю положительно прелестной и ''идеально'' чистой по фактуре. Она может служить образцом чистоты стиля. ''Andante'' хотя суховато, но в самой своей сухости, — характерно, как реминисценция из времён париков, фижмы и роброна. ''Scherzo'' живо, пикантно и должно звучать прекрасно. Что касается финала, то должен сказать откровенно, что он мне совсем не нравится, хотя не могу поручиться за то, что по услышании его примирюсь с его назойливо преследующим ритмическим мотивом и с его сухостью, доходящею до непереваримости. Вы знаете, что я считаю Ваше теперешнее состояние—переходным; в Вас все бродит и ещё никому неизвестно, до чего Вы достигнете. Я полагаю, что с Вашим талантом и с Вашим ''характером'' можно достигнуть колоссальных результатов. А пока все это брожение не уляжется, не удивительно, что все Ваши теперешние произведения, и в том числе квартет, ещё не chef-d'oeuvre'ы. Впрочем, оговорюсь и ещё раз повторю, что 1-я часть ''образец'' девственной чистоты стиля. В нем есть что-то ''Моцартовски'' красивое и непринуждённо вылившееся из-под пера.

Вы спрашиваете, правда ли, что я написал 3-ий квартет. Правда. Я его произвёл на свет в прошлом учебном году непосредственно за возвращением из-за границы, зимой. В нем есть ''andante funebre'', которое имело здесь значительный успех так, что в течение 2 недель квартет в посту играли 3 раза. Вот это-то обстоятельство и объясняет то, что Юргенсон с моим квартетом поторопился больше, — он уже действительно печатается.

Слова песни, которую я взял в ''andante'' 1-го квартета, очень глупы. Вот они:
{{quote|<poem>Сидел Ваня на диване,
Стакан рому наливал.
Не наливши полстакана,
Сам за Катенькой послал,</poem>}}
а дальше не помню.

Прощайте, милый Николай Андреевич, кланяйтесь Над[ежде] Ник[олаевне] и примите мои пожелания счастья Вам обоим.
{{right|П. Чайковский}}
Когда же Вы мне дадите Вашу карточку? Впрочем, скоро я, вероятно, побываю в Питере и возьму её сам.

|Translated text={{right|''[[Moscow]]''<br/>29 September 1876}}
{{centre|Dear friend Nikolay Andreyevich!}}
On receipt of your letter <ref name="note1"/> I went to see [[Jurgenson]] and asked him about the quartet <ref name="note2"/>. This is what he said to me. He went to America this summer and in his absence there reigned such chaos at his place that he still hasn't managed to sort himself out. This circumstance and the fact that he has an enormous number of all sorts of manuscripts to be printed may justify his delay regarding your quartet. But if I am completely honest I will tell you something that, it seems to me, best explains why [[Jurgenson]] is taking his time. Last year, when the parts of your quartet were received, our quartet players tried it out at [[Nikolay Rubinstein|Rubinstein]]'s in [[Jurgenson]]'s presence. These four gentlemen ''did not like'' your quartet, and they told [[Jurgenson]] that they were surprised that he was going to publish a piece that was doomed to be forgotten. This probably cooled our publisher's enthusiasm, which I have now rekindled. In addition, the quartet will be performed in the forthcoming series <ref name="note3"/> and, when the gentlemen quartet players get to know it better, they will most likely retract their opinion from last year. I am even sure of this because I know from myself that the more you scrutinise it, the more you like your quartet. I consider the first movement to be positively charming and ''ideally'' pure in craftsmanship. It can serve as a model of purity of style. The ''Andante'' may be dry, but in its very dryness it is characteristic - like a reminiscence of the age of wigs, the farthingale and the hoop skirt. The ''Scherzo'' is lively, piquant and must sound wonderful. As far as the finale is concerned, I must tell you frankly that I do not like it at all, although I cannot guarantee that when I hear it I will not become reconciled to its persistently haunting, rhythmic theme, and to its dryness which goes to the limits of what can be borne. You know that I consider your current state to be temporary: everything in you is in a state of ferment and nobody knows yet what you might achieve. I think that with your talent and your ''character'' you can achieve colossal results. But until all that ferment settles it is not surprising that your current works, including the quartet, are not yet masterpieces. However, I will make a proviso and repeat again that the 1st movement is a ''model'' of virginal purity of style. There is something ''Mozartian'' in its beauty and the way that it pours effortlessly from the pen.

You ask if it is true that I have written a [[String Quartet No. 3|3rd quartet]]. It is true. I brought it into the world during the last academic year immediately after my return from abroad, in the winter. It has an ''andante funebre'' which has had considerable success here so that in the course of 2 weeks during Lent the quartet was played 3 times. This also explains why [[Jurgenson]] was in more of a hurry with my quartet – it is already actually being published.

The words of the song that I used in the ''andante'' of the 1st quartet are very silly. Here they are:

{{quote|<poem>Vanya sat on the divan,
Pouring out a glass of rum,
Before he'd poured out half a glass,
He called his Katya to him,</poem>}}
and I don't remember the rest <ref name="note4"/>.

Goodbye, dear [[Nikolay Andreyevich]], regards to [[Nadezhda Nikolayevna]] and please accept my wishes for the happiness of you both.
{{right|P. Tchaikovsky}}
When will you give me your card? Anyway, I shall probably be in [[Piter]] soon and collect it myself.
}}
==Notes and References==
<references>
<ref name="note1">Letter from [[Nikolay Rimsky-Korsakov]] to the composer dated 25 September/7 October 1876.</ref>
<ref name="note2">[[Rimsky-Korsakov]]'s String Quartet in F major, Op. 12 (1875).</ref>
<ref name="note3">The quartet was performed at the second Russian Musical Society chamber concert in [[Moscow]] on 19/31 December 1876, with soloists [[Jan Hřímalý]] and [[Iosif Kotek]] (violins), Yury Gerber (viola) and [[Wilhelm Fitzenhagen]] (cello).</ref>
<ref name="note4">Another variant has the opening words: "Vanya sat on the divan, smoking his tobacco pipe" («Сидел Ваня на диване, курил трубку с табаком»).</ref>
</references>
{{DEFAULTSORT:Letter 0502}}