Letter 519 - Revision history

Tony: Omitted extra spaces after commas for ease of eading

2024-03-28T11:08:58Z

Omitted extra spaces after commas for ease of eading

← Older revision		Revision as of 13:08, 28 March 2024
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	\|Translated text={{centre\|Dear Sir!<br/>[[Vasily Avenarius\|Vasily Petrovich]]!}}		\|Translated text={{centre\|Dear Sir!<br/>[[Vasily Avenarius\|Vasily Petrovich]]!}}
	I am most embarrassed before you. Every day in [[Petersburg]] I intended to call on you, and every time I was unfortunate to encounter obstacles that prevented this. I have left your libretto with my brother, whom I have instructed to deliver it to you. I will tell you my opinion of this work completely candidly. In literary terms it seems to me ''excellent''. The spirit of hoary antiquity, the naive simplicity of the knightly epoch, the poetry and character of the language — all of this is sustained and conveyed to the highest degree of artistry. From a purely theatrical point of view it seems to me there is a lack of movement and dramatic interest. I am most grateful to you for the courtesy of inviting me to use your text for music, and consequently I cannot but use all my powers to illustrate musically your excellent and fabulously heroic scenes, but I shall not conceal from you that at present all my thoughts are concentrated on a different subject <ref name="note2"/>, from which I have not the strength to tear myself away until I have written the opera on the subject which is engrossing me. If you will permit me, I should gladly accept your libretto with a firm undertaking to use it — although just not immediately, but rather after I have written my next opera <ref name="note1"/>.		I am most embarrassed before you. Every day in [[Petersburg]] I intended to call on you, and every time I was unfortunate to encounter obstacles that prevented this. I have left your libretto with my brother, whom I have instructed to deliver it to you. I will tell you my opinion of this work completely candidly. In literary terms it seems to me ''excellent''. The spirit of hoary antiquity, the naive simplicity of the knightly epoch, the poetry and character of the language — all of this is sustained and conveyed to the highest degree of artistry. From a purely theatrical point of view, it seems to me there is a lack of movement and dramatic interest. I am most grateful to you for the courtesy of inviting me to use your text for music, and consequently I cannot but use all my powers to illustrate musically your excellent and fabulously heroic scenes, but I shall not conceal from you that at present all my thoughts are concentrated on a different subject <ref name="note2"/>, from which I have not the strength to tear myself away until I have written the opera on the subject which is engrossing me. If you will permit me, I should gladly accept your libretto with a firm undertaking to use it — although just not immediately, but rather after I have written my next opera <ref name="note1"/>.

	If you would be so kind as to send me the libretto (''[[Moscow]], Nikitskaya, Conservatory'') then I should be most grateful to you, and in the meantime I humbly ask you to accept this assurance of sincere respect from your humble servant,		If you would be so kind as to send me the libretto (''[[Moscow]], Nikitskaya, Conservatory'') then I should be most grateful to you, and in the meantime I humbly ask you to accept this assurance of sincere respect from your humble servant,
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	<references>		<references>
	<ref name="note1"> A manuscript copy of Avenarius's libretto for ''[[Dobrynya Nikitich]]'' (Добрыня Никитич) is preserved in the {{RUS-KLč}} at [[Klin]] (a<sup>6</sup>, No. 28). The eponymous hero was a medieval Ukrainian knight, who in folklore accomplishes many heroic deeds, such as slaying dragons, rescuing imprisoned maidens, etc. There were no further references to this project in the composer's surviving letters.</ref>		<ref name="note1"> A manuscript copy of Avenarius's libretto for ''[[Dobrynya Nikitich]]'' (Добрыня Никитич) is preserved in the {{RUS-KLč}} at [[Klin]] (a<sup>6</sup>, No. 28). The eponymous hero was a medieval Ukrainian knight, who in folklore accomplishes many heroic deeds, such as slaying dragons, rescuing imprisoned maidens, etc. There were no further references to this project in the composer's surviving letters.</ref>
	<ref name="note2">This was not strictly true; although Tchaikovsky was considering a number of operatic subjects at this time, including ''[[Ephraim]]'', ''[[Francesca da Rimini (projected opera)\|Francesca da Rimini]]'' and ''[[Othello]]'', his next operatic work would be ''[[Yevgeny Onegin]]'', begun the following spring.</ref>		<ref name="note2">This was not strictly true; although Tchaikovsky was considering a number of operatic subjects at this time, including ''[[Ephraim]]'', ''[[Francesca da Rimini (projected opera)\|Francesca da Rimini]]'' and ''[[Othello]]'', his next operatic work would be [[Yevgeny Onegin]], begun the following spring.</ref>
	</references>		</references>
	{{DEFAULTSORT:Letter 0519}}		{{DEFAULTSORT:Letter 0519}}

Brett: Text replacement - "Klin House-Museum Archive" to "{{RUS-KLč}} at Klin"

2023-08-09T20:52:44Z

Text replacement - "Klin House-Museum Archive" to "{{RUS-KLč}} at Klin"

← Older revision		Revision as of 22:52, 9 August 2023
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	==Notes and References==		==Notes and References==
	<references>		<references>
	<ref name="note1"> A manuscript copy of Avenarius's libretto for ''[[Dobrynya Nikitich]]'' (Добрыня Никитич) is preserved in the Klin ~~House-Museum Archive~~ (a<sup>6</sup>, No. 28). The eponymous hero was a medieval Ukrainian knight, who in folklore accomplishes many heroic deeds, such as slaying dragons, rescuing imprisoned maidens, etc. There were no further references to this project in the composer's surviving letters.</ref>		<ref name="note1"> A manuscript copy of Avenarius's libretto for ''[[Dobrynya Nikitich]]'' (Добрыня Никитич) is preserved in the {{RUS-KLč}} at [[Klin]] (a<sup>6</sup>, No. 28). The eponymous hero was a medieval Ukrainian knight, who in folklore accomplishes many heroic deeds, such as slaying dragons, rescuing imprisoned maidens, etc. There were no further references to this project in the composer's surviving letters.</ref>
	<ref name="note2">This was not strictly true; although Tchaikovsky was considering a number of operatic subjects at this time, including ''[[Ephraim]]'', ''[[Francesca da Rimini (projected opera)\|Francesca da Rimini]]'' and ''[[Othello]]'', his next operatic work would be ''[[Yevgeny Onegin]]'', begun the following spring.</ref>		<ref name="note2">This was not strictly true; although Tchaikovsky was considering a number of operatic subjects at this time, including ''[[Ephraim]]'', ''[[Francesca da Rimini (projected opera)\|Francesca da Rimini]]'' and ''[[Othello]]'', his next operatic work would be ''[[Yevgeny Onegin]]'', begun the following spring.</ref>
	</references>		</references>
	{{DEFAULTSORT:Letter 0519}}		{{DEFAULTSORT:Letter 0519}}

Brett: 1 revision imported

2022-07-12T12:28:23Z

1 revision imported

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

Brett at 14:37, 16 November 2019

2019-11-16T14:37:41Z

New page

{{letterhead
|Date=8/20 December 1876
|To=[[Vasily Avenarius]]
|Place=[[Moscow]]
|Language=Russian
|Autograph=[[Saint Petersburg]] (Russia): {{RUS-SPil}} (No. 10260, л. 1–2)
|Publication={{bib|1961/38|П. И. Чайковский. Полное собрание сочинений ; том VI}} (1961), p. 91–92
}}
==Text and Translation==
{{Lettertext
|Language=Russian
|Translator=Brett Langston
|Original text={{centre|Милостивый государь! Василий Петрович!}}
Я очень виноват перед Вами. Каждый день в Петербурге собирался навестить Вас и каждый раз в силу неудачно сложившихся обстоятельств встречал к этому препятствия. Либретто Ваше осталась у брата, которому я поручил Вам его доставить. Скажу Вам свое мнение об этом произведении совершенно но откровенно. В литературном отношении оно кажется мне ''превосходным''. Дух седой старины, наивная простота богатырского эпоса, поэтичность и характерность языка — все это выдержано и передано в высшей степени художественно. С точки зрения чисто сценической мне кажется, что недостаёт движения и драматического интереса. Я очень Вам благодарен за Ваше любезное приглашение воспользоваться Вашим текстом для музыки и не отказываюсь впоследствии по мере сил иллюстрировать музыкально Вашу превосходную картинку сказочно-богатырского быта, но не скрою от Вас, что в настоящее время все мои помыслы устремлены на другой сюжет и я не в силах оторваться от него, пока не напишу оперы на занимающий меня сюжет. Если Вы позволите, я бы охотно взял Ваше либретто с обещанием непременно им воспользоваться, — но только не сейчас, а после того, как напишу свою следующую оперу.

Если Вы соблаговолите прислать мне либретто (''Москва, Никитская, Консерватория''), то премного буду Вам благодарен, а пока покорнейше прошу принять уверение в искреннем уважении Вашего покорного слуги,
{{right|П. Чайковский ''Москва, 8 дек[абря]'' 1876 г[ода]}}

|Translated text={{centre|Dear Sir! [[Vasily Avenarius|Vasily Petrovich]]!}}
I am most embarrassed before you. Every day in [[Petersburg]] I intended to call on you, and every time I was unfortunate to encounter obstacles that prevented this. I have left your libretto with my brother, whom I have instructed to deliver it to you. I will tell you my opinion of this work completely candidly. In literary terms it seems to me ''excellent''. The spirit of hoary antiquity, the naive simplicity of the knightly epoch, the poetry and character of the language — all of this is sustained and conveyed to the highest degree of artistry. From a purely theatrical point of view it seems to me there is a lack of movement and dramatic interest. I am most grateful to you for the courtesy of inviting me to use your text for music, and consequently I cannot but use all my powers to illustrate musically your excellent and fabulously heroic scenes, but I shall not conceal from you that at present all my thoughts are concentrated on a different subject <ref name="note2"/>, from which I have not the strength to tear myself away until I have written the opera on the subject which is engrossing me. If you will permit me, I should gladly accept your libretto with a firm undertaking to use it — although just not immediately, but rather after I have written my next opera <ref name="note1"/>.

If you would be so kind as to send me the libretto (''[[Moscow]], Nikitskaya, Conservatory'') then I should be most grateful to you, and in the meantime I humbly ask you to accept this assurance of sincere respect from your humble servant,
{{right|P. Tchaikovsky ''[[Moscow]], 8 December'' 1876}}
}}
==Notes and References==
<references>
<ref name="note1"> A manuscript copy of Avenarius's libretto for ''[[Dobrynya Nikitich]]'' (Добрыня Никитич) is preserved in the Klin House-Museum Archive (a6, No. 28). The eponymous hero was a medieval Ukrainian knight, who in folklore accomplishes many heroic deeds, such as slaying dragons, rescuing imprisoned maidens, etc. There were no further references to this project in the composer's surviving letters.</ref>
<ref name="note2">This was not strictly true; although Tchaikovsky was considering a number of operatic subjects at this time, including ''[[Ephraim]]'', ''[[Francesca da Rimini (projected opera)|Francesca da Rimini]]'' and ''[[Othello]]'', his next operatic work would be ''[[Yevgeny Onegin]]'', begun the following spring.</ref>
</references>
{{DEFAULTSORT:Letter 0519}}