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{{letterhead
|Date=13/25 April 1877
|To=[[Frits Hartvigson]]
|Place=[[Moscow]]
|Language=French
|Autograph=[[Paris]] (France): {{priv}} <ref name="note0"/>
|Publication={{bibx|1998/46|Čajkovskijs Homosexualität und sein Tod. Legenden und Wirklichkeit}} (1998), p. 225–226 (French text, with German translation, p. 226–227)
}}

==Text and Translation==
{{Lettertext
|Language=French
|Translator=Luis Sundkvist
|Original text={{right|''Moscou''<br/>13/25 Avril 1877}}
{{centre|Cher et excellent ami!}}
Si je {{sic|répond|réponds}} si tard à la charmante et délicieuse lettre que V[ou]s m'avez {{sic|ecrite|écrite}}, c'est que j'étais absent. Nous avons eu une quinzaine de jours de {{sic|vacences|vacances}}, et je suis allé au gouvernement de Kief pour voir ma soeur. Je V[ou]s remercie infiniment cher Mr Hartvigson pour l'honneur que V[ou]s m'avez fait de jouer mon concert. Vous n'avez nullement besoin de m'assurer que V[ou]s avez fait des progrès, pour me faire croire que mon oeuvre a été bien {{sic|interpretée|interprétée}}. J'ai toujours été Votre grand admirateur; j'aime infiniment Votre jeu plein de vigueur, {{sic|d'eclat|d'éclat}}, {{sic|d'energie|d'énergie}} et de poésie en {{sic|mème|même}} temps. Oh! combien je déplore que je {{sic|n'ai|n'aie}} pu assister au concert de "St James' Hall". Avec quel immense plaisir {{sic|j'aurai|j'aurais}} {{sic|entendre|entendu}} ma composition jouée par Vous et accompagnée par un orchestre aussi excellent que celui de Manns!

Klindworth m'a raconté la petite anecdote concernant l'opinion de Joachim sur mon concert. Cela ne m'a nullement {{sic|etonné|étonné}}. Je sais bien qu'il se passera beaucoup de temps jusqu'à ce que les sommités musicales allemandes admettent qu'un ''russe'' habitant Moscou aie le droit de composer. Tout le monde ne peut avoir la largeur de vue, l'impartialité et le jugement droit et honnète de ''Bülow''. Jusqu'au dernier moment de ma vie je n'oublierai {{sic|l'acceuil|accueil}} {{sic|simpathique|sympathique}} et amical que cet homme a fait à mon concert.

Vous me demandez le nom du copiste qui a {{sic|ecrit|écrit}} la partition que je V[ou]s ai envoyée. C'est un certain Mr ''Langer'', frère du professeur de notre Conservatoire que V[ou]s connaissez probablement. Il sert chez nous comme ''bibliothécaire'' et si V[ou]s avez besoin de lui un jour, V[ou]s n'avez qu'à me le faire savoir. Je lui ai dit l'opinion flatteuse que V[ou]s avez de sa manière {{sic|d'ecrire|d'écrire}} et il en est tout fier.

Quant au prix de la copie, nous en parlerons un jour que nous nous rencontrerons ici ou à {{sic|l'etranger|l'étranger}}. Si V[ou]s vouliez me faire un grand plaisir, V[ou]s accepteriez cette copie comme un petit présent de ma part. Vraiment, cher ami, j'en serais tout heureux.

Merci, merci et merci! Je V[ou]s serre cordialement la main.

Votre dévoué,
{{right|P. Tchaïkovsky}}
Rubinstein et tous les autre[s] Vous remercient et me chargent de V[ou]s rendre leur salut.

|Translated text={{right|''[[Moscow]]''<br/>13/25 April 1877}}
{{centre|Dear and excellent friend!}}
If I am replying so late to the charming and exquisite letter which you wrote to me, it is because I was away. We have had a fortnight's holiday, and I went to the [[Kiev]] province in order to visit [[Aleksandra Davydova|my sister]]. I thank you infinitely, dear [[Frits Hartvigson|Monsieur Hartvigson]], for the honour which you have done to me by playing my [[Piano Concerto No. 1|concerto]] <ref name="note1"/>. There is no need whatsoever for you to assure me that you have been making progress in order to convince me that my work was performed well. I have always been a great admirer of yours; I love immeasurably your playing, which is full of strength, brilliance, energy, and at the same time poetry. O, how I regret that I was unable to attend the concert at the ''St James' Hall''! With what immense pleasure I would have listened to my composition played by you and accompanied by such an excellent orchestra as that of Manns!

[[Klindworth]] has told me the little anecdote regarding Joachim's opinion about my [[Piano Concerto No. 1|concerto]] <ref name="note2"/>. This is by no means a surprise to me. I know very well that a long time will pass before the German musical luminaries accept that a ''Russian'' living in [[Moscow]] has the right to compose. Not everyone can have the far-sightedness, impartiality, and upright and honest judgement of ''[[Bülow]]''. To the last moment of my life I shall never forget the sympathetic and friendly reception which this man gave to my [[Piano Concerto No. 1|concerto]] <ref name="note3"/>.

You ask me for the name of the copyist who wrote out the score which I sent you. It is a certain Monsieur ''Langer'', the brother of [[Eduard Langer|a professor]] at our Conservatory whom you probably know. He works as a ''librarian'' at our institution, and if you should ever have need of him, just let me know. I have passed on to him the flattering opinion which you have of his way of writing, and he is very proud of it.

As for the price of the copy, we shall discuss this later on some day, when we meet here or abroad. If you would like to give me great joy, please do accept this copy as a little present from me. Truly, dear friend, it would make me most happy.

Thank you, thank you, and thank you! I shake your hand cordially

Your devoted,
{{right|P. Tchaikovsky}}
[[Nikolay Rubinstein|Rubinstein]] and all the others thank you and ask me to pass on their regards to you.
}}

==Notes and References==
<references>
<ref name="note0">The autograph was auctioned on 8 October 1994 in [[Berlin]] by J. A. Stargardt.</ref>
<ref name="note1">[[Hartvigson]], who had been sent a handwritten copy of the score of the [[Piano Concerto No. 1]] by [[Pyotr Jurgenson]], performed the concerto at one of the concerts conducted by August Manns (1825–1907) in the St James's Hall, [[London]], on 5/17 March 1877 (see [[Letter 515]] to [[Jurgenson]], written between 1/13 and 5/17 December 1876, in which Tchaikovsky asks his publisher to attend to [[Hartvigson]]'s request for a copy of the score. [[Hartvigson]] was not the first pianist, though, to play Tchaikovsky's concerto in England—[[Edward Dannreuther]] gave the first British performance at the Crystal Palace, [[London]], on 23 March 1876 {{NS}}.</ref>
<ref name="note2">It has not been possible to establish what anecdote concerning the great violinist Joseph Joachim's opinion of the [[First Piano Concerto]] was relayed to Tchaikovsky by [[Karl Klindworth]].</ref>
<ref name="note3">In contrast to [[Nikolay Rubinstein]], [[Hans von Bülow]] had been enthusiastic about Tchaikovsky's [[Piano Concerto No. 1]] from the very start and he had premiered the work at the Music Hall in Boston (USA) on 25 October 1875 {{NS}} in a concert conducted by Benjamin Johnson Lang. This was a great boost to Tchaikovsky's morale after the harsh criticisms which he had heard from his friend [[Nikolay Rubinstein|Rubinstein]].</ref>
</references>
{{DEFAULTSORT:Letter 0548a}}

Letter 548a - Revision history

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Brett at 09:45, 8 December 2019