Letter 4311 and Anna Merkling: Difference between pages

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{{letterhead
{{picture|file=Anna Merkling.jpg|caption='''Anna Merkling''' (1830-1911)<br/>Seated alongside Tchaikovsky in 1860}}
|Date=17/29 January 1891
Cousin of the composer (b. 1830; d. 1911), born '''''Anna Petrovna Tchaikovskaya''''' (Анна Петровна Чайковская); known during her first marriage as '''''Anna Petrovna Yegorova''''' (Анна Петровна Егорова), and after her second marriage as '''''Anna Petrovna Merkling''''' (Анна Петровна Мерклинг).
|To=[[Pyotr Jurgenson]]
|Place=[[Frolovskoye]]
|Language=Russian
|Autograph=[[Klin]] (Russia): {{RUS-KLč}} (a{{sup|3}}, No. 2787)
|Publication={{bib|1952/58|П. И. Чайковский. Переписка с П. И. Юргенсоном ; том 2}} (1952), p. 199<br/>{{bib|1978/54|П. И. Чайковский. Полное собрание сочинений ; том XVI–А}} (1976), p. 37–38
}}
==Text and Translation==
{{Lettertext
|Language=Russian
|Translator=Brett Langston
|Original text={{right|''17 янв[аря] вечер''}}
Милый друг! Фотографию для ''Лёрая'' давно послал Иосифу Ивановичу.


Что такое значит ''sternello'', в точности не знаю и справиться негде, но догадываюсь, что это слово одного корня с французским ''ritournelle''. Очевидно, это какая-нибудь особенная форма ''народной песни''.
__TOC__
Anna was the oldest child of the composer's uncle [[Pyotr Petrovich Tchaikovsky]] (1789–1871) and his wife Yevdokia (b. Berens). She married a Mr Yegorov when she was quite young, but they were not happy together, and after the death of an infant daughter they separated. Soon afterwards Anna married for the second time to a Guards' officer, Pyotr Ivanovich Merkling, by whom she had a daughter, Lyubov. However, she was not happy in this marriage either. Her new husband made no progress whatsoever in his military career, and he treated Anna badly. Because of his disagreeable character he was forced to leave his regiment, and on some whim he decided to join the police, accepting a lowly position. But even there he did not get on with his superiors, and he soon left the police as well. He eventually ended up working as a caretaker in a school in [[Saint Petersburg]]. Anna, who came from a highly cultured family, suffered greatly as she saw herself and her husband come down in the world, but she nevertheless retained a cheerful outlook on life and liked to take part in amateur theatricals and attend concerts <ref name="note1"/>.


Насчёт удостоверения о либретто «''Орл[еанской] девы''», «''Маз[епы] ''» и «''Онегина''» позволь отложить до свидания и устного переговора. Я не знаю, в какой форме это сделать. Кроме того, либретто «''Мазепы''» не моё. Мне подарил его покойный ''К. Ю. Давыдов'', а ему это либретто сделал ''Буренин''. Но я многое изменил в буренинском тексте.
Although Anna was ten years older than Tchaikovsky, they were inseparable companions from 1852 onwards, when Tchaikovsky's parents moved to [[Saint Petersburg]], and especially after the death of his [[mother]] in 1854. They were united by a love of mischief and often devised practical jokes together. Anna would remain Tchaikovsky's favourite cousin all his life, since he valued her ability to rise above adversity thanks to her cheerful character. When her husband suffered financial problems Tchaikovsky lent them a hand <ref name="note2"/>.


Получил сегодня письмо от ''Зилоти''. Он сообщает, что 8 человек из консерватории будут у меня в воскресенье (с 9-часовым поездом) прямо к обеду. Ну, а ты как? Завтра приезжает ''Модест''. Для разговоров с ним тебе удобнее приехать в субботу. Впрочем, как хочешь, только непременно приезжай и исполни поручения, о коих я писал сегодня утром. Итак, до свиданья во всяком случае.
In her memoirs of the composer, [[Aleksandra Panayeva-Kartsova]] reported the following conversation which took place between Tchaikovsky and his beloved cousin shortly after the concert in [[Saint Petersburg]] on 16/28 October 1893 at which he had conducted the premiere of his [[Sixth Symphony]]:


|Translated text={{right|''17 January, evening''}}
{{quote|After the concert he saw home his cousin Anna Petrovna Merkling, with whom he had been on very friendly terms ever since his childhood. She was one of the first to appreciate him; she worshipped his talent, and he would constantly share with her his impressions, thoughts, and plans. On this occasion he asked her if she had understood what his new symphony expressed. She replied that the impression she had was that in it he had described his own life.}}
Dear friend! I sent the photograph for ''Lyor'' to [[Iosif Ivanovich]] ages ago.


What does ''sternello'' mean? I don't exactly know and there's nowhere to enquire, but I suppose this word has the same root as the French ''ritournelle''. Evidently this is some particular form of ''folk song''.  
{{quote|— Yes, you've guessed right! — he exclaimed joyfully and started to explain it to her — The first movement is childhood and vague strivings after music. The second is youth and merry high society life. The third is the struggle for existence and the achievement of glory. And as for the last movement, — he added cheerfully, — that is the ''De profundis'', with which we all end, but for me that is still a long way ahead; I feel so much energy in me, so many creative impulses; I know that I shall yet create a lot of good things, and even better than those I have created so far" <ref name="note3"/>.}}


Regarding the libretto certifications for "''[[The Maid of Orleans]]''", "''[[Mazepa]]''", and "''[[Onegin]]''", permit me to defer this until we meet and discuss it in person. I don't know how to do this. Besides which, the libretto for "''[[Mazepa]]''" isn't mine. This libretto was given to me by the late ''[[Karl Davydov|K. Yu. Davydov]]'', and it was done for him by ''[[Burenin]]''. But I made many changes in [[Burenin]]'s text.
==Tchaikovsky's Works Dedicated to Anna Merkling==
In 1882, Tchaikovsky dedicated his ''Menuetto scherzoso'' — No. 3 of the [[Six Pieces, Op. 51]], for piano — to Anna Merkling.


I received a letter today from ''[[Ziloti]]''. He says that 8 people from the conservatory are coming to see me on Sunday (on the 9 o'clock train) directly for dinner. Well, what about you? ''[[Modest]]'' is coming tomorrow. It would be more convenient for you to come to talk with him on Saturday. Anyway, do as you wish, only be sure when you come to carry out the instructions I wrote about this morning. And so, until we meet, in any case.
==Correspondence with Tchaikovsky==
}}
79 letters from the composer to Anna Merkling have survived, dating from 1871 to 1893, of which those highlighted in bold have been translated into English on this website:
* '''[[Letter 245]]''' – 16/28 December 1871, from [[Moscow]]
* '''[[Letter 350]]''' – 25 April/7 May 1874, from [[Naples]]
* '''[[Letter 1602]]''' – 27 September/9 October 1880, from [[Kamenka]]
* '''[[Letter 1920]]''' – 27 December 1881/8 January 1882, from [[Rome]]
* '''[[Letter 1935]]''' – 15/27 January 1882, from [[Rome]]
* '''[[Letter 2023]]''' – 17/29 May 1882, from [[Kamenka]]
* '''[[Letter 2046]]''' – 18/30 June 1882, from [[Grankino]]
* '''[[Letter 2153]]''' – 2/14 November 1882, from [[Kamenka]]
* '''[[Letter 2194]]''' – 10/22 January 1883, from [[Paris]]
* '''[[Letter 2207]]''' – 24 January/5 February 1883, from [[Paris]]
* '''[[Letter 2212]]''' – 29 January/10 February 1883, from [[Paris]]
* '''[[Letter 2232]]''' – 1/13 March 1883, from [[Paris]]
* '''[[Letter 2276]]''' – 27 April/9 May 1883, from [[Paris]]
* '''[[Letter 2324]]''' – 8/20 August 1883, from [[Podushkino]]
* '''[[Letter 2329]]''' – 16/28 August 1883, from [[Podushkino]]
* '''[[Letter 2360]]''' – 6/18 October 1883, from [[Kamenka]]
* '''[[Letter 2477]]''' – 27 April/9 May 1884, from [[Kamenka]]
* '''[[Letter 2590]]''' – 12/24 November 1884, from [[Davos]]
* '''[[Letter 2665]]''' – 28 February/12 March 1885, from [[Maydanovo]]
* [[Letter 2718]] – 4/16 June 1885, from [[Maydanovo]]
* [[Letter 2732]] – 6/18 July 1885, from [[Maydanovo]]
* [[Letter 2766]] – 13/25 September 1885, from [[Maydanovo]]
* [[Letter 2769]] – 20 September/2 October 1885, from [[Maydanovo]]
* '''[[Letter 2790]]''' – by 10/22 October 1885, from [[Maydanovo]]
* '''[[Letter 2792]]''' – 11/23 October 1885, from [[Maydanovo]]
* [[Letter 2831]] – 9/21 December 1885, from [[Maydanovo]]
* [[Letter 2889]] – 14/26 February 1886, from [[Maydanovo]]
* [[Letter 2895]] – 20 February/4 March 1886, from [[Maydanovo]]
* [[Letter 2946]] – 3/15 May 1886, from the Black Sea
* [[Letter 3046]] – 12/24 September 1886, from [[Maydanovo]]
* [[Letter 3132]] – 26 December 1886/7 January 1887, from [[Maydanovo]]
* '''[[Letter 3180]]''' – 12/24 February 1887, from [[Maydanovo]]
* [[Letter 3208]] – 25 March/6 April 1887, from [[Maydanovo]]
* [[Letter 3277]] – 26 June/8 July 1887, from [[Borzhom]]
* [[Letter 3300]] – 26 July/7 August 1887, from [[Aachen]]
* '''[[Letter 3592]]''' – 14/26 June 1888, from [[Frolovskoye]]
* '''[[Letter 3601]]''' – 22 June/4 July 1888, from [[Frolovskoye]]
* [[Letter 3606]] – 1/13 July 1888, from [[Frolovskoye]]
* [[Letter 3691]] – 8/20 October 1888, from [[Frolovskoye]]
* '''[[Letter 3762]]''' – 9/21 January 1889, from [[Frolovskoye]]
* '''[[Letter 3810]]''' – 28 February/12 March 1889, from [[Hamburg]]
* '''[[Letter 3889]]''' – 27 June/9 July 1889, from [[Frolovskoye]]
* [[Letter 3890]] – 30 June/12 July 1889, from [[Frolovskoye]]
* '''[[Letter 3924]]''' – 21 August/2 September 1889, from [[Frolovskoye]]
* '''[[Letter 4025]]''' – 6/18 February 1890, from [[Florence]]
* [[Letter 4028]] – 7/19 February 1890, from [[Florence]]
* '''[[Letter 4033]]''' – 13/25 February 1890, from [[Florence]]
* [[Letter 4042]] – 19 February/3 March 1890, from [[Florence]]
* [[Letter 4059]] – 5/17 March 1890, from [[Florence]]
* [[Letter 4082]] – 27 March/8 April 1890, from [[Rome]]
* '''[[Letter 4093]]''' – 7/19 April 1890, from [[Rome]]
* [[Letter 4143]] – 12/24 June 1890, from [[Frolovskoye]]
* '''[[Letter 4162]]''' – 2/14 July 1890, from [[Frolovskoye]]
* [[Letter 4223]] – 28 September/10 October 1890, from [[Tiflis]]
* [[Letter 4235]] – 16/28 October 1890, from [[Tiflis]]
* '''[[Letter 4293]]''' – 6/18 January 1891, from [[Frolovskoye]]
* '''[[Letter 4333]]''' – 18 February/2 March 1891, from [[Saint Petersburg]]
* [[Letter 4359]] – 30 March/11 April 1891, from [[Rouen]]
* '''[[Letter 4367a]]''' – 15/27 April 1891, from [[New York]]
* '''[[Letter 4373]]''' – 22 April/4 May 1891, from [[New York]]
* [[Letter 4390]] – 2/14 June 1891, from [[Maydanovo]]
* '''[[Letter 4395]]''' – 3/15 June 1891, from [[Maydanovo]]
* '''[[Letter 4401]]''' – 11/23 June 1891, from [[Maydanovo]]
* [[Letter 4438]] – 8/20 July 1891, from [[Maydanovo]]
* [[Letter 4463]] – 2/14 September 1891, from [[Maydanovo]]
* [[Letter 4475]] – 12/24 September 1891, from [[Maydanovo]]
* [[Letter 4478]] – 22 September/4 October 1891, from [[Maydanovo]]
* '''[[Letter 4499]]''' – 7/19 October 1891, from [[Maydanovo]]
* [[Letter 4591]] – 4/16 January 1892, from [[Berlin]]
* [[Letter 4693]] – 20 May/1 June 1892, from [[Klin]]
* [[Letter 4716]] – 28 June/10 July 1892, from [[Vichy]]
* [[Letter 4733]] – 17/29 July 1892, from [[Klin]]
* [[Letter 4751]] – 12/24 August 1892, from [[Klin]]
* '''[[Letter 4838]]''' – 31 December 1892/12 January 1893, from [[Brussels]]
* '''[[Letter 4850]]''' – 24 January/5 February 1893, from [[Odessa]]
* '''[[Letter 4896]]''' – 19/31 March 1893, from [[Klin]]
* [[Letter 4975]] – 19/31 July 1893, from [[Klin]]
* [[Letter 4993]] – 28 July/9 August 1893, from [[Klin]]
* [[Letter 5051]] – 29 September/11 October 1893, from [[Klin]]
 
145 letters from Anna Merkling to the composer are preserved in the [[Klin]] House-Museum Archive.
 
==Bibliography==
* {{bib|1900/34}} (1900)
* {{bib|1951/48}} (1951)
 
==Notes and References==
<references>
<ref name="note1">See the introduction to {{bib|1951/49|П. И. Чайковский. С. И. Танеев. Письма}} (1951), p. 205.</ref>
<ref name="note2">See the information provided by David Brown in {{bib|1993/33|Tchaikovsky Remembered}} (1993), p.13-14, where the recollections of Anna Merkling are quoted as reported by [[Modest Tchaikovsky]] in {{bib|1997/94|Жизнь Петра Ильича Чайковского ; том 1}} (1997), p.71–72.</ref>
<ref name="note3">This conversation between Tchaikovsky and Anna Merkling on the evening of 16/28 October 1893 is reported by [[Aleksandra Panayeva-Kartsova]] in her memoirs, included in {{bib|1980/24|Воспоминания о П. И. Чайковском}} (1980), p. 136. Here is Tchaikovsky's declaration in the original Russian: " — Да, ты угадала, — обрадовался он и начал ей объяснять её [симфонию]. Первая часть — детство и смутные стремления к музыке. Вторая — молодость и светская весёлая жизнь. Третья — жизненная борьба и достижение славы. — Ну а последняя, — добавил он весело, — это «De profundis», чем все кончаем, но для меня это ещё далеко, я чувствую в себе столько энергии, столько творческих сил; я знаю, что теперь создам ещё много, много хорошего и лучшего, чем до сих пор".</ref>
</references>
[[Category:People|Merkling, Anna]]
[[Category:Correspondents|Merkling, Anna]]
[[Category:Dedicatees|Merkling, Anna]]
[[Category:Family|Merkling, Anna]]

Revision as of 21:01, 10 December 2022

Anna Merkling (1830-1911)
Seated alongside Tchaikovsky in 1860

Cousin of the composer (b. 1830; d. 1911), born Anna Petrovna Tchaikovskaya (Анна Петровна Чайковская); known during her first marriage as Anna Petrovna Yegorova (Анна Петровна Егорова), and after her second marriage as Anna Petrovna Merkling (Анна Петровна Мерклинг).

Anna was the oldest child of the composer's uncle Pyotr Petrovich Tchaikovsky (1789–1871) and his wife Yevdokia (b. Berens). She married a Mr Yegorov when she was quite young, but they were not happy together, and after the death of an infant daughter they separated. Soon afterwards Anna married for the second time to a Guards' officer, Pyotr Ivanovich Merkling, by whom she had a daughter, Lyubov. However, she was not happy in this marriage either. Her new husband made no progress whatsoever in his military career, and he treated Anna badly. Because of his disagreeable character he was forced to leave his regiment, and on some whim he decided to join the police, accepting a lowly position. But even there he did not get on with his superiors, and he soon left the police as well. He eventually ended up working as a caretaker in a school in Saint Petersburg. Anna, who came from a highly cultured family, suffered greatly as she saw herself and her husband come down in the world, but she nevertheless retained a cheerful outlook on life and liked to take part in amateur theatricals and attend concerts [1].

Although Anna was ten years older than Tchaikovsky, they were inseparable companions from 1852 onwards, when Tchaikovsky's parents moved to Saint Petersburg, and especially after the death of his mother in 1854. They were united by a love of mischief and often devised practical jokes together. Anna would remain Tchaikovsky's favourite cousin all his life, since he valued her ability to rise above adversity thanks to her cheerful character. When her husband suffered financial problems Tchaikovsky lent them a hand [2].

In her memoirs of the composer, Aleksandra Panayeva-Kartsova reported the following conversation which took place between Tchaikovsky and his beloved cousin shortly after the concert in Saint Petersburg on 16/28 October 1893 at which he had conducted the premiere of his Sixth Symphony:

After the concert he saw home his cousin Anna Petrovna Merkling, with whom he had been on very friendly terms ever since his childhood. She was one of the first to appreciate him; she worshipped his talent, and he would constantly share with her his impressions, thoughts, and plans. On this occasion he asked her if she had understood what his new symphony expressed. She replied that the impression she had was that in it he had described his own life.

— Yes, you've guessed right! — he exclaimed joyfully and started to explain it to her — The first movement is childhood and vague strivings after music. The second is youth and merry high society life. The third is the struggle for existence and the achievement of glory. And as for the last movement, — he added cheerfully, — that is the De profundis, with which we all end, but for me that is still a long way ahead; I feel so much energy in me, so many creative impulses; I know that I shall yet create a lot of good things, and even better than those I have created so far" [3].

Tchaikovsky's Works Dedicated to Anna Merkling

In 1882, Tchaikovsky dedicated his Menuetto scherzoso — No. 3 of the Six Pieces, Op. 51, for piano — to Anna Merkling.

Correspondence with Tchaikovsky

79 letters from the composer to Anna Merkling have survived, dating from 1871 to 1893, of which those highlighted in bold have been translated into English on this website:

145 letters from Anna Merkling to the composer are preserved in the Klin House-Museum Archive.

Bibliography

Notes and References

  1. ↑ See the introduction to П. И. Чайковский. С. И. Танеев. Письма (1951), p. 205.
  2. ↑ See the information provided by David Brown in Tchaikovsky remembered (1993), p.13-14, where the recollections of Anna Merkling are quoted as reported by Modest Tchaikovsky in Жизнь Петра Ильича Чайковского, том 1 (1997), p.71–72.
  3. ↑ This conversation between Tchaikovsky and Anna Merkling on the evening of 16/28 October 1893 is reported by Aleksandra Panayeva-Kartsova in her memoirs, included in Воспоминания о П. И. Чайковском (1980), p. 136. Here is Tchaikovsky's declaration in the original Russian: " — Да, ты угадала, — обрадовался он и начал ей объяснять её [симфонию]. Первая часть — детство и смутные стремления к музыке. Вторая — молодость и светская весёлая жизнь. Третья — жизненная борьба и достижение славы. — Ну а последняя, — добавил он весело, — это «De profundis», чем все кончаем, но для меня это ещё далеко, я чувствую в себе столько энергии, столько творческих сил; я знаю, что теперь создам ещё много, много хорошего и лучшего, чем до сих пор".
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