The Italian Opera and Correspondence with Anatoly Tchaikovsky: Difference between pages

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'''''The Italian Opera''''' (Итальянская опера) ([[TH]] 282 ; [[ČW]] 546) was Tchaikovsky's nineteenth music-review article for the Moscow journal ''Russian Register'' (Русские ведомости), in which it was published on 23 September 1873 {{OS}}, signed only with the initials "B.L.".
{{picture|file=Anatoly Tchaikovsky.jpg|caption='''Anatoly Tchaikovsky''' (1850-1915)}}
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==Letters to Anatoly Tchaikovsky==
562 letters from Tchaikovsky to his brother [[Anatoly]] have survived, dating from 1866 to 1893. Those highlighted in bold in the list below have been translated into English on this website


It contains a further appraisal of [[Weber]] as a Romantic composer (even more enthusiastic than the one given in [[TH 271]]); a discussion of ''Der Freischütz'', in which the characters, according to Tchaikovsky, were drawn with a mastery "equalled only by [[Mozart]]"; extensive quotations from [[Berlioz]]'s ''Memoirs'' about [[Weber]]'s opera; and a few disparaging remarks about [[Verdi]] and Offenbach.
====1866====
* '''[[Letter 77]]''' – 6/18 January 1866, from [[Moscow]] (addressed jointly to Anatoly and [[Modest Tchaikovsky]])
* '''[[Letter 78]]''' – 10/22 January 1866, from [[Moscow]] (addressed jointly to Anatoly and [[Modest Tchaikovsky]])
* '''[[Letter 79]]''' – 14/26 January 1866, from [[Moscow]]
* '''[[Letter 83]]''' – 23 January/4 February 1866, from [[Moscow]] (addressed jointly to Anatoly and [[Modest Tchaikovsky]])
* '''[[Letter 84]]''' – 30 January/11 February 1866, from [[Moscow]] (addressed jointly to Anatoly and [[Modest Tchaikovsky]])
* '''[[Letter 85]]''' – 6/18 February 1866, from [[Moscow]]
* '''[[Letter 88]]''' – 6/18 March 1866, from [[Moscow]]
* [[Letter 89]] – 7/19 April 1866, from [[Moscow]] (addressed jointly to Anatoly and [[Modest Tchaikovsky]])
* [[Letter 91]] – 16/28 April 1866, from [[Moscow]] (addressed jointly to Anatoly and [[Modest Tchaikovsky]])
* '''[[Letter 92]]''' – 25 April/7 May 1866, from [[Moscow]]
* [[Letter 93]] – 3/15 May 1866, from [[Moscow]]
* '''[[Letter 96]]''' – 8/20 November 1866, from [[Moscow]]
* [[Letter 97]] – 1/13 December 1866, from [[Moscow]]


==History==
====1867====
Completed by 14/26 September 1873 (date of publication). Concerning the Italian Opera Company's production of [[Weber]]'s ''Der Freischütz'' at the [[Moscow]] Bolshoi Theatre—premiere on 14/26 September 1873, with [[Yevlaliya Kadmina]] taking over the role of Ännchen in subsequent performances; and a performance of [[Verdi]]'s ''I Lombardi di alla prima crociata'' at the same theatre on 13/25 September 1873
* '''[[Letter 98]]''' – 2/14 May 1867, from [[Moscow]]
* [[Letter 102]] – 31 August/12 September 1867, from [[Moscow]]
* [[Letter 104]] – 28 September/10 October 1867, from [[Moscow]]
* [[Letter 108]] – between 31 October/12 November and 6/18(?) November 1867, from [[Moscow]]
* '''[[Letter 110]]''' – 12/24 December 1867, from [[Moscow]]


==English translation==
====1868====
{{Copyright|English text copyright © 2009 Luis Sundkvist}}
* [[Letter 112]] – 27 January/8 February or 28 January/9 February 1868, from [[Moscow]]
* '''[[Letter 113]]''' – between 12/24 and 17/29 February 1868, from [[Moscow]]
* [[Letter 118]] – 10/22 September 1868, from [[Moscow]]
* [[Letter 121]] – 25 September/7 October 1868, from [[Moscow]]
* [[Letter 122]] – 21 October/2 November 1868, from [[Moscow]]


The first performance of [[Weber]]'s opera ''Der Freischütz'', written in [[Dresden]] in the years 1819–20, took place at the Royal Theatre in [[Berlin]] on 18 June 1821. The appearance of this great work of art on the musical horizon of Europe signalled a memorable epoch in the history of musico-dramatic art. ''Der Freischütz'' immediately achieved the most brilliant and unequivocal success that had ever fallen to the lot of a work of art. The reason for this success lay above all in the excellent choice of subject and in the splendid way in which it was elaborated by [[Weber]]'s talented librettist, Friedrich Kind <ref name="note1"/>.
====1869====
* [[Letter 129]] – mid/late January 1869, from [[Moscow]]
* [[Letter 131]] – 15/27 February-16/28 February 1869, from [[Moscow]]
* [[Letter 136]] – 19 April/1 May 1869, from [[Moscow]]
* [[Letter 137]] – between 29 April/10 May and 1/13 May 1869, from [[Moscow]]
* [[Letter 139]] – 3/15 or 4/16 May 1869, from [[Moscow]]
* [[Letter 140]] – between 8/20 and 10/22 May 1869, from [[Moscow]]
* [[Letter 141]] – by 20 May/1 June 1869, from [[Moscow]]
* [[Letter 143]] – 3/15 August 1869, from [[Moscow]]
* [[Letter 145]] – 11/23 August 1869, from [[Moscow]]
* [[Letter 146]] – 19/31 August 1869, from [[Moscow]]
* [[Letter 148]] – 10/22 September 1869, from [[Moscow]]
* [[Letter 150]] – 25 September/7 October 1869, from [[Moscow]]
* [[Letter 153]] – 7/19 October 1869, from [[Moscow]]
* [[Letter 157]] – 30 October/11 November 1869, from [[Moscow]]
* [[Letter 160]] – 18/30 November 1869, from [[Moscow]]
* [[Letter 164]] – between 1/13 and 3/15 December 1869, from [[Moscow]]
* [[Letter 165]] – 7/19 December 1869, from [[Moscow]]
* [[Letter 167]] – mid/late December 1869, from [[Moscow]]


The fantastic element, which in ''Der Freischütz'' is brought into immediate contact with the life and customs of the people, gave this opera a unique charm that was all the more irresistible in that it appeared precisely at a time when all of European society was suffering under the yoke of the reaction which had followed on from the great upheavals of the end of the preceding century and the first decade of ours. That is, at a time when in both society and literature the revolutionary rationalism and sceptical tendencies of French philosophy, which had hitherto pervaded the whole civilized world, gave way to an irrepressible yearning for mystical emotions; when the Romantic sounds of [[Byron]]'s poetry had already sprung forth in reply to the cries of despair of a century that had lost its traditional beliefs and was roaming in the darkness of a whole string of new, unresolved questions.
====1870====
* [[Letter 182]] – late February/early March 1870, from [[Moscow]]
* [[Letter 184]] – 7/19 March 1870, from [[Moscow]]
* [[Letter 189]] – 23 April/5 May 1870, from [[Moscow]]
* [[Letter 195]] – 1/13 June 1870, from [[Soden]]
* [[Letter 200]] – 24 June/6 July 1870, from [[Soden]]
* [[Letter 204]] – 4/16 September 1870, from [[Moscow]]
* [[Letter 210]] – 5/17 October 1870 (?), from [[Moscow]]
* [[Letter 217]] – 29 November/10 December 1870, from [[Moscow]]
====1871====
* [[Letter 227]] – January 1871, from [[Moscow]]
* [[Letter 228]] – 3/15 February 1871, from [[Moscow]]
* [[Letter 230]] – mid/late February 1871, from [[Moscow]]
* [[Letter 234]] – 17/29 May 1871, from [[Moscow]]
* [[Letter 237]] – 3/15 September 1871, from [[Moscow]]
* [[Letter 243]] – 2/14 December 1871, from [[Moscow]]
====1872====
* [[Letter 249]] – 1/13 January 1872, from [[Nice]]
* [[Letter 252]] – 31 January/12 February 1872, from [[Moscow]]
* [[Letter 268]] – 5/17 July 1872, from [[Kiev]]
* [[Letter 273]] – 2/14 September 1872, from [[Moscow]]
* [[Letter 274]] – 4/16 September 1872, from [[Moscow]]
====1873====
* [[Letter 309]] – 16/28 May 1873, from [[Moscow]]
* [[Letter 325]] – mid/late November 1873, from [[Moscow]]
====1874====
* [[Letter 336]] – 24 January 1874, from [[Moscow]]
* [[Letter 349]] – 19 April/1 May 1874, from [[Rome]]
* [[Letter 372]] – 21 November/3 December 1874, from [[Moscow]]
====1875====
* '''[[Letter 385]]''' – 9/21 January 1875, from [[Moscow]]
* [[Letter 394]] – 9/21 March 1875, from [[Moscow]]
* [[Letter 400]] – 12/24 May 1875, from [[Moscow]]
* '''[[Letter 425]]''' – 11/23 December 1875, from [[Moscow]]
* [[Letter 429]] – 31 December 1875/12 January 1876, from [[Geneva]]


However, it goes without saying that the main reason for the unprecedented and universal success of ''Der Freischütz'' lay in the incomparable novelty and charm of its music, which even today, after more than fifty years since it was created, has not lost one bit of its enchanting attractiveness.
====1876====
* [[Letter 446]] – 10/22–11/23 February 1876, from [[Moscow]]
* '''[[Letter 449]]''' – late February/early March or early/mid March 1876, from [[Moscow]]
* [[Letter 453]] – 17/29 March 1876, from [[Moscow]]
* [[Letter 464]] – 19/31 May 1876, from [[Moscow]]
* [[Letter 467]] – 2/14 June 1876, from [[Kiev]]
* [[Letter 471]] – 7/19 June 1876, from [[Kamenka]]
* [[Letter 475]] – 16/28 June 1876, from [[Kamenka]]
* [[Letter 480]] – 3/15 July 1876, from [[Vichy]]
* [[Letter 483]] – 6/18 July 1876, from [[Vichy]]
* [[Letter 498]] – 20 September/2 October 1876, from [[Moscow]]
* [[Letter 504]] – 14/26 October 1876, from [[Moscow]]
* '''[[Letter 509]]''' – 26 October/7 November 1876, from [[Moscow]]
* [[Letter 522]] – 15/27 December 1876, from [[Moscow]]


[[Weber]] did not possess such an inexhaustible source of inspiration as his great contemporary [[Beethoven]]. His inventive faculty is more limited, he often repeats himself, the harmonic texture of his music is sometimes poor and clumsy; but on the other hand there is almost no other artist with a musical individuality that is so original, independent, and at the same time so appealing as his. This appealing quality of [[Weber]]'s music lies above all in its warmth, the spontaneity of its inspiration, and the complete absence of any artificiality and technical overstrain. [[Weber]] was especially successful at conveying the fantastic and demonic, and also the national element. As far as musical characterization is concerned, he is a master equalled perhaps only by [[Mozart]]. The dreamy and sentimental Agathe, her flighty cousin Ännchen, the weak-willed Max, the energetic Kaspar, even so episodic a figure as the hermit who appears in the final scene all the opera—all these characters are depicted by [[Weber]], on the one hand, with such palpable veracity, with such love but also strict consistency, which makes no concessions whatsoever to the demands of the public, and, on the other, with such vocal virtuosity, that his music almost attains the spatial reality of the plastic arts.
====1877====
* '''[[Letter 536]]''' – 12/24 January 1877, from [[Moscow]]
* [[Letter 558]] – 4/16 May 1877, from [[Moscow]]
* [[Letter 564]] – 18/30 May 1877, from [[Moscow]]
* [[Letter 567]] – between 22 May/3 June and 27 May/8 June 1877, from [[Moscow]]
* [[Letter 571]] – 15/27 June 1877, from [[Glebovo]]
* '''[[Letter 573]]''' – 23 June/5 July 1877, from [[Glebovo]]
* '''[[Letter 579]]''' – 8/20 July 1877, from [[Saint Petersburg]]
* '''[[Letter 581]]''' – 9/21 July 1877, from [[Saint Petersburg]]
* '''[[Letter 581a]]''' – 11/23 July 1877, from [[Saint Petersburg]]
* '''[[Letter 583]]''' – 13/25 July 1877, from [[Saint Petersburg]]
* [[Letter 596]] – 27 August/8 September 1877, from [[Kamenka]]
* [[Letter 598]] – 2/14 September 1877, from [[Kamenka]]
* [[Letter 602]] – 12/24 September 1877, from [[Moscow]]
* [[Letter 666]] – 1/13 December 1877, from [[Vienna]]
* [[Letter 669]] – 2/14 December 1877, from [[Venice]]
* [[Letter 670]] – 2/14 December–3/15 December 1877, from [[Venice]]
* [[Letter 672]] – 3/15 December 1877, from [[Venice]]
* [[Letter 674]] – 4/16 December 1877, from [[Venice]]
* [[Letter 678]] – 5/17 December–7/19 December 1877, from [[Venice]]
* [[Letter 683]] – 8/20 December–10/22 December 1877, from [[Venice]]
* [[Letter 686]] – 11/23 December–14/26 December 1877, from [[Venice]]
* [[Letter 691]] – 15/27 December–17/29 December 1877, from [[Venice]] and [[Milan]]
* [[Letter 693]] – 19/31 December 1877, from [[San Remo]]
* [[Letter 695]] – 20 December 1877/1 January 1878, from [[San Remo]]
* [[Letter 700]] – 21 December 1877/2 January 1878, from [[San Remo]]
* [[Letter 703]] – 23 December 1877/4 January 1878, from [[San Remo]]
* [[Letter 706]] – 24 December 1877/5 January 1878, from [[San Remo]]
* [[Letter 708]] – 24 December 1877/5 January 1878–25 December 1877/6 January 1878, from [[San Remo]]
* '''[[Letter 709]]''' – 26 December 1877/7 January 1878, from [[San Remo]]
* [[Letter 710]] – 28 December 1877/9 January 1878, from [[Milan]]


Extremely simple as it is and rich in beautiful, easily remembered melodies, but at the same time utterly free of any triviality, the music of ''Der Freischütz'' has always been, and to this day still is, a favourite with both experts and the overwhelming mass of the public. If even today this splendid music, in spite of the sixty years that have elapsed since that first performance in [[Berlin]], has retained its ability to affect deeply even the modern listener who has already been corrupted by the vulgar striving after effects and the trivial puppet-show works of Messrs [[Verdi]] and Offenbach, then one can imagine how strong an impression it must have produced on the unsullied ears of our fathers and forefathers.
====1878====
* [[Letter 715]] – 1/13 January–4/16 January 1878, from [[San Remo]]
* [[Letter 718]] – 5/17 January–7/19 January 1878, from [[San Remo]]
* [[Letter 721]] – 8/20 January–11/23 January 1878, from [[San Remo]]
* [[Letter 726]] – 12/24 January–14/26 January 1878, from [[San Remo]]
* [[Letter 730]] – 15/27 January–18/30 January 1878, from [[San Remo]]
* [[Letter 734]] – 19/31 January–21 January/2 February 1878, from [[San Remo]]
* [[Letter 737]] – 22 January/3 February–25 January/6 February 1878, from [[Nice]] and [[San Remo]]
* [[Letter 742]] – 26 January/7 February–28 January/9 February 1878, from [[San Remo]]
* [[Letter 744]] – 29 January/10 February–1/13 February 1878, from [[San Remo]]
* [[Letter 747]] – 2/14 February–3/15 February 1878, from [[San Remo]]
* [[Letter 751]] – 4/16–8/20 February 1878, from [[San Remo]]
* [[Letter 756]] – 12/24 February 1878, from [[Florence]]
* [[Letter 759]] – 13/25 February–14/26 February 1878, from [[Florence]]
* [[Letter 764]] – 18 February/2 March 1878, from [[Florence]]
* [[Letter 766]] – 22 February/6 March 1878, from [[Florence]]
* [[Letter 769]] – 25 February/9 March 1878, from [[Clarens]]
* [[Letter 771]] – 26 February/10 March 1878, from [[Clarens]]
* [[Letter 773]] – 27 February/11 March–1/13 March 1878, from [[Clarens]]
* [[Letter 776]] – 2/14 March–4/16 March 1878, from [[Clarens]]
* [[Letter 779]] – 5/17 March–8/20 March 1878, from [[Clarens]]
* [[Letter 783]] – 9/21 March–11/23 March 1878, from [[Clarens]]
* [[Letter 788]] – 15/27 March 1878, from [[Clarens]]
* [[Letter 791]] – 16/28 March–18/30 March 1878, from [[Clarens]]
* [[Letter 795]] – 19/31 March–22 March/3 April 1878, from [[Clarens]]
* [[Letter 797]] – 23 March/4 April–25 March/6 April 1878, from [[Clarens]]
* [[Letter 802]] – 29 March/10 April 1878, from [[Clarens]]
* [[Letter 804]] – 30 March/11 April–1/13 April 1878, from [[Clarens]]
* [[Letter 819]] – 27 April/9 May 1878, from [[Kamenka]]
* [[Letter 822]] – 1/13 May 1878, from [[Kamenka]]
* [[Letter 826]] – 10/22 May 1878, from [[Kamenka]]
* [[Letter 837]] – 22 May/3 June 1878, from [[Brailov]]
* [[Letter 875]] – 19/31 July 1878, from [[Verbovka]]
* [[Letter 878]] – 23 July/4 August 1878, from [[Verbovka]]
* [[Letter 880]] – 25 July/6 August 1878, from [[Verbovka]]
* [[Letter 881]] – 28 July/9 August 1878, from [[Verbovka]]
* [[Letter 884]] – 31 July/12 August 1878, from [[Verbovka]]
* [[Letter 887]] – 3/15 August 1878, from [[Verbovka]]
* [[Letter 890]] – 8/20 August 1878, from [[Vorozhba]]
* [[Letter 893]] – 12/24 August 1878, from [[Brailov]]
* [[Letter 896]] – 14/26 August 1878, from [[Brailov]]
* [[Letter 899]] – 17/29 August 1878, from [[Brailov]]
* [[Letter 910]] – 11/23 September 1878, from [[Moscow]]
* [[Letter 915]] – 16/28 September 1878, from [[Moscow]]
* [[Letter 921]] – 23 September/5 October 1878, from [[Moscow]]
* [[Letter 926]] – 29 September/11 October 1878, from [[Moscow]]
* [[Letter 931]] – 2/14 October 1878, from [[Moscow]]
* '''[[Letter 957]]''' – 2/14 November 1878, from [[Moscow]]
* [[Letter 958]] – 4/16 November 1878, from [[Kamenka]]
* [[Letter 961]] – 6/18 November 1878, from [[Kamenka]]
* [[Letter 963]] – 9/21 November 1878, from [[Kamenka]]
* '''[[Letter 967]]''' – 14/26 November 1878, from [[Kamenka]]
* '''[[Letter 971]]''' – 21 November/3 December 1878, from [[Florence]]
* [[Letter 981]] – 25 November/5 December 1878, from [[Florence]]
* [[Letter 991]] – 29 November/11 December 1878, from [[Florence]]
* [[Letter 998]] – 2/14 December 1878, from [[Florence]]
* [[Letter 1001]] – 3/15 December 1878, from [[Florence]]
* [[Letter 1006]] – 5/17 December 1878, from [[Florence]]
* [[Letter 1011]] – 8/20 December 1878, from [[Florence]]
* [[Letter 1016]] – 11/23 December 1878, from [[Florence]]
* [[Letter 1022]] – 14/26 December 1878, from [[Florence]]
* [[Letter 1025]] – 16/28 December 1878, from [[Florence]]
* [[Letter 1029]] – 19/31 December 1878, from [[Paris]]
* [[Letter 1032]] – 21 December 1878/2 January 1879, from [[Paris]]
* [[Letter 1036]] – 23 December 1878/4 January 1879, from [[Paris]]
* [[Letter 1039]] – 26 December 1878/7 January 1879, from [[Paris]]
* [[Letter 1042]] – 28 December 1878/9 January 1879, from [[Dijon]]
* [[Letter 1046]] – 30 December 1878/11 January 1879, from [[Clarens]]


[[Beethoven]], who didn't like [[Weber]], said, after looking through the score of ''Der Freischütz'', that he would never have expected to find so much strength in "such a weakly little man". This is what [[Berlioz]] wrote after the first performance of ''Der Freischütz'' in [[Paris]]:
====1879====
* [[Letter 1050]] – 1/13 January 1879, from [[Clarens]]
* [[Letter 1057]] – 4/16 January 1879, from [[Clarens]]
* [[Letter 1062]] – 7/19 January–8/20 January 1879, from [[Clarens]]
* '''[[Letter 1064]]''' – 9/21 January 1879, from [[Clarens]]
* [[Letter 1068]] – 14/26 January 1879, from [[Clarens]]
* [[Letter 1074]] – 19/31 January 1879, from [[Clarens]]
* [[Letter 1079]] – 22 January/3 February 1879, from [[Clarens]]
* [[Letter 1084]] – 26 January/7 February 1879, from [[Clarens]]
* [[Letter 1088]] – 29 January/10 February 1879, from [[Clarens]]
* [[Letter 1093]] – 3/15 February 1879, from [[Clarens]]
* [[Letter 1097]] – 6/18 February 1879, from [[Paris]]
* [[Letter 1102]] – 8/20 February 1879, from [[Paris]]
* [[Letter 1105]] – 12/24 February 1879, from [[Paris]]
* [[Letter 1110]] – 15/27 February 1879, from [[Paris]]
* [[Letter 1116]] – 20 February/4 March 1879, from [[Paris]]
* [[Letter 1120]] – 24 February/8 March 1879, from [[Paris]]
* [[Letter 1130]] – 28 February/12 March 1879, from [[Paris]]
* '''[[Letter 1147]]''' – 4/16 April 1879, from [[Moscow]]
* '''[[Letter 1151]]''' – 9/21 April 1879, from [[Kamenka]]
* [[Letter 1153]] – 12/24 April 1879, from [[Kamenka]]
* '''[[Letter 1156]]''' – 16/28 April 1879, from [[Kamenka]]
* [[Letter 1160]] – 21 April/3 May 1879, from [[Kamenka]]
* [[Letter 1163]] – 23 April/5 May 1879, from [[Kamenka]]
* [[Letter 1165]] – 28 April/10 May 1879, from [[Kamenka]]
* '''[[Letter 1166]]''' – 28 April/10 May 1879, from [[Kamenka]]
* '''[[Letter 1168]]''' – 30 April/12 May 1879, from [[Kamenka]]
* [[Letter 1170]] – 4/16 May 1879, from [[Brailov]]
* [[Letter 1175]] – 8/20 May 1879, from [[Brailov]]
* [[Letter 1178]] – 13/25 May 1879, from [[Fastov]]
* [[Letter 1180]] – 15/27 May 1879, from [[Kamenka]]
* [[Letter 1185]] – 17/29 May–18/30 May 1879, from [[Kamenka]]
* [[Letter 1187]] – 22 May/3 June 1879, from [[Kamenka]]
* [[Letter 1190]] – 25 May/6 June 1879, from [[Kamenka]]
* [[Letter 1192]] – 28 May/9 June 1879, from [[Kamenka]]
* [[Letter 1195]] – 1/13 June 1879, from [[Kamenka]]
* [[Letter 1198]] – 5/17 June 1879, from [[Kamenka]]
* [[Letter 1199]] – 8/20 June 1879, from [[Kamenka]]
* [[Letter 1203]] – 12/24 June 1879, from [[Kamenka]]
* [[Letter 1206]] – 15/27 June 1879, from [[Kamenka]]
* [[Letter 1210]] – 17/29 June 1879, from [[Kamenka]]
* [[Letter 1211]] – 19 June/1 July 1879, from [[Kamenka]]
* [[Letter 1240]] – 6/18 August 1879, from [[Kamenka]]
* [[Letter 1243]] – 8/20 August 1879, from [[Kamenka]]
* [[Letter 1245]] – 9/21 August 1879, from [[Simaki]]
* [[Letter 1251]] – 12/24 August 1879, from [[Simaki]]
* [[Letter 1253]] – 13/25 August 1879, from [[Simaki]]
* '''[[Letter 1255]]''' – 15/27 August 1879, from [[Simaki]]
* [[Letter 1261]] – 22 August/3 September 1879, from [[Simaki]]
* [[Letter 1269]] – 26 August/7 September 1879, from [[Simaki]]
* [[Letter 1275]] – 28 August/9 September 1879, from [[Simaki]]
* [[Letter 1298]] – 20 September/2 October 1879, from [[Moscow]]
* [[Letter 1299]] – 22 September/4 October 1879, from [[Moscow]]
* [[Letter 1301]] – 24 September/6 October 1879, from [[Grankino]]
* [[Letter 1303]] – 30 September/12 October 1879, from [[Kamenka]]
* [[Letter 1305]] – 4/16 October 1879, from [[Kamenka]]
* [[Letter 1308]] – 7/19 October 1879, from [[Kamenka]]
* [[Letter 1312]] – 12/24 October 1879, from [[Kamenka]]
* [[Letter 1314]] – 17/29 October 1879, from [[Kamenka]]
* [[Letter 1316]] – 18/30 October 1879, from [[Kamenka]]
* [[Letter 1332]] – 11/23 November 1879, from [[Berlin]]
* [[Letter 1333]] – 12/24 November 1879, from [[Berlin]]
* [[Letter 1335]] – 14/26 November 1879, from [[Paris]]
* [[Letter 1339]] – 16/28 November 1879, from [[Paris]]
* [[Letter 1344]] – 19 November/1 December 1879, from [[Paris]]
* [[Letter 1349]] – 22 November/4 December 1879, from [[Paris]]
* [[Letter 1353]] – 25 November/7 December 1879, from [[Paris]]
* [[Letter 1357]] – 27 November/9 December 1879, from [[Paris]]
* [[Letter 1361]] – 30 November/12 December 1879, from [[Paris]]
* [[Letter 1365]] – 3/15 December 1879, from [[Paris]]
* [[Letter 1367]] – 5/17 December 1879, from [[Paris]]
* [[Letter 1369]] – 7/19 December 1879, from [[Turin]]
* [[Letter 1372]] – 9/21 December 1879, from [[Rome]]
* [[Letter 1375]] – 12/24 December 1879, from [[Rome]]
* [[Letter 1379]] – 16/28 December 1879, from [[Rome]]
* [[Letter 1382]] – 18/30 December–19/31 December 1879, from [[Rome]]
* [[Letter 1389]] – 23 December 1879/4 January 1880, from [[Rome]]
* [[Letter 1391]] – 26 December 1879/7 January 1880, from [[Rome]]
* [[Letter 1393]] – 31 December 1879/12 January 1880, from [[Rome]]


{{quote|The poetry of this opera is full of energy, passion, and contrast. The supernatural element introduces into it strange and startling effects. Melody, harmony, and rhythm, all combine to give rise to music that thunders, burns, and blazes… <ref name="note2"/>.}}
====1880====
* [[Letter 1399]] – 6/18 January 1880, from [[Rome]]
* '''[[Letter 1401]]''' – 8/20 January 1880, from [[Rome]]
* '''[[Letter 1402]]''' – 10/22 January 1880, from [[Rome]]
* [[Letter 1405]] – 12/24 January 1880, from [[Rome]]
* [[Letter 1407]] – 15/27 January 1880, from [[Rome]]
* [[Letter 1409]] – 19/31 January 1880, from [[Rome]]
* [[Letter 1411]] – 22 January/3 February 1880, from [[Rome]]
* [[Letter 1417]] – 28 January/9 February 1880, from [[Rome]]
* [[Letter 1418]] – 31 January/12 February 1880, from [[Rome]]
* [[Letter 1421]] – 5/17 February 1880, from [[Rome]]
* [[Letter 1424]] – 10/22 February 1880, from [[Rome]]
* [[Letter 1426]] – 14/26 February 1880, from [[Rome]]
* [[Letter 1428]] – 18 February/1 March 1880, from [[Rome]]
* [[Letter 1429]] – 20 February/3 March 1880, from [[Rome]]
* [[Letter 1432]] – 25 February/8 March 1880, from [[Rome]]
* [[Letter 1434]] – 28 February/11 March 1880, from [[Paris]]
* [[Letter 1466]] – 2/14 April 1880, from [[Moscow]]
* '''[[Letter 1471]]''' – 7/19 April 1880, from [[Moscow]]
* [[Letter 1487]] – 3/15 May 1880, from [[Kamenka]]
* [[Letter 1490]] – 5/17 May 1880, from [[Kamenka]]
* [[Letter 1491]] – 8/20 May–9/21 May 1880, from [[Kamenka]]
* [[Letter 1497]] – 15/27 May 1880, from [[Kamenka]]
* [[Letter 1499]] – 18/30 May 1880, from [[Kamenka]]
* [[Letter 1505]] – 25 May/6 June 1880, from [[Kamenka]]
* [[Letter 1506]] – 30 May/11 June 1880, from [[Kamenka]]
* [[Letter 1510]] – 5/17 June 1880, from [[Kamenka]]
* [[Letter 1511]] – 12/24 June 1880, from [[Kamenka]]
* [[Letter 1513]] – 17/29 June 1880, from [[Kamenka]]
* [[Letter 1516]] – 23 June/5 July 1880, from [[Kamenka]]
* [[Letter 1519]] – 28 June/10 July 1880, from [[Kamenka]]
* [[Letter 1524]] – 3/15 July 1880, from [[Brailov]]
* [[Letter 1531]] – 8/20 July–9/21 July 1880, from [[Simaki]]
* [[Letter 1535]] – 13/25 July 1880, from [[Simaki]]
* [[Letter 1538]] – 15/27 July 1880, from [[Simaki]]
* [[Letter 1576]] – 1/13 September 1880, from [[Kamenka]]
* [[Letter 1580]] – 5/17 September 1880, from [[Kamenka]]
* [[Letter 1583]] – 7/19 September 1880, from [[Kamenka]]
* [[Letter 1587]] – 12/24 September 1880, from [[Kamenka]]
* [[Letter 1590]] – 13/25 September 1880, from [[Kamenka]]
* [[Letter 1594]] – 16/28 September 1880, from [[Kamenka]]
* [[Letter 1599]] – 21 September/3 October 1880, from [[Kamenka]]
* [[Letter 1604]] – 29 September/11 October 1880, from [[Kamenka]]
* [[Letter 1605]] – 1/13 October 1880, from [[Kamenka]]
* [[Letter 1608]] – 6/18 October 1880, from [[Kamenka]]
* [[Letter 1611]] – 11/23 October 1880, from [[Kamenka]]
* '''[[Letter 1614]]''' – 17/29 October 1880, from [[Kamenka]]
* [[Letter 1616]] – 24 October/5 November 1880, from [[Kamenka]]
* [[Letter 1622]] – 31 October/12 November 1880, from [[Kamenka]]
* '''[[Letter 1623]]''' – 5/17 November 1880, from [[Kamenka]]
* [[Letter 1653]] – 22 December 1880/3 January 1881–23 December 1880/4 January 1881, from [[Kiev]]
* [[Letter 1655]] – 25 December 1880/6 January 1881, from [[Kamenka]]


{{quote|When going through the operas of the old or new school it would be difficult to find a score equal to that of ''Der Freischütz'' in terms of the freshness of its melodies throughout all the forms in which these are presented, in terms of the striking originality of its rhythms, its harmonic richness and variety, and the way in which the vocal and instrumental masses are used with such effortless energy and unaffected gracefulness.}}
====1881====
* [[Letter 1673]] – 1/13 February 1881, from [[Saint Petersburg]]
* [[Letter 1682]] – 16/28 February 1881, from [[Vienna]]
* [[Letter 1685]] – 19 February/3 March 1881, from [[Florence]]
* [[Letter 1690]] – 21 February/5 March 1881, from [[Rome]]
* [[Letter 1694]] – 23 February/7 March 1881, from [[Rome]]
* [[Letter 1698]] – 1/13 March 1881, from [[Naples]]
* [[Letter 1703]] – 6/18 March 1881, from [[Naples]]
* [[Letter 1708]] – 11/23 March 1881, from [[Nice]]
* [[Letter 1715]] – 17/29 March 1881, from [[Paris]]
* [[Letter 1719]] – 26 March/7 April 1881, from [[Saint Petersburg]]
* [[Letter 1722]] – 30 March/11 April 1881, from [[Saint Petersburg]]
* [[Letter 1733]] – 30 April/12 May 1881, from [[Kamenka]]
* [[Letter 1741]] – 6/18 May 1881, from [[Kamenka]]
* [[Letter 1751]] – 13/25 May 1881, from [[Kamenka]]
* [[Letter 1760]] – 19/31 May 1881, from [[Kamenka]]
* [[Letter 1763]] – 21 May/2 June 1881, from [[Kamenka]]
* [[Letter 1768]] – 28 May/9 June 1881, from [[Kamenka]]
* [[Letter 1775]] – 4/16 June 1881, from [[Kamenka]]
* [[Letter 1782]] – 11/23 June 1881, from [[Kamenka]]
* [[Letter 1788]] – 18/30 June 1881, from [[Kamenka]]
* [[Letter 1794]] – 24 June/6 July 1881, from [[Kamenka]]
* [[Letter 1796]] – 28 June/10 July 1881, from [[Kamenka]]
* [[Letter 1802]] – 3/15 July 1881, from [[Kamenka]]
* [[Letter 1807]] – 9/21 July 1881, from [[Kamenka]]
* [[Letter 1808]] – 11/23 July 1881, from [[Kamenka]]
* [[Letter 1812]] – 16/28 July 1881, from [[Kamenka]]
* [[Letter 1814]] – 18/30 July 1881, from [[Kamenka]]
* [[Letter 1817]] – 22 July/3 August 1881, from [[Kiev]]
* [[Letter 1845]] – 31 August/12 September 1881, from [[Kamenka]]
* [[Letter 1860]] – 2/14 October–3/15 October 1881, from [[Kiev]]
* [[Letter 1861]] – 5/17 October 1881, from [[Kamenka]]
* [[Letter 1865]] – 10/22 October 1881, from [[Kamenka]]
* [[Letter 1871]] – 16/28 October 1881, from [[Kamenka]]
* [[Letter 1873]] – 18/30 October 1881, from [[Kamenka]]
* [[Letter 1878]] – 25 October/6 November 1881, from [[Kamenka]]
* [[Letter 1892]] – 14/26 November 1881, from [[Vienna]]
* [[Letter 1895]] – 16/28 November 1881, from [[Venice]]
* [[Letter 1899]] – 21 November/3 December 1881, from [[Rome]]
* [[Letter 1903]] – 27 November/9 December 1881, from [[Rome]]
* [[Letter 1905]] – 1/13 December–3/15 December 1881, from [[Rome]]
* [[Letter 1910]] – 12/24 December 1881, from [[Rome]]
* [[Letter 1915]] – 18/30 December–19/31 December 1881, from [[Rome]]
* [[Letter 1919]] – 26 December 1881/7 January 1882, from [[Rome]]
====1882====
* [[Letter 1925]] – 2/14 January 1882, from [[Rome]]
* [[Letter 1928]] – 9/21 January 1882, from [[Rome]]
* [[Letter 1929]] – 10/22 January 1882, from [[Rome]]
* [[Letter 1931]] – 12/24 January 1882, from [[Rome]]
* [[Letter 1937]] – 16/28 January 1882, from [[Rome]]
* [[Letter 1944]] – 22 January/3 February 1882, from [[Rome]]
* [[Letter 1946]] – 25 January/6 February 1882, from [[Rome]]
* [[Letter 1951]] – 30 January/11 February 1882, from [[Rome]]
* [[Letter 1957]] – 6/18 February 1882, from [[Rome]]
* [[Letter 1959]] – 8/20 February 1882, from [[Rome]]
* [[Letter 1963]] – 11/23 February 1882, from [[Naples]]
* [[Letter 1970]] – 16/28 February 1882, from [[Naples]]
* [[Letter 1973]] – 21 February/5 March 1882, from [[Naples]]
* [[Letter 1980]] – 24 February/8 March 1882, from [[Naples]]
* [[Letter 1982]] – 1/13 March–2/14 March 1882, from [[Naples]]
* [[Letter 1989]] – 10/22 March 1882, from [[Naples]]
* [[Letter 2007]] – 10/22 April 1882, from [[Moscow]]
* [[Letter 2011]] – 24 April/6 May–7/19 May 1882, from [[Kiev]] and [[Kamenka]]
* [[Letter 2020]] – 13/25 May 1882, from [[Kamenka]]
* [[Letter 2050]] – 22 June/4 July 1882, from [[Grankino]]
* [[Letter 2066]] – 17/29 July 1882, from [[Grankino]]
* [[Letter 2083]] – 22 August/3 September 1882, from [[Kamenka]]
* [[Letter 2089]] – 29 August/10 September 1882, from [[Kamenka]]
* [[Letter 2098]] – 5/17 September 1882, from [[Kamenka]]
* [[Letter 2105]] – 12/24 September 1882, from [[Kamenka]]
* [[Letter 2111]] – 18/30 September 1882, from [[Kamenka]]
* [[Letter 2117]] – 26 September/8 October 1882, from [[Kiev]]
* [[Letter 2124]] – 3/15 October 1882, from [[Kamenka]]
* [[Letter 2131]] – 9/21 October 1882, from [[Kamenka]]
* [[Letter 2136]] – 17/29 October 1882, from [[Kamenka]]
* [[Letter 2144]] – 24 October/5 November 1882, from [[Kamenka]]
* [[Letter 2151]] – 31 October/12 November 1882, from [[Kamenka]]
* [[Letter 2154]] – 7/19 November 1882, from [[Kamenka]]
* [[Letter 2174]] – 15/27 December 1882, from [[Saint Petersburg]]
* [[Letter 2176]] – 21 December 1882/2 January 1883, from [[Saint Petersburg]]
* [[Letter 2179]] – 25 December 1882/6 January 1883, from [[Saint Petersburg]]
====1883====
* [[Letter 2186]] – 3/15 January 1883, from [[Paris]]
* [[Letter 2200]] – 14/26 January 1883, from [[Paris]]
* [[Letter 2205]] – 21 January/2 February 1883, from [[Paris]]
* [[Letter 2211]] – 28 January/9 February 1883, from [[Paris]]
* [[Letter 2217]] – 4/16 February 1883, from [[Paris]]
* [[Letter 2222]] – 11/23 February 1883, from [[Paris]]
* [[Letter 2226]] – 18 February/2 March 1883, from [[Paris]]
* [[Letter 2228]] – 25 February/9 March 1883, from [[Paris]]
* [[Letter 2233]] – 3/15 March 1883, from [[Paris]]
* [[Letter 2238]] – 12/24 March 1883, from [[Paris]]
* [[Letter 2241]] – 17/29 March–18/30 March 1883, from [[Paris]]
* [[Letter 2247]] – 25 March/6 April 1883, from [[Paris]]
* [[Letter 2252]] – 1/13 April 1883, from [[Paris]]
* [[Letter 2257]] – 8/20 April 1883, from [[Paris]]
* [[Letter 2264]] – 15/27 April 1883, from [[Paris]]
* [[Letter 2271]] – 21 April/3 May 1883, from [[Paris]]
* [[Letter 2282]] – 29 April/11 May 1883, from [[Paris]]
* [[Letter 2287]] – 7/19 May 1883, from [[Paris]]
* [[Letter 2293]] – 16/28 May 1883, from [[Saint Petersburg]]
* [[Letter 2337]] – 4/16 September 1883, from [[Kiev]]
* [[Letter 2340]] – 6/18 September 1883, from [[Verbovka]]
* [[Letter 2351]] – 24 September/6 October–25 September/7 October 1883, from [[Verbovka]]
* [[Letter 2362]] – 9/21 October 1883, from [[Kamenka]]
* [[Letter 2376]] – 23 October/4 November 1883, from [[Kamenka]]
* [[Letter 2383]] – 6/18 November 1883, from [[Kamenka]]
====1884====
* [[Letter 2427]] – 7/19 February 1884, from [[Berlin]]
* [[Letter 2437]] – 16/28 February 1884, from [[Paris]]
* [[Letter 2450]] – 29 February/12 March 1884, from [[Paris]]
* [[Letter 2453]] – 10/22 March 1884, from [[Saint Petersburg]]
* [[Letter 2463]] – 12/24 April 1884, from [[Kamenka]]
* [[Letter 2484]] – 4/16 May 1884, from [[Kamenka]]
* [[Letter 2492]] – 19/31 May 1884, from [[Kamenka]]
* [[Letter 2499]] – 2/14 June 1884, from [[Kamenka]]
* [[Letter 2506]] – 20 June/2 July 1884, from [[Grankino]]
* [[Letter 2513]] – 4/16 July 1884, from [[Grankino]]
* [[Letter 2517]] – 11/23 July 1884, from [[Grankino]]
* [[Letter 2539]] – 2/14 September 1884, from [[Moscow]]
* [[Letter 2551]] – 19 September/1 October 1884, from [[Pleshcheyevo]]
* [[Letter 2576]] – 25 October/6 November 1884, from [[Saint Petersburg]]
* [[Letter 2585]] – 7/19 November 1884, from [[Munich]]
* [[Letter 2598]] – 18/30 November 1884, from [[Zürich]]


{{quote|From the opening of the overture to the very last note in the final chorus, I cannot find in the whole opera a single bar which I would wish to see omitted or reworked. Intelligence, imagination, and genius shine on us from all directions and with such dazzling strength, that only the eyes of an eagle could bear this splendour, were it not for the fact that its intensity is tempered by an inexhaustible plenitude of emotions which spreads its soft veil over the listener.}}
====1885====
* [[Letter 2656]] – 14/26 February 1885, from [[Maydanovo]] (addressed jointly to Anatoly and his wife [[Praskovya]])
* [[Letter 2663]] – 26 February/10 March 1885, from [[Maydanovo]] (addressed jointly to Anatoly and his wife [[Praskovya]])
* [[Letter 2683]] – 11/23 April 1885, from [[Maydanovo]]
* [[Letter 2700]] – 29 April/11 May 1885, from [[Maydanovo]]
* [[Letter 2702]] – 2/14 May 1885, from [[Maydanovo]]
====1886====
* [[Letter 2853]] – 13/25 January 1886, from [[Maydanovo]]
* [[Letter 2890]] – 14/26 February 1886, from [[Maydanovo]]
* [[Letter 2900]] – 27 February/11 March 1886, from [[Maydanovo]]
* [[Letter 2947]] – 6/18 May–11/23 May 1886, between the Adriatic Sea and [[Marseilles]]
* [[Letter 2984]] – 24 June/6 July 1886, from [[Maydanovo]]
* [[Letter 3017]] – 29 July/10 August 1886, from [[Moscow]]
* [[Letter 3018]] – 30 July/11 August 1886, from [[Maydanovo]]
* [[Letter 3036]] – 30 August/11 September 1886, from [[Maydanovo]]
* [[Letter 3058]] – 23 September/5 October 1886, from [[Maydanovo]]
* [[Letter 3134]] – 26 December 1886/7 January 1887, from [[Maydanovo]]
====1887====
* '''[[Letter 3226]]''' – 15/27 April 1887, from [[Maydanovo]] (addressed jointly to Anatoly and his wife [[Praskovya]])
* [[Letter 3241]] – 26 April/8 May 1887, from [[Maydanovo]] (addressed jointly to Anatoly and his wife [[Praskovya]])
* [[Letter 3316]] – 9/21 August 1887, from [[Aachen]] (addressed jointly to Anatoly and his wife [[Praskovya]])
* '''[[Letter 3327]]''' – 23 August/4 September 1887, from [[Aachen]]
* [[Letter 3339]] – 3/15 September 1887, from [[Maydanovo]]
* [[Letter 3351]] – 14/26 September 1887, from [[Maydanovo]]
* '''[[Letter 3354]]''' – 17/29 September 1887, from [[Maydanovo]]
* [[Letter 3436]] – 17/29 December 1887, from [[Berlin]]
* [[Letter 3439]] – 21 December 1887/2 January 1888, from [[Leipzig]] (addressed jointly to Anatoly and his wife [[Praskovya]])
* [[Letter 3447]] – 28 December 1887/9 January 1888, from [[Berlin]]
* [[Letter 3452]] – 30 December 1887/11 January 1888–10/22 January 1888, from [[Lübeck]] and [[Hamburg]] (addressed jointly to Anatoly and his wife [[Praskovya]])


{{quote|The overture is the queen of all overtures, and the jewel in its crown is that wonderfully moving phrase played by the clarinet, which tears through the orchestra's ''tremolo'', like a distant lamenting cry carried by the wind into the heart of the woods and valleys. It truly pierces one's heart, and for me this maidenly tune, which seems as it were to be sending a timid reproach heavenward, at the same time as a sinister harmony is quivering threateningly somewhere below, is one of the finest and most poetic passages in all contemporary music […]}}
====1888====
* [[Letter 3477]] – 20 January/1 February 1888, from [[Leipzig]]
* '''[[Letter 3495]]''' – 10/22 February 1888, from [[Prague]] (addressed jointly to Anatoly and his wife [[Praskovya]])
* [[Letter 3501]] – 19 February/2 March 1888, from [[Paris]]
* '''[[Letter 3516]]''' – 8/20 March 1888, from [[London]]
* '''[[Letter 3522]]''' – 12/24 March 1888, from [[London]]
* '''[[Letter 3548]]''' – 16/28 April 1888, from [[Vladikavkaz]]
* '''[[Letter 3549]]''' – 21 April/3 May 1888, from [[Moscow]] (addressed jointly to Anatoly and his wife [[Praskovya]])
* [[Letter 3555]] – 25 April/7 May 1888, from [[Frolovskoye]]
* '''[[Letter 3593]]''' – 14/26 June 1888, from [[Frolovskoye]]
* [[Letter 3607]] – 1/13 July 1888, from [[Frolovskoye]]
* '''[[Letter 3615]]''' – 12/24 July 1888, from [[Frolovskoye]]
* '''[[Letter 3625]]''' – 25 July/6 August 1888, from [[Frolovskoye]]
* '''[[Letter 3638]]''' – 7/19 August 1888, from [[Frolovskoye]]
* '''[[Letter 3649]]''' – 22 August/3 September 1888, from [[Moscow]]
* [[Letter 3657]] – 5/17 September 1888, from [[Frolovskoye]]
* [[Letter 3670]] – 14/26 September 1888, from [[Frolovskoye]]
* '''[[Letter 3683]]''' – 1/13 October 1888, from [[Frolovskoye]]
* [[Letter 3701]] – 17/29 October 1888, from [[Frolovskoye]]
* '''[[Letter 3712]]''' – 27 October/8 November 1888, from [[Frolovskoye]]
* '''[[Letter 3726]]''' – 13/25 November 1888, from [[Saint Petersburg]]
* '''[[Letter 3743]]''' – 19/31 December 1888, from [[Saint Petersburg]]


{{quote|One would have to write a whole book if one wanted to analyze in detail this magnificent work. Incidentally, who could fail to be amazed by the sarcastic merriness of Kilian's song, accompanied by the laughter of the chorus?! […] Who has not felt the despair and dejection of Max, the moving sympathy of the chorus when it seeks to console him, the joy of the peasants as they prepare for the hunting contest, the comic crudeness of the march with which the triumphant Kilian is greeted, Kaspar's demonic drinking song and the wild outburst: "''Triumph! Triumph! Revenge is mine!''" in his great aria that anticipates so well the crash of thunder with which the first act concludes?!}}
====1889====
* '''[[Letter 3756]]''' – 5/17 January 1889, from [[Frolovskoye]]
* '''[[Letter 3781]]''' – 2/14 February 1889, from [[Frankfurt]]
* [[Letter 3806]] – 20 February/3 March 1889, from [[Geneva]] (addressed jointly to Anatoly and his wife [[Praskovya]])
* [[Letter 3817]] – 5/17 March 1889, from [[Hannover]]
* '''[[Letter 3849]]''' – 4/16 May 1889, from [[Vladikavkaz]]
* [[Letter 3855]] – 12/24 May 1889, from [[Moscow]]
* [[Letter 3861]] – 19/31 May 1889, from [[Frolovskoye]]
* [[Letter 3864]] – 22 May/3 June 1889, from [[Frolovskoye]]
* [[Letter 3884]] – 19 June/1 July 1889, from [[Frolovskoye]]
* '''[[Letter 3895]]''' – 3/15 July 1889, from [[Frolovskoye]]
* [[Letter 3904]] – 12/24 July 1889, from [[Frolovskoye]]
* [[Letter 3914]] – 31 July/12 August 1889, from [[Frolovskoye]]
* '''[[Letter 3925]]''' – 21 August/2 September 1889, from [[Frolovskoye]]
* [[Letter 3926]] – 31 August/12 September 1889, from [[Kamenka]]
* '''[[Letter 3931]]''' – 8/20 September 1889, from [[Frolovskoye]]
* [[Letter 3945]] – 1/13 October 1889, from [[Moscow]]


{{quote|Dilettantes and artists alike go into raptures over the charming duet in Act II in which the contrasting characters of the two girls are conveyed from the very start. Having once grasped this idea of the composer, it is easy to follow through its development to the end. Agathe is always tender and dreamy, Ännchen always childishly and coquettishly playful—her jesting chatter keeps throwing sparks of carefree merriness into the sad conversation of the two lovers. No listener can fail to hear the lamenting sighs of the orchestra during the young girls prayer as she awaits her betrothed, or the gentle, vague modulations which convey the soft rustling of the birch-leaves in the nightly breeze. And then it seems as if the darkness becomes even more impenetrable, the night even colder, but then, suddenly, what a joyful sensation overcomes us when Agathe recognizes Max approaching in the dark and cries out: "''Er ist's! Er ist's!''" [It is he! It is he!] […]}}
====1890====
* '''[[Letter 4005]]''' – 16/28 January 1890, from [[Berlin]]
* [[Letter 4011]] – 23 January/4 February 1890, from [[Florence]]
* [[Letter 4026]] – 6/18 February 1890, from [[Florence]]
* [[Letter 4047]] – 23 February/7 March 1890, from [[Florence]]
* [[Letter 4065]] – 7/19 March 1890, from [[Florence]]
* [[Letter 4086]] – 29 March/10 April 1890, from [[Rome]]
* [[Letter 4099]] – 17/29 April 1890, from [[Rome]] (addressed jointly to Anatoly and his wife [[Praskovya]])
* [[Letter 4109]] – 5/17 May 1890, from [[Frolovskoye]]
* [[Letter 4122]] – 24 May/5 June 1890, from [[Frolovskoye]]
* [[Letter 4144]] – 12/24 June 1890, from [[Frolovskoye]]
* '''[[Letter 4147]]''' – 14/26 June 1890, from [[Frolovskoye]]
* '''[[Letter 4151]]''' – 19 June/1 July 1890, from [[Frolovskoye]]
* [[Letter 4154]] – 21 June/3 July 1890, from [[Frolovskoye]]
* [[Letter 4165]] – 4/16 July 1890, from [[Frolovskoye]]
* [[Letter 4172]] – 13/25 July 1890, from [[Frolovskoye]]
* [[Letter 4188]] – 2/14 August 1890, from [[Frolovskoye]]
* [[Letter 4201]] – 22 August/3 September 1890, from [[Kamenka]]


{{quote|No! No great master before [[Weber]] had ever managed to express through music, in one single, short scene, devout praying, anguish, restlessness, reverie, the slumber of nature, the eloquent stillness of night, the mysterious flickering of the starlit sky, the torments of waiting, hope, half-certainty, joy, bliss, the ecstasy of love! There is nothing like it! This is divine art! This is love itself!}}
====1891====
* '''[[Letter 4290]]''' – 6/18 January 1891, from [[Frolovskoye]]
* [[Letter 4312]] – 22 January/3 February 1891, from [[Frolovskoye]]
* [[Letter 4329]] – 12/24 February 1891, from [[Frolovskoye]]
* '''[[Letter 4343]]''' – 8/20 March 1891, from [[Berlin]]
* '''[[Letter 4368]]''' – 15/27 April 1891, from [[New York]] (addressed jointly to Anatoly and his wife [[Praskovya]])
* '''[[Letter 4371]]''' – 21 April/3 May 1891, from [[New York]]
* [[Letter 4382]] – 14/26 May 1891, from the Atlantic Ocean
* [[Letter 4418]] – 22 June/4 July 1891, from [[Maydanovo]]
* '''[[Letter 4439]]''' – 8/20 July 1891, from [[Maydanovo]]
* [[Letter 4447]] – 25 July/6 August 1891, from [[Maydanovo]]
* [[Letter 4456]] – 10/22 August 1891, from [[Maydanovo]]
* [[Letter 4465]] – 2/14 September 1891, from [[Maydanovo]]
* [[Letter 4480]] – 22 September/4 October 1891, from [[Maydanovo]]
* [[Letter 4492]] – 1/13 October 1891, from [[Maydanovo]]
* '''[[Letter 4527]]''' – 27 October/8 November 1891, from [[Moscow]]
* [[Letter 4539]] – 8/20 November 1891, from [[Moscow]]
* [[Letter 4573]] – 14/26 December 1891, from [[Maydanovo]] (addressed jointly to Anatoly and his wife [[Praskovya]])
* [[Letter 4585]] – 29 December 1891/10 January 1892, from [[Warsaw]]


{{quote|On the day that [[Weber]] heard this scene performed as he may have hoped for in his dreams—if indeed he ever heard it thus—on that blissful day he should have died. For after such joys what more can you wish from life? <ref name="note3"/>.}}
====1892====
* [[Letter 4595]] – 8/20 January 1892, from [[Hamburg]] (addressed jointly to Anatoly and his wife [[Praskovya]])
* [[Letter 4616]] – 9/21 February 1892, from [[Maydanovo]]
* [[Letter 4627]] – 22 February/5 March 1892, from [[Maydanovo]]
* [[Letter 4648]] – 23 March/4 April 1892, from [[Maydanovo]]
* [[Letter 4671]] – 23 April/5 May 1892, from [[Moscow]]
* [[Letter 4730]] – 16/28 July 1892, from [[Klin]]
* '''[[Letter 4738]]''' – 21 July/2 August 1892, from [[Klin]]
* '''[[Letter 4754]]''' – 14/26 August 1892, from [[Moscow]]
* [[Letter 4760]] – 27 August/8 September 1892, from [[Klin]]
* '''[[Letter 4770]]''' – 10/22 September 1892, from [[Itter]]
* [[Letter 4781]] – 7/19 October 1892, from [[Klin]]
* '''[[Letter 4788]]''' – 18/30 October 1892, from [[Klin]]
* '''[[Letter 4804]]''' – 11/23 November 1892, from [[Saint Petersburg]]
* '''[[Letter 4812]]''' – 24 November/6 December 1892, from [[Saint Petersburg]]
* '''[[Letter 4819]]''' – 7/19 December 1892, from [[Saint Petersburg]]
* [[Letter 4820]] – 10/22 December 1892, from [[Saint Petersburg]]


To this enthusiastic review by a great artist of another great artist's work I do not wish to add anything of my own, and I shall move straight on to my report about this production of ''Der Freischütz'' on our stage—it is much to the credit of Signor Merelli that this opera has been brought into the current season's repertoire.
====1893====
* '''[[Letter 4843]]''' – 4/16 January 1893, from [[Paris]]
* [[Letter 4853]] – 29 January/10 February 1893, from [[Kamenka]]
* '''[[Letter 4864]]''' – 10/22 February 1893, from [[Klin]]
* '''[[Letter 4883]]''' – 4/16 March 1893, from [[Klin]]
* '''[[Letter 4902]]''' – 25 March/6 April 1893, from [[Klin]]
* [[Letter 4915]] – 13/25 April 1893, from [[Klin]]
* [[Letter 4937]] – 17/29 May 1893, from [[London]]
* [[Letter 4952]] – 3/15 June 1893, from [[Paris]]
* '''[[Letter 4955]]''' – 6/18 June 1893, from [[Paris]]
* [[Letter 4959]] – 19 June/1 July 1893, from [[Grankino]]
* [[Letter 4968]] – 6/18 July 1893, from [[Ukolovo]]
* [[Letter 4979]] – 19/31 July 1893, from [[Klin]]
* [[Letter 5009]] – 12/24 August 1893, from [[Klin]]
* [[Letter 5017]] – 20 August/1 September 1893, from [[Klin]]
* [[Letter 5035]] – 20 September/2 October 1893, from [[Moscow]]
* [[Letter 5049]] – 27 September/9 October 1893, from [[Klin]]


Madame d'Angeri, whose performance of the role of Leonora in ''Il Trovatore'' I have already had occasion to praise <ref name="note4"/>, caused a great impression in the scene where she is waiting for Max. She has a sonorous and brilliant voice, with a timbre that is very appealing. She sang Agathe's marvellous aria—discussed by [[Berlioz]] in the excerpt I quoted above—with remarkable warmth and a sufficient dose of passion. Unfortunately, the positive impression produced by Madame d'Angeri's singing was undermined by her lack of acting skills and terribly clumsy gestures, which gave rise to a somewhat comical effect when next to her tall figure we saw the short and chubby Masini pottering about as her beloved Max <ref name="note5"/>. As always, Signor Masini's singing was dull and lacked the necessary nuances, and it was also clear that he hadn't learnt his part properly. Indeed, one could ask why Signor Masini took on such a role as Max in the first place, considering that this is a part without any of those high chest notes that this hopelessly poor artist otherwise depends on to scrape through performances?!
==Letters from Anatoly Tchaikovsky==
 
372 letters from [[Anatoly Tchaikovsky]] to the composer, dating from 1866 to 1893, are preserved in the [[Klin]] House-Museum Archive.
Signor Foli <ref name="note6"/>, who appeared here in the role of Kaspar, left me wondering whether he always has to distort his face in such a terrible way and generally make such incredible efforts in order to produce these tones of a rather dubious quality (it must be said), or whether he thought this was necessary for a convincing interpretation of Kaspar, who, as we all know, seeks out the company of the Evil One. As for Madame Giuliani, neither her venerable age, nor her abysmal acting, nor her completely worn-out voice, give her the least right to present herself before our eyes and torment our ears.
 
The opera had clearly been rehearsed somewhat better than one would normally expect, and the orchestra even played with a certain degree of enthusiasm—perhaps because [[Weber]]'s wonderful music touched a chord not just in the artistic sensitivity of the musicians but also in their patriotic sentiments, for ours is an orchestra which is almost exclusively made up of Germans.
 
The decision to include, in Act III of ''Der Freischütz'', [[Weber]]'s fantasia for piano ''Aufforderung zum Tanze'' [Invitation to the Dance] in [[Berlioz]]'s splendid orchestration, is utterly incongruous. This is a fantasia which depicts, with amazing vividness, a ballroom scene in which you can quite literally hear the festive bustle of the brightly lit ballroom, with all its glitter, its exquisitely dressed ladies and their elegant partners; and in the Introduction [[Weber]] was surely seeking to convey the whispers and timid hints that might go on between a pair of lovers, how for a few instants they press their hands together or exchange passionate, furtive glances… And then the pair is swept away by the whirlwind of the waltz… <ref name="note7"/>
 
And it was onto this very music that our most wise theatre management decided to artificially graft an utterly conventional ''pas de paysans et paysannes'', as if the fact that both ''Der Freischütz'' and this fantasia are by [[Weber]] were in itself sufficient to create a profound intrinsic link between the two works! What a tasteless and silly idea!
 
After ''Der Freischütz'' it does somehow seem improper to go on to talk about a product from Maestro [[Verdi]]'s musical factory: his opera ''I Lombardi'', which was staged here last week. So I shall just limit myself to recording the fact that the said opera, which is abundant in all kinds of jolly Cossack-like dances that follow on from one another non-stop, even in the most tragic moments, was performed and gave an opportunity for M. Naudin <ref name="note8"/>, a splendid singer, to enchant both true connoisseurs and the whole audience with his inimitable artistry, whereas to Madame Giuliani it gave the opportunity to be hissed off the stage unanimously, vociferously, and quite deservedly!
 
Because Madame Giuliani was subsequently taken ill, the role of Ännchen in the following performances of ''Der Freischütz'' was taken over by Madame [[Kadmina]] <ref name="note9"/>, who thereby rescued the theatre management from a rather embarrassing situation. One cannot fail to be amazed by the courage and talent of this young singer, who, in such an incredibly short period, managed to learn this quite complicated role and appeared before the public not as a shy pupil stepping onto the stage of an opera-house for the first time, but rather as an accomplished, fully-fledged artist in her own right. Madame [[Kadmina]] was rewarded with enthusiastic applause from the public, even though the latter, as we all know, is so prejudiced against ''Russian'' artists.
{{right|''"B. L."''}}
 
==Notes and References==
<references>
<ref name="note1">Friedrich Kind (1768–1843), lawyer and writer from [[Dresden]], achieved considerable fame thanks to his libretto for ''Der Freischütz'' — ''note by Ernst Kuhn''.</ref>
<ref name="note2">Tchaikovsky is quoting here from Chapter XVI of [[Berlioz]]'s famous ''Memoirs'' (completed in 1865 and published posthumously in 1870) — ''note by Ernst Kuhn''.</ref>
<ref name="note3">These excerpts, quoted by Tchaikovsky in his own translation, are from [[Berlioz]]'s article '''Le Freischutz'' de [[Weber]]', which was published in: [[Hector Berlioz]], ''À travers chant. Études musicales, adorations, boutades et critiques'' ([[Paris]], 1863) — ''note by Ernst Kuhn''.</ref>
<ref name="note4">See the last paragraph of [[TH 281]].</ref>
<ref name="note5">Angelo Masini (1844–1926), Italian tenor, famous for his virtuoso singing, but notorious for his poor acting. See {{bib|1954/50|Воспоминания о П. И. Чайковском}} (1954), p. 201 — ''translator's note''.</ref>
<ref name="note6">Allan James Foli (real surname: Foley; 1835–1899), Irish bass, débuted in Catania in 1862, sang mainly in [[London]] from 1865 — ''note by Ernst Kuhn''.</ref>
<ref name="note7">It is interesting to compare this description with what Fokine would later see in [[Weber]]'s music when he choreographed his masterpiece ''Le spectre de la rose''(1911) — ''translator's note''.</ref>
<ref name="note8">Emilio Naudin (1823–1890), Italian tenor of French origins, whom Tchaikovsky admired greatly. See, for example, [[TH 269]] for an enthusiastic review of his performance as Elvino in [[Bellini]]'s ''La Sonnambula'' together with [[Adelina Patti]].</ref>
<ref name="note9">[[ Yevlaliya Kadmina]] (1853–1881), Russian mezzo-soprano and actress whose tragic suicide by taking poison in the middle of a performance of a play inspired a number of literary and musical works, most notably [[Turgenev]]'s late story ''Klara Milich'' (1882). Tchaikovsky saw great promise in her and carefully followed her career ever since her first public performances — ''translator's note''.</ref>
</references>
[[Category:Articles]]

Revision as of 21:15, 23 December 2022

Anatoly Tchaikovsky (1850-1915)

Letters to Anatoly Tchaikovsky

562 letters from Tchaikovsky to his brother Anatoly have survived, dating from 1866 to 1893. Those highlighted in bold in the list below have been translated into English on this website

1866

1867

1868

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1893

Letters from Anatoly Tchaikovsky

372 letters from Anatoly Tchaikovsky to the composer, dating from 1866 to 1893, are preserved in the Klin House-Museum Archive.

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