Camille Saint-Saëns and Letter 68: Difference between pages

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{{picture|file=Camille Saint-Saëns.jpg|caption='''Camille Saint-Saëns''' (1835-1921)}}
{{letterhead
French composer, pianist, organist and conductor (b. 9 October 1835 in [[Paris]]; d. 16 December 1921 in Algiers), born '''''Charles Camille Saint-Saëns.
|Date=28 July/9 August 1864
|To=[[Aleksandra Davydova]]
|Place=[[Trostinets]]
|Language=Russian
|Autograph=[[Saint Petersburg]] (Russia): {{RUS-SPsc}} (ф. 834, ед. хр. 16, л. 16–17)
|Publication={{bib|1900/35|Жизнь Петра Ильича Чайковского ; том 1}} (1900), p. 191 (abridged)<br/>{{bib|1940/210|П. И. Чайковский. Письма к родным ; том 1}} (1940), p. 64 <br/>{{bib|1955/37|П. И. Чайковский. Письма к близким}} (1955), p. 16 <br/>{{bib|1959/50|П. И. Чайковский. Полное собрание сочинений ; том V}} (1959), p. 80–81 <br/>{{bib|1981/81|Piotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. Letters to his family. An autobiography}} (1981), p. 14–15 (English translation)
}}
==Text and Translation==
{{Lettertext
|Language=Russian
|Translator=Luis Sundkvist
|Original text={{right|''28 июля 1864''}}
Милая Саша! Напрасно ты думаешь, что меня нет в Каменке потому, что у Голицына мне так хорошо, что я не могу с ним расстаться. Я не скрываю, что мне здесь очень хорошо, но не сомневаюсь в том, что у тебя, с твоим мужем, детьми и всем Вашим семейством, — мне было бы гораздо ещё лучше. Но как сердце меня ни тянет к тебе, — а рассудок ясно говорит, что по весьма многим причинам следует мою поездку в Каменку отложить до будущего лета и уж тогда — прямо из Петербурга на все три месяца. Чтоб ты не думала, что я недостаточно стремлюсь к Вам душой, я тебе скажу, что перед отъездом из Петербурга я хлопотал ехать прямо к тебе, но обстоятельства этого не позволили; сюда же я приехал, надеясь без особенных неудобств пробраться к тебе.  


Saint-Saëns' musical aptitude was apparent from a very early age, and he gave his first piano recital in [[Paris]] at the age of ten. He enrolled at the city's conservatory in 1848, gaining first prize for organ three years later, when he began lessons in composition with J. F. Halévy (1799–1862). After his graduation he held various positions as an organist, while continuing to compose.
Благодарю тебя за письмо. Оно меня действительно успокоило; я немножко боялся, чтоб ты не сердилась. Худая погода, о к[ото]рой ты пишешь, меня ни мало не ужасает, — здесь она нисколько не лучше. Живу я очень покойно и, кроме Голицына, никого не вижу. Скажи Вере Васильевне, что «''Гроза''» моя сильно подвигается и что она (т. е. В[ера] В[асильевна]) рискует услышать её в Русском музык[альном] общ[естве]. От Папаши, Толи и Моди не имею уже с месяц никаких известий.  


==Tchaikovsky and Saint-Saëns==
Не получила ли ты на моё имя писем; если ''да'', то перешли их, пожалуйста, сюда!
Tchaikovsky first encountered Saint-Saëns during the Frenchman's concert tour to [[Moscow]] in November 1875, and the two composers struck up an immediate rapport. Apart from his musical mastery and "ability to combine the grace and elegance of the French school with the seriousness and depth of the great German composers", what Tchaikovsky found so appealing about Saint-Saëns was his briskness, wit, and originality <ref name="note1"/>. In his biography of Tchaikovsky the composer's brother [[Modest]] also recounted the following amusing anecdote which took place during that first visit by Saint-Saëns to Russia:


{{quote|It turned out that the two new friends had many likes and dislikes in common, both in the sphere of music and in the other arts, too. In particular, not only had they both been enthusiastic about ballet in their youth, but they were also able to pull off splendid imitations of ballerinas. And so on one occasion at the Conservatory [in [[Moscow]]], seeking to flaunt their artistry before one another, they performed a whole short ballet on the stage of the Conservatory's auditorium: ''Galatea and Pygmalion''. The 40-year-old Saint-Saëns was Galatea and interpreted, with exceptional conscientiousness, the role of a statue, whilst the 35-year-old Tchaikovsky took on the role of Pygmalion. [[Nikolay Rubinstein|N. G. Rubinstein]] stood in for the orchestra. Unfortunately, apart from the three performers no one else was present in the auditorium during this curious production" <ref name="note2"/>.}}
Итак, ещё раз благодарю тебя, милая Саша, грущу до смерти, что не могу быть у тебя, но повинуюсь своей судьбе и прошу твоего извиненья, что не исполнил обещания. Поцелуй Лёву и Алёшу. Таню и Веру пожми и разлобызай от меня нещадно. Кланяйся низко Александре Ивановне и Е[лизавете], А[лександре], С[офье] и Вере Васильевнам.  


It seems that Saint-Saëns also suggested to his Russian colleague that he ought to present himself in [[Paris]] with a concert drawn up exclusively from his own works, and this was an idea which Tchaikovsky would later take up. Similarly, Saint-Saëns discussed the possibility of organizing the first performance of the overture-fantasia ''[[Romeo and Juliet]]'' in France, for in a letter which [[Modest]] wrote to his brother from [[Lyons]] in March 1876 he told Tchaikovsky that he had happened to meet Saint-Saëns at a concert there and had asked him if he could say anything specific about when this performance of ''[[Romeo and Juliet]]'' might take place: "He [Saint-Saëns] was very kind, recognized me immediately, told me that he had received your letter and photograph [letter 441a], and said that he really did not know when ''[[Romeo]]'' would be performed, but promised that he would write to you as soon as he had made enquiries. He referred to you as ''"ce cher Tchaïkovsky"'' all the time" <ref name="note3"/>. Tchaikovsky's reply to his brother shows something of that touchiness which would mark his attitude to foreign colleagues for quite a long time (until the second half of the 1880s, when his reputation was at last firmly established in Western Europe):
|Translated text={{right|''28 July 1864''}}
Dear [[Sasha]]! You are wrong to suppose that the reason why I'm not in [[Kamenka]] is that I feel so well at Golitsyn's <ref name="note1"/> that I cannot bring myself to part with him. I make no secret that I feel very well here, but I have no doubt that at your place, in the company of your husband, children and all your family, I would feel far better. However, for all that my heart draws me towards you, my reason says distinctly that for many reasons I must postpone my visit to [[Kamenka]] until next summer: then I would come directly from [[Petersburg]] and stay the whole three months. So that you do not imagine that my heart's longing to be with you isn't that great, let me tell you that before my departure from [[Petersburg]] I made preparations to travel straight to your place, but circumstances didn't allow me to <ref name="note2"/>; moreover, I came here hoping that I would be able to make my way to you without any particular inconvenience.


{{quote|Your letter gladdened me very much, but it did anger me somewhat that you asked Saint-Saëns ''when my overture is going to be played''. I mean, he might get the impression that I am dying to see myself ''performed'' in [[Paris]]. Granted, that may indeed be the case, but Saint-Saëns must on no account find out that it is so" <ref name="note4"/>.}}
I thank you for your letter. It really did set my mind at rest: I had been somewhat afraid lest you should be angry with me. The bad weather which you write about doesn't frighten me in the least: here it is in no way better. I am leading a very quiet life, and, apart from Golitsyn, I am seeing no one <ref name="note3"/>. Tell [[Vera Vasilyevna]] that my "''[[The Storm|Storm]]''" is rumbling along, and that she (i.e. [[Vera Vasilyevna]]) may run the risk of hearing it at the Russian Musical Society. I haven't had any news from [[Papasha]], [[Tolya]] and [[Modya]] for about a month.  


We find the same touchiness at work in Tchaikovsky's letter to [[Karl Albrecht]] early in 1878 (letter 720 quoted in the list below) in which he explained why he did not want to act as a delegate for Russian music at the World Fair in [[Paris]] that summer. The thought that he would be treated condescendingly by French colleagues to whom he felt immeasurably superior was too much for him to bear! It is interesting that Tchaikovsky singles out Saint-Saëns amongst the Parisian "celebrities" in this letter and observes that he considered himself to be "a whole Alpine mountain higher" than his elder contemporary in terms of talent. Certainly, another letter included below indicates that he rated [[Bizet]] and [[Delibes]] higher than Saint-Saëns.
Have you perhaps received any letters addressed to me? If ''yes'', then please forward them to me here!  
 
Nevertheless, it does seem that thanks to Saint-Saëns's initiative the ''[[Romeo and Juliet]]'' overture was finally performed in [[Paris]] at one of the popular concerts conducted by Jules Pasdeloup in December 1876. [[Sergey Taneyev]], who was then staying in the French capital, reported on this to his former teacher and also added: "At Saint-Saëns's house I played your [[Piano Concerto No. 1|concerto]], which went down very well with everyone. On the whole the musicians here are very interested in your works" <ref name="note5"/>. In his reply to [[Taneyev]] Tchaikovsky now took up the suggestion which Saint-Saëns had made during his visit to [[Moscow]] in 1875:
 
{{quote|Last year Saint-Saëns advised me to give a concert in [[Paris]] with a programme drawn exclusively from my own compositions. He told me that one could organize this at the Châtelet with [[Colonne]]'s orchestra and that it is not particularly expensive. Now I have seized on this idea and would like to carry it out. Would you be so kind, my friend, as to call on M-r Camille de Saint-Saëns and discuss this in detail with him: 1) does he still recommend me to give a concert?; 2) how much approximately will this treat cost me?; 3) when is the best time to do this? I am even prepared to ''conduct the concert myself''. This will seem odd to you, but the point is that I can bring myself to do this precisely because it would be in [[Paris]] and not [[Moscow]], where people know me too well and where the opinion has become far too deeply ingrained that I am not cut out to be a conductor" <ref name="note6"/>.}}
 
In this letter Tchaikovsky also listed the works which he thought would be suitable for performance in [[Paris]] — the ''[[Romeo and Juliet]]'' overture, the ''Andante cantabile'' from [[String Quartet No. 1]] (arranged for string orchestra), [[Piano Concerto No. 1]] (with [[Taneyev]] as the potential soloist), ''[[The Tempest]]'', the Finale from the [[Second Symphony]], dances from ''[[The Oprichnik]]'', and a number of songs (which the composer hoped [[Pauline Viardot]] might agree to perform!) — and concluded that even if he was being unrealistic: "But still I kindly ask you to take my request to heart and have a thorough discussion with Saint-Saëns. If he says ''yes'' and if I have the chance to get hold of enough money, then I will immediately enter into direct negotiations with [[Colonne]]" <ref name="note7"/>. Tchaikovsky was certainly not building castles in the air, since all the signals he received from [[Paris]] were positive. Thus, [[Taneyev]] replied to Tchaikovsky a few days later, saying that he had just seen Saint-Saëns and that "he recommends you to give a concert now more than ever before", since the ''[[Romeo and Juliet]]'' overture had made a very favourable impression, especially on the orchestra musicians who had played it at Pasdeloup's concert <ref name="note8"/>. Tchaikovsky in his turn wrote to his former pupil that he had just sent off a letter to [[Édouard Colonne]] and that he was confident of being able to raise the required 1,000 rubles: "I am amazed by how cheap it is to hire the orchestra and venue, and I am very happy that Saint-Saëns is encouraging me to give a concert" <ref name="note9"/>. Unfortunately, Tchaikovsky was ultimately unable to raise that sum and the concert in [[Paris]] in 1877 on which he had placed considerable hopes did not come off. It would still be a few years before he was properly recognized in France as one of Europe's leading composers.
 
On 13 June 1886 {{NS}}, during his one-month stay in [[Paris]] that summer, Tchaikovsky, together with the cellist [[Anatoly Brandukov]], went to call on Saint-Saëns, but the latter was not in <ref name="note10"/>. Tchaikovsky left his visiting-card, but unfortunately the Frenchman did not receive it until his colleague had already left for Russia. Once he was back in [[Maydanovo]], Tchaikovsky received a letter of apology in which Saint-Saëns explained that letters and visiting-cards sent to him sometimes disappeared for a few days because his aged mother often mislaid them. He closed off his apology with the following assurance: "Whenever appearances are against me, I ask you not to believe them. You shall always find in me a devoted and reliable friend — never forget this!" <ref name="note11"/>. Later that year a diary entry shows that Tchaikovsky and [[Herman Laroche]], who was a frequent guest at [[Maydanovo]], played through Saint-Saëns's unusually scored Septet, Op.65 <ref name="note12"/>.
 
In the spring of 1887 Saint-Saëns came to Russia for a second time and was made an honorary member of the [[Saint Petersburg]] branch of the Russian Musical Society. During his stay in the northern capital he also attended a performance of ''[[Yevgeny Onegin]]'' at the Mariinsky Theatre, and an entry for 12/24 April 1887 in the log-book of [[Gennady Kondratyev]], the chief director of the Imperial theatres, records the impression it made on the distinguished guest from France: "Saint-Saëns, as well as the soloists and professors from the [[Paris]] Conservatoire who had come with him, heard the opera [''[[Onegin]]''] and went into raptures over it" <ref name="note13"/>. On 18/30 April and 19 April/1 May, Saint-Saëns was also due to give two concerts in [[Moscow]] and he wrote to Tchaikovsky (who was then in [[Maydanovo]]), asking if he would be able to attend these. Tchaikovsky replied saying that unfortunately he did not feel well enough to make the journey into [[Moscow]], but the real reason for his decision not to attend these concerts, as he explained in a letter to [[Nadezhda von Meck]], was that he knew beforehand that the audience numbers would be very low and he felt so sorry for Saint-Saëns that he preferred not to have to witness this humiliation of an esteemed colleague <ref name="note14"/>.
 
After 1875 the two composers did not in fact meet again until the summer of 1893 when they both arrived in England to collect their honorary doctorates in music from the University of [[Cambridge]]. A few days before the degree ceremony there a Philharmonic Society concert was held at the St. James's Hall in [[London]] on 1 June 1893 {{NS}} at which Tchaikovsky conducted the first performance in England of his [[Fourth Symphony]]. Saint-Saëns was also due to perform in the second half of this concert, and in a letter to his brother [[Modest]] (quoted below) Tchaikovsky noted how the triumphant success of his symphony had made the Frenchman feel rather awkward about stepping onto the concert podium immediately afterwards. It seems that the tables were now turned increasingly in Tchaikovsky's favour, as far as international acclaim was concerned!
 
Still, the honours conferred on them by the University of [[Cambridge]] (as well as on Arrigo Boito and Max Bruch) were the same, and the concert held in the [[Cambridge]] Guildhall on 12 June 1893 {{NS}} featured a work by each of these composers. On that occasion Tchaikovsky conducted the first performance in England of ''[[Francesca da Rimini]]'', whilst Saint-Saëns played the piano part in his own orchestral fantasia ''Afrique'', Op.89, which he had recently completed in Cairo. In his collection of essays ''Portraits et souvenirs'' (1900) Saint-Saëns looked back on this concert in [[Cambridge]] and gave his impressions of ''[[Francesca da Rimini]]'', noting how this work literally bristled with difficulties and violent effects: "[Tchaikovsky], the gentlest and most affable of men here gave free rein to a frenzied storm and showed no more clemency towards the musicians and his listeners than Satan towards the sinners in hell." However, the long melodic phrase evoking Francesca and Paolo's love "reigned supreme over this infernal storm" and, although in his view [[Liszt]]'s ''Dante'' symphony was more moving and genuinely Italian in character, Tchaikovsky's fantasia was the more musically perfect: "Indeed, both these works can live peacefully alongside one another — they are both worthy of [[Dante]]'s original poem" <ref name="note15"/>.
 
On 6/18 October 1893, the day before he left [[Klin]] for the last time, Tchaikovsky went through Saint-Saëns's famous Cello Concerto No. 1 with the cellists [[Brandukov]] and [[Yulian Poplavsky]] who had both come to visit him. The reason for this was that [[Brandukov]] was due to play the concerto in [[Saint Petersburg]], with Tchaikovsky himself conducting <ref name="note16"/>. The composer's death meant that this concert could not ultimately take place.
 
Saint-Saëns was greatly saddened by the news of Tchaikovsky's death and he wrote a letter to the Russian Embassy in [[Paris]] shortly afterwards: "I would be much obliged to you if you could let people in Russia know the extent to which I share in the grief felt by the friends of the great composer whose talent I admire enormously and towards whom I had been bound by friendship for a long time — a friendship which increased further this summer in England, where I had the good fortune to meet him and spend a few days in his company. His death is a great loss for the art of music, since he had many years of creative work ahead of him, perhaps even his finest years" <ref name="note17"/>.
 
==General Reflections on Saint-Saëns==
Bold references indicate particularly detailed or interesting references)
 
===In Tchaikovsky's Music Review Articles===
 
* '''[[TH 312]]''' — Tchaikovsky refers to Saint-Saëns's prominent position amongst the avant-garde French composers; gives an outline of his biography, stressing his achievement in familiarizing his countrymen with the German school of music; argues that the finest traits of the French national character ("sincerity, enthusiasm, cordiality, intelligence") were reflected in Saint-Saëns's music; mentions the latter's veneration of [[Bach]] and how he sometimes paid tribute to him in his works; and praises the ''Danse macabre'' enthusiastically.
* '''[[TH 313]]''' — describes Saint-Saëns's originality in terms of his "extremely felicitous fusion of the manner of [[Johann Sebastian Bach]] with national French elements"; praises the novel harmonic devices and instrumentation deployed by the Frenchman; and notes how Saint-Saëns had been deeply moved by the Russian public's enthusiastic response to his concerts.
 
===In Tchaikovsky's Letters===
 
* [[Letter 425]] to [[Anatoly Tchaikovsky]], 11/23 December 1875:
::"As for significant things that have happened, I can tell you that I have become great friends with Saint-Saëns, a splendid and intelligent Frenchman, who may be able to do me some important favours with regard to propagating my fame in [[Paris]]."
 
* [[Letter 720]] to [[Karl Albrecht]], 8/20 January 1878, in which Tchaikovsky explains why he felt that he had taken the right decision in refusing to represent Russia at the World Fair in [[Paris]] that summer, pointing out that he lacked sufficient experience as a conductor to be able to present the works of his fellow-countrymen adequately, and that the chance to make himself well-known in [[Paris]] did not appeal to him:
::"…As for getting to know the musical world of [[Paris]], precisely that would be the most terrible thing for me. Having to pay compliments and suck up to all kinds of riff-raff — that is what is so loathsome to my character. Pride manifests itself in people in different ways. In my case it manifests itself in the way that I avoid coming into contact with people who do not recognize my merits or who are unaware of them. It would be unbearable for me to have to stand humbly in front of Saint-Saëns, say, and sense his patronizing glance directed at me when in my heart of hearts I consider myself to be ''a whole Alpine mountain'' higher than him. In [[Paris]] my self-esteem (which, in spite of my apparent modesty, is huge) would suffer terribly all the time precisely due to the need to meet various celebrities who would treat me condescendingly. As for foisting my works on them, creeping up to these people and trying to convince them of my worth — that is something which I am incapable of…"
 
* [[Letter 982]] to [[Nadezhda von Meck]], 26 November/8 December 1878:
::"[[Massenet]] I rate lower than [[Bizet]], [[Delibes]], and even Saint-Saëns, but in his [Massenet's] music, too, as is the case with all contemporary French composers, one finds that element of freshness which the Germans lack."
 
* [[Letter 1115]] to [[Nadezhda von Meck]], 19 February/3 March–20 February/4 March 1879, in which Tchaikovsky explains why he did not wish to call on [[Turgenev]] and [[Pauline Viardot]] during his stay in [[Paris]], and recalls his awkward meetings with [[Tolstoy]] in 1876:
::"…And that, my dear friend, is why I do not call on [[Turgenev]] or anyone else for that matter. I mean, there is no shortage of people here whom I could go to see! Saint-Saëns, for example, who during his stay in [[Moscow]] [in 1875] made me promise that I would visit him whenever I found myself in [[Paris]]. Anyone else in my place would have made sure to acquaint myself with all the local musicians and composers. And it really is a pity that I cannot bring myself to do this: I am losing out on a lot due to my unsociability."
 
* [[Letter 2227]] to [[Nadezhda von Meck]], 21 February/5 March–24 February/8 March 1883, from [[Paris]]:
::"I haven't yet heard Saint-Saëns's ''Henri VIII'', which was staged at the Grand Opéra a few days ago. Judging from the newspaper reviews, it is clear that the opera was a real success. That's something I hadn't expected, since I know his other operas well — ''Samson et Dalila, Étienne Marcel'', and ''La princesse jaune'' — and all these three operas left me convinced that Saint-Saëns would hardly be able to create anything significant in the realm of dramatic music. Next week I will go and listen to his opera, and I shall let you know about my impressions"
 
* [[Letter 2228]] to [[Anatoly Tchaikovsky]], 25 February/9 March 1883:
::"I still haven't been able to see Saint-Saëns's new opera [''Henri VIII''], which was finally put on this week after many months of expectation. All [[Paris]] is now talking about this production. It was a great success. Saint-Saëns has received 60,000 francs from his publisher. Yes, the good fortune of being born a Frenchman! I feel, I know that my ''[[Mazepa]]'' is much better than Saint-Saëns, and yet my opera won't be produced anywhere beyond the miserable stage of the Mariinsky Theatre and what I'll get for it is mere small change."
 
* [[Letter 4940]] to [[Modest Tchaikovsky]], 22 May/3 June 1893, from [[London]], in which Tchaikovsky comments on the success of the concert at the St. James's Hall two days earlier at which he had conducted the [[Fourth Symphony]]:
::"The concert went splendidly, i.e. the unanimous opinion of everyone was that I achieved a veritable triumph, and so ''Saint-Saëns'', who had to make his appearance right after mine, suffered somewhat as a result of my extraordinary success. That is, of course, agreeable, but still what a torment life here is at the height of the ''season''! My diary is already filled up entirely with invitations to luncheons and dinners, and the Englishmen do spend an incredible amount of time on these things. Yesterday the directors [of the Philharmonic Society] organized a banquet for me and Saint-Saëns at the Westminster Club. An amazingly stylish and luxurious place, but just imagine: we sat down to eat at 7 and didn't get up until 11.30 (I'm not exaggerating!)"
 
==Views on Specific Works by Saint-Saëns==
Bold references indicate particularly detailed or interesting references
 
===In Tchaikovsky's Music Review Articles===
* ''Danse macabre'', symphonic poem, Op.40 (1872) — '''[[TH 312]]'''
* ''Le Rouet d'Omphale,'' symphonic poem, Op.31 (1871) — [[TH 313]]
* Piano Concerto No. 2 in G minor, Op.22 (1868) — '''[[TH 312]]'''
* Piano Concerto No. 3 in E♭ major, Op.28 (1869) — [[TH 313]]
* Piano Quartet in B♭ major, Op.41 (1875) — [[TH 313]]
* ''Variations sur un thème de Beethoven'', Op.35 (1874) — [[TH 313]]
 
===In Tchaikovsky's Letters===
* ''Étienne Marcel'', opera (1879) — [[Letter 1106]] to [[Nadezhda von Meck]], 12/24 February–13/25 February 1879:
::"I have just been playing through'' Étienne Marcel''. All one can say about this opera is that it is a completely insignificant, even undistinguished work. It's banal, dry, boring, shameless, and without any character. I have the impression that Saint-Saëns was seeking to ingratiate himself with the public by means of a deliberate simplicity, but not everything that is simple is good. What can be simpler than ''Don Giovanni ''or ''A Life for the Tsar''?! But the point is that these operas are not merely simple, but also astonishingly good because so much inspiration and creativity of genius has gone into them. We find neither the one nor the other in Saint-Saëns: he just has skill, knowledge, and taste. These three qualities are sufficient for those small symphonic paintings of his, some of which really have come out very well, but for an opera he just didn't have enough material. What is particularly striking is the melodic poverty of this work"
 
* ''Samson et Dalila'', opera (1877) — see [[Letter 2227]] to [[Nadezhda von Meck]] quoted above
 
==Correspondence with Tchaikovsky==
4 letters from Tchaikovsky to Camille Saint-Saëns have survived, dating from 1876 to 1887, all of which have been translated into English on this website:
* '''[[Letter 441a]]''' – 27 January/8 February 1876, from [[Moscow]]
* '''[[Letter 2949]]''' – 12/24 May 1886, from [[Marseilles]]
* '''[[Letter 2969]]''' – 9/21 June 1886, from [[Paris]]
* '''[[Letter 3227]]''' – 18/30 April 1887, from [[Maydanovo]]
 
2 letters from Saint-Saëns to Tchaikovsky, dating from 1886 and 1887, are preserved in the [[Klin]] House-Museum Archive.
 
==Bibliography==
* {{bib|1958/23}} (1958}
* {{bib|1960/61}} (1960)
* {{bib|1968/16}} (1968)
 
==External Links==
* [[wikipedia:Camille_Saint-Saëns|Wikipedia]]
* {{IMSLP|Saint-Saëns,_Camille}}
* [http://www.tchaikov.ru/sensans.html Belcanto] (in Russian)


And so, I thank you once again, dear [[Sasha]]; I am terribly sad that I cannot be at your place, but I must submit to my destiny. I beg your forgiveness for not having kept my promise. Give a kiss to [[Leva]] and Alyosha <ref name="note4"/>. Hug and mercilessly smother [[Tanya]] and [[Vera]] with kisses from me. Give my humble regards to Aleksandra Ivanovna and Yelizaveta, Aleksandra, Sofya and [[Vera Vasilyevna]] <ref name="note5"/>.
}}
==Notes and References==
==Notes and References==
<references>
<references>
<ref name="note1">See {{bib|1900/35|Жизнь Петра Ильича Чайковского ; том 1}} (1997), p. 446.</ref>
<ref name="note1">Tchaikovsky was spending the summer at the estate of his friend Prince Aleksey Vasilyevich Golitsyn (1832-1901) in [[Trostinets]], [[Kharkov]] province. He had been introduced to Golitsyn, a diplomat with a great interest in the arts, some years earlier, when he was still working at the Ministry of Justice. Golitsyn was one of the few society friends of Tchaikovsky's who stayed in touch with him after his decision to abandon the hedonistic lifestyle of a young man about town and to devote himself to music in earnest. Moreover, as [[Modest Tchaikovsky]] tells us in his biography of the composer, Golitsyn generously helped him to find pupils and often invited him to dine at his house in [[Saint Petersburg]] — see {{bib|1997/94|Жизнь Петра Ильича Чайковского ; том 1}} (1997), p. 175. Golitsyn also moved in the aristocratic homosexual circles of [[Saint Petersburg]] and other European cities, and Tchaikovsky would frequently meet up with him during his long stays abroad in later years, even though he had ambivalent feelings about his friend's lifestyle. For more details on Golitsyn and his friendship with the composer, see {{bib|1993/186|Tchaikovsky. The quest for the inner man}} (1993).</ref>
<ref name="note2">{{bib|1900/35|Жизнь Петра Ильича Чайковского ; том 1}} (1997), p. 447.</ref>
<ref name="note2">According to [[Modest]], his brother did not have enough money to make the journey to [[Kamenka]] that summer: there was as yet no railway connection to the Ukraine, and travelling to [[Kiev]] by stage-coach was very expensive. Tchaikovsky had therefore accepted Prince Golitsyn's invitation to make use of a free seat in his private stage-coach with which he was travelling from [[Moscow]] to [[Kharkov]] — see {{bib|1997/94|Жизнь Петра Ильича Чайковского ; том 1}} (1997), p. 175.</ref>
<ref name="note3">Letter from [[Modest Tchaikovsky]] to the composer, 14/26 March 1876. Quoted in {{bib|1955/37|П. И. Чайковский: Письма к близким. Избранное}} (1955), p. 575.</ref>
<ref name="note3">It is worth supplementing this letter with the more detailed account provided by [[Modest]] in his biography: "This stay [at [[Trostinets]]] remained in Pyotr Ilyich's memory like something out of a fairy-tale. Until then he had never before been surrounded by such luxury and opulence. He was given complete freedom to do what he liked. The location proved to be wondrous, with many varied walks, one better than the other. In the mornings and afternoons he would apply himself to his work or undertake solitary excursions, and only at dinner-time and in the evenings did he join the prince and his guests". On Tchaikovsky's name-day (29 June/10 July), Golitsyn organised some festivities in honour of his friend. A celebratory breakfast was followed later that evening by a carriage ride through the forest, "where the whole road had been flanked with flaming pitch barrels, while in a pavilion in the midst of the woods a feast for the peasants had been set up as well as a sumptuous supper in honour of the subject of the celebration" — see {{bib|1997/94|Жизнь Петра Ильича Чайковского ; том 1}} (1997), p. 175.</ref>
<ref name="note4">[[Letter 457]] to [[Modest Tchaikovsky]], 24 March/5 April 1876.</ref>
<ref name="note4">Aleksey Vasilyevich Davydov (1846-1909), the younger brother of [[Lev Davydov]].</ref>
<ref name="note5">Letter from [[Sergey Taneyev]] to Tchaikovsky, 28 November/10 December 1876, included in {{bib|1951/48|П. И. Чайковский. С. И. Танеев. Письма}} (1951), p. 9–10.</ref>
<ref name="note5">Aleksandra Ivanova Davydova (née Potapova; 1802-1895) was the mother of [[Lev Davydov]]. In the autumn of 1863 she had moved to [[Saint Petersburg]] together with her daughters Yelizaveta (1823-1904), Aleksandra (1827-1917), Sofya (1832-1903) and [[Vera]] (1843-1923), although they continued to spend the summer months at [[Kamenka]]. Tchaikovsky had very quickly become friends with the whole family. He especially liked to listen to Aleksandra Ivanovna talk about her eventful life: her late husband, Vasily Lvovich Davydov (1792-1855), had taken part in the famous "Decembrist uprising" of 1825, and she had followed him into exile in Siberia. She had also been acquainted with [[Pushkin]], because the poet had often stayed at the Davydovs' family estate at [[Kamenka]]. Among Aleksandra Ivanovna's daughters, it was [[Vera]] whom Tchaikovsky found the most congenial because of her love of music. As [[Modest]] put it in his biography of the composer, he acted as [[Vera]]'s "musical protector and cicerone", introducing his sister-in-law to the works of [[Schumann]], [[Berlioz]] and [[Glinka]]. [[Vera Butakova|Vera]] would in fact fall in love with Tchaikovsky, but her feelings were not reciprocated and she later married a much older man, Vice-Admiral Ivan Ivanovich Butakov (1822-1882). Although the other Davydov sisters, except for Yelizaveta, were not as interested in music, Tchaikovsky also enjoyed their company very much, especially that of Yelizaveta, who was very artistic herself (she was an accomplished illustrator of travel books) and had known such leading artists as the writer [[Nikolay Gogol]] and the painter Aleksandr Ivanov. In letters to his own relatives, Tchaikovsky would frequently refer to Aleksandra Ivanovna and her daughters Yelizaveta and Aleksandra as "our three angels" or "our three darlings" — see {{bib|1997/94|Жизнь Петра Ильича Чайковского ; том 1}} (1997), p. 173-175.</ref>
<ref name="note6">[[Letter 518]] to [[Sergey Taneyev]], 5/17 December 1876.</ref>
<ref name="note7">[[Letter 518]] to [[Sergey Taneyev]], 5/17 December 1876.</ref>
<ref name="note8">Letter from [[Sergey Taneyev]] to Tchaikovsky, 16/28 December 1876, included in {{bib|1951/48|П. И. Чайковский. С. И. Танеев. Письма}} (1951), p. 14.</ref>
<ref name="note9">[[Letter 528]] to [[Sergey Taneyev]], 25 December 1876/6 January 1877.</ref>
<ref name="note10">Diary entry for 1/13 June 1886, in {{bib|1993/231|Дневники П. И. Чайковского, 1873–1891}} (1993), p. 65.</ref>
<ref name="note11">Letter from Camille Saint-Saëns to Tchaikovsky, 20 or 21 June 1886 {{NS}}, included in {{bib|1970/6|Чайковский и зарубежные музыканты}} (1970), p. 170 and p. 217 (in the original French).</ref>
<ref name="note12">Diary entry for 7/19 October 1886, in {{bib|1993/231|Дневники П. И. Чайковского, 1873–1891}} (1993), p. 101.</ref>
<ref name="note13">Quoted in {{bib|1940/107|Дни и годы П. И. Чайковского. Летопись жизни и творчества}} (1940), p. 606.</ref>
<ref name="note14">See [[Letter 3227]] to Camille Saint-Saëns, 18/30 April 1887 and [[Letter 3239]] to [[Nadezhda von Meck]], 24 April/6 May 1887. Tchaikovsky does not explain in his letter to her why he was so sure that these concerts would draw but a small audience.</ref>
<ref name="note15">Saint-Saëns's reflections are quoted at length in {{bib|1997/96|Жизнь Петра Ильича Чайковского ; том 3}} (1997), p. 550.</ref>
<ref name="note16">See {{bib|1980/130|Последний день П. И. Чайковского в Клину}} (1980), p. 321.</ref>
<ref name="note17">Quoted in {{bib|1970/6|Чайковский и зарубежные музыканты}} (1970), p. 170.</ref>
</references>
</references>
[[Category:People|Saint-Saens, Camille]]
{{DEFAULTSORT:Letter 0068}}
[[Category:Composers|Saint-Saens, Camille]]
[[Category:Correspondents|Saint-Saens, Camille]]

Latest revision as of 13:29, 18 January 2024

Date 28 July/9 August 1864
Addressed to Aleksandra Davydova
Where written Trostinets
Language Russian
Autograph Location Saint Petersburg (Russia): National Library of Russia (ф. 834, ед. хр. 16, л. 16–17)
Publication Жизнь Петра Ильича Чайковского, том 1 (1900), p. 191 (abridged)
П. И. Чайковский. Письма к родным (1940), p. 64
П. И. Чайковский. Письма к близким. Избранное (1955), p. 16
П. И. Чайковский. Полное собрание сочинений, том V (1959), p. 80–81
Piotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. Letters to his family. An autobiography (1981), p. 14–15 (English translation)

Text and Translation

Russian text
(original)
English translation
By Luis Sundkvist
28 июля 1864

Милая Саша! Напрасно ты думаешь, что меня нет в Каменке потому, что у Голицына мне так хорошо, что я не могу с ним расстаться. Я не скрываю, что мне здесь очень хорошо, но не сомневаюсь в том, что у тебя, с твоим мужем, детьми и всем Вашим семейством, — мне было бы гораздо ещё лучше. Но как сердце меня ни тянет к тебе, — а рассудок ясно говорит, что по весьма многим причинам следует мою поездку в Каменку отложить до будущего лета и уж тогда — прямо из Петербурга на все три месяца. Чтоб ты не думала, что я недостаточно стремлюсь к Вам душой, я тебе скажу, что перед отъездом из Петербурга я хлопотал ехать прямо к тебе, но обстоятельства этого не позволили; сюда же я приехал, надеясь без особенных неудобств пробраться к тебе.

Благодарю тебя за письмо. Оно меня действительно успокоило; я немножко боялся, чтоб ты не сердилась. Худая погода, о к[ото]рой ты пишешь, меня ни мало не ужасает, — здесь она нисколько не лучше. Живу я очень покойно и, кроме Голицына, никого не вижу. Скажи Вере Васильевне, что «Гроза» моя сильно подвигается и что она (т. е. В[ера] В[асильевна]) рискует услышать её в Русском музык[альном] общ[естве]. От Папаши, Толи и Моди не имею уже с месяц никаких известий.

Не получила ли ты на моё имя писем; если да, то перешли их, пожалуйста, сюда!

Итак, ещё раз благодарю тебя, милая Саша, грущу до смерти, что не могу быть у тебя, но повинуюсь своей судьбе и прошу твоего извиненья, что не исполнил обещания. Поцелуй Лёву и Алёшу. Таню и Веру пожми и разлобызай от меня нещадно. Кланяйся низко Александре Ивановне и Е[лизавете], А[лександре], С[офье] и Вере Васильевнам.

28 July 1864

Dear Sasha! You are wrong to suppose that the reason why I'm not in Kamenka is that I feel so well at Golitsyn's [1] that I cannot bring myself to part with him. I make no secret that I feel very well here, but I have no doubt that at your place, in the company of your husband, children and all your family, I would feel far better. However, for all that my heart draws me towards you, my reason says distinctly that for many reasons I must postpone my visit to Kamenka until next summer: then I would come directly from Petersburg and stay the whole three months. So that you do not imagine that my heart's longing to be with you isn't that great, let me tell you that before my departure from Petersburg I made preparations to travel straight to your place, but circumstances didn't allow me to [2]; moreover, I came here hoping that I would be able to make my way to you without any particular inconvenience.

I thank you for your letter. It really did set my mind at rest: I had been somewhat afraid lest you should be angry with me. The bad weather which you write about doesn't frighten me in the least: here it is in no way better. I am leading a very quiet life, and, apart from Golitsyn, I am seeing no one [3]. Tell Vera Vasilyevna that my "Storm" is rumbling along, and that she (i.e. Vera Vasilyevna) may run the risk of hearing it at the Russian Musical Society. I haven't had any news from Papasha, Tolya and Modya for about a month.

Have you perhaps received any letters addressed to me? If yes, then please forward them to me here!

And so, I thank you once again, dear Sasha; I am terribly sad that I cannot be at your place, but I must submit to my destiny. I beg your forgiveness for not having kept my promise. Give a kiss to Leva and Alyosha [4]. Hug and mercilessly smother Tanya and Vera with kisses from me. Give my humble regards to Aleksandra Ivanovna and Yelizaveta, Aleksandra, Sofya and Vera Vasilyevna [5].

Notes and References

  1. Tchaikovsky was spending the summer at the estate of his friend Prince Aleksey Vasilyevich Golitsyn (1832-1901) in Trostinets, Kharkov province. He had been introduced to Golitsyn, a diplomat with a great interest in the arts, some years earlier, when he was still working at the Ministry of Justice. Golitsyn was one of the few society friends of Tchaikovsky's who stayed in touch with him after his decision to abandon the hedonistic lifestyle of a young man about town and to devote himself to music in earnest. Moreover, as Modest Tchaikovsky tells us in his biography of the composer, Golitsyn generously helped him to find pupils and often invited him to dine at his house in Saint Petersburg — see Жизнь Петра Ильича Чайковского, том 1 (1997), p. 175. Golitsyn also moved in the aristocratic homosexual circles of Saint Petersburg and other European cities, and Tchaikovsky would frequently meet up with him during his long stays abroad in later years, even though he had ambivalent feelings about his friend's lifestyle. For more details on Golitsyn and his friendship with the composer, see Tchaikovsky. The quest for the inner man (1993).
  2. According to Modest, his brother did not have enough money to make the journey to Kamenka that summer: there was as yet no railway connection to the Ukraine, and travelling to Kiev by stage-coach was very expensive. Tchaikovsky had therefore accepted Prince Golitsyn's invitation to make use of a free seat in his private stage-coach with which he was travelling from Moscow to Kharkov — see Жизнь Петра Ильича Чайковского, том 1 (1997), p. 175.
  3. It is worth supplementing this letter with the more detailed account provided by Modest in his biography: "This stay [at Trostinets] remained in Pyotr Ilyich's memory like something out of a fairy-tale. Until then he had never before been surrounded by such luxury and opulence. He was given complete freedom to do what he liked. The location proved to be wondrous, with many varied walks, one better than the other. In the mornings and afternoons he would apply himself to his work or undertake solitary excursions, and only at dinner-time and in the evenings did he join the prince and his guests". On Tchaikovsky's name-day (29 June/10 July), Golitsyn organised some festivities in honour of his friend. A celebratory breakfast was followed later that evening by a carriage ride through the forest, "where the whole road had been flanked with flaming pitch barrels, while in a pavilion in the midst of the woods a feast for the peasants had been set up as well as a sumptuous supper in honour of the subject of the celebration" — see Жизнь Петра Ильича Чайковского, том 1 (1997), p. 175.
  4. Aleksey Vasilyevich Davydov (1846-1909), the younger brother of Lev Davydov.
  5. Aleksandra Ivanova Davydova (née Potapova; 1802-1895) was the mother of Lev Davydov. In the autumn of 1863 she had moved to Saint Petersburg together with her daughters Yelizaveta (1823-1904), Aleksandra (1827-1917), Sofya (1832-1903) and Vera (1843-1923), although they continued to spend the summer months at Kamenka. Tchaikovsky had very quickly become friends with the whole family. He especially liked to listen to Aleksandra Ivanovna talk about her eventful life: her late husband, Vasily Lvovich Davydov (1792-1855), had taken part in the famous "Decembrist uprising" of 1825, and she had followed him into exile in Siberia. She had also been acquainted with Pushkin, because the poet had often stayed at the Davydovs' family estate at Kamenka. Among Aleksandra Ivanovna's daughters, it was Vera whom Tchaikovsky found the most congenial because of her love of music. As Modest put it in his biography of the composer, he acted as Vera's "musical protector and cicerone", introducing his sister-in-law to the works of Schumann, Berlioz and Glinka. Vera would in fact fall in love with Tchaikovsky, but her feelings were not reciprocated and she later married a much older man, Vice-Admiral Ivan Ivanovich Butakov (1822-1882). Although the other Davydov sisters, except for Yelizaveta, were not as interested in music, Tchaikovsky also enjoyed their company very much, especially that of Yelizaveta, who was very artistic herself (she was an accomplished illustrator of travel books) and had known such leading artists as the writer Nikolay Gogol and the painter Aleksandr Ivanov. In letters to his own relatives, Tchaikovsky would frequently refer to Aleksandra Ivanovna and her daughters Yelizaveta and Aleksandra as "our three angels" or "our three darlings" — see Жизнь Петра Ильича Чайковского, том 1 (1997), p. 173-175.