Letter 1646

Tchaikovsky Research
Date 13/25 December 1880
Addressed to Sergey Taneyev
Where written Moscow
Language Russian
Autograph Location Moscow (Russia): Russian State Archive of Literature and Art (ф. 880)
Publication П. И. Чайковский. С. И. Танеев. Письма (1951), p. 65–66
П. И. Чайковский. Полное собрание сочинений, том IX (1965), p. 331

Text and Translation

Russian text
(original)
English translation
By Luis Sundkvist
13 дек[абря]

Сергей Иванович! Решительно не могу вспомнить переулка и дома, в коём живут Масловы, и потому принуждён просить Вас предупредить Анну Ивановну, что, к величайшему сожалению, не могу сегодня быть у них. Хотел заехать утром, да не поспел, а теперь у меня сидят приезжие из Петербурга, коих не могу оставить. Поздравьте её от меня и передайте, что в воскресенье я во всяком случае обедаю у них. Очень жаль, что не могу попасть к ним сегодня, но виноваты Вы, а не я.

До свиданья!

П. Чайковский


Обуховский переулок, на Пречистенке, у Пожарного депо, в собст. доме. С. И. Танееву. А в случае его отсутствия прошу многоуважаемую Варвару Павловну прочесть это письмо и исполнить просьбу.

13 December [1]

Sergey Ivanovich! I simply cannot remember the lane and house in which the Maslovs live, and so I am forced to ask you to notify Anna Ivanovna that, to my utmost regret, I cannot visit them today. I wanted to drop in on them in the morning, but didn't get round to doing so, and now I have visitors from Petersburg at my place whom I cannot leave on their own. Would you congratulate her on my behalf and tell her that on Sunday I shall in any case dine at their house. It is a great pity that I cannot come to them today, but the fault is yours, not mine.

Until we meet!

P. Tchaikovsky


Obukhovo Lane, on Prechistenka Street, next to the Fire Station, in a private house. For S. I. Taneyev. In the event that he should be absent, I ask much esteemed Varvara Pavlovna to read this letter and carry out the request [2]

Notes and References

  1. When writing the date of this short letter Tchaikovsky did not indicate the year. Taneyev lived at the address written on the envelope from 1877 to 1887, and, taking into account Tchaikovsky's own movements, it is possible to narrow down the possible years in which this letter could have been written to 1880, 1883, and 1886. The most likely year, according to Vladimir Zhdanov, is 1880, when Tchaikovsky was staying in Moscow and met up with lots of musical colleagues. On 18/30 December 1880 he wrote to his brother Modest: "Daily dinners, suppers, and luncheons" (Letter 1651) — note in П. И. Чайковский. С. И. Танеев. Письма (1951), p. 66.
  2. The preceding two sentences were written on the envelope by Tchaikovsky.