Aleksey Apukhtin - Revision history

Brett at 15:21, 23 September 2023

2023-09-23T15:21:49Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 17:21, 23 September 2023
Line 136:		Line 136:
	<ref name="note13">[[Letter 85]] to [[Anatoly Tchaikovsky]], 6/18 February 1866.</ref>		<ref name="note13">[[Letter 85]] to [[Anatoly Tchaikovsky]], 6/18 February 1866.</ref>
	<ref name="note14">See {{bib\|1997/94\|Жизнь Петра Ильича Чайковского ; том 1}} (1997), p. 227–228.</ref>		<ref name="note14">See {{bib\|1997/94\|Жизнь Петра Ильича Чайковского ; том 1}} (1997), p. 227–228.</ref>
	<ref name="note15">Nadezhda Kondratyeva's memoirs are included in {{bib\|1980/24\|Воспоминания о П. И. Чайковском}} (1980), p. 88–101. She recounts, for example, how during a walk around the estate, Apukhtin was so afraid of being bitten by a dog which he thought might have rabies that he threw himself on the ground and wasn't able to get up again by himself.</ref>		<ref name="note15">[[Nadezhda Kondratyeva]]'s memoirs are included in {{bib\|1980/24\|Воспоминания о П. И. Чайковском}} (1980), p. 88–101. She recounts, for example, how during a walk around the estate, Apukhtin was so afraid of being bitten by a dog which he thought might have rabies that he threw himself on the ground and wasn't able to get up again by himself.</ref>
	<ref name="note16">[[Letter 289]] to [[Modest Tchaikovsky]], 13/25 February 1873.</ref>		<ref name="note16">[[Letter 289]] to [[Modest Tchaikovsky]], 13/25 February 1873.</ref>
	<ref name="note17">Letter from Aleksey Apukhtin to Tchaikovsky, 25 October/6 November 1877. Extracts are quoted in {{bib\|1940/107\|Дни и годы П. И. Чайковского. Летопись жизни и творчества}} (1940), p. 154–155, and at greater length in {{bib\|1993/186\|Tchaikovsky: The Quest for the Inner Man}} (1993), p. 262. The poem in question was "In the cold of the world, shivering and exhausted" (В житейском холоде дрожа и изнывая). By the time he received this letter and the enclosed poem, Tchaikovsky had reached [[Clarens]] in Switzerland.</ref>		<ref name="note17">Letter from Aleksey Apukhtin to Tchaikovsky, 25 October/6 November 1877. Extracts are quoted in {{bib\|1940/107\|Дни и годы П. И. Чайковского. Летопись жизни и творчества}} (1940), p. 154–155, and at greater length in {{bib\|1993/186\|Tchaikovsky: The Quest for the Inner Man}} (1993), p. 262. The poem in question was "In the cold of the world, shivering and exhausted" (В житейском холоде дрожа и изнывая). By the time he received this letter and the enclosed poem, Tchaikovsky had reached [[Clarens]] in Switzerland.</ref>

Brett at 08:32, 26 August 2023

2023-08-26T08:32:52Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 10:32, 26 August 2023
Line 1:		Line 1:
	{{picture\|file=~~Aleksey Apukhtin1~~.jpg\|caption='''Aleksey Apukhtin''' (1840-1893)}}		{{picture\|file=Apukhtin_Aleksey_1.jpg\|caption='''Aleksey Apukhtin''' (1840-1893)}}
	Russian poet (b. 15/27 November 1840 at Bolkhov, in Oryol province; d. 17/29 August 1893 in [[Saint Petersburg]]), born '''''Aleksey Nikolayevich Apukhtin''''' (Алексей Николаевич Апухтин).		Russian poet (b. 15/27 November 1840 at Bolkhov, in Oryol province; d. 17/29 August 1893 in [[Saint Petersburg]]), born '''''Aleksey Nikolayevich Apukhtin''''' (Алексей Николаевич Апухтин).
	~~__TOC__~~
	==Tchaikovsky and Apukhtin==		==Tchaikovsky and Apukhtin==
	Born into a gentry family of modest means, Aleksey spent his childhood in the countryside, at [[Pavlodar]] in Kaluga province. He showed poetic gifts at a very early age and was also endowed with an exceptional memory: in later years he was known for being able to quote all of [[Pushkin]] by heart. In 1852, he commenced his studies at the Imperial School of Jurisprudence in [[Saint Petersburg]], where soon many of his classmates and teachers saw in him a future [[Pushkin]]. Tchaikovsky's close friendship with Apukhtin (known to the composer as "Lyolya" (Лёля)) dates from the autumn of 1853 and was based on a shared love of literature and poetry. The young Tchaikovsky looked up to his new friend as by far the more talented and knowledgeable in literature, and he contributed various items for ''The School Herald'', a magazine edited by Apukhtin, including, in 1854, an essay entitled ''A History of Literature in our Class'' which has unfortunately not survived <ref name="note1"/>. However, although Apukhtin's poetic flair was generally admired, he was far less popular than the modest Tchaikovsky, since he tended to look down arrogantly on most of his fellow students.		Born into a gentry family of modest means, Aleksey spent his childhood in the countryside, at [[Pavlodar]] in Kaluga province. He showed poetic gifts at a very early age and was also endowed with an exceptional memory: in later years he was known for being able to quote all of [[Pushkin]] by heart. In 1852, he commenced his studies at the Imperial School of Jurisprudence in [[Saint Petersburg]], where soon many of his classmates and teachers saw in him a future [[Pushkin]]. Tchaikovsky's close friendship with Apukhtin (known to the composer as "Lyolya" (Лёля)) dates from the autumn of 1853 and was based on a shared love of literature and poetry. The young Tchaikovsky looked up to his new friend as by far the more talented and knowledgeable in literature, and he contributed various items for ''The School Herald'', a magazine edited by Apukhtin, including, in 1854, an essay entitled ''A History of Literature in our Class'' which has unfortunately not survived <ref name="note1"/>. However, although Apukhtin's poetic flair was generally admired, he was far less popular than the modest Tchaikovsky, since he tended to look down arrogantly on most of his fellow students.
Line 38:		Line 37:
	Throughout the 1880s, whenever Tchaikovsky happened to be in [[Saint Petersburg]], he would often meet up with Apukhtin, and it was in fact at a soirée in the house of [[Vera Butakova]] on 19/31 March 1880 attended by both artists that the composer was introduced to [[Grand Duke Konstantin Konstantinovich]], who was a fervent admirer of Tchaikovsky's music and also thought highly of Apukhtin as a poet. After the all-Tchaikovsky concert which took place in [[Saint Petersburg]] on 25 March/6 April 1880, Apukhtin sent the composer a copy of his poem ''Does the Day Reign?'' (День ли царит...?). Tchaikovsky would set it to music as No. 6 of the [[Seven Romances, Op. 47]], which he composed later that year. This particular song became very popular in Russia. Apukhtin's own fortunes as a poet took a turn for the better in the 1880s when financial difficulties forced him to do what he had shunned for so many years — namely, to offer his verses to the editors of literary journals. In 1884 and 1885 several poems of his appeared in the leading journals, and in 1886, as mentioned earlier, his first collection of poetry was published. Although this belated acclaim was but relative (the print run of this edition was just 3,000 copies), it must have afforded Apukhtin some solace after the humiliation he had suffered in 1880, when, despite having generously contributed 500 rubles for the monument to [[Pushkin]] that was to be unveiled in [[Moscow]], he was not invited to the festivities.		Throughout the 1880s, whenever Tchaikovsky happened to be in [[Saint Petersburg]], he would often meet up with Apukhtin, and it was in fact at a soirée in the house of [[Vera Butakova]] on 19/31 March 1880 attended by both artists that the composer was introduced to [[Grand Duke Konstantin Konstantinovich]], who was a fervent admirer of Tchaikovsky's music and also thought highly of Apukhtin as a poet. After the all-Tchaikovsky concert which took place in [[Saint Petersburg]] on 25 March/6 April 1880, Apukhtin sent the composer a copy of his poem ''Does the Day Reign?'' (День ли царит...?). Tchaikovsky would set it to music as No. 6 of the [[Seven Romances, Op. 47]], which he composed later that year. This particular song became very popular in Russia. Apukhtin's own fortunes as a poet took a turn for the better in the 1880s when financial difficulties forced him to do what he had shunned for so many years — namely, to offer his verses to the editors of literary journals. In 1884 and 1885 several poems of his appeared in the leading journals, and in 1886, as mentioned earlier, his first collection of poetry was published. Although this belated acclaim was but relative (the print run of this edition was just 3,000 copies), it must have afforded Apukhtin some solace after the humiliation he had suffered in 1880, when, despite having generously contributed 500 rubles for the monument to [[Pushkin]] that was to be unveiled in [[Moscow]], he was not invited to the festivities.

	{{picture\|file=~~Aleksey Apukhtin2~~.jpg\|caption='''Aleksey Apukhtin''' in later life}}		{{picture\|file=Apukhtin_Aleksey_2.jpg\|caption='''Aleksey Apukhtin''' in later life}}
	In July 1885, in anticipation of the celebrations that were to be held in December that year at the Imperial School of Jurisprudence in [[Saint Petersburg]] to mark its 50th anniversary, Apukhtin wrote a poem "Friends, our feast of light and sadness" (И светел, и грустен наш праздник, друзья) which he hoped Tchaikovsky would use as the text for the chorus that he had been commissioned to write <ref name="note21"/>. Ultimately, Tchaikovsky decided to write his own text for this chorus, the ''[[Jurists' Song]]'', which was performed at the School on 5/17 December 1885, together with the ''[[Jurisprudence March]]''. Apukhtin's poem was, however, also recited at the festivities by a former classmate <ref name="note22"/>.		In July 1885, in anticipation of the celebrations that were to be held in December that year at the Imperial School of Jurisprudence in [[Saint Petersburg]] to mark its 50th anniversary, Apukhtin wrote a poem "Friends, our feast of light and sadness" (И светел, и грустен наш праздник, друзья) which he hoped Tchaikovsky would use as the text for the chorus that he had been commissioned to write <ref name="note21"/>. Ultimately, Tchaikovsky decided to write his own text for this chorus, the ''[[Jurists' Song]]'', which was performed at the School on 5/17 December 1885, together with the ''[[Jurisprudence March]]''. Apukhtin's poem was, however, also recited at the festivities by a former classmate <ref name="note22"/>.

Line 160:		Line 159:
	[[Category:Friends\|Apukhtin, Aleksey]]		[[Category:Friends\|Apukhtin, Aleksey]]
	[[Category:Writers\|Apukhtin, Aleksey]]		[[Category:Writers\|Apukhtin, Aleksey]]
			__NOTOC__

Brett at 16:54, 13 August 2023

2023-08-13T16:54:39Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 18:54, 13 August 2023
Line 96:		Line 96:

	==Correspondence with Tchaikovsky==		==Correspondence with Tchaikovsky==
	No letters from the composer to Apukhtin appear to have survived, but 22 letters from Apukhtin to Tchaikovsky ~~(including one written jointly with the composer's brother [[Anatoly ]])~~ are preserved in the {{RUS-KLč}} at [[Klin]].		No letters from the composer to Apukhtin appear to have survived, but 21 letters from Apukhtin to Tchaikovsky, dating from around 1866 to 1890, are preserved in the {{RUS-KLč}} at [[Klin]] (a{{sup\|4}}, Nos. 76–96) <ref name="note32"/>.

	==Bibliography==		==Bibliography==
Line 154:		Line 154:
	<ref name="note30">Another memoir of the composer, by the pianist [[Vasily Sapelnikov]], who saw Tchaikovsky two months before his death, emphasizes how he was "burning with the thirst for creation and work" and that "within his imagination sounds and melodies were already floating about which were to have found their expression in new symphonies and operas that he was planning to write". Quoted in {{bib\|1993/186\|Tchaikovsky: The Quest for the Inner Man}} (1993), p. 563.</ref>		<ref name="note30">Another memoir of the composer, by the pianist [[Vasily Sapelnikov]], who saw Tchaikovsky two months before his death, emphasizes how he was "burning with the thirst for creation and work" and that "within his imagination sounds and melodies were already floating about which were to have found their expression in new symphonies and operas that he was planning to write". Quoted in {{bib\|1993/186\|Tchaikovsky: The Quest for the Inner Man}} (1993), p. 563.</ref>
	<ref name="note31">Although in many editions of Tchaikovsky's songs the author of the text for this romance is given as Apukhtin, these verses have not been found in any of the poet's manuscripts, and it is believed that the text of the original poem may have been altered significantly by Tchaikovsky, leading to a quarrel between the two friends. For more details, see the work history of ''[[To Forget So Soon]]'' (TH 94), as well as {{bib\|1993/186\|Tchaikovsky. The Quest for the Inner Man}} (1993), p. 124.</ref>		<ref name="note31">Although in many editions of Tchaikovsky's songs the author of the text for this romance is given as Apukhtin, these verses have not been found in any of the poet's manuscripts, and it is believed that the text of the original poem may have been altered significantly by Tchaikovsky, leading to a quarrel between the two friends. For more details, see the work history of ''[[To Forget So Soon]]'' (TH 94), as well as {{bib\|1993/186\|Tchaikovsky. The Quest for the Inner Man}} (1993), p. 124.</ref>
			<ref name="note32">The [[Klin]] archive also holds another letter from [[Anatoly Tchaikovsky]] to the composer, written on 17 February/1 March 1871, which includes a postscript written by Apukhtin (a{{sup\|4}}, No. 4710).</ref>
	</references>		</references>
	[[Category:People\|Apukhtin, Aleksey]]		[[Category:People\|Apukhtin, Aleksey]]

Brett: Text replacement - "Klin House-Museum Archive" to "{{RUS-KLč}} at Klin"

2023-08-08T07:52:23Z

Text replacement - "Klin House-Museum Archive" to "{{RUS-KLč}} at Klin"

← Older revision		Revision as of 09:52, 8 August 2023
Line 18:		Line 18:
	In the spring of 1865, Apukhtin moved back to [[Saint Petersburg]], where he would spend the rest of his life, apart from occasional trips within Russia (including a pilgrimage to [[Pushkin]]'s grave near Pskov in 1870) and his only visit to Western Europe in 1874. By the second half of the 1860s he had effectively ceased publishing verses in the literary journals and began wasting his time on society pleasures, including appearances in amateur theatricals. It so happened that in the autumn of 1865 Tchaikovsky, who had just returned to [[Saint Petersburg]] after spending the summer in [[Kamenka]], was forced to change lodgings several times due to economic problems until, in November, Apukhtin let him stay in his flat <ref name="note7"/>. A few weeks later, on 5/17 January 1866, Tchaikovsky set off for [[Moscow]], where he was to embark on a new phase of his life as a teacher of music theory for the local branch of the Russian Musical Society. As [[Nikolay Kashkin]] later recalled, Tchaikovsky arrived in [[Moscow]], wearing a shabby suit of clothes, with no more protection against the harsh winter frosts than "an incredibly old raccoon fur coat which A. N. Apukhtin had given to him" <ref name="note8"/>.		In the spring of 1865, Apukhtin moved back to [[Saint Petersburg]], where he would spend the rest of his life, apart from occasional trips within Russia (including a pilgrimage to [[Pushkin]]'s grave near Pskov in 1870) and his only visit to Western Europe in 1874. By the second half of the 1860s he had effectively ceased publishing verses in the literary journals and began wasting his time on society pleasures, including appearances in amateur theatricals. It so happened that in the autumn of 1865 Tchaikovsky, who had just returned to [[Saint Petersburg]] after spending the summer in [[Kamenka]], was forced to change lodgings several times due to economic problems until, in November, Apukhtin let him stay in his flat <ref name="note7"/>. A few weeks later, on 5/17 January 1866, Tchaikovsky set off for [[Moscow]], where he was to embark on a new phase of his life as a teacher of music theory for the local branch of the Russian Musical Society. As [[Nikolay Kashkin]] later recalled, Tchaikovsky arrived in [[Moscow]], wearing a shabby suit of clothes, with no more protection against the harsh winter frosts than "an incredibly old raccoon fur coat which A. N. Apukhtin had given to him" <ref name="note8"/>.

	That very year the difference in the two former school-friends' outlook on life would manifest itself very clearly. On 1/13 May 1866, Tchaikovsky's [[Overture in F major]] was featured at a charity concert in the Mikhaylovsky Palace in [[Saint Petersburg]]. Apukhtin attended this concert and shortly afterwards he wrote to Tchaikovsky in [[Moscow]], saying that he had liked the overture, but first he commented at length on something that Tchaikovsky had evidently said in an earlier letter to the poet. (No letters from Tchaikovsky to Apukhtin have come to light as yet, but several letters from Apukhtin to the composer are stored in the [[Klin]] ~~House-Museum Archive~~.) It seems that Tchaikovsky had exhorted his friend to devote himself seriously to literature, for Apukhtin, in the sarcastic tone that he often liked to adopt, ridiculed Tchaikovsky's admonishments: "You at the same time continue to believe, like a naïve schoolgirl, in ''labour'' and ''struggle''… Strange that you've not mentioned ''progress'' as well! Why should we labour?"<ref name="note9"/>, then adding that Tchaikovsky had no right to boast about his decision to take up music professionally, since he was merely following his natural inclination. Apukhtin also rejected the suggestion that he should become a professional writer: "I like your advice about my devoting myself to literature! In those times when ''en Russie quelques gentilshommes s'occupaient de littérature'' I might well have been a writer, but now no power on earth will force me to step out into an arena which is clogged up with base rubbish, denunciations and… seminarists! There is only one sacred name for me in contemporary Russian literature: [[Lev Tolstoy]]…" <ref name="note10"/>.		That very year the difference in the two former school-friends' outlook on life would manifest itself very clearly. On 1/13 May 1866, Tchaikovsky's [[Overture in F major]] was featured at a charity concert in the Mikhaylovsky Palace in [[Saint Petersburg]]. Apukhtin attended this concert and shortly afterwards he wrote to Tchaikovsky in [[Moscow]], saying that he had liked the overture, but first he commented at length on something that Tchaikovsky had evidently said in an earlier letter to the poet. (No letters from Tchaikovsky to Apukhtin have come to light as yet, but several letters from Apukhtin to the composer are stored in the {{RUS-KLč}} at [[Klin]].) It seems that Tchaikovsky had exhorted his friend to devote himself seriously to literature, for Apukhtin, in the sarcastic tone that he often liked to adopt, ridiculed Tchaikovsky's admonishments: "You at the same time continue to believe, like a naïve schoolgirl, in ''labour'' and ''struggle''… Strange that you've not mentioned ''progress'' as well! Why should we labour?"<ref name="note9"/>, then adding that Tchaikovsky had no right to boast about his decision to take up music professionally, since he was merely following his natural inclination. Apukhtin also rejected the suggestion that he should become a professional writer: "I like your advice about my devoting myself to literature! In those times when ''en Russie quelques gentilshommes s'occupaient de littérature'' I might well have been a writer, but now no power on earth will force me to step out into an arena which is clogged up with base rubbish, denunciations and… seminarists! There is only one sacred name for me in contemporary Russian literature: [[Lev Tolstoy]]…" <ref name="note10"/>.

	Much as Tchaikovsky would have sympathized with Apukhtin's veneration of [[Tolstoy]] <ref name="note11"/>, he could clearly not subscribe to his friend's dismissal of the value of work. As Alexander Poznansky points out, "Tchaikovsky never surrendered to moral relativism or general cynicism, and to a great extent, he preserved until the end of his life the youthful idealism (equally characteristic of [[Ilya Tchaikovsky\|his father]]) that made his personality so attractive" <ref name="note12"/>. In this new phase of his life, when he had just started writing his [[First Symphony]] (probably begun in March 1866) and was due to take up a teaching post at the [[Moscow]] Conservatory in the autumn, Tchaikovsky distanced himself from his friend's seemingly devil-may-care attitude to everything. In a letter written around the same time to [[Anatoly]], who was then studying at the School of Jurisprudence, Tchaikovsky urged his younger brother to work hard and not imagine that he was a genius superior to everyone else <ref name="note13"/>. He was probably thinking of the negative example of Apukhtin, who unfortunately had not heeded [[Turgenev]]'s advice in that letter of 1858.		Much as Tchaikovsky would have sympathized with Apukhtin's veneration of [[Tolstoy]] <ref name="note11"/>, he could clearly not subscribe to his friend's dismissal of the value of work. As Alexander Poznansky points out, "Tchaikovsky never surrendered to moral relativism or general cynicism, and to a great extent, he preserved until the end of his life the youthful idealism (equally characteristic of [[Ilya Tchaikovsky\|his father]]) that made his personality so attractive" <ref name="note12"/>. In this new phase of his life, when he had just started writing his [[First Symphony]] (probably begun in March 1866) and was due to take up a teaching post at the [[Moscow]] Conservatory in the autumn, Tchaikovsky distanced himself from his friend's seemingly devil-may-care attitude to everything. In a letter written around the same time to [[Anatoly]], who was then studying at the School of Jurisprudence, Tchaikovsky urged his younger brother to work hard and not imagine that he was a genius superior to everyone else <ref name="note13"/>. He was probably thinking of the negative example of Apukhtin, who unfortunately had not heeded [[Turgenev]]'s advice in that letter of 1858.
Line 143:		Line 143:
	<ref name="note19">[[Letter 700]] to [[Anatoly Tchaikovsky]], 21 December 1877/2 January 1878. Quoted here from {{bib\|1993/186\|Tchaikovsky: The Quest for the Inner Man}} (1993), p. 43.</ref>		<ref name="note19">[[Letter 700]] to [[Anatoly Tchaikovsky]], 21 December 1877/2 January 1878. Quoted here from {{bib\|1993/186\|Tchaikovsky: The Quest for the Inner Man}} (1993), p. 43.</ref>
	<ref name="note20">[[Letter 1047]] to [[Modest Tchaikovsky]], 30 December 1878/11 January 1879. Quoted here from {{bib\|1993/186\|Tchaikovsky: The Quest for the Inner Man}} (1993), p. 338. In this book there is also a complete translation of Tchaikovsky's poem (p. 336–337).</ref>		<ref name="note20">[[Letter 1047]] to [[Modest Tchaikovsky]], 30 December 1878/11 January 1879. Quoted here from {{bib\|1993/186\|Tchaikovsky: The Quest for the Inner Man}} (1993), p. 338. In this book there is also a complete translation of Tchaikovsky's poem (p. 336–337).</ref>
	<ref name="note21">Letter from Aleksey Apukhtin to Tchaikovsky, 4/16 July 1885. [[Klin]] ~~House-Museum Archive~~.</ref>		<ref name="note21">Letter from Aleksey Apukhtin to Tchaikovsky, 4/16 July 1885. {{RUS-KLč}} at [[Klin]].</ref>
	<ref name="note22">See {{bib\|1993/186\|Tchaikovsky: The Quest for the Inner Man}} (1993), p. 30.</ref>		<ref name="note22">See {{bib\|1993/186\|Tchaikovsky: The Quest for the Inner Man}} (1993), p. 30.</ref>
	<ref name="note23">See {{bib\|1980/174\|Чайковский и Апухтин}} (1980), p. 22–23.</ref>		<ref name="note23">See {{bib\|1980/174\|Чайковский и Апухтин}} (1980), p. 22–23.</ref>

Brett at 17:02, 7 August 2023

2023-08-07T17:02:39Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 19:02, 7 August 2023
Line 96:		Line 96:

	==Correspondence with Tchaikovsky==		==Correspondence with Tchaikovsky==
	~~Several~~ letters from Apukhtin to Tchaikovsky (~~dating from 1865 to at least 1885~~) ~~have been quoted above, and the original manuscripts of these letters~~ are ~~to be found~~ in the [[Klin]] ~~House-Museum Archive, but no letters from Tchaikovsky to Apukhtin have yet come to light~~.		No letters from the composer to Apukhtin appear to have survived, but 22 letters from Apukhtin to Tchaikovsky (including one written jointly with the composer's brother [[Anatoly ]]) are preserved in the {{RUS-KLč}} at [[Klin]].

	==Bibliography==		==Bibliography==
Line 118:		Line 118:
	==External Links==		==External Links==
	* [[wikipedia:Aleksey_Apukhtin\|Wikipedia]]		* [[wikipedia:Aleksey_Apukhtin\|Wikipedia]]
			* {{viaf\|156689671}}
	* [http://www.tchaikov.ru/apukhtin.html Belcanto] (Russian)		* [http://www.tchaikov.ru/apukhtin.html Belcanto] (Russian)

Tony: /* Notes and References */

2022-11-29T19:49:59Z

Notes and References

← Older revision		Revision as of 21:49, 29 November 2022
Line 138:		Line 138:
	<ref name="note15">Nadezhda Kondratyeva's memoirs are included in {{bib\|1980/24\|Воспоминания о П. И. Чайковском}} (1980), p. 88–101. She recounts, for example, how during a walk around the estate, Apukhtin was so afraid of being bitten by a dog which he thought might have rabies that he threw himself on the ground and wasn't able to get up again by himself.</ref>		<ref name="note15">Nadezhda Kondratyeva's memoirs are included in {{bib\|1980/24\|Воспоминания о П. И. Чайковском}} (1980), p. 88–101. She recounts, for example, how during a walk around the estate, Apukhtin was so afraid of being bitten by a dog which he thought might have rabies that he threw himself on the ground and wasn't able to get up again by himself.</ref>
	<ref name="note16">[[Letter 289]] to [[Modest Tchaikovsky]], 13/25 February 1873.</ref>		<ref name="note16">[[Letter 289]] to [[Modest Tchaikovsky]], 13/25 February 1873.</ref>
	<ref name="note17">Letter from Aleksey Apukhtin to Tchaikovsky, 25 October/6 November 1877. Extracts are quoted in {{bib\|1940/107\|Дни и годы П. И. Чайковского. Летопись жизни и творчества}} (1940), p. 154–155, and at greater length in {{bib\|1993/186\|Tchaikovsky: The Quest for the Inner Man}} (1993), p. 262. The poem in question was "In the cold of the world, shivering and exhausted" (В житейском холоде дрожа и изнывая). By the time he received this letter and the enclosed poem Tchaikovsky had reached [[Clarens]] in Switzerland.</ref>		<ref name="note17">Letter from Aleksey Apukhtin to Tchaikovsky, 25 October/6 November 1877. Extracts are quoted in {{bib\|1940/107\|Дни и годы П. И. Чайковского. Летопись жизни и творчества}} (1940), p. 154–155, and at greater length in {{bib\|1993/186\|Tchaikovsky: The Quest for the Inner Man}} (1993), p. 262. The poem in question was "In the cold of the world, shivering and exhausted" (В житейском холоде дрожа и изнывая). By the time he received this letter and the enclosed poem, Tchaikovsky had reached [[Clarens]] in Switzerland.</ref>
	<ref name="note18">This English translation of Apukhtin's poem "Ты помнишь, как, забившись в «музыкальной»" is by Ralph Burr, Jr. and is included in {{bib\|1993/186\|Tchaikovsky: The Quest for the Inner Man}} (1993), p. 43.</ref>		<ref name="note18">This English translation of Apukhtin's poem "Ты помнишь, как, забившись в «музыкальной»" is by Ralph Burr, Jr. and is included in {{bib\|1993/186\|Tchaikovsky: The Quest for the Inner Man}} (1993), p. 43.</ref>
	<ref name="note19">[[Letter 700]] to [[Anatoly Tchaikovsky]], 21 December 1877/2 January 1878. Quoted here from {{bib\|1993/186\|Tchaikovsky: The Quest for the Inner Man}} (1993), p. 43.</ref>		<ref name="note19">[[Letter 700]] to [[Anatoly Tchaikovsky]], 21 December 1877/2 January 1878. Quoted here from {{bib\|1993/186\|Tchaikovsky: The Quest for the Inner Man}} (1993), p. 43.</ref>

Tony: /* Notes and References */

2022-11-29T19:44:29Z

Notes and References

← Older revision		Revision as of 21:44, 29 November 2022
Line 136:		Line 136:
	<ref name="note13">[[Letter 85]] to [[Anatoly Tchaikovsky]], 6/18 February 1866.</ref>		<ref name="note13">[[Letter 85]] to [[Anatoly Tchaikovsky]], 6/18 February 1866.</ref>
	<ref name="note14">See {{bib\|1997/94\|Жизнь Петра Ильича Чайковского ; том 1}} (1997), p. 227–228.</ref>		<ref name="note14">See {{bib\|1997/94\|Жизнь Петра Ильича Чайковского ; том 1}} (1997), p. 227–228.</ref>
	<ref name="note15">Nadezhda Kondratyeva's memoirs are included in {{bib\|1980/24\|Воспоминания о П. И. Чайковском}} (1980), p. 88–101. She recounts, for example, how during a walk around the estate Apukhtin was so afraid of being bitten by a dog which he thought might have rabies, that he threw himself on the ground and wasn't able to get up again by himself.</ref>		<ref name="note15">Nadezhda Kondratyeva's memoirs are included in {{bib\|1980/24\|Воспоминания о П. И. Чайковском}} (1980), p. 88–101. She recounts, for example, how during a walk around the estate, Apukhtin was so afraid of being bitten by a dog which he thought might have rabies that he threw himself on the ground and wasn't able to get up again by himself.</ref>
	<ref name="note16">[[Letter 289]] to [[Modest Tchaikovsky]], 13/25 February 1873.</ref>		<ref name="note16">[[Letter 289]] to [[Modest Tchaikovsky]], 13/25 February 1873.</ref>
	<ref name="note17">Letter from Aleksey Apukhtin to Tchaikovsky, 25 October/6 November 1877. Extracts are quoted in {{bib\|1940/107\|Дни и годы П. И. Чайковского. Летопись жизни и творчества}} (1940), p. 154–155, and at greater length in {{bib\|1993/186\|Tchaikovsky: The Quest for the Inner Man}} (1993), p. 262. The poem in question was "In the cold of the world, shivering and exhausted" (В житейском холоде дрожа и изнывая). By the time he received this letter and the enclosed poem Tchaikovsky had reached [[Clarens]] in Switzerland.</ref>		<ref name="note17">Letter from Aleksey Apukhtin to Tchaikovsky, 25 October/6 November 1877. Extracts are quoted in {{bib\|1940/107\|Дни и годы П. И. Чайковского. Летопись жизни и творчества}} (1940), p. 154–155, and at greater length in {{bib\|1993/186\|Tchaikovsky: The Quest for the Inner Man}} (1993), p. 262. The poem in question was "In the cold of the world, shivering and exhausted" (В житейском холоде дрожа и изнывая). By the time he received this letter and the enclosed poem Tchaikovsky had reached [[Clarens]] in Switzerland.</ref>

Tony: Text replacement - "suppose" to "supposed"

2022-11-29T10:53:32Z

Text replacement - "suppose" to "supposed"

← Older revision		Revision as of 12:53, 29 November 2022
Line 41:		Line 41:
	In July 1885, in anticipation of the celebrations that were to be held in December that year at the Imperial School of Jurisprudence in [[Saint Petersburg]] to mark its 50th anniversary, Apukhtin wrote a poem "Friends, our feast of light and sadness" (И светел, и грустен наш праздник, друзья) which he hoped Tchaikovsky would use as the text for the chorus that he had been commissioned to write <ref name="note21"/>. Ultimately, Tchaikovsky decided to write his own text for this chorus, the ''[[Jurists' Song]]'', which was performed at the School on 5/17 December 1885, together with the ''[[Jurisprudence March]]''. Apukhtin's poem was, however, also recited at the festivities by a former classmate <ref name="note22"/>.		In July 1885, in anticipation of the celebrations that were to be held in December that year at the Imperial School of Jurisprudence in [[Saint Petersburg]] to mark its 50th anniversary, Apukhtin wrote a poem "Friends, our feast of light and sadness" (И светел, и грустен наш праздник, друзья) which he hoped Tchaikovsky would use as the text for the chorus that he had been commissioned to write <ref name="note21"/>. Ultimately, Tchaikovsky decided to write his own text for this chorus, the ''[[Jurists' Song]]'', which was performed at the School on 5/17 December 1885, together with the ''[[Jurisprudence March]]''. Apukhtin's poem was, however, also recited at the festivities by a former classmate <ref name="note22"/>.

	Towards the end of the 1880s Apukhtin tried his hand at writing prose and commenced work on a novel which was ~~suppose~~ to cover the years of transition from the reign of Nicholas I to that of [[Alexander II]]. This novel remained unfinished, but he wrote three short stories, although they were not published in his lifetime. It was also from about 1890 that the friendship between Tchaikovsky and Apukhtin became somewhat strained, perhaps because of some sarcastic remarks which the latter had made about the libretto for ''[[The Queen of Spades]]'' <ref name="note23"/>. At any rate Tchaikovsky, whenever he happened to be in [[Saint Petersburg]], no longer called on Apukhtin, who was by now gravely ill with dropsy and had great difficulty moving.		Towards the end of the 1880s, Apukhtin tried his hand at writing prose and commenced work on a novel which was supposed to cover the years of transition from the reign of Nicholas I to that of [[Alexander II]]. This novel remained unfinished, but he wrote three short stories, although they were not published in his lifetime. It was also from about 1890 that the friendship between Tchaikovsky and Apukhtin became somewhat strained, perhaps because of some sarcastic remarks which the latter had made about the libretto for ''[[The Queen of Spades]]'' <ref name="note23"/>. At any rate Tchaikovsky, whenever he happened to be in [[Saint Petersburg]], no longer called on Apukhtin, who was by now gravely ill with dropsy and had great difficulty moving.

	Nevertheless, just before Tchaikovsky set off for England at the end of May 1893, to collect his honorary doctorate from the University of [[Cambridge]], Apukhtin wrote another poem dedicated to the composer: "For a musician-friend's departure" (К отъезду музыканта-друга), which abounds in ingenuous musical images but is again full of bitterness at the way his own life had turned out <ref name="note24"/>.		Nevertheless, just before Tchaikovsky set off for England at the end of May 1893 to collect his honorary doctorate from the University of [[Cambridge]], Apukhtin wrote another poem dedicated to the composer: "For a musician-friend's departure" (К отъезду музыканта-друга), which abounds in ingenuous musical images but is again full of bitterness at the way his own life had turned out <ref name="note24"/>.

	{{quote\|For a musician-friend's departure<br/>		{{quote\|For a musician-friend's departure<br/>
Line 75:		Line 75:
	Do not put a final chord on me.}}		Do not put a final chord on me.}}

	Despite the tensions referred to earlier, Tchaikovsky was clearly affected by Apukhtin's death on 17/29 August 1893, as we may see from a letter to his nephew [[Vladimir Davydov]]: "At the very moment I'm writing this, [[Lyolya Apukhtin]]'s ''funeral'' is taking place!!! Although not unexpected, his death is still alarming and painful all the same. There was a time when he was my closest friend" <ref name="note25"/>. A few weeks later [[Grand Duke Konstantin Konstantinovich]] suggested to Tchaikovsky that he should set Apukhtin's poem ''Requiem'' (Реквием) — written towards the end of the 1860s) — to music in memory of the poet. Tchaikovsky replied to the [[Konstantin Konstantinovich\|Grand Duke]] on 21 September/3 October, saying that he had to read the poem again first before he could decide whether it was suitable, but that from what he remembered of his late friend's verses and in view of the fact that he had just completed his [[Sixth Symphony]] he had the following misgivings:		Despite the tensions referred to earlier, Tchaikovsky was clearly affected by Apukhtin's death on 17/29 August 1893, as we may see from a letter to his nephew [[Vladimir Davydov]]: "At the very moment I'm writing this, [[Lyolya Apukhtin]]'s ''funeral'' is taking place!!! Although not unexpected, his death is still alarming and painful all the same. There was a time when he was my closest friend" <ref name="note25"/>. A few weeks later, [[Grand Duke Konstantin Konstantinovich]] suggested to Tchaikovsky that he should set Apukhtin's poem ''Requiem'' (Реквием) — written towards the end of the 1860s — to music in memory of the poet. Tchaikovsky replied to the [[Konstantin Konstantinovich\|Grand Duke]] on 21 September/3 October, saying that he had to read the poem again first before he could decide whether it was suitable, but that from what he remembered of his late friend's verses and in view of the fact that he had just completed his [[Sixth Symphony]], he had the following misgivings:

	{{quote\|I am somewhat troubled by the fact that my latest symphony, which has just been written and is scheduled to be performed on 16 October (I should awfully like Your Highness to hear it), is imbued with a mood very close to that which also fills the ''Requiem''. I believe that this symphony has turned out well, and I am afraid of repeating myself, by taking on just now a composition akin in spirit and character to this one <ref name="note26"/>.}}		{{quote\|I am somewhat troubled by the fact that my latest symphony, which has just been written and is scheduled to be performed on 16 October (I should awfully like Your Highness to hear it), is imbued with a mood very close to that which also fills the ''Requiem''. I believe that this symphony has turned out well, and I am afraid of repeating myself, by taking on just now a composition akin in spirit and character to this one <ref name="note26"/>.}}

Tony at 10:45, 29 November 2022

2022-11-29T10:45:27Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 12:45, 29 November 2022
Line 26:		Line 26:
	Although in the 1860s Apukhtin had opted to withdraw from the 'literary arena' altogether — except for a brief episode in March 1865, when he had given a lecture series in Oryol entitled ''On the Life and Works of Pushkin'' in which he defended his beloved poet from the attacks of the radical critic Dmitry Pisarev (1840–1868), who had notoriously argued that "a pair of boots is worth more than [[Pushkin]]"! — by the end of the 1860s he had started writing poetry again. But since he knew all too well that the themes which he was drawn to (frequently the sufferings of unrequited love, or disgust at how high art was being profaned in the modern age) were quite unfashionable, he did not make any effort to have them published. Instead, his poems would be circulated around the high society circles of [[Saint Petersburg]] in handwritten copies. Some of them, written in the style of gypsy songs, eventually became popular romances. However, during the 1870s Apukhtin's friends [[Aleksandr Zhedrinsky]] and [[Georgy Kartsov]] began collecting these poems systematically and eventually, in 1886, they managed to persuade him to publish them in his first volume of poetry.		Although in the 1860s Apukhtin had opted to withdraw from the 'literary arena' altogether — except for a brief episode in March 1865, when he had given a lecture series in Oryol entitled ''On the Life and Works of Pushkin'' in which he defended his beloved poet from the attacks of the radical critic Dmitry Pisarev (1840–1868), who had notoriously argued that "a pair of boots is worth more than [[Pushkin]]"! — by the end of the 1860s he had started writing poetry again. But since he knew all too well that the themes which he was drawn to (frequently the sufferings of unrequited love, or disgust at how high art was being profaned in the modern age) were quite unfashionable, he did not make any effort to have them published. Instead, his poems would be circulated around the high society circles of [[Saint Petersburg]] in handwritten copies. Some of them, written in the style of gypsy songs, eventually became popular romances. However, during the 1870s Apukhtin's friends [[Aleksandr Zhedrinsky]] and [[Georgy Kartsov]] began collecting these poems systematically and eventually, in 1886, they managed to persuade him to publish them in his first volume of poetry.

	In the 1870s, when Tchaikovsky frequently spent the summer months at [[Nizy]], as a guest of his friend [[Nikolay Kondratyev]], Apukhtin would also sometimes visit [[Kondratyev]]'s estate and the latter's daughter Nadezhda (b.1865) included, in her memoirs of the composer, some anecdotes about Apukhtin <ref name="note15"/>. Rather cruelly, she poked fun at Apukhtin's obesity, which was in fact a medical condition that had afflicted the poet from about 1870 onwards. However, she also noted the brilliance and wit of Apukhtin's conversation, and these were qualities which Tchaikovsky appreciated in him, too, even though he was very much aware of his character faults. Thus, in February 1873, after meeting the poet in [[Moscow]], Tchaikovsky wrote a letter to his brother [[Modest]] which parodied Apukhtin's notions of the artist being superior to the rest of mankind: he said that he despised the multitude and that it was with the profoundest disgust that he accepted the money which was going to be paid out to him for the [[Second Symphony]] (premiered in [[Moscow]] a few weeks earlier)! At the end of this letter Tchaikovsky added: "The delightfully witty tone of my letter is inspired by my frequent meetings with Apukhtin, who is currently in town and in a more cheerful state of mind than ever before, despite the fact that he has lost at cards everything that he had previously won" <ref name="note16"/>.		In the 1870s, when Tchaikovsky frequently spent the summer months at [[Nizy]], as a guest of his friend [[Nikolay Kondratyev]], Apukhtin would also sometimes visit [[Kondratyev]]'s estate, and the latter's daughter Nadezhda (b.1865) included in her memoirs of the composer some anecdotes about Apukhtin <ref name="note15"/>. Rather cruelly, she poked fun at Apukhtin's obesity, which was in fact a medical condition that had afflicted the poet from about 1870 onwards. However, she also noted the brilliance and wit of Apukhtin's conversation, and these were qualities which Tchaikovsky appreciated in him, too, even though he was very much aware of his character faults. Thus, in February 1873, after meeting the poet in [[Moscow]], Tchaikovsky wrote a letter to his brother [[Modest]] which parodied Apukhtin's notions of the artist being superior to the rest of mankind: he said that he despised the multitude and that it was with the profoundest disgust that he accepted the money which was going to be paid out to him for the [[Second Symphony]] (premiered in [[Moscow]] a few weeks earlier)! At the end of this letter Tchaikovsky added: "The delightfully witty tone of my letter is inspired by my frequent meetings with Apukhtin, who is currently in town and in a more cheerful state of mind than ever before, despite the fact that he has lost at cards everything that he had previously won" <ref name="note16"/>.

	In the aftermath of Tchaikovsky's failed marriage to [[Antonina Milyukova]] Apukhtin tried to give moral support to his friend, sending him a letter in November 1877 in which he urged the composer to ignore all the rumours that would inevitably arise, since one day all Russia would be proud of him. Apukhtin observed that artists were often unhappy in their personal lives, whilst giving happiness to so many others. He also commended Tchaikovsky on his choice of [[Pushkin]]'s ''Yevgeny Onegin'' for the subject of his soon-to-be-completed [[Yevgeny Onegin\|opera]] and, as he often did, included a poem which he hoped Tchaikovsky might decide to set to music <ref name="note17"/>. The composer did not take up this latter suggestion, but he was grateful for his friend's support and visibly touched when a few weeks later he received the following poem in another letter from Apukhtin:		In the aftermath of Tchaikovsky's failed marriage to [[Antonina Milyukova]], Apukhtin tried to give moral support to his friend, sending him a letter in November 1877 in which he urged the composer to ignore all the rumours that would inevitably arise, since one day all Russia would be proud of him. Apukhtin observed that artists were often unhappy in their personal lives, whilst giving happiness to so many others. He also commended Tchaikovsky on his choice of [[Pushkin]]'s ''Yevgeny Onegin'' for the subject of his soon-to-be-completed [[Yevgeny Onegin\|opera]] and, as he often did, included a poem which he hoped Tchaikovsky might decide to set to music <ref name="note17"/>. The composer did not take up this latter suggestion, but he was grateful for his friend's support and visibly touched when a few weeks later he received the following poem in another letter from Apukhtin:

	{{quote\| You remember how, hiding in the music room, ;<br/>  Forgetting school and the world,<br/> We would dream of an ideal glory —<br/>  Art was our idol,<br/>And life for us was fanned by dreams.<br/>Alas, the years have passed, and with terror in our breast<br/> We see that everything's behind us now<br/>  And the cold of death lies ahead.<br/>Your dreams came true. Scorning the beaten way,<br/>You obstinately struck a new path for yourself,<br/> You took fame by storm and drank deep<br/>  Of this cup of poison<br/>Oh, I know, I know how ruthlessly and long<br/>A harsh fate for this wreaked vengeance upon you<br/>  And how many prickly thorns<br/>  Are twined into your laurel wreath.<br/>But the clouds dispersed. Obedient to your soul,<br/>  The songs of bygone days are revived,<br/>  And spite's craven babble<br/>  Before them faded and fell silent.<br/>While I, finishing the course an unrecognized poet,<br/>Take pride that I guessed the spark of divinity<br/> In you, then scarcely glimmering,<br/>Now burning with so powerful a light <ref name="note18"/>.}}		{{quote\| You remember how, hiding in the music room, ;<br/>  Forgetting school and the world,<br/> We would dream of an ideal glory —<br/>  Art was our idol,<br/>And life for us was fanned by dreams.<br/>Alas, the years have passed, and with terror in our breast<br/> We see that everything's behind us now<br/>  And the cold of death lies ahead.<br/>Your dreams came true. Scorning the beaten way,<br/>You obstinately struck a new path for yourself,<br/> You took fame by storm and drank deep<br/>  Of this cup of poison<br/>Oh, I know, I know how ruthlessly and long<br/>A harsh fate for this wreaked vengeance upon you<br/>  And how many prickly thorns<br/>  Are twined into your laurel wreath.<br/>But the clouds dispersed. Obedient to your soul,<br/>  The songs of bygone days are revived,<br/>  And spite's craven babble<br/>  Before them faded and fell silent.<br/>While I, finishing the course an unrecognized poet,<br/>Take pride that I guessed the spark of divinity<br/> In you, then scarcely glimmering,<br/>Now burning with so powerful a light <ref name="note18"/>.}}
Line 36:		Line 36:
	However, these verses clearly also reflect something of Apukhtin's own bitterness at his lack of recognition as a poet at the time, even though he was appreciated by his friends and acquaintances. Thus, when Tchaikovsky towards the end of 1878, while staying in [[Florence]], wrote a fine poem entitled ''Lilies of the Valley'' (Ландыши) (TH 384), his brother [[Modest]] suggested that it ought to be published in one of the Russian journals. The composer, though, rejected this idea on the following grounds: "My poem is ''outstanding'' with respect to myself, that is, someone who is not an expert. But what is it in comparison, for example, with the verses of Apukhtin?" <ref name="note20"/>.		However, these verses clearly also reflect something of Apukhtin's own bitterness at his lack of recognition as a poet at the time, even though he was appreciated by his friends and acquaintances. Thus, when Tchaikovsky towards the end of 1878, while staying in [[Florence]], wrote a fine poem entitled ''Lilies of the Valley'' (Ландыши) (TH 384), his brother [[Modest]] suggested that it ought to be published in one of the Russian journals. The composer, though, rejected this idea on the following grounds: "My poem is ''outstanding'' with respect to myself, that is, someone who is not an expert. But what is it in comparison, for example, with the verses of Apukhtin?" <ref name="note20"/>.

	Throughout the 1880s, whenever Tchaikovsky happened to be in [[Saint Petersburg]], he would often meet up with Apukhtin, and it was in fact at a soirée in the house of [[Vera Butakova]] on 19/31 March 1880 attended by both artists that the composer was introduced to [[Grand Duke Konstantin Konstantinovich]], who was a fervent admirer of Tchaikovsky's music and also thought highly of Apukhtin as a poet. After the all-Tchaikovsky concert which took place in [[Saint Petersburg]] on 25 March/6 April 1880 Apukhtin sent the composer a copy of his poem ''Does the Day Reign?'' (День ли царит...?). Tchaikovsky would set it to music as No. 6 of the [[Seven Romances, Op. 47]], which he composed later that year. This particular song became very popular in Russia. Apukhtin's own fortunes as a poet took a turn for the better in the 1880s when financial difficulties forced him to do what he had shunned for so many years — namely, to offer his verses to the editors of literary journals. In 1884 and 1885 several poems of his appeared in the leading journals, and in 1886, as mentioned earlier, his first collection of poetry was published. Although this belated acclaim was but relative (the print run of this edition was just 3,000 copies), it must have afforded Apukhtin some solace after the humiliation he had suffered in 1880, when, despite having generously contributed 500 rubles for the monument to [[Pushkin]] that was to be unveiled in [[Moscow]], he was not invited to the festivities.		Throughout the 1880s, whenever Tchaikovsky happened to be in [[Saint Petersburg]], he would often meet up with Apukhtin, and it was in fact at a soirée in the house of [[Vera Butakova]] on 19/31 March 1880 attended by both artists that the composer was introduced to [[Grand Duke Konstantin Konstantinovich]], who was a fervent admirer of Tchaikovsky's music and also thought highly of Apukhtin as a poet. After the all-Tchaikovsky concert which took place in [[Saint Petersburg]] on 25 March/6 April 1880, Apukhtin sent the composer a copy of his poem ''Does the Day Reign?'' (День ли царит...?). Tchaikovsky would set it to music as No. 6 of the [[Seven Romances, Op. 47]], which he composed later that year. This particular song became very popular in Russia. Apukhtin's own fortunes as a poet took a turn for the better in the 1880s when financial difficulties forced him to do what he had shunned for so many years — namely, to offer his verses to the editors of literary journals. In 1884 and 1885 several poems of his appeared in the leading journals, and in 1886, as mentioned earlier, his first collection of poetry was published. Although this belated acclaim was but relative (the print run of this edition was just 3,000 copies), it must have afforded Apukhtin some solace after the humiliation he had suffered in 1880, when, despite having generously contributed 500 rubles for the monument to [[Pushkin]] that was to be unveiled in [[Moscow]], he was not invited to the festivities.

	{{picture\|file=Aleksey Apukhtin2.jpg\|caption='''Aleksey Apukhtin''' in later life}}		{{picture\|file=Aleksey Apukhtin2.jpg\|caption='''Aleksey Apukhtin''' in later life}}

Tony at 10:32, 29 November 2022

2022-11-29T10:32:10Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 12:32, 29 November 2022
Line 18:		Line 18:
	In the spring of 1865, Apukhtin moved back to [[Saint Petersburg]], where he would spend the rest of his life, apart from occasional trips within Russia (including a pilgrimage to [[Pushkin]]'s grave near Pskov in 1870) and his only visit to Western Europe in 1874. By the second half of the 1860s he had effectively ceased publishing verses in the literary journals and began wasting his time on society pleasures, including appearances in amateur theatricals. It so happened that in the autumn of 1865 Tchaikovsky, who had just returned to [[Saint Petersburg]] after spending the summer in [[Kamenka]], was forced to change lodgings several times due to economic problems until, in November, Apukhtin let him stay in his flat <ref name="note7"/>. A few weeks later, on 5/17 January 1866, Tchaikovsky set off for [[Moscow]], where he was to embark on a new phase of his life as a teacher of music theory for the local branch of the Russian Musical Society. As [[Nikolay Kashkin]] later recalled, Tchaikovsky arrived in [[Moscow]], wearing a shabby suit of clothes, with no more protection against the harsh winter frosts than "an incredibly old raccoon fur coat which A. N. Apukhtin had given to him" <ref name="note8"/>.		In the spring of 1865, Apukhtin moved back to [[Saint Petersburg]], where he would spend the rest of his life, apart from occasional trips within Russia (including a pilgrimage to [[Pushkin]]'s grave near Pskov in 1870) and his only visit to Western Europe in 1874. By the second half of the 1860s he had effectively ceased publishing verses in the literary journals and began wasting his time on society pleasures, including appearances in amateur theatricals. It so happened that in the autumn of 1865 Tchaikovsky, who had just returned to [[Saint Petersburg]] after spending the summer in [[Kamenka]], was forced to change lodgings several times due to economic problems until, in November, Apukhtin let him stay in his flat <ref name="note7"/>. A few weeks later, on 5/17 January 1866, Tchaikovsky set off for [[Moscow]], where he was to embark on a new phase of his life as a teacher of music theory for the local branch of the Russian Musical Society. As [[Nikolay Kashkin]] later recalled, Tchaikovsky arrived in [[Moscow]], wearing a shabby suit of clothes, with no more protection against the harsh winter frosts than "an incredibly old raccoon fur coat which A. N. Apukhtin had given to him" <ref name="note8"/>.

	That very year the difference in the two former school-friends' outlook on life would manifest itself very clearly. On 1/13 May 1866, Tchaikovsky's [[Overture in F major]] was featured at a charity concert in the Mikhaylovsky Palace in [[Saint Petersburg]]. Apukhtin attended this concert and shortly afterwards he wrote to Tchaikovsky in [[Moscow]], saying that he had liked the overture, but first he commented at length on something that Tchaikovsky had evidently said in an earlier letter to the poet. (No letters from Tchaikovsky to Apukhtin have come to light as yet, but several letters from Apukhtin to the composer are stored in the [[Klin]] House-Museum Archive). It seems that Tchaikovsky had exhorted his friend to devote himself seriously to literature, for Apukhtin, in the sarcastic tone that he often liked to adopt, ridiculed Tchaikovsky's admonishments: "You at the same time continue to believe, like a naïve schoolgirl, in ''labour'' and ''struggle''… Strange that you've not mentioned ''progress'' as well! Why should we labour?"<ref name="note9"/>, then adding that Tchaikovsky had no right to boast about his decision to take up music professionally, since he was merely following his natural inclination. Apukhtin also rejected the suggestion that he should become a professional writer: "I like your advice about my devoting myself to literature! In those times when ''en Russie quelques gentilshommes s'occupaient de littérature'' I might well have been a writer, but now no power on earth will force me to step out into an arena which is clogged up with base rubbish, denunciations and… seminarists! There is only one sacred name for me in contemporary Russian literature: [[Lev Tolstoy]]…" <ref name="note10"/>.		That very year the difference in the two former school-friends' outlook on life would manifest itself very clearly. On 1/13 May 1866, Tchaikovsky's [[Overture in F major]] was featured at a charity concert in the Mikhaylovsky Palace in [[Saint Petersburg]]. Apukhtin attended this concert and shortly afterwards he wrote to Tchaikovsky in [[Moscow]], saying that he had liked the overture, but first he commented at length on something that Tchaikovsky had evidently said in an earlier letter to the poet. (No letters from Tchaikovsky to Apukhtin have come to light as yet, but several letters from Apukhtin to the composer are stored in the [[Klin]] House-Museum Archive.) It seems that Tchaikovsky had exhorted his friend to devote himself seriously to literature, for Apukhtin, in the sarcastic tone that he often liked to adopt, ridiculed Tchaikovsky's admonishments: "You at the same time continue to believe, like a naïve schoolgirl, in ''labour'' and ''struggle''… Strange that you've not mentioned ''progress'' as well! Why should we labour?"<ref name="note9"/>, then adding that Tchaikovsky had no right to boast about his decision to take up music professionally, since he was merely following his natural inclination. Apukhtin also rejected the suggestion that he should become a professional writer: "I like your advice about my devoting myself to literature! In those times when ''en Russie quelques gentilshommes s'occupaient de littérature'' I might well have been a writer, but now no power on earth will force me to step out into an arena which is clogged up with base rubbish, denunciations and… seminarists! There is only one sacred name for me in contemporary Russian literature: [[Lev Tolstoy]]…" <ref name="note10"/>.

	Much as Tchaikovsky would have sympathized with Apukhtin's veneration of [[Tolstoy]] <ref name="note11"/>, he could clearly not subscribe to his friend's dismissal of the value of work. As Alexander Poznansky points out, "Tchaikovsky never surrendered to moral relativism or general cynicism, and to a great extent, he preserved until the end of his life the youthful idealism (equally characteristic of [[Ilya Tchaikovsky\|his father]]) that made his personality so attractive" <ref name="note12"/>. In this new phase of his life, when he had just started writing his [[First Symphony]] (probably begun in March 1866) and was due to take up a teaching post at the [[Moscow]] Conservatory in the autumn, Tchaikovsky distanced himself from his friend's seemingly devil-may-care attitude to everything. In a letter written around the same time to [[Anatoly]], who was then studying at the School of Jurisprudence, Tchaikovsky urged his younger brother to work hard and not imagine that he was a genius superior to everyone else <ref name="note13"/>. He was probably thinking of the negative example of Apukhtin, who unfortunately had not heeded [[Turgenev]]'s advice in that letter of 1858.		Much as Tchaikovsky would have sympathized with Apukhtin's veneration of [[Tolstoy]] <ref name="note11"/>, he could clearly not subscribe to his friend's dismissal of the value of work. As Alexander Poznansky points out, "Tchaikovsky never surrendered to moral relativism or general cynicism, and to a great extent, he preserved until the end of his life the youthful idealism (equally characteristic of [[Ilya Tchaikovsky\|his father]]) that made his personality so attractive" <ref name="note12"/>. In this new phase of his life, when he had just started writing his [[First Symphony]] (probably begun in March 1866) and was due to take up a teaching post at the [[Moscow]] Conservatory in the autumn, Tchaikovsky distanced himself from his friend's seemingly devil-may-care attitude to everything. In a letter written around the same time to [[Anatoly]], who was then studying at the School of Jurisprudence, Tchaikovsky urged his younger brother to work hard and not imagine that he was a genius superior to everyone else <ref name="note13"/>. He was probably thinking of the negative example of Apukhtin, who unfortunately had not heeded [[Turgenev]]'s advice in that letter of 1858.

← Older revision		Revision as of 21:49, 29 November 2022
Line 138:		Line 138:
	<ref name="note15">Nadezhda Kondratyeva's memoirs are included in {{bib\|1980/24\|Воспоминания о П. И. Чайковском}} (1980), p. 88–101. She recounts, for example, how during a walk around the estate, Apukhtin was so afraid of being bitten by a dog which he thought might have rabies that he threw himself on the ground and wasn't able to get up again by himself.</ref>		<ref name="note15">Nadezhda Kondratyeva's memoirs are included in {{bib\|1980/24\|Воспоминания о П. И. Чайковском}} (1980), p. 88–101. She recounts, for example, how during a walk around the estate, Apukhtin was so afraid of being bitten by a dog which he thought might have rabies that he threw himself on the ground and wasn't able to get up again by himself.</ref>
	<ref name="note16">[[Letter 289]] to [[Modest Tchaikovsky]], 13/25 February 1873.</ref>		<ref name="note16">[[Letter 289]] to [[Modest Tchaikovsky]], 13/25 February 1873.</ref>
	<ref name="note17">Letter from Aleksey Apukhtin to Tchaikovsky, 25 October/6 November 1877. Extracts are quoted in {{bib\|1940/107\|Дни и годы П. И. Чайковского. Летопись жизни и творчества}} (1940), p. 154–155, and at greater length in {{bib\|1993/186\|Tchaikovsky: The Quest for the Inner Man}} (1993), p. 262. The poem in question was "In the cold of the world, shivering and exhausted" (В житейском холоде дрожа и изнывая). By the time he received this letter and the enclosed poem Tchaikovsky had reached [[Clarens]] in Switzerland.</ref>		<ref name="note17">Letter from Aleksey Apukhtin to Tchaikovsky, 25 October/6 November 1877. Extracts are quoted in {{bib\|1940/107\|Дни и годы П. И. Чайковского. Летопись жизни и творчества}} (1940), p. 154–155, and at greater length in {{bib\|1993/186\|Tchaikovsky: The Quest for the Inner Man}} (1993), p. 262. The poem in question was "In the cold of the world, shivering and exhausted" (В житейском холоде дрожа и изнывая). By the time he received this letter and the enclosed poem, Tchaikovsky had reached [[Clarens]] in Switzerland.</ref>
	<ref name="note18">This English translation of Apukhtin's poem "Ты помнишь, как, забившись в «музыкальной»" is by Ralph Burr, Jr. and is included in {{bib\|1993/186\|Tchaikovsky: The Quest for the Inner Man}} (1993), p. 43.</ref>		<ref name="note18">This English translation of Apukhtin's poem "Ты помнишь, как, забившись в «музыкальной»" is by Ralph Burr, Jr. and is included in {{bib\|1993/186\|Tchaikovsky: The Quest for the Inner Man}} (1993), p. 43.</ref>
	<ref name="note19">[[Letter 700]] to [[Anatoly Tchaikovsky]], 21 December 1877/2 January 1878. Quoted here from {{bib\|1993/186\|Tchaikovsky: The Quest for the Inner Man}} (1993), p. 43.</ref>		<ref name="note19">[[Letter 700]] to [[Anatoly Tchaikovsky]], 21 December 1877/2 January 1878. Quoted here from {{bib\|1993/186\|Tchaikovsky: The Quest for the Inner Man}} (1993), p. 43.</ref>