The Voyevoda (symphonic ballad) - Revision history

Brett at 19:53, 27 August 2023

2023-08-27T19:53:16Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 21:53, 27 August 2023
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	==Autographs==		==Autographs==
	After hearing his new work played by the orchestra, Tchaikovsky became extremely dissatisfied with his new work. During the interval, the concert organiser [[~~Alexsandr~~ Ziloti]] recalled that:		After hearing his new work played by the orchestra, Tchaikovsky became extremely dissatisfied with his new work. During the interval, the concert organiser [[Aleksandr Ziloti]] recalled that:

	{{quote\|Pyotr Ilyich entered the artist's room and, before I could collect myself, he began ripping up the score, saying that "such rubbish mustn't be written". He summoned the orchestra servant and ordered him to bring him all the orchestral parts at once. Seeing his agitation and knowing that the voices were threatened with the same fate as the score, I decided on a desperate course of action and said: "Pardon me, Pyotr Ilyich, I am the concert manager, and not you, and therefore only I can give instructions here", and I ordered the servant to collect up all the orchestral parts immediately and bring them to my apartment. All of this was said so firmly, with just a dose of insolence, that Pyotr Ilyich, as the say, was dumbfounded. He just said quietly, "How dare you talk to me like that?". I answered him: "We will discuss this another time". At that moment visitors entered there room and our confrontation ended there <ref name="note12"/>}}		{{quote\|Pyotr Ilyich entered the artist's room and, before I could collect myself, he began ripping up the score, saying that "such rubbish mustn't be written". He summoned the orchestra servant and ordered him to bring him all the orchestral parts at once. Seeing his agitation and knowing that the voices were threatened with the same fate as the score, I decided on a desperate course of action and said: "Pardon me, Pyotr Ilyich, I am the concert manager, and not you, and therefore only I can give instructions here", and I ordered the servant to collect up all the orchestral parts immediately and bring them to my apartment. All of this was said so firmly, with just a dose of insolence, that Pyotr Ilyich, as the say, was dumbfounded. He just said quietly, "How dare you talk to me like that?". I answered him: "We will discuss this another time". At that moment visitors entered there room and our confrontation ended there <ref name="note12"/>}}

Brett at 19:49, 27 August 2023

2023-08-27T19:49:35Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 21:49, 27 August 2023
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	<ref name="note15">See letters from [[Mitrofan Belyayev]] to [[Modest Tchaikovsky]] of 18/30 March, 1/13 April, 13/25 April 1896 and 31 December 1896/12 January 1897 — [[Klin]] House-Museum Archive (б{{sup\|10}}, No. 395–398).</ref>		<ref name="note15">See letters from [[Mitrofan Belyayev]] to [[Modest Tchaikovsky]] of 18/30 March, 1/13 April, 13/25 April 1896 and 31 December 1896/12 January 1897 — [[Klin]] House-Museum Archive (б{{sup\|10}}, No. 395–398).</ref>
	<ref name="note16">Undated letter from [[Sergey Taneyev]] to [[Modest Tchaikovsky]], 1901 — [[Klin]] House-Museum Archive (б{{sup\|10}}, No. 5843). The words «Не искал он, не страдал он» {{=}} "He did not seek, he did not yearn". According to [[Modest Tchaikovsky]], after hearing the ballad performed for a second time in 1897, [[Taneyev]] "bitterly regretted to much too hasty verdict he had then expressed to Pyotr Ilich" — {{bib\|1902/25}} (1902), pp. 516.</ref> </ref>		<ref name="note16">Undated letter from [[Sergey Taneyev]] to [[Modest Tchaikovsky]], 1901 — [[Klin]] House-Museum Archive (б{{sup\|10}}, No. 5843). The words «Не искал он, не страдал он» {{=}} "He did not seek, he did not yearn". According to [[Modest Tchaikovsky]], after hearing the ballad performed for a second time in 1897, [[Taneyev]] "bitterly regretted to much too hasty verdict he had then expressed to Pyotr Ilich" — {{bib\|1902/25}} (1902), pp. 516.</ref> </ref>
	<ref name="note17">''Russian Leaflet'' (Русские листок), 8 November 1891 [[OS]].</ref>		<ref name="note17">''Russian Leaflet'' (Русские листок), 8 November 1891 {{OS}}.</ref>
	<ref name="note18">''Moscow Register'' (Московские ведомости), 9 November 1891 [[OS]].</ref>		<ref name="note18">''Moscow Register'' (Московские ведомости), 9 November 1891 {{OS}}.</ref>
	<ref name="note19">{{bib\|1891/11}}, ''Russian Register'' (Русские ведомости), 8 November 1891 [[OS]].</ref>		<ref name="note19">{{bib\|1891/11}}, ''Russian Register'' (Русские ведомости), 8 November 1891 {{OS}}.</ref>
	<ref name="note20">[[Letter 4557]] to [[Pyotr Jurgenson]], 15/27 November 1891.</ref>		<ref name="note20">[[Letter 4557]] to [[Pyotr Jurgenson]], 15/27 November 1891.</ref>
	</references>		</references>
	[[Category:Orchestral Music]]		[[Category:Orchestral Music]]

Brett at 19:47, 27 August 2023

2023-08-27T19:47:35Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 21:47, 27 August 2023
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	Other notable early performances included:		Other notable early performances included:
	* [[Saint ~~Petersburf~~]], Tchaikovsky memorial concert, 13/25 December 1897, conducted by [[Arthur Nikisch]].		* [[Saint Petersburg]], Tchaikovsky memorial concert, 13/25 December 1897, conducted by [[Arthur Nikisch]].
	* [[New York]], [Carnegie] Music Hall, Symphonic Society concert, 14/26 November 1897, conducted by [[Walter Damrosch]]		* [[New York]], [Carnegie] Music Hall, Symphonic Society concert, 14/26 November 1897, conducted by [[Walter Damrosch]]
	* [[Saint Petersburg]], Russian symphony concert, March 1897		* [[Saint Petersburg]], Russian symphony concert, March 1897

Brett at 13:23, 3 August 2023

2023-08-03T13:23:27Z

Show changes

Brett at 21:50, 2 August 2023

2023-08-02T21:50:00Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 23:50, 2 August 2023
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	'''''The Voyevoda''''' (Воевода) is a symphonic ballad in A minor ([[TH]] 54 ; [[ČW]] 51) <ref name="note1"/>, written by Tchaikovsky in September and October 1890, but not orchestrated until September 1891. After the first performance the composer destroyed the full score, but after his death it was reconstructed from the surviving orchestral parts and published as "[[Op.]] 78".		'''''The Voyevoda''''' (Воевода) is a symphonic ballad in A minor ([[TH]] 54 ; [[ČW]] 51) <ref name="note1"/>, written by Tchaikovsky in September and October 1890, but not orchestrated until September 1891. After the first performance the composer destroyed the full score, but after his death it was reconstructed from the surviving orchestral parts and published as "Op. 78".

	==Instrumentation==		==Instrumentation==
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	==Composition==		==Composition==
	There is very little surviving evidence concerning the origins of ''The Voyevoda''. From Tchaikovsky's letters to [[Vladimir Davydov]], it would appear that the two men had talked to each other about this subject. Tchaikovsky wrote: "I have composed that ballad for orchestra, on the subject of which you disapprove... I assure you that it was a good idea to write this work" <ref name="note2"/>. It seems that the ballad was begun in [[Tiflis]] in late September/early October 1890. Tchaikovsky wrote to [[Pyotr Jurgenson]] on 28 September/10 October 1890: "I am composing a symphonic poem" <ref name="note3"/>. From the aforementioned letter from the composer to [[Vladimir Davydov]], it follows that by 4/16 October the ballad was prepared in rough, and in the same letter Tchaikovsky stated that he would spend the next few weeks on its instrumentation. But his intention was not then carried out. In a letter to [[Modest Tchaikovsky]] of 10/22 October 1890, the composer wrote: "The ballad is finished, but I'm slaving over the orchestration and getting nowhere. It's so awkward" <ref name="note4"/>. Tchaikovsky's circumstances forced him to put off completing the ballad for almost a whole year. The productions of the opera ''[[The Queen of Spades]]'' in [[Saint Petersburg]] and [[Kiev]], a commission from [[Lucien Guitry]] for music to ''[[Hamlet (incidental music)\|Hamlet]]'', composing the opera ''[[Iolanta]]'' and the ballet ''[[The Nutcracker]]'' for the next winter season, and a concert tour of America—all of these postponed the orchestration of the ballad.		There is very little surviving evidence concerning the origins of ''The Voyevoda''. From Tchaikovsky's letters to [[Vladimir Davydov]], it would appear that the two men had talked to each other about this subject. Tchaikovsky wrote: "I have composed that ballad for orchestra, on the subject of which you disapprove. I want to dedicate all next week to orchestrating it. I assure you that it was a good idea to write this work." <ref name="note2"/>.

	In a ~~number of letters~~ to ~~relatives~~ and ~~friends dating from June 1891,~~ Tchaikovsky ~~wrote of his~~ intention to ~~begin scoring~~ the ballad <ref name="~~note5~~"/>, ~~and asked~~ [[~~Pyotr Jurgenson~~]] to ~~obtain a new orchestral instrument~~, the ''~~Celesta Mustel~~''~~: "It is essential for~~ ''The ~~Voyevoda~~''~~..." <ref name="note6"/>~~.		It seems that the ballad was begun in [[Tiflis]] in late September/early October 1890. Tchaikovsky wrote to [[Pyotr Jurgenson]] on 28 September/10 October 1890: "I am composing a symphonic poem. I shed a few tears" <ref name="note3"/>. From the aforementioned letter from the composer to [[Vladimir Davydov]], it follows that by 4/16 October the ballad was prepared in rough, and in the same letter Tchaikovsky stated that he would spend the next few weeks on its instrumentation. But this intention was not then carried out. In a letter to [[Modest Tchaikovsky]] of 10/22 October 1890, the composer wrote: "I've finished my ballad is finished, but I'm trying in vain to orchestrate it" <ref name="note4"/>. Tchaikovsky's circumstances forced him to put off completing the ballad for almost a whole year. The productions of the opera ''[[The Queen of Spades]]'' in [[Saint Petersburg]] and [[Kiev]], a commission from [[Lucien Guitry]] for music to ''[[Hamlet (incidental music)\|Hamlet]]'', composing the opera ''[[Iolanta]]'' and the ballet ''[[The Nutcracker]]'' for the next winter season, and a concert tour of America — all of these postponed the orchestration of the ballad.

	In a ~~letter~~ of ~~22 August/3 September~~ to ~~[[Pyotr Jurgenson]]~~, Tchaikovsky ~~reported: "I shall now orchestrate~~ the ~~fantasia ''Voyevoda'' (on the subject of [[Pushkin]]'s~~ ballad~~), and will play it for the first time in [[Saint Petersburg]] at a concert of the Musical Society. I have been invited to conduct one of their concerts there"~~ <ref name="~~note7~~"/>.		In a number of letters to relatives and friends dating from June 1891, Tchaikovsky wrote of his intention to begin scoring the ballad <ref name="note5"/>. With this in mind, he also asked [[Pyotr Jurgenson]] to obtain a new orchestral instrument:

	~~Tchaikovsky took up~~ the orchestration of ''The Voyevoda'' ~~as soon as he had finished~~ the ~~rough sketches~~ of ''[[~~Iolanta~~]]'': "~~Yesterday I completely finished the opera~~. ~~Tomorrow~~ I ~~shall set~~ to ~~work~~ on the ~~instrumentation of~~ ''The Voyevoda''"~~, he wrote~~ to ~~[[Modest Tchaikovsky]] on 5/17 September 1891~~ <ref name="~~note8~~"/>.		{{quote\|As long ago as last spring I drafted a symphonic poem "''The Voyevoda''" ([[Pushkin]]'s ballad), which I'll also be scoring in the summer. Regarding the orchestration of this item, I have a request for you. I found a new orchestral instrument in [[Paris]], something of a cross between a small piano and a Glockenspiel, with a divinely wonderful sound. I want to use this instrument in the symphonic poem "''The Voyevoda''" and in the ballet. It won't be required for the ballet until the autumn of 1892, but I'll need it for "''The Voyevoda''" in the forthcoming season, because I promised to conduct this at the Musical Society in [[Petersburg]], and perhaps I'll also be able to perform it in [[Moscow]]. It's called the "''Celesta Mustel''" and costs 1200 francs. It can only be bought in [[Paris]] from its inventor, Mr ''Mustel''. I want to ask you to order this instrument. You won't lose anything on it, because you can rent it out at all the concerts where "''The Voyevoda''" will be played. And thereafter you can sell it to the theatre directorate when it's required for the ballet <ref name="note6"/>.}}

	The scoring of the ballad was completed around 22 September/4 October 1891, as indicated by a letter to [[Anna Merkling]] of the latter date, in which the composer reported that he had finished his new symphonic work <ref name="note9"/>. On the same day he wrote to [[Anatoly Tchaikovsky]]: "I've finished my symphonic ballad, ''The Voyevoda''~~, and~~ I'm very pleased with it" <ref name="note10"/>.		In a further letter to [[Jurgenson]] of 22 August/3 September, Tchaikovsky wrote:
			{{quote\|It was so nice of you to order the ''Celesta Mustel'' for me. For God's sake bear in mind that no one besides myself should hear the sounds of this wonderful instrument before it's played in my works, where it will be used for the first time. I'll now be scoring "''The Voyevoda''" fantasia (after [[Pushkin]]'s ballad), and this will be played for the 1st time in [[Petersburg]] at a Musical Society concert. (I've been invited to conduct a concert there). Besides this, the ''Celesta'' will play a large role in my new ballet. If the instrument should arrive in [[Moscow]] first, then you must protect it from outsiders, or if it goes to [[Petersburg]] then have [[Osip Ivanovich]] guard it <ref name="note7"/>}}

			Tchaikovsky took up the orchestration of ''The Voyevoda'' as soon as he had finished the rough sketches of ''[[Iolanta]]'': "Yesterday I completely finished the opera. Tomorrow I shall take up the instrumentation of ''The Voyevoda''", he told [[Modest Tchaikovsky]] on 5/17 September 1891 <ref name="note8"/>.

			The scoring of the ballad was completed around 22 September/4 October 1891, as indicated by a letter to [[Anna Merkling]] of the latter date, in which the composer reported that he had finished his new symphonic work <ref name="note9"/>. On the same day he wrote to [[Anatoly Tchaikovsky]]: "I've finished my symphonic ballad, ''The Voyevoda''. I'm very pleased with it. You really must come to that Musical Society concert in [[Petersburg]], which I'll be conducting. This will be in November" <ref name="note10"/>.

	==Arrangements==		==Arrangements==
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	==Autographs==		==Autographs==
	After hearing his new work played by the orchestra, Tchaikovsky became extremely dissatisfied, and the next day he destroyed it. He wrote of this to [[Vladimir Nápravník]] in a letter of 11/23 November 1891: "My ballad ''The Voyevoda'' turned out to be so wretched, that the other day after the concert I tore it to shreds. It exists no more" <ref name="note11"/>. [[Modest Tchaikovsky]] recalled the same <ref name="note12"/>. However, three autograph fragments from the full score have survived, and are now preserved in the [[Klin]] House-Museum Archive (a{{sup\|1}}, Nos. 64-66).		After hearing his new work played by the orchestra, Tchaikovsky became extremely dissatisfied, and the next day he destroyed it. He wrote of this to [[Vladimir Nápravník]] in a letter of 11/23 November 1891: "The concert was generally successful, but my ballad ''The Voyevoda'' turned out to be so wretched, that the other day after the concert I tore it to shreds. It exists no more" <ref name="note11"/>. [[Modest Tchaikovsky]] recalled the same <ref name="note12"/>. However, three autograph fragments from the full score have survived, and are now preserved in the [[Klin]] House-Museum Archive (a{{sup\|1}}, Nos. 64-66).

	==Publication==		==Publication==
	The orchestral parts were preserved by [[Aleksandr Ziloti]], who, seeing the composer's agitated state after the concert, ordered that the parts should be collected, and took them to his apartment, and he refused Tchaikovsky's request that they should be destroyed, since he and [[Sergey Taneyev]] considered that the ballad ''The Voyevoda'', although weaker than ''[[Romeo and Juliet]]'' and ''[[Francesca da Rimini]]'', was "for all its sins, full of interesting things" <ref name="note13"/>.		The orchestral parts were preserved by [[Aleksandr Ziloti]], who, seeing the composer's agitated state after the concert, ordered that the parts should be collected, and took them to his apartment, and he refused Tchaikovsky's request that they should be destroyed, since he and [[Sergey Taneyev]] considered that the ballad ''The Voyevoda'', although weaker than ''[[Romeo and Juliet]]'' and ''[[Francesca da Rimini]]'', was "for all its sins, full of interesting things" <ref name="note13"/>.

	After Tchaikovsky's death, the full score of the ballad was reconstructed from the orchestral parts and published by [[Mitrofan Belyayev]] in [[Leipzig]] in 1897 as "[[Op.]] 78". An arrangement of the ballad for piano duet by [[Nikolay Sokolov]] was issued at the same time <ref name="note14"/>.		After Tchaikovsky's death, the full score of the ballad was reconstructed from the orchestral parts and published by [[Mitrofan Belyayev]] in [[Leipzig]] in 1897 as "Op. 78". An arrangement of the ballad for piano duet by [[Nikolay Sokolov]] was issued at the same time <ref name="note14"/>.

	Several letters between [[Mitrofan Belyayev]] and [[Modest Tchaikovsky]] survive concerning the question of publishing the composer's works posthumously, a number of which relate to ''The Voyevoda'' <ref name="note15"/>.		Several letters between [[Mitrofan Belyayev]] and [[Modest Tchaikovsky]] survive concerning the question of publishing the composer's works posthumously, a number of which relate to ''The Voyevoda'' <ref name="note15"/>.
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	<ref name="note3">[[Letter 4224]] to [[Pyotr Jurgenson]], 28 September/10 October 1890.</ref>		<ref name="note3">[[Letter 4224]] to [[Pyotr Jurgenson]], 28 September/10 October 1890.</ref>
	<ref name="note4">[[Letter 4231]] to [[Modest Tchaikovsky]], 10/22 October 1890.</ref>		<ref name="note4">[[Letter 4231]] to [[Modest Tchaikovsky]], 10/22 October 1890.</ref>
	<ref name="note5">See [[Letter 4394]] to [[Mikhail Ippolitov-Ivanov]]~~, [[Letter 4397]] to [[Pyotr Jurgenson]], 3/15 June 1891,~~ and ~~also~~ [[Letter 4429]] to [[Sergey Taneyev]], 27 June/9 July 1891.</ref>		<ref name="note5">See [[Letter 4394]] to [[Mikhail Ippolitov-Ivanov]] and [[Letter 4429]] to [[Sergey Taneyev]], 27 June/9 July 1891.</ref>
	<ref name="note6">[[Letter 4397]] to [[Pyotr Jurgenson]], 3/15 June 1891.</ref>		<ref name="note6">[[Letter 4397]] to [[Pyotr Jurgenson]], 3/15 June 1891.</ref>
	<ref name="note7">[[Letter 4459]] to [[Pyotr Jurgenson]], 22 August/3 September 1891.</ref>		<ref name="note7">[[Letter 4459]] to [[Pyotr Jurgenson]], 22 August/3 September 1891.</ref>
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	<ref name="note11">[[Letter 4545]] to [[Vladimir Nápravník]], 11/23 November 1891.</ref>		<ref name="note11">[[Letter 4545]] to [[Vladimir Nápravník]], 11/23 November 1891.</ref>
	<ref name="note12">{{bib\|1902/25\|Жизнь Петра Ильича Чайковского ; том 3}} (1902), pp. 514–516.</ref>		<ref name="note12">{{bib\|1902/25\|Жизнь Петра Ильича Чайковского ; том 3}} (1902), pp. 514–516.</ref>
	<ref name="note13">See letter from [[Aleksandr Ziloti]] to the composer, 21 November/3 December 1891 — [[Klin]] House-Museum Archive.</ref>		<ref name="note13">See letter from [[Aleksandr Ziloti]] to the composer, 21 November/3 December 1891 — [[Klin]] House-Museum Archive (a{{sup\|4}}, No. 1319).</ref>
	<ref name="note14">See letter from [[Mitrofan Belyayev]] to [[Modest Tchaikovsky]], 1/13 April 1896 — [[Klin]] House-Museum Archive.</ref>		<ref name="note14">See letter from [[Mitrofan Belyayev]] to [[Modest Tchaikovsky]], 1/13 April 1896 — [[Klin]] House-Museum Archive (б{{sup\|10}}, No. 396).</ref>
	<ref name="note15">See letters from [[Mitrofan Belyayev]] to [[Modest Tchaikovsky]] of 18/30 March, 1/13 April, 13/25 April 1896 and 31 December 1896/12 January 1897 — [[Klin]] House-Museum Archive.</ref>		<ref name="note15">See letters from [[Mitrofan Belyayev]] to [[Modest Tchaikovsky]] of 18/30 March, 1/13 April, 13/25 April 1896 and 31 December 1896/12 January 1897 — [[Klin]] House-Museum Archive (б{{sup\|10}}, No. 395–398).</ref>
	<ref name="note16">Undated letter from [[Sergey Taneyev]] to [[Modest Tchaikovsky]], 1901 — [[Klin]] House-Museum Archive. The words «Не искал он, не страдал он» {{=}} "He did not seek, he did not yearn".</ref>		<ref name="note16">Undated letter from [[Sergey Taneyev]] to [[Modest Tchaikovsky]], 1901 — [[Klin]] House-Museum Archive (б{{sup\|10}}, No. 5843). The words «Не искал он, не страдал он» {{=}} "He did not seek, he did not yearn".</ref>
	</references>		</references>
	[[Category:Orchestral Music]]		[[Category:Orchestral Music]]

Tony: /* Publication */

2023-02-13T20:16:29Z

Publication

← Older revision		Revision as of 22:16, 13 February 2023
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	The orchestral parts were preserved by [[Aleksandr Ziloti]], who, seeing the composer's agitated state after the concert, ordered that the parts should be collected, and took them to his apartment, and he refused Tchaikovsky's request that they should be destroyed, since he and [[Sergey Taneyev]] considered that the ballad ''The Voyevoda'', although weaker than ''[[Romeo and Juliet]]'' and ''[[Francesca da Rimini]]'', was "for all its sins, full of interesting things" <ref name="note13"/>.		The orchestral parts were preserved by [[Aleksandr Ziloti]], who, seeing the composer's agitated state after the concert, ordered that the parts should be collected, and took them to his apartment, and he refused Tchaikovsky's request that they should be destroyed, since he and [[Sergey Taneyev]] considered that the ballad ''The Voyevoda'', although weaker than ''[[Romeo and Juliet]]'' and ''[[Francesca da Rimini]]'', was "for all its sins, full of interesting things" <ref name="note13"/>.

	After Tchaikovsky's death the full score of the ballad was reconstructed from the orchestral parts and published by [[Mitrofan Belyayev]] in [[Leipzig]] in 1897 as "[[Op.]] 78". An arrangement of the ballad for piano duet by [[Nikolay Sokolov]] was issued at the same time <ref name="note14"/>.		After Tchaikovsky's death, the full score of the ballad was reconstructed from the orchestral parts and published by [[Mitrofan Belyayev]] in [[Leipzig]] in 1897 as "[[Op.]] 78". An arrangement of the ballad for piano duet by [[Nikolay Sokolov]] was issued at the same time <ref name="note14"/>.

	Several letters between [[Mitrofan Belyayev]] and [[Modest Tchaikovsky]] survive concerning the question of publishing the composer's works posthumously, a number of which relate to ''The Voyevoda'' <ref name="note15"/>.		Several letters between [[Mitrofan Belyayev]] and [[Modest Tchaikovsky]] survive concerning the question of publishing the composer's works posthumously, a number of which relate to ''The Voyevoda'' <ref name="note15"/>.

Brett: 1 revision imported

2022-07-12T11:19:53Z

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← Older revision	Revision as of 13:19, 12 July 2022
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Brett: /* Critical Reception */

2021-03-20T21:52:06Z

Critical Reception

New page

'''''The Voyevoda''''' (Воевода) is a symphonic ballad in A minor ([[TH]] 54 ; [[ČW]] 51) <ref name="note1"/>, written by Tchaikovsky in September and October 1890, but not orchestrated until September 1891. After the first performance the composer destroyed the full score, but after his death it was reconstructed from the surviving orchestral parts and published as "[[Op.]] 78".

==Instrumentation==
''The Voyevoda'' is scored for a large orchestra comprising 3 flutes, 2 oboes, English horn, 2 clarinets (in A), bass clarinet (in B-flat), 2 bassoons + 4 horns (in F), 2 trumpets (in B-flat), 3 trombones, tuba + 3 timpani, military drum + celesta + harp, violins I, violins II, violas, cellos, and double basses.

==Duration==
There is one movement: Allegro vivacissimo—Moderato a tempo (A minor, 510 bars), lasting around 12 to 15 minutes in performance.

==Subject==
The Ballad is based on [[Aleksandr Pushkin]]'s Russian translation of the Polish poem ''Czaty: Ballada ukraińska'' (The Ambush: A Ukrainian Ballad) by [[Adam Mickiewicz]], which was first published in the collection ''Poezye Adama Mickiewicza'' (1829). The work is unconnected to Tchaikovsky's first opera, also called ''[[The Voyevoda (opera)|The Voyevoda]]'' (1867-68), or the [[The Voyevoda (melodrama)|melodrama]] he wrote for the stage play of the same name in 1886.

==Composition==
There is very little surviving evidence concerning the origins of ''The Voyevoda''. From Tchaikovsky's letters to [[Vladimir Davydov]], it would appear that the two men had talked to each other about this subject. Tchaikovsky wrote: "I have composed that ballad for orchestra, on the subject of which you disapprove... I assure you that it was a good idea to write this work" <ref name="note2"/>. It seems that the ballad was begun in [[Tiflis]] in late September/early October 1890. Tchaikovsky wrote to [[Pyotr Jurgenson]] on 28 September/10 October 1890: "I am composing a symphonic poem" <ref name="note3"/>. From the aforementioned letter from the composer to [[Vladimir Davydov]], it follows that by 4/16 October the ballad was prepared in rough, and in the same letter Tchaikovsky stated that he would spend the next few weeks on its instrumentation. But his intention was not then carried out. In a letter to [[Modest Tchaikovsky]] of 10/22 October 1890, the composer wrote: "The ballad is finished, but I'm slaving over the orchestration and getting nowhere. It's so awkward" <ref name="note4"/>. Tchaikovsky's circumstances forced him to put off completing the ballad for almost a whole year. The productions of the opera ''[[The Queen of Spades]]'' in [[Saint Petersburg]] and [[Kiev]], a commission from [[Lucien Guitry]] for music to ''[[Hamlet (incidental music)|Hamlet]]'', composing the opera ''[[Iolanta]]'' and the ballet ''[[The Nutcracker]]'' for the next winter season, and a concert tour of America—all of these postponed the orchestration of the ballad.

In a number of letters to relatives and friends dating from June 1891, Tchaikovsky wrote of his intention to begin scoring the ballad <ref name="note5"/>, and asked [[Pyotr Jurgenson]] to obtain a new orchestral instrument, the ''Celesta Mustel'': "It is essential for ''The Voyevoda''..." <ref name="note6"/>.

In a letter of 22 August/3 September to [[Pyotr Jurgenson]], Tchaikovsky reported: "I shall now orchestrate the fantasia ''Voyevoda'' (on the subject of [[Pushkin]]'s ballad), and will play it for the first time in [[Saint Petersburg]] at a concert of the Musical Society. I have been invited to conduct one of their concerts there" <ref name="note7"/>.

Tchaikovsky took up the orchestration of ''The Voyevoda'' as soon as he had finished the rough sketches of ''[[Iolanta]]'': "Yesterday I completely finished the opera. Tomorrow I shall set to work on the instrumentation of ''The Voyevoda''", he wrote to [[Modest Tchaikovsky]] on 5/17 September 1891 <ref name="note8"/>.

The scoring of the ballad was completed around 22 September/4 October 1891, as indicated by a letter to [[Anna Merkling]] of the latter date, in which the composer reported that he had finished his new symphonic work <ref name="note9"/>. On the same day he wrote to [[Anatoly Tchaikovsky]]: "I've finished my symphonic ballad, ''The Voyevoda'', and I'm very pleased with it" <ref name="note10"/>.

==Arrangements==
Tchaikovsky transcribed the central section of the ballad as an independent piece for solo piano under the title ''[[Aveu passionné]]''.

==Performances==
The symphonic ballad ''The Voyevoda'' was performed for the first time in [[Moscow]] on 6/18 November 1891, at a concert organised by [[Aleksandr Ziloti]], conducted by the composer.

Other notable early performances included:
* [[New York]], [Carnegie] Music Hall, Symphonic Society concert, 14/26 November 1897, conducted by [[Walter Damrosch]]
* [[Saint Petersburg]], Russian symphony concert, March 1897
* [[London]], Queen's Hall, 15/28 September 1905, conducted by Henry Wood.

==Autographs==
After hearing his new work played by the orchestra, Tchaikovsky became extremely dissatisfied, and the next day he destroyed it. He wrote of this to [[Vladimir Nápravník]] in a letter of 11/23 November 1891: "My ballad ''The Voyevoda'' turned out to be so wretched, that the other day after the concert I tore it to shreds. It exists no more" <ref name="note11"/>. [[Modest Tchaikovsky]] recalled the same <ref name="note12"/>. However, three autograph fragments from the full score have survived, and are now preserved in the [[Klin]] House-Museum Archive (a{{sup|1}}, Nos. 64-66).

==Publication==
The orchestral parts were preserved by [[Aleksandr Ziloti]], who, seeing the composer's agitated state after the concert, ordered that the parts should be collected, and took them to his apartment, and he refused Tchaikovsky's request that they should be destroyed, since he and [[Sergey Taneyev]] considered that the ballad ''The Voyevoda'', although weaker than ''[[Romeo and Juliet]]'' and ''[[Francesca da Rimini]]'', was "for all its sins, full of interesting things" <ref name="note13"/>.

After Tchaikovsky's death the full score of the ballad was reconstructed from the orchestral parts and published by [[Mitrofan Belyayev]] in [[Leipzig]] in 1897 as "[[Op.]] 78". An arrangement of the ballad for piano duet by [[Nikolay Sokolov]] was issued at the same time <ref name="note14"/>.

Several letters between [[Mitrofan Belyayev]] and [[Modest Tchaikovsky]] survive concerning the question of publishing the composer's works posthumously, a number of which relate to ''The Voyevoda'' <ref name="note15"/>.

''The Voyevoda'' was published in volume 26 of Tchaikovsky's ''[[Complete Collected Works]]'' (1961), edited by Irina Iordan.

==Critical Reception==
After the composer's death, [[Sergey Taneyev]], in one of his letters to [[Modest Tchaikovsky]] in 1901, recalled how he had given his views on ''The Voyevoda'' to Tchaikovsky soon after the first rehearsal:
{{quote|My first impression of ''The Voyevoda''", he wrote, "was that the main part of the piece—the central love episode—sounded merely preparatory. Moreover, the musical worth of this central section could not bear comparison with similar episodes in earlier works by Pyotr Ilyich—''[[Romeo]]'', ''[[The Tempest]]'' and ''[[Francesca]]''. It seemed to me that the reception this work received at that time was mistaken. The words of [[Pushkin]]'s ballad might be sung to this melody, thus:}}
<div align="center">[[File:TH054a.jpg|400px]]</div>

{{quote|What this suggests, is that this was not composed as a work for orchestra, but as a romance. Performed without words and on orchestral instruments it produces a somewhat insipid impression, and its impact is greatly diminished <ref name="note16"/>.}}

It is possible that [[Taneyev]]'s views had an indirect influence on Tchaikovsky's decision to destroy ''The Voyevoda''.

==Recordings==
{{reclink}}

==Related Works==
: ''See: [[Aveu passionné]]''.

==External Links==
* {{imslpscore|The_Voyevoda_(symphonic_ballad),_Op.78_(Tchaikovsky,_Pyotr)|The Voyevoda}}

==Notes and References==
<references>
<ref name="note1">Entitled 'The Voevoda' in [[TH]].</ref>
<ref name="note2">[[Letter 4228]] to [[Vladimir Davydov]], 5/17 October 1890.</ref>
<ref name="note3">[[Letter 4224]] to [[Pyotr Jurgenson]], 28 September/10 October 1890.</ref>
<ref name="note4">[[Letter 4231]] to [[Modest Tchaikovsky]], 10/22 October 1890.</ref>
<ref name="note5">See [[Letter 4394]] to [[Mikhail Ippolitov-Ivanov]], [[Letter 4397]] to [[Pyotr Jurgenson]], 3/15 June 1891, and also [[Letter 4429]] to [[Sergey Taneyev]], 27 June/9 July 1891.</ref>
<ref name="note6">[[Letter 4397]] to [[Pyotr Jurgenson]], 3/15 June 1891.</ref>
<ref name="note7">[[Letter 4459]] to [[Pyotr Jurgenson]], 22 August/3 September 1891.</ref>
<ref name="note8">[[Letter 4469]] to [[Modest Tchaikovsky]], 5/17 September 1891.</ref>
<ref name="note9">[[Letter 4478]] to [[Anna Merkling]], 22 September/4 October 1891.</ref>
<ref name="note10">[[Letter 4480]] to [[Anatoly Tchaikovsky]], 22 September/4 October 1891.</ref>
<ref name="note11">[[Letter 4545]] to [[Vladimir Nápravník]], 11/23 November 1891.</ref>
<ref name="note12">{{bib|1902/25|Жизнь Петра Ильича Чайковского ; том 3}} (1902), pp. 514–516.</ref>
<ref name="note13">See letter from [[Aleksandr Ziloti]] to the composer, 21 November/3 December 1891 — [[Klin]] House-Museum Archive.</ref>
<ref name="note14">See letter from [[Mitrofan Belyayev]] to [[Modest Tchaikovsky]], 1/13 April 1896 — [[Klin]] House-Museum Archive.</ref>
<ref name="note15">See letters from [[Mitrofan Belyayev]] to [[Modest Tchaikovsky]] of 18/30 March, 1/13 April, 13/25 April 1896 and 31 December 1896/12 January 1897 — [[Klin]] House-Museum Archive.</ref>
<ref name="note16">Undated letter from [[Sergey Taneyev]] to [[Modest Tchaikovsky]], 1901 — [[Klin]] House-Museum Archive. The words «Не искал он, не страдал он» {{=}} "He did not seek, he did not yearn".</ref>
</references>
[[Category:Orchestral Music]]