Letter 1694 and Letter 665a: Difference between pages

Tchaikovsky Research
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{{letterhead
{{letterhead
|Date=23 February/7 March 1881
|Date=30 November/12 December 1877
|To=[[Anatoly Tchaikovsky]]
|To=[unidentified male] <ref name="note1"/>
|Place=[[Rome]]
|Place=[[Vienna]]
|Language=Russian
|Language=German (opening salutation in Russian; postscript partly in French) <ref name="note2"/>
|Autograph=[[Klin]] (Russia): {{RUS-KLč}} (a{{sup|3}}, No. 1342)
|Autograph={{locunknown}} <ref name="note1a"/>
|Publication={{bib|1966/44|П. И. Чайковский. Полное собрание сочинений ; том X}} (1966), p. 47–48
|Publication={{bibx|2001/10|Tschaikowsky-Gesellschaft Mitteilungen}}, Heft 8 (2001), p. 7 (extracts only) <ref name="note3"/>
}}
}}
==Text and Translation==
==Text and Translation==
{{Lettertext
{{Lettertext
|Language=Russian
|Language=German
|Translator=Brett Langston
|Translator=Luis Sundkvist and Brett Langston
|Original text={{right|{{datestyle|Рим|23 февр[аля]|7 марта|1881}}}}
|Original text={{right|Вена<br/>12 декабря 1877}}
Анатоша! Получил вчера твоё письмо. Оно очень грустного свойства: болезнь Рубинштейна, смерть Дубовицкой, наконец, странности твоей возлюбленной и непостижимость её капризных противуположностей, — всё это навеяло на меня не весёлые мысли, Рубинштейн меня очень беспокоит: мне кажется, что это ''le commencement de la fin'', и я просто в ужас прихожу от мысли, что его не станет.
{{centre|Добрейший Юрий Яковлевич!}}
Es ist sehr traurig, dass ich Sie nicht in Wien gesehen habe und danke Ihnen herzlich für die {{sic|freundliche|freundlichen}} Zeilen die Sie mir geschrieben haben. Ich war die ganze Zeit krank und habe {{sic|niemand|niemanden}} gesehen. Morgen fahre ich nach Venedig, wo ich einige Wochen [zu] bleiben beabsichtige. Lassen Sie mich Ihr Hand, freundlich drücken und vergeben Sie micht ihren,
{{right|P. Tchaïkovsky}}
Grâce und pardon für meine abscheuliche deutsche Sprache.  


А я сделался светским человеком, и дошло до того, что мне пришлось купить фрак. В воскресенье утром я получил приглашение завтракать у Великих князей Сергия и Павла, у коих гостит теперь наш Костя, написавший мне столь милое письмо, что оказаться от посещения их виллы не было никакой возможности. Сергий и Павел очень мне тоже понравились; они весьма милы, просты, любезны, хоть не столь поэтичны, как наш Костя. Сегодня парадный обед у Гр[афа] Бобринского с Вел[икими] князьями, куда я тоже приглашён, и опять-таки отказаться нет возможности, ибо Бобринский сам был у меня, а Костя просил непременно быть. Кроме того, мне предстоят вечера у посланницы Бар[онессы] Икскуль и у Графини Соллonуб. Можешь себе представить, как всё это мне приятно!!! Вот уж не ожидал, что в Риме мне придётся страдать от приглашений не меньше, чем в Петербурге. Приходится удирать, что я и сделаю в очень скoром времени, а именно: в субботу еду в Неаполь, оттуда через 8 дней в Ниццу, а потом в Париж. Пиши мне в Ниццу: ''Boulevard de la Buffa 16, M[ada]me Kondratief pour remettre à M. P. T.''.
|Translated text={{right|[[Vienna]]<br/>12 December 1877}}
 
{{centre|Most kind Yury Yakovlevich!}}
Всё это путешествие до Парижа я сделаю с Кондратьевым и там с ним расстанусь. Впрочем, и сам за малостью денежных средств долго за границей жить не придётся, и думаю, что святую уже вместе с тобой проведу в Каменке. Если б не обеды, завтраки и вечера во фраке, то я бы очень наслаждался пребыванием в Риме. Погода стоит совсем летняя, так что приходится страдать от жары; цветов на улицах продаётся так много, что в воздухе носится аромат их, да и вообще Рим сделался для меня очень симпатичным местом. Сейчас иду к Кондратьеву пить дневной чай, затем погуляю, а потом, облачившись во фрак, отправлюсь к Бобринским вместе с Кондратьевым.
It is very sad that I did not see you in [[Vienna]], and I thank you cordially for the friendly lines that you wrote to me. I have been ill the whole time and have seen no-one. Tomorrow I am travelling to [[Venice]], where I intend to stay for a few weeks. Permit me to shake your hand warmly, and forgive me, your
 
{{right|P. Tchaikovsky}}
Целую и обнимаю крепко. Спасибо, голубчик, за Алёшу!
Apologies and forgiveness for my atrocious German.
{{right|Твой П. Чайковский}}
 
|Translated text={{right|{{datestyle|[[Rome]]|23 February|7 March|1881}}}}
[[Anatosha]]! Your letter came yesterday. Its contents were very sad: [[Nikolay Rubinstein|Rubinstein]]'s illness, the death of Dubovitskaya, the strangeness of your beloved, and the unfathomability of her contradictory whims — all of this caused me to have unhappy thoughts. [[Nikolay Rubinstein|Rubinstein]] worries me very much; it seems to me that this is ''le commencement de la fin'', and I'm simply horrified at the thought that he will be no more.
 
And I've become a worldly person, to the point that I had to buy a tailcoat. On Sunday morning I received an invitation to lunch with the Grand Dukes Sergey and Pavel, with whom our [[Grand Duke Konstantin Konstantionvich|Kostya]] is now visiting; he wrote me such a nice letter that it was impossible for me to avoid visiting their villa. I very much liked Sergey and Pavel too; they are sweet, simple, and courteous, although not as poetic as our [[Grand Duke Konstantin Konstantionvich|Kostya]]. There's a ceremonial dinner today at Count Bobrinsky's with the grand dukes, to which I've also been invited, and once again there's no possibility of refusing, because Bobrinsky himself was with me, and [[Grand Duke Konstantin Konstantionvich|Kostya]] asked me to be there. Moreover, I'll be going to soirées with her excellency Baroness Ikskul, and with the Countess Sollogub. You can imagine how pleased I am about all this! I really didn't expect that in [[Rome]] I'd have to endure no fewer invitations than in [[Petersburg]]. I'll have to make my escape, which I'll be doing very soon, namely on Saturday: I'm going to [[Naples]], from there 8 days later to [[Nice]], and then to [[Paris]]. Write to me in [[Nice]]: ''Boulevard de la Buffa 16, M[ada]me Kondratief pour remettre à M. P. T.''.
 
I'll be making the whole journey to [[Paris]] with [[Kondratev]], and will part ways from him there. Anyway, having so little money myself, I won't be staying abroad for a long time, and I think I'll be spending Easter with you at [[Kamenka]]. Were it not for the dinners, lunches and soiréés in tails, I'd very much enjoy my stay in [[Rome]]. The weather is altogether summery, so you have to put up with the heat; so many flowers are being sold on the street that their scent fills the air, and in [[Rome]] in general has become a very sympathetic place for me. Now I'm off to [[Kondratyev]]'s for afternoon tea, then I'll go for a stroll, and then, wearing my tailcoat, I'll go with [[Kondratyev]] to the Bobrinskys.
 
I kiss and hug you tightly. Thank you, golubchik, for [[Alyosha]]!
{{right|Yours P. Tchaikovsky}}
}}
}}
==Notes and References==
<references>
<ref name="note1a">The autograph was advertised for auction on 28 March 2023 in Berlin by Stargardt Autographenhandlung [https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot/tschaikowski-peter-pyotr-ilyich-tchaikovsky-1840--660-c-8e04e1c8f5?objectID=177928837]. It had previously been auctioned on 21-22 June 1972 in Marburg by J. A. Stargardt (see J. A. Stargardt, ''Autographen aus allen Gebieten. Katalog Nr. 599'' (Marburg, 1972), item no. 803).</ref>
<ref name="note1">Only the name and patronymic of the addressee are given in the Stargardt auction catalogue: Yury Yakovlevich ("Jury Jakowlewitsch").</ref>
<ref name="note2">Judging from the name and patronymic as well as from the opening salutation, the addressee seems to have been a Russian. The fact that Tchaikovsky wrote to him in German is very likely, as Valery Sokolov has suggested, due to the fact that the composer did not wish his curious servant, [[Aleksey Sofronov]], to be able to read the letter before delivering it to its recipient.</ref>
<ref name="note3">Based on the extracts and partial facsimile published in: J. A. Stargardt, ''Autographen aus allen Gebieten. Katalog Nr. 599'' (Marburg, 1972), item no. 803.</ref>
</references>
[[Category:Letters to Unidentified Persons]]
{{DEFAULTSORT:Letter 0665a}}

Latest revision as of 13:46, 23 April 2024

Date 30 November/12 December 1877
Addressed to [unidentified male] [1]
Where written Vienna
Language German (opening salutation in Russian; postscript partly in French) [2]
Autograph Location unknown [3]
Publication Tschaikowsky-Gesellschaft Mitteilungen, Heft 8 (2001), p. 7 (extracts only) [4]

Text and Translation

German text
(original) 		English translation
By Luis Sundkvist and Brett Langston
Вена
12 декабря 1877

Добрейший Юрий Яковлевич!

Es ist sehr traurig, dass ich Sie nicht in Wien gesehen habe und danke Ihnen herzlich für die freundliche Zeilen die Sie mir geschrieben haben. Ich war die ganze Zeit krank und habe niemand gesehen. Morgen fahre ich nach Venedig, wo ich einige Wochen [zu] bleiben beabsichtige. Lassen Sie mich Ihr Hand, freundlich drücken und vergeben Sie micht ihren,

P. Tchaïkovsky

Grâce und pardon für meine abscheuliche deutsche Sprache.

Vienna
12 December 1877

Most kind Yury Yakovlevich!

It is very sad that I did not see you in Vienna, and I thank you cordially for the friendly lines that you wrote to me. I have been ill the whole time and have seen no-one. Tomorrow I am travelling to Venice, where I intend to stay for a few weeks. Permit me to shake your hand warmly, and forgive me, your

P. Tchaikovsky

Apologies and forgiveness for my atrocious German.

Notes and References

  1. ↑ Only the name and patronymic of the addressee are given in the Stargardt auction catalogue: Yury Yakovlevich ("Jury Jakowlewitsch").
  2. ↑ Judging from the name and patronymic as well as from the opening salutation, the addressee seems to have been a Russian. The fact that Tchaikovsky wrote to him in German is very likely, as Valery Sokolov has suggested, due to the fact that the composer did not wish his curious servant, Aleksey Sofronov, to be able to read the letter before delivering it to its recipient.
  3. ↑ The autograph was advertised for auction on 28 March 2023 in Berlin by Stargardt Autographenhandlung [1]. It had previously been auctioned on 21-22 June 1972 in Marburg by J. A. Stargardt (see J. A. Stargardt, Autographen aus allen Gebieten. Katalog Nr. 599 (Marburg, 1972), item no. 803).
  4. ↑ Based on the extracts and partial facsimile published in: J. A. Stargardt, Autographen aus allen Gebieten. Katalog Nr. 599 (Marburg, 1972), item no. 803.
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