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| Tchaikovsky's '''''Six Romances''''' (Шесть романсов), [[Op.]] 6 ([[TH]] 93 ; [[ČW]] 211-216), were written in [[Moscow]] in November 1869.
| | {{letterhead |
| | | |Date=25 November/7 December 1867 |
| ==Instrumentation==
| | |To=[[Modest Tchaikovsky]] |
| Scored for high voice (Nos. 1, 2, 3, 5), medium voice (No. 6) or baritone (No. 4), with piano accompaniment.
| | |Place=[[Moscow]] |
| | | |Language=Russian |
| ==Movements and Duration== | | |Autograph=[[Saint Petersburg]] (Russia): {{RUS-SPsc}} (ф. 834, ед. хр. 36, л. 5–6) |
| # '''Do Not Believe, My Friend''' (Не верь, мой друг)<br/>Moderato assai (C-sharp minor, 63 bars).
| | |Publication={{bib|1900/35|Жизнь Петра Ильича Чайковского ; том 1}} (1900), p. 280 (abridged)<br/>{{bib|1940/210|П. И. Чайковский. Письма к родным ; том 1}} (1940), p. 102–103<br/>{{bib|1955/37|П. И. Чайковский. Письма к близким}} (1955), p. 37 <br/>{{bib|1959/50|П. И. Чайковский. Полное собрание сочинений ; том V}} (1959), p. 128<br/>{{bib|1981/81| Piotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. Letters to his family. An autobiography}} (1981), p. 36 (English translation) |
| # '''Not a Word, O My Friend''' (Ни слова, о друг мой)<br/>Andante ma non troppo (E minor, 41 bars).
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| # '''Bitterly and Sweetly''' (И больно, и сладко)<br/>Allegro vivo (A major, 81 bars).
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| # '''A Tear Trembles''' (Слеза дрожит)<br/>Moderato assai (G-flat major, 80 bars).
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| # '''Why?''' (Отчего?)<br/>Moderato (D major, 41 bars).
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| # '''None but the Lonely Heart''' (Нет, только тот, кто знал)<br/>Andante non tanto (D-flat major, 54 bars).
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| ==Texts==
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| 1. [[Aleksey Tolstoy]] (1817–1875), from an untitled poem (1856):
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| {{libtext | |
| |Original text= | |
| <poem>
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| Не верь, мой друг, не верь, когда в порыве горя.
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| Я говорю, что разлюбил тебя —
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| В отлива час не верь, не верь измене моря,
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| Оно к земле воротится, любя.
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| Уж я тоскую, прежней страсти полный,
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| Свою свободу вновь тебе отдам —
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| И уж бегут с обратным шумом волны | |
| Издалека к любимым берегам.
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| Не верь, мой друг, не верь,
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| Не верь, мой друг, не верь
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| Когда в порыве горя.
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| Я говорю, что разлюбил тебя —
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| В отлива час не верь, не верь измене моря,
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| Оно к земле воротится, любя.
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| </poem> | |
| |Translated text=
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| }}
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| 2. [[Aleksey Pleshcheyev]] (1825–1893), from his poem ''Silence'' (Молчание) (1861) — a translation from the German poem ''Schweigen'' by [[Moritz Hartmann]] (1821–1872):
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| {{libtext | |
| |Original text= | |
| <poem>
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| Ни слова, о друг мой, ни вздоха...
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| Мы будем с тобой молчаливы...
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| Ведь молча над камнем,
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| над камнем могильным
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| Склоняются грустные ивы...
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| И только, склонившись, читают, | |
| Как я в твоём сердце усталом,
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| Что были дни ясного счастья...
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| Что этого счастья — не стало!
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| Что этого счастья — не стало!
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| Ни слова, о друг мой, ни вздоха...
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| Мы будем с тобой молчаливы...
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| Ведь молча над камнем,
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| над камнем могильным
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| Склоняются грустные ивы...
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| Склоняются грустные ивы.
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| </poem> | |
| | |
| |Translated text= | |
| }} | |
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| 3. [[Yevdokiya Rostopchina]] (1812–1858), from her poem ''Words for Music'' (Слова для музыка) (1854):
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| {{libtext
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| |Original text=
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| <poem>
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| И больно, и сладко,
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| Когда при начале любви,
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| То сердце забьётся украдкой,
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| То в жилах течет лихорадка,
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| И больно, и сладко,
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| То жар запылает в крови...
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| И больно, и сладко!
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| Пробьёт час свиданья, —
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| Потупя предательный взор,
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| В волненье, в томленье незнанья
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| Боишься, желаешь признанья, —
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| И в муку свиданье!
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| Начнёшь и прервёшь разговор...
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| И в муку свиданье!
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| Не вымолвишь слова...
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| Немеешь, робеешь, дрожишь;
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| Душа, проклиная оковы,
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| Вся в речи излиться готова...
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| Нет силы, нет слова,
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| И только глядишь и молчишь!
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| И сладко, и больно...
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| И трепет безумный затих;
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| И сердцу легко и раздольно...
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| Слова полились бы так вольно,
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| И сладко, и больно...
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| Но слушать уж некому их.
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| И сладко, и больно,
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| И сладко, и больно.
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| </poem>
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| |Translated text=
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| }} | | }} |
| | ==Text and Translation== |
| | {{Lettertext |
| | |Language=Russian |
| | |Translator=Brett Langston |
| | |Original text={{right|''25 ноября 1867''}} |
| | Модест! Как ты поживаешь и отчего совсем мне не пишешь? Стыдно. |
|
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| 4. [[Aleksey Tolstoy]], from an untitled poem (1858):
| | У нас умер митрополит, — единственная новость, к[ото]рую могу тебе сообщить. |
| {{libtext
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| |Original text=
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| <poem>
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| Слеза дрожит в твоём ревнивом взоре —
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| О, не грусти, ты всё мне дорога!
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| Но я любить могу лишь на просторе —
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| Мою любовь, широкую, как море,
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| Вместить не могут, нет!
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| Вместить не могут жизни берега.
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|
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| О, не грусти, мой друг, земное минет горе,
| | Ларош теперь переселился на время к нам по той причине, что ему запрещено выходить на чистый воздух, а он не желает терять свои уроки. По этому случаю я чаще сижу дома; к тому же сюда приехал наш общий приятель Клименко и почти каждый день бывает у нас. Он говорил мне, что виделся с Анатолием у Мамчича; про жену сего последнего он рассказывал, что она величайшая стерва в мире; скажи Анатолию, чтобы он не входил с ней в излишнюю интимность. |
| Пожди ещё, неволя недолга —
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| В одну любовь мы все сольемся вскоре,
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| В одну любовь, широкую, как море,
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| Что не вместят, нет!
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| Что не вместят земные берега.
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| </poem>
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|
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| |Translated text=
| | Опера теперь идёт довольно успешно; написал все З-е действие; в следующем концерте будут исполнены из неё танцы, к[ото]рые я оркестровал в Гапсале. Видишься ли ты с нашими гапсальскими приятелями. Что поделывает Розен, бывает ли он у Вас. |
| }}
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|
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| 5. [[Lev Mey]] (1822–1862), from his poem of the same name (1858) — a translation from the German of ''Warum sind denn die Rosen so blaß?'' (1822) by [[Heinrich Heine]] (1797–1856):
| | Ради Бога окажи Вере Вас[ильевне], что я у ног её прошу прощения за удержание моих фортепьянных [пьес], но я не мог иначе сделать по причинам, от меня не зависящим. Скажи ей, что напечатаны они будут и подлинник ей возвращён. |
| {{libtext
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| |Original text=
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| <poem>
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| Отчего побледнела весной
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| Пышноцветная роза сама?
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| Отчего под зелёной травой
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| Голубая фиалка нема?
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|
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| Отчего так печально звучит
| | Целую тебя и Анатолия. |
| Песня птички, несясь в небеса?
| | {{right|П. Чайковский}} |
| Отчего над лугами висит
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| Погребальным покровом роса?
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|
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| Отчего в небе солнце с утра
| | |Translated text={{right|''25 November 1867''}} |
| Холодно и темно, как зимой?
| | [[Modest]]! How are you doing and why don't you write to me at all? Shame. |
| Отчего и земля вся сыра
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| И угрюмей могилы самой?
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| Отчего я и сам все грустней
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| И болезненней день ото дня?
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| Отчего, о, скажи мне скорей,
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| Ты, покинув, забыла меня?
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| </poem>
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| |Translated text= | |
| }} | |
|
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| 6. [[Lev Mey]], from his poem ''Harpist's Song'' (Песнь Арфиста) (1857) — a translation from the German of ''Nur wer die Sehnsucht kennt'', in book 4 of the novel ''Wilhelm Meisters Lehrjahre'' (1795) by [[Johann Wolfgang von Goethe]] (1748–1832);
| | The only news I can report to you is that our Metropolitan has died. |
| {{libtext
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| |Original text=
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| <poem>
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| Нет, только тот, кто знал
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| Свиданья, жажду,
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| Поймёт, как я страдал
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| И как я стражду.
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|
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| Гляжу я вдаль... нет сил,
| | [[Laroche]] has now moved in with us for the time being, for the reason that he's forbidden to go out into the fresh air, and he doesn't want to miss his lessons. On this account, I'm staying at home more often; besides, our mutual friend [[Klimenko]] has come here and visits us almost every day. He told me that he saw [[Anatoly]] at Mamchich's; he said that the latter's wife was the greatest bitch in the world; tell [[Anatoly]] not to get too intimate with her. |
| Тускнеет око...
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| Ах, кто меня любил
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| И знал — далёко!
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|
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| Ах, только тот, кто знал
| | The opera's now going quite well; I've written the whole of the 3rd act; the dances from it, which I orchestrated at [[Hapsal]], will be performed at the next concert. Did you see our friends from [[Hapsal]]? How is Rosen doing, and does he visit you? |
| Свиданья жажду,
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| Поймёт, как я страдал
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| И как я стражду.
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| Поймёт, как я страдал
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| И как я стражду.
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|
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| Вся грудь горит... кто знал
| | For God's sake, make [[Vera Vasilyevna]] see that I'm at her feet begging forgiveness for withholding my piano pieces, but I couldn't do anything else for reasons beyond my control. Tell her that they will be printed and the originals returned to her. |
| Свиданья жажду,
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| Поймёт, как я страдал
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| И как я стражду.
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| </poem>
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| |Translated text= | | I kiss you and [[Anatoly]]. |
| | {{right|P. Tchaikovsky}} |
| }} | | }} |
| | | {{DEFAULTSORT:Letter 0109}} |
| The texts of ''Bitterly and Sweetly'' (No. 3) and ''A Tear Trembles'' (No. 4) – were shortened by Tchaikovsky, and in the romances ''Do Not Believe, My Friend'' (No. 1), ''Bitterly and Sweetly'' (No. 3), ''A Tear Trembles'' (No 4) and ''Why?'' (No, 5), the composer made some alterations to the texts.
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| ==Composition==
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| Until mid/late November 1869, Tchaikovsky was occupied with composition of the overture ''[[Romeo and Juliet]]'', amongst his other work. On 15/27 November, he wrote to [[Aleksandra Davydova]]: "I have been terribly busy; hurrying to finish my new overture... besides which I have quite a few other jobs to do; as a result my nerves are under considerable strain, and I intend to take some time off, i.e. to do nothing apart from my classes" <ref name="note1"/>.
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| On 18/30 November 1869, in a letter to [[Modest Tchaikovsky]], he expressed his dismay about the delay in staging of his opera ''[[Undina]]'', writing: "Once my aversion to music passes, I'll start writing romances in order to earn a little money" <ref name="note2"/>.
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| However, the next week he joked to [[Ivan Klimenko]]: "...had dear Dorimedontova not burst in, like some malevolent spirit fulfilling a curse, then one-sixth (of my six romances) would have been completed" <ref name="note3"/>.
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| In early/mid-December the composer wrote: '"My idleness (about which I wrote to you in a previous letter <ref name="note4"/>) did not last long, and lasted only a short time and last week I wrote six romances, which are going to be printed" <ref name="note5"/>.
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| Some years later Tchaikovsky referred to Nos. 6 and 3 from this opus in his letters: "You know that out of all my romances only two are popular: ''None but the Lonely Heart'' and ''Bitterly and Sweetly'' <ref name="note6"/>."
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| ==Performances==
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| ''Bitterly and Sweetly'' (No. 3) was performed by [[Aleksandra Aleksandrova-Kochetova]] in [[Moscow]] on 14/26 March 1870, at the tenth symphony concert of the Russian Musical Society.
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| ''Why?'' (No. 5) was performed by [[Wilhelmina Raab]] on 3/15 January 1881 at the 7th RMS symphony concert in [[Saint Petersburg]].
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| ''None but the Lonely Heart'' (No. 6) was apparently performed for the first time by [[Yelizaveta Lavrovskaya]] on 26 March/7 April 1870 in [[Moscow]]. Other early performances include:
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| * Meiningen, 2nd subscription concert, 8/20 February 1881, Madame Schauenberg
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| One unidentified song from this set was performed by [[Désirée Artôt-Padilla]] on 4/16 March 1880 at the 11th subscription concert in [[Breslau]].
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| ==Publication==
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| The romances were first published by [[Pyotr Jurgenson]] in March 1870 <ref name="note7"/>. Subsequently these romances, along with others, were frequently repeated, in their original keys, transpositions and arrangements (1873, 1876, 1884, etc.). At the end of 1890 they were published by [[Jurgenson]] in a collected edition of romances, reviewed by the author <ref name="note8"/>.
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| At the time of this reprinting, Tchaikovsky stipulated that all the songs "ought to be in their original keys. Transpositions may also be published, but the proofs must be thoroughly examined... and checked against my texts of the original romances. Many of the romances in question not only have to be corrected, but also to be amended. ''I want the new edition to be a completely flawless edition''" <ref name="note9"/>.
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| In 1940, the Six Romances were included in volume 44 of Tchaikovsky's ''[[Complete Collected Works]]'', edited by Ivan Shishov and Nikolay Shemanin.
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| ==Arrangements==
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| In 1886, [[Raïssa Boulanger]] wrote to Tchaikovsky asking for a copy of the orchestrated version of ''Was I Not a Little Blade of Grass in the Field?'' (No. 7 of the [[Seven Romances, Op. 47]]), as well as to orchestrate for her the romance ''Bitterly and Sweetly'' (Op. 6, No. 3). She evidently intended to perform these romances in public. Tchaikovsky replied to [[Raïssa Boulanger|Madame Boulanger]] on 1/13 December 1886 promising that he would fulfil both her requests <ref name="note10"/>.
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| A manuscript with an orchestration of ''Bitterly and Sweetly'' is preserved in the personal archive of [[Raïssa Boulanger]]'s daughter Nadia at the Bibliothèque nationale in [[Paris]] <ref name="note16"/>. In his letter of 1/13 December 1886, Tchaikovsky wrote that he had commenced the orchestration and would despatch it shortly <ref name="note11"/>. As the manuscript in the Bibliothèque nationale is a fair copy by an unidentified hand, it remains doubtful whether the composer himself was the author of this arrangement or if he delegated the work to a student or colleague, but since the address on the back page of the score was written by Tchaikovsky, at the very least he was involved in its transmission to [[Raïssa Boulanger|Boulanger]] <ref name="note12"/>. The orchestra employed (2 clarinets, 2 bassoons, 2 horns and strings) is even smaller than in Tchaikovsky's other extant arrangements of his songs, although it resembles them stylistically <ref name="note13"/>. It is possible that the composer took into account [[Raïssa Boulanger|Madame Boulanger]]'s remark about the chamber orchestra she would have at her disposal in the musical society ''La Trompette'' <ref name="note14"/>. The programmes of ''La Trompette'' list a performance of ''Il est doux, il est bon'' ("en russe")' and ''N'étais je pas l'herbe dans la prairie'' on 12 March 1887 {{NS}} with "Madame Mychetskij-Boulanger" <ref name="note15"/>.
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| The romance ''Not a Word, O My Friend'' (No. 2) was orchestrated by [[Sergey Taneyev]] (for low voice with orchestra), and first published by Muzgiz in [[Moscow]] in 1957.
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| ==Autographs==
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| Tchaikovsky's manuscript scores of all six romances are now preserved in the {{RUS-Mcm}} in [[Moscow]] {{TOW2|shest-romansov-2017-08-17-2017-08-17|(ф. 88, No. 130)}}.
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| ==Recordings==
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| {{reclink}} | |
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| ==Dedications==
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| Each of the Op. 6 romances has its own dedication: ''Do Not Believe, My Friend'' (No. 1) to [[Aleksandra Menshikova]]; ''Not a Word, O My Friend'' (No. 2) to [[Nikolay Kashkin]]; ''Bitterly and Sweetly'' (No. 3) to [[Aleksandra Aleksandrova-Kochetova]]; ''A Tear Trembles'' (No. 4) to [[Pyotr Jurgenson]]; ''Why?'' (No. 5) to [[Ivan Klimenko]]; ''None but the Lonely Heart'' (No. 6) to [[Anna Khvostova]].
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| ==External Links==
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| * {{imslpscore|6_Romances,_Op.6_(Tchaikovsky,_Pyotr)|6 Romances, Op. 6}}
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| ==Notes and References==
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| <references>
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| <ref name="note1">[[Letter 158]] to [[Aleksandra Davydova]], 15/27 November 1869.</ref>
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| <ref name="note2">[[Letter 161]] to [[Modest Tchaikovsky]], 18/30 November 1869.</ref>
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| <ref name="note3">[[Letter 162]] to [[Ivan Klimenko]], 26 November/8 December 1869.</ref>
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| <ref name="note4">"At the moment I'm experiencing a strange aversion to composition, and I know that if this carries on I'll not be in a position to compose anything this month" — [[Letter 160]] to [[Anatoly Tchaikovsky]], 18/30 November 1869.</ref>
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| <ref name="note5">[[Letter 164]] to [[Anatoly Tchaikovsky]], written between 1/13 and 3/15 December 1869.</ref>
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| <ref name="note6">[[Letter 723]] to [[Nadezhda von Meck]], 10/22 January 1878. See also [[Letter 185]] to [[Modest Tchaikovsky]], 26 March/7 April 1870; [[Letter 4249]] to [[Pyotr Jurgenson]], 3/15 November 1890, and the composer's diary entry for 3/15 March 1888 — see {{bib|1923/23|Дневники П. И. Чайковского}} (1923), p. 201.</ref>
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| <ref name="note7">Passed by the censor on 17/29 December 1869.</ref>
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| <ref name="note8">See [[Letter 4249]], 3/15 November 1890, and [[Letter 4251]], 5/17 November 1890, to [[Pyotr Jurgenson]]. For this edition Tchaikovsky made some cuts to the texts of Nos. 3 and 4, and changes to the words of Nos. 1, 3, 4 and 5.</ref>
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| <ref name="note9">[[Letter 4249]] to [[Pyotr Jurgenson]], 3/15 November 1890.</ref>
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| <ref name="note10">[[Letter 3113b]] to [[Raïssa Boulanger]], 1/13 December 1886.</ref>
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| <ref name="note11">"Quant à l'instrumentation de: „И больно, и сладко“ je l'ai commencée et sous peu, je V[ou]s l'expédierai". Quoted by Luis Sundkvist in {{bibx|2012/20|Tschaikowsky-Gesellschaft Mitteilungen}} (2012), p. 123.</ref>
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| <ref name="note12">See Lucinde Braun, {{bib|2014/3}} (2014), p. 241-247.</ref>
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| <ref name="note13">For further discussion see {{bib|2014/3}} (2014), p. 244-248, and {{bib|2003/31}} (2003), p. 196-200.</ref>
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| <ref name="note14">See Boulanger's letter from [[Paris]], 4 December 1886 {{NS}}, quoted in {{bib|2014/3}} (2014), p. 241.</ref>
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| <ref name="note15">See Inga Mai Groote, ''Östliche Ouvertüren. Russische Musik in Paris 1870-1913'' (Kassel: Bärenreiter, 2014), p. 347.</ref>
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| <ref name="note16">Digital copy: http://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/btv1b52500484z.r=Cajkovskij%20bol'no%20i%20sladko </ref>
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| </references>
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| [[Category:Songs|Romances, Op. 06]]
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