Letter 4608

Tchaikovsky Research
The printable version is no longer supported and may have rendering errors. Please update your browser bookmarks and please use the default browser print function instead.
Date 29 January/10 February 1892
Addressed to Pyotr Jurgenson
Where written Maydanovo
Language Russian
Autograph Location Klin (Russia): Tchaikovsky State Memorial Musical Museum-Reserve (a3, No. 2790)
Publication Жизнь Петра Ильича Чайковского, том 3 (1902), p. 527 (abridged)
П. И. Чайковский. Переписка с П. И. Юргенсоном, том 2 (1952), p. 232
П. И. Чайковский. Полное собрание сочинений, том XVI-Б (1979), p. 31

Text and Translation

Russian text
(original)
English translation
By Brett Langston
29 яив[аря] [18]92 г[ода]

Милый друг!

Гартевельта я отлично знаю, и знаю, что он сукин сын. Обращаюсь с ним, когда бываю в Киеве, как с сукиным сыном, но он ничуть не падает духом и все лезет. Он директор Муз[ыкального] общ[ества], но совсем не императорского, а другого, дилетантского. Секстет я могу тебе отдать без всякого гонорара или за самый ничтожный. Об гонораре за «Иоланту», я думаю, мы поговорим, когда я кончу балет. Мне кажется, что эти две вещи, составляя один общий спектакль, должны быть рассматриваемы как одна новая многоактная опера, но я охотно возьму за неё менее, чем за «Пиковую даму». Итак, отложим рассмотрение этого вопроса до того, как я сдам тебе партитуру балета. Во всяком случае из гонорара нужно будет вычесть то, что ты заплатишь Танееву, обещавшему и балет тоже переложить для фортепьяно. Членом какой бы то ни было комиссии я не состою, и никто меня и не думал звать в таковую; откуда в газетах взялось такое известие, — я решительно не понимаю.

Засим до свиданья!

Твой П. Чайковский

Пожалуйста, насчёт Celesta похлопочи!!!

29 January 1892

Dear friend!

I know Harteveld well, and know that he's a son of a bitch. I addressed him as such when I was in Kiev, but he didn't lose heart, and carried on crawling. He's the director of a Musical Society, but not the Imperial one — rather, the other dilettante one [1]. I can give you the sextet for nothing, or the most insignificant fee. Regarding the fee for "Iolanta", I think we should discuss that when I've finished the ballet. It seems to me that these two items constitute a single production, and ought to be considered as a multi-act opera, but I am happy to accept less for it than "The Queen of Spades". And so we shall defer consideration of the matter until I hand you the score of the ballet. In any case the agreed fee will have to take into account what you're paying Taneyev [2], and also to have the ballet arranged for piano [3]. I neither belong to nor am I a member of any committee, and I don't even think I was invited to such a thing; I really don't understand where the newspapers obtained this information.

And so, until we meet!

Yours P. Tchaikovsky

Please let me know about the Celesta!!![4]

Notes and References

  1. Tchaikovsky was replying to a question in Pyotr Jurgenson's letter of 27 January/8 February 1892 about the Swedish composer and music teacher Wilhelm Harteveld, who was working as a music teacher in Russia.
  2. Sergey Taneyev had just completed the vocal-piano reduction of the opera Iolanta.
  3. Taneyev would also arrange the ballet The Nutcracker for solo piano, although Tchaikovsky would also make his own simplified arrangement.
  4. In Letter 4606 to Pyotr Jurgenson, 28 January/9 February 1892, Tchaikovsky had asked for a celesta to be sent from Moscow to Saint Petersburg and re-tuned, as it was required for his concert on 7/19 March 1892.