Aleksandr Khimichenko and Natalya Plesskaya: Difference between pages

Tchaikovsky Research
(Difference between pages)
No edit summary
 
No edit summary
 
Line 1: Line 1:
{{picture|file=Aleksandr_Khimichenko.jpg|caption='''Aleksandr Khimichenko''' (1856–1948)}}
{{picture|file=Natalya Plesskaya.jpg|caption='''Natalya Plesskaya''' (b. 1837)}}
Ukrainian flute player and teacher (b. 30 July/11 August 1856 in Korsun; d. 17 May 1948 in Lvov), born '''''Aleksandr Vasilyevich Khimichenko''''' (Александр Васильевич Химиченко).
Cousin to the composer's brother-in-law [[Lev Davydov]] (b. 1837), born '''''Natalya Andreyevna Plesskaya''''' (Наталия Андреевна Плесская), sometimes also spelled ''Pleskaya'' (Плеская).


Khimichenko studied the flute under Ferdinand Büchner at the [[Moscow]] Conservatory, where he was also a member of Tchaikovsky's harmony class. After his graduation from the conservatory in 1879, he became an instructor in the flute and music theory in the music school at [[Kiev]], and later a professor at the [[Kiev]] State Conservatory.
Natalya was a close friend of the composer's sister [[Aleksandra Davydova|Aleksandra]], and a cousin to his brother-in-law [[Lev Davydov]] (1837–1896). Tchaikovsky was very fond of Natalya Plesskaya, and admired her sunny disposition and ready wit.  


In his memoirs of Tchaikovsky, Khimichenko describes the composer's frequent visits to [[Kiev]] and refers to an incident which inspired one of the most well-known numbers in ''[[The Nutcracker]]'':
==Dedications==
 
In 1878, Tchaikovsky wrote a ''[[Nathalie-Valse]]'' for Natalya Plesskaya. He retained the dedication of this piano piece when it was reworked as ''Natha-Valse'', No. 4 of the [[Six Pieces, Op. 51]] (1881).
{{quote|The most memorable visit by Pyotr Ilyich was that of 1891, when he conducted three [''sic''] concerts in [[Kiev]] <ref name="note1"/>. The preliminary rehearsals were directed by [[Josef Přibík|Přibík]], but I wasn't playing in the orchestra then. However, when Pyotr Ilyich arrived he expressed the wish that I should play first flute. I couldn't refuse, of course. During one of the rehearsals Pyotr Ilyich was resting in the director's office. I went up to him and we started talking about the Conservatory. Pyotr Ilyich recalled how in [[Saint Petersburg]] he, too, had once learnt to play the flute, but said that after so many years he had forgotten everything. He lamented this and asked me to demonstrate 'some real corker' from the interesting tricks which one can achieve with the flute. I played him the variations from Ciardi's ''Carnaval russe'' <ref name="note2"/> and made use of the effect which is known as ''frullato''. Pyotr Ilyich was fascinated by it and asked me to repeat once more this trick which consists of playing a chromatic scale of trilled notes across the flute's entire register, and which produces the effect of a cascade (the sound resembles that of our Ukrainian ''sopilka''). Soon after Pyotr Ilyich's departure from [[Kiev]] I received from him a signed photograph with a letter <ref name="note3"/> in which he asked me to describe in detail the device I had demonstrated to him and to send him some music examples, since he wanted to use ''frullato'' in his new ballet ''[[The Nutcracker]]'' <ref name="note4"/>.}}
 
Tchaikovsky deployed this striking effect for the piccolo in ''Tea: Chinese Dance'', one of the Act II divertissements in ''[[The Nutcracker]]''.


==Correspondence with Tchaikovsky==
==Correspondence with Tchaikovsky==
2 letters have survived from Tchaikovsky to Aleksandr Khimichenko, dating from 1889 and 1892, both of which have been translated into English on this website::
16 letters from Tchaikovsky to Natalya Plesskaya have survived, dating from 1879 to 1893. Those highlighted in bold have been translated into English on this website:
* '''[[Letter 3939]]''' – 15/27 September 1889, from [[Moscow]]
* [[Letter 1060]] – 6/18 January 1879, from [[Clarens]]
* '''[[Letter 4633]]''' – 3/15 March 1892, from [[Saint Petersburg]]
* [[Letter 1376]] – 13/25 December 1879, from [[Rome]]
* [[Letter 1388]] – 23 December 1879/4 January 1880, from [[Rome]]
* [[Letter 1941]] – 22 January/3 February 1882, from [[Rome]]
* [[Letter 1986]] – 6/18 March 1882, from [[Naples]]
* [[Letter 2014]] – 4/16 May 1882, from [[Kamenka]]
* [[Letter 2269]] – 20 April/2 May 1883, from [[Paris]]
* [[Letter 2330]] – 16/28 August 1883, from [[Podushkino]]
* [[Letter 2333]] – 22 August/3 September 1883, from [[Podushkino]]
* [[Letter 2536]] – 28 August/9 September 1884, from [[Skabeyevo]]
* [[Letter 2687]] – 15/27 April 1885, from [[Maydanovo]]
* [[Letter 2744]] – 31 July/12 August 1885, from [[Maydanovo]]
* '''[[Letter 3640a]]''' – 11/23 August 1888, from [[Frolovskoye]]
* [[Letter 4859]] – 6/18 February 1893, from [[Klin]]
* '''[[Letter 4907]]''' – 5/17 April 1893, from [[Klin]]
* '''[[Letter 4958]]''' – 19 June/1 July 1893, from [[Grankino]]


2 letters from Khimichenko to the composer, dating from 1889 and 1892, are preserved in the {{RUS-KLč}} at [[Klin]] (Nos. 4560–4561).
250 letters from Natalya Plesskaya to the composer, dating from 1878 to 1893, are preserved in the {{RUS-KLč}} at [[Klin]] (a{{sup|4}}, Nos. 3363–3612) <ref name="note1"/>


==Bibliography==
==Bibliography==
* {{bib|1940/206}} (1940)
* {{bib|1938/67}} (1938)
* {{bib|1940/97}} (1940)
* {{bib|1951/51}} (1951)
* {{bib|1940/98}} (1940)
* {{bib|1962/48}} (1962)
* {{bib|1973/47}} (1973)
* {{bib|1979/53}} (1979)
* {{bib|1980/73}} (1980)
 
==External Links==
* [[wikipedia:uk:Химиченко Олександр Васильович|Wikipedia]] (Ukrainian)
* {{viaf|74167863614522740779}}


==Notes and References==
==Notes and References==
<references>
<references>
<ref name="note1">In fact Tchaikovsky conducted only two concerts in [[Kiev]] that year: on 21 and 22 December 1891 {{OS}}. These two concerts had identical programmes and featured the [[Suite No. 3]], the ''Entr'acte and Dances of the Chambermaids'' from the opera ''[[The Voyevoda (opera)|The Voyevoda]]'' and the overture ''[[The Year 1812]]''.</ref>
<ref name="note1">Including one letter dating from 5/17-10/22 January 1891, written jointly by Plesskaya and the composer's sister [[Aleksandra Davydova|Aleksandra]] (a{{sup|4}}, No. 3582).</ref>
<ref name="note2">The famous Italian flutist Cesare Ciardi (1818–1877) was based in Russia from 1853 and taught Tchaikovsky the flute at the [[Saint Petersburg]] Conservatory: Tchaikovsky became highly proficient in this instrument and was able to take part in student concerts and chamber music soirées requiring the flute during his time at the Conservatory.</ref>
<ref name="note3">[[Letter 4633]] to Aleksandr Khimichenko, 3/15 March 1892.</ref>
<ref name="note4">Aleksandr Khimichenko's memoirs of Tchaikovsky were published for the first time in {{bib|1940/62|П. И. Чайковский на Украине}} (1940).</ref>
</references>
</references>
[[Category:People|Khimichenko, Aleksandr]]
 
[[Category:Correspondents|Khimichenko, Aleksandr]]
[[Category:People|Plesskaya, Natalya]]
[[Category:Flutists|Khimichenko, Aleksandr]]
[[Category:Correspondents|Plesskaya, Natalya]]
__NOTOC__
__NOTOC__

Revision as of 10:05, 20 August 2023

Natalya Plesskaya (b. 1837)

Cousin to the composer's brother-in-law Lev Davydov (b. 1837), born Natalya Andreyevna Plesskaya (Наталия Андреевна Плесская), sometimes also spelled Pleskaya (Плеская).

Natalya was a close friend of the composer's sister Aleksandra, and a cousin to his brother-in-law Lev Davydov (1837–1896). Tchaikovsky was very fond of Natalya Plesskaya, and admired her sunny disposition and ready wit.

Dedications

In 1878, Tchaikovsky wrote a Nathalie-Valse for Natalya Plesskaya. He retained the dedication of this piano piece when it was reworked as Natha-Valse, No. 4 of the Six Pieces, Op. 51 (1881).

Correspondence with Tchaikovsky

16 letters from Tchaikovsky to Natalya Plesskaya have survived, dating from 1879 to 1893. Those highlighted in bold have been translated into English on this website:

250 letters from Natalya Plesskaya to the composer, dating from 1878 to 1893, are preserved in the Tchaikovsky State Memorial Musical Museum-Reserve at Klin (a4, Nos. 3363–3612) [1]

Bibliography

Notes and References

  1. ↑ Including one letter dating from 5/17-10/22 January 1891, written jointly by Plesskaya and the composer's sister Aleksandra (a4, No. 3582).
Retrieved from ‘https://en.tchaikovsky-research.net/index.php?title=Aleksandr_Khimichenko&oldid=61769’