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| {{letterhead
| | <!-- mapframe text="Map showing Smolensk" width=350 height=350 zoom=5 latitude=54.782778 longitude=32.045278 lang="en"> { "type": "Feature", "properties": { "marker-color": "#ff0000", "marker-size": "medium", "marker-symbol": "" }, "geometry": { "type": "Point", "coordinates": [32.045278, 54.782778] }}</mapframe>--> |
| |Date=4/16 April 1887
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| |To=[[Jacques Dusautoy]]
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| |Place=[[Maydanovo]]
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| |Language=French
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| |Autograph=Tübingen (Germany): {{D-Tu}}
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| |Publication={{bib|1994/180|Bisher unbekannte Briefe und musikalische Arbeiten Čajkovskijs}} (1994), p. 4<br/>{{bibx|1995/75|Internationales Čajkovskij Symposium, Tübingen 1993. Bericht}} (1995), p. 21–35
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| ==Text and Translation==
| | '''''Smolensk''''' (Смоленск) is a city and the administrative centre of Smolensk district (Смоленский район) and Smolensk oblast (Смоленская область) in the Russian Federation. |
| {{Lettertext
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| |Language=French
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| |Translator=Luis Sundkvist
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| |Original text={{right|''4/16 Avril 1887''<br/>''Kline, Maïdanowo''}}
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| {{centre|Cher Monsieur et ami!}}
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| J'ai été bien ingrat vis à vis de Vous! Combien V[ou]s avez été gentil et plein d'{{sic|egards|égards}} pour moi, et combien peu je le {{sic|merite|mérite}}! Votre lettre est datée le ''27 {{sic|Fevrier|Février}}'' et c'est le 16 Avril que [je] prends enfin la plume pour V[ou]s remercier de la peine que V[ou]s V[ou]s {{sic|ètes|êtes}} donnée pour me décrire Vos impressions de la soirée-audition organisée par Mackar! Que V[ou]s dire pour obtenir Votre pardon? Le fait est que tout ce temps-ci j'{{sic|etais|étais}} si accablé par un travail {{sic|incessants|incessant}} et par {{sic|toute espèce|toutes espèces}} de soucis et d'affaires que forcément j'ai bien négligé ma {{sic|correspondence|correspondance}} et que j'ai été sans le vouloir en faute vis à vis de bien {{sic|de|des}} {{sic|pesonnes|personnes}}, dont j'apprécie l'amitié et les bons sentiments.
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| Il y a encore une raison pour laquelle j'ai tardé à V[ou]s répondre. Je voulais obtenir {{sic|quelquechose|quelque chose}} de précis sur la question que V[ou]s posez, notamment celle de savoir s'il y a à faire {{sic|quelquechose|quelque chose}} pour V[ou]s {{sic|aux|au}} Conservatoire de Petersbourg ou de Moscou? Eh bien, à mon très grand regret, je ne puis V[ou]s dire rien de précis ni de sûr. V[ou]s avez laissé de très bons souvenirs à Petersbourg, et on serait charmé de V[ou]s y revoir, mais on ne peut pas V[ou]s offrir une position '' sûre'' et qui pût V[ou]s convenir. Je crois que si V[ou]s aviez le courage de venir à Petersbourg à Vos risques et périls, V[ou]s finiriez peu {{sic|a|à}} peu à {{sic|acquerir|acquérir}} une belle position. Mais il faut attendre, commencer par {{sic|ce|se}} contenter de quelques leçons, être un peu {{sic|géné|gêné}} dans les premiers temps etc. etc. Mais, certainement, ce n'est pas facile tout cela! Nous causerons de tout cela à Paris où je compte venir en été. Y serez V[ou]s? Ou bien allez V[ou]s à la campagne? Je saurai par Mackar où V[ou]s trouver. En attendant je V[ou]s serre bien cordialement la main.
| | During Tchaikovsky's lifetime it formed part of the Smolensk district (Смоленский уезд) and Smolensk province (Смоленская губерния) of the Russian Empire. |
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| Votre {{sic|tres|très}} {{sic|devou|devoué}},
| | ==Tchaikovsky in Smolensk== |
| {{right|P. Tschaïkowsky}}
| | Tchaikovsky visited Smolensk on 20 May/1 June 1885 to attend the unveiling of a monument to the composer [[Mikhail Glinka]], where he saw "a huge confluence of famous people", and did not have "one minute of freedom or quiet" throughout the proceedings <ref name="note1"/>. He left the following day, missing the rest of the festivities. |
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| |Translated text={{right|''4/16 April 1887<br/>[[Klin]], [[Maydanovo]]''}}
| | At one of the concerts given in Smolensk as part of these festivities, Tchaikovsky's overture-fantasia ''[[Romeo and Juliet]]'' was performed at the request of [[Glinka]]'s elderly sister, Lyudmila Shestakova (1816-1906) <ref name="note2"/>. |
| {{centre|Dear Sir and friend<ref name="note1"/>! }}
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| I have been very ungrateful towards you! How kind and full of consideration you have been towards me, and how little do I deserve it! Your letter is dated ''27 February'', yet it is on 16 April that I now finally take up my pen to thank you for the trouble you took in describing to me your impressions of the evening recital organized by [[Mackar]]<ref name="note2"/>! What can I say to you so as to obtain your pardon? The fact is that all this time I have been so burdened by an incessant amount of work and by all kinds of worries and business matters that I have necessarily had to neglect my correspondence considerably, and, without wishing to, I have been remiss with regard to quite a few people whose friendship and kind feelings I much appreciate <ref name="note3"/>.
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| There is another reason, too, why I have been slow to reply to you. I wanted to find out something specific regarding the question you asked — that is, your question as to whether there might be something for you to do at the [[Petersburg]] or [[Moscow]] Conservatory <ref name="note4"/>. Well, to my profound regret, I cannot tell you anything specific or certain. You have left a very good impression in [[Petersburg]] <ref name="note5"/>}, and people there would be delighted to see you again, but they cannot offer you a ''reliable'' position which might suit you. I think that if you had the courage to come to [[Petersburg]] at your own risk and peril, you would eventually, little by little, obtain a good post. But it is necessary to wait, to start by contenting oneself with a few lessons, to endure a bit of hardship at first etc. etc. But, certainly, all this is not easy! We shall chat about it all in [[Paris]], where I am intending to come in the summer <ref name="note6"/>. Will you be there? Or will you perhaps go to the country? I shall find out from [[Mackar]] where you are to be found. In the meanwhile I shake your hand most cordially.
| | ==External Links== |
| | | * [[wikipedia:Smolensk|Wikipedia]] |
| Your most devoted,
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| {{right|P. Tchaikovsky}}
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| }}
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| ==Notes and References== | | ==Notes and References== |
| <references> | | <references> |
| <ref name="note1">In the commentary accompanying the publication of this letter in {{bib|1995/75|Drei bisher unbekannte Briefe Čajkovskijs von 1887, 1891 und 1893}} (1995), p. 29–35, Thomas Kohlhase explains how its unnamed addressee was identified — namely, on the basis of Tchaikovsky's reference to his correspondent's letter of 27 February [1887] {{NS}}. Polina Vaidman, director of the [[Klin]] House-Museum archive, was able to track down a letter with this date among the ca. 6,000 letters received by Tchaikovsky which are stored there. In the above-cited publication Professor Kohlhase also includes the text of this letter from [[Jacques Dusautoy]] to Tchaikovsky and discusses its contents and tone.</ref> | | <ref name="note1">[[Letter 2712]] to [[Nadezhda von Meck]], 26 May/7 June 1885.</ref> |
| <ref name="note2">In his letter to Tchaikovsky of 27 February 1887 {{NS}} [[Dusautoy]] had described a recital which took place at the Salle Erard in [[Paris]] on 23 February 1887 {{NS}}. The recital was organized by Tchaikovsky's French publisher [[Félix Mackar]] and featured the following works: the ''[[Sérénade mélancolique]]'' (in Tchaikovsky's own arrangement for violin and piano; played by the Belgian violinist [[Martin Pierre Marsick]] (1848–1924), with [[Anatoly Brandukov]] accompanying on the piano); the ''Nocturne'', No. 4 of the [[Six Pieces, Op. 19]], for piano, arranged for solo cello and piano (played by [[Brandukov]], with Marsick accompanying); the [[Piano Trio]] (played by [[Louis Diémer]], [[Brandukov]], and Marsick); Nos. 1, 2, 5, and 6 from the [[Six Romances, Op. 6]] (sung by Juliette Conneau); the ''Polonaise'' from ''[[Yevgeny Onegin]]'' in [[Liszt]]'s transcription for piano; ''Chant sans paroles'', No. 3 from ''[[Souvenir de Hapsal]]'', Op. 2; ''Polka de salon'', No. 2 of the [[Three Pieces, Op. 9]]; ''Mazurka'', No. 5 of the [[Twelve Pieces, Op. 40]]; and ''Romance'', No. 5 of the [[Six Pieces, Op. 51]] (all played by [[Diémer]]). [[Dusautoy]] noted, in particular, the strong impression which the [[Piano Trio]] had produced, and also how ''None But the Lonely Heart'', No. 6 of the [[Six Romances, Op. 6]], and the smaller piano pieces had gone down very well with the audience — note based on Thomas Kohlhase's commentary in {{bib|1995/75|Drei bisher unbekannte Briefe Čajkovskijs von 1887, 1891 und 1893}} (1995), p. 29–35.</ref>
| | <ref name="note2">See [[Balakirev]]'s letter to Tchaikovsky, 31 October/12 November 1884 in {{bibx|1962/71|Милий Алексеевич Балакирев. Воспоминания и письма}} (1962), p. 173.</ref> |
| <ref name="note3">In the first months of 1887 Tchaikovsky had been completing the piano reduction of ''[[The Enchantress]]'' which was due to be published by [[Jurgenson]] in April and required a lot of proof-reading. He was also working intensely on the instrumentation of his opera. At the same time, with the premiere of ''[[Cherevichki]]'' at the [[Moscow]] Bolshoi Theatre on 19/31 January 1887, which he himself conducted, Tchaikovsky had embarked on what was in effect a 'second career' as a conductor. Since he conducted two more performances of ''[[Cherevichki]]'' and a concert of his own works in [[Saint Petersburg]] on 5/17 March, these months had also been packed with rehearsals — note based on Thomas Kohlhase's commentary in {{bib|1995/75|Drei bisher unbekannte Briefe Čajkovskijs von 1887, 1891 und 1893}} (1995), p. 29–35.</ref> | |
| <ref name="note4">At the end of his letter of 27 February 1887 {{NS}} [[Dusautoy]] had asked: "N'y a t'il rien à faire aux Conservatoires de Pétersbourg ou de Moscou, Direction [[Anton Rubinstein|Rubinstein]]?", hinting that Tchaikovsky might be able to use his influence to secure a teaching post for him.</ref>
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| <ref name="note5">It has not been possible to establish when exactly [[Dusautoy]] visited [[Saint Petersburg]].</ref>
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| <ref name="note6">That summer, Tchaikovsky was in [[Paris]] for only a few days, from 2/14 to 4/16 August 1887. It is not clear whether he did actually meet [[Dusautoy]] on that occasion — note based on Thomas Kohlhase's commentary in {{bib|1995/75|Drei bisher unbekannte Briefe Čajkovskijs von 1887, 1891 und 1893}} (1995), p. 29–35.</ref>
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| </references> | | </references> |
| | [[Category:Places]] |
| | [[Category:Russia]] |
