Allegro in C minor

Tchaikovsky Research

The Allegro in C minor, for piano and string sextet (TH 159 ; ČW 327), was written in 1863 or 1864 as an exercise while Tchaikovsky was a student in Anton Rubinstein's composition classes at the Saint Petersburg Conservatory.

Instrumentation

Scored for 2 violins, viola, cello, double bass, and piano [1].

Movements and Duration

There is one movement: Allegro (C minor, 43 bars), lasting around 2 to 3 minutes in performance.

Publication

The work was published for the first time in 1967 in volume 58 of Tchaikovsky's Complete Collected Works, edited by Irina Iordan.

Autographs

Tchaikovsky's manuscript score (which includes the Allegro vivace in B-flat major and Adagio molto in E-flat major) is now preserved in the Tchaikovsky State Memorial Musical Museum-Reserve at Klin (a1, No. 129).

Recordings

See: Discography

Notes and References

  1. Although the manuscript clearly indicates the string parts are written for solo instruments, the work is often performed for piano with string orchestra.