Gavriil Derzhavin
Tchaikovsky Research
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Russian poet and statesman (b. 3/14 July 1743 at Sokury; d. 8/20 July 1816 at Zvanka), born Gavriil Romanovich Derzhavin (Гавриил Романович Державин), sometimes known as Gavrila Derzhavin.
Tchaikovsky's Settings of Works by Derzhavin
In his opera The Queen of Spades, Op. 68 (1890), Tchaikovsky set three poems by Derzhavin:
- Act II, No. 11. The words of the Chorus are taken from a poem by Derzhavin.
- Act II, No. 15. The text for the concluding chorus of praise to Catherine the Great («Славься сим, Екатерина») (from bar 103) was adapted by the composer from Derzhavin's verses To Catherine the Great in Honour of the Victories of Count Suvorov-Ryminsky in 1794 (Екатерине II на победу графа Суворова-Рыминского 1794 годп).
- Act III, No. 23. The text of Tomsky's Song comes from Derzhavin's poem The Comical Wish (Шуточное желание) (1802).
