Spring

Tchaikovsky Research

The chorus Spring (Весна), for unaccompanied women's voices (TH 73; ČW 68b), was probably written by Tchaikovsky in the spring of 1871. The score was believed to have been lost until a printed edition was discovered in 1993 [1].

Instrumentation

Scored for three-part female chorus or children's voices (SSA), without accompaniment.

Movements and Duration

There is one movement (C major, 36 bars), with the tempo marking 'Not fast' (Не скоро), lasting around 2 minutes in performance.

Text

The source of the text is unknown, and the words were probably written by the composer himself.

Composition

Nothing is known about the composition of Spring. It was probably commissioned by Karl Albrecht for one of his collections of choral works, which was approved for publication by the state censor on 3/15 June 1871.

Publication

Spring was published in 1872 in Karl Albrecht's A Handbook of Choral Singing after the numerical method by Chevé, part 2 [2], printed using the Galin-Paris-Chevé sight-singing notation system. This edition also included Tchaikovsky's chorus Evening.

Autographs

The whereabouts of Tchaikovsky's manuscript score are unknown.

Notes and References

  1. See П. И. Чайковский. Забытое и новое (1993), p. 136–141.
  2. Руководство к хоровому пению по цифирной методе Шеве, преимущество для народных школ, вып. 2 (Moscow, 1872).