''Sérénade mélancolique'' in B-flat minor for violin and orchestra, Op. 26 (Russian: ''Меланхолическая серенада''), is a piece by
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky ( ; 7 May 1840 – 6 November 1893) was a Russian composer during the Romantic period. He was the first Russian composer whose music made a lasting impression internationally. Tchaikovsky wrote some of the most popula ...
that was written in February 1875. It was his first work for violin and orchestra, and was written immediately after he completed his
Piano Concerto No. 1 in B-flat minor.
Background
Hungarian violinist
Leopold Auer
Leopold von Auer (; June 7, 1845July 15, 1930) was a Hungarian violinist, academic, conductor, composer, and instructor. Many of his students went on to become prominent concert performers and teachers.
Early life and career
Auer was born in ...
had been professor of violin at the
Imperial Conservatory in St. Petersburg since 1868. Tchaikovsky was a professor at the
Moscow Conservatory
The Moscow Conservatory, also officially Tchaikovsky Moscow State Conservatory () is a higher musical educational institution located in Moscow, Russia. It grants undergraduate and graduate degrees in musical performance and musical research. Th ...
starting in 1866 and knew of Auer. He had seen him perform in public, having noted "the great expressivity, the thoughtful finesse and poetry of the interpretation" in an 1874 review of Auer's playing. They met in January 1875, when both attended a reception at the home of
Nikolai Rubinstein
Nikolai Grigoryevich Rubinstein (; – ) was a Russian pianist, conductor, and composer. He was the younger brother of Anton Rubinstein and a close friend of Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky.
Life
Born to Jewish parents in Moscow, where his father ...
.
Some sources say Tchaikovsky then resolved to write a piece for him, with one source saying Auer commissioned it, resulting in ''Sérénade mélancolique''.
It was completed by the following month. Tchaikovsky mentioned it in a letter to his brother
Modest in February, where he wrote: "I have finished my
Piano Concerto
A piano concerto, a type of concerto, is a solo composition in the classical music genre which is composed for piano accompanied by an orchestra or other large ensemble. Piano concertos are typically virtuosic showpieces which require an advance ...
, and have already written a violin piece I have promised to Auer."
The piece was dedicated to Auer upon its publication by
P. Jurgenson in February 1876, but Auer did not premiere it.
It was first performed by
Adolph Brodsky in January of 1876, at the seventh symphony concert of the
Russian Musical Society
The Russian Musical Society (RMS) () was the first music school in Russia open to the general public. It was launched in 1859 by the Grand Duchess Elena Pavlovna and Anton Rubinstein, one of the few notable Russian pianists and composers of th ...
in
Moscow
Moscow is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Russia by population, largest city of Russia, standing on the Moskva (river), Moskva River in Central Russia. It has a population estimated at over 13 million residents with ...
.
Two years later, Tchaikovsky was offended by Auer's criticisms of, and refusal to perform, the
Violin Concerto in D major written for him, and he withdrew the dedication from both the concerto and ''Sérénade mélancolique'', although it was impossible to remove his name from the edition then being printed by Jurgenson.
Key
The score of the ''Sérénade mélancolique'' shows that it is clearly written in the key of
B-flat minor
B-flat minor is a minor scale based on B, consisting of the pitches B, C, D, E, F, G, and A. Its key signature has five flats. Its relative major is D-flat major and its parallel major is B-flat major. Its enharmonic equivalent, A-s ...
,
although a number of sources describe it as being in
B minor
B minor is a minor scale based on B, consisting of the pitches B, C, D, E, F, G, and A. Its key signature has two sharps. Its relative major is D major and its parallel major is B major.
The B natural minor scale is:
Changes need ...
. This confusion may have come about because the note the English-speaking world calls B-flat is known in German musical nomenclature as B, while B-natural is known in Germany as H.
Influences
The piece borrows from other compositions Tchaikovsky was working on at the time. The beginning is quoted from Oxana's challenge to Vakula in Act II, Scene 2 of ''
Vakula the Smith
''Vakula the Smith'' ( ), Op. 14, is a Ukrainian-themed opera in 3 acts, 8 scenes, by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. The libretto was written by Yakov Polonsky and is based on Nikolai Gogol's 1832 story "Christmas Eve" (, ''Noch péred Rozhdestvóm' ...
''/''
Cherevichki
''Cherevichki'' ( , , ''Cherevichki'', ''Čerevički'', ''The Slippers'' (alternative renderings are ''The Little Shoes'', ''The Tsarina's Slippers'', ''The Empress's Slippers'', ''The Golden Slippers'', ''The Little Slippers'', ''Les caprices d'O ...
''.
A melody in the central section mirrors a melody from the slow movement of the Piano Concerto No. 1.
Instrumentation
The piece is originally orchestrated for solo violin, two flutes, two oboes, two B-flat clarinets, two bassoons, four F horns, and strings. There are various arrangements for violin and piano, including the composer's own arrangement.
References
External links
Page on the Classical Archives website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Serenade melancolique
Concertante works by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Compositions for violin and orchestra
Tchaikovsky
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky ( ; 7 May 1840 – 6 November 1893) was a Russian composer during the Romantic period. He was the first Russian composer whose music made a lasting impression internationally. Tchaikovsky wrote some of the most popular ...
1875 compositions
Compositions in B-flat minor
Music with dedications