Pyotr Il'yich Tchaikovsky was the author of some of the
most popular themes in all of classical music. He
founded no school, struck out no new paths or
compositional methods, and sought few innovations in
his works. Yet the power and communicative sweep of his
best music elevates it to classic status, even if it
lacks the formal boldness and harmonic sophistication
heard in the compositions of his contemporaries, Wagner
and Bruckner. It was Tchaikovsky's unique melodic charm
that could, whether ...(+)
Pyotr Il'yich Tchaikovsky was the author of some of the
most popular themes in all of classical music. He
founded no school, struck out no new paths or
compositional methods, and sought few innovations in
his works. Yet the power and communicative sweep of his
best music elevates it to classic status, even if it
lacks the formal boldness and harmonic sophistication
heard in the compositions of his contemporaries, Wagner
and Bruckner. It was Tchaikovsky's unique melodic charm
that could, whether in his Piano Concerto No. 1 or in
his ballet The Nutcracker or in his tragic last
symphony, make the music sound familiar on first
hearing.
Tchaikovsky's Six Pieces on a Single Theme (Six
morceaux composés sur un seul thème) for solo piano
(Op. 21), were composed between the end of September &
November 1873 in Moscow. The pieces were published for
the first time by Vasily Bessel in 1873. Twenty years
later they pieces came to the attention of Aleksandr
Ziloti: "I recently looked over your old piano pieces
and began with your 'gems' (Op. 21); I will play the
Prelude and Mazurka; incidentally. these have been
published by Mackar". "I have completed your six piano
pieces", Tchaikovsky wrote to Vasily Bessel on 28
November/10 December 1873. "Now I'm in the process of
making fair copies of them, and you should receive them
in the near future. All six pieces are written around
one theme and will be have the overall title Suite:
Nos. 1) Prelude, 2) Fugue, 3) Impromptu, 4) Mazurka, 5)
Marche funebre, 6) Scherzo. The whole thing is
dedicated to A. G. Rubinstein. I've kept you waiting
for these pieces, and for this I apologize; the fact is
that I also gave my word to Jurgenson that I would
write six pieces for him, amongst other things".
The pieces are dedicated to Anton Rubinstein, who
played them many years after they were published.
Tchaikovsky was upset by the great pianist's
indifference: "Isn't A. Rubinstein a strange fellow?
Why didn't he turn his attention to my piano pieces 10
years ago? Why hasn't he played a single note until
now? Why did I do to deserve this! Nevertheless, I am
very thankful for his sudden change of heart", he wrote
to Pyotr Jurgenson on 14/26 April 1883. The following
year he suggested to Nadezhda von Meck that she should
hear Anton Rubinstein play the Op. 21 pieces in Paris:
"He is always playing four of my six piano pieces,
which some time ago I wrote and dedicated to him.
Truly, these pieces could not be better played".
The title Suite was changed by the author to Six
Morceaux. Sketches for the pieces are contained in the
same copybook as sketches for the Nocturne and
Capriccioso from the Six Pieces, Op. 19 — which were
written immediately prior to the Op. 21 set. The
sequence of the sketches indicates that the Mazurka was
the first to be composed, and the remaining five pieces
were written in the order in which they were
published.
They set was included in volume 51Б of
Tchaikovsky's Complete Collected Works (1946), edited
by Ivan Shishov
Source: Wikipedia
(http://en.tchaikovsky-research.net/pages/Six_Pieces_on
_a_Single_Theme,_Op._21 ).
Although originally created for Solo Piano, I created
this Interpretation of the "Fugue" from "Six Morceaux
on one theme" (Op. 21 No. 2) for String Quartet (2
Violins, Viola & Cello).
SHEET MUSIC