Souvenir d'un lieu cher
Encyclopedia
Souvenir d’un lieu cher Op. 42, for violin and piano, was written by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
between March and May 1878. It consists of three movements:
The Méditation was written between 23 and 25 March 1878, in Clarens, Switzerland
, where Tchaikovsky wrote his Violin Concerto
. It was originally intended as the slow movement of the concerto, but he realised it was too slight for a concerto, so he discarded it and wrote a Canzonetta instead. On 16 May, back in Russia, he started on a work in three parts for violin and piano (the only time he ever originally wrote for that combination of instruments, although the Valse-Scherzo also exists in a violin and piano arrangement). On 22 May he told his brother Modest
that it was going well. On 25 May he left for a two-week vacation on the Ukrainian country estate Brailovo (sometimes seen in English as "Brailov"), which belonged to his benefactress Nadezhda von Meck
, where he finished the work by 31 May. For the first movement, he used the discarded Méditation, recasting it for violin and piano. The two additional movements, Scherzo and Mélodie, completed the Souvenir d’un lieu cher. While at Brailovo, he also completed the Six Romances, Op. 38, and sketched his entire setting of the Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom
.
Tchaikovsky had the original manuscript sent as a token of gratitude to Nadezhda von Meck, but he always intended to publish the work, so he asked her to arrange for a copy to be made, which was done by Wladyslaw Pachulski, a member of von Meck's household and later her son-in-law. This copy was sent to the publisher, Pyotr Jurgenson. Tchaikovsky dedicated the work to "B*******", which is understood to refer to Brailovo itself. It was published in May 1879, as Op. 42.
In 1880, the Méditation was published separately, and has since become well known as an independent piece. The Scherzo and Mélodie were published separately in 1884. In 1896 Jurgenson published the complete work in an arrangement by Alexander Glazunov
for violin and orchestra, and in this form it has perhaps become better known than in its original form for violin and piano. There is also an arrangement for violin and strings by Alexandru Lascae.
There is no record of the work’s first performance.
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (Russian: Пётр Ильи́ч Чайко́вский ; often "Peter Ilich Tchaikovsky" in English. His names are also transliterated "Piotr" or "Petr"; "Ilitsch", "Il'ich" or "Illyich"; and "Tschaikowski", "Tschaikowsky", "Chajkovskij"...
between March and May 1878. It consists of three movements:
- Méditation (D minor)
- Scherzo (C minor)
- Mélodie (E flat major; Tchaikovsky also described it as a "chant sans paroles").
The Méditation was written between 23 and 25 March 1878, in Clarens, Switzerland
Clarens, Switzerland
Clarens is a small village in the municipality of Montreux, in the canton of Vaud, in Switzerland.Whilst in Clarens, the Russian composer Igor Stravinsky wrote his ballets The Rite of Spring and Pulcinella and in March 1878, Tchaikovsky wrote his Violin Concerto.Paul Kruger, hero of South African...
, where Tchaikovsky wrote his Violin Concerto
Violin Concerto (Tchaikovsky)
The Violin Concerto in D major, Op. 35, written by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky in 1878, is one of the best known of all violin concertos. It is also considered to be among the most technically difficult works for violin.-Instrumentation:...
. It was originally intended as the slow movement of the concerto, but he realised it was too slight for a concerto, so he discarded it and wrote a Canzonetta instead. On 16 May, back in Russia, he started on a work in three parts for violin and piano (the only time he ever originally wrote for that combination of instruments, although the Valse-Scherzo also exists in a violin and piano arrangement). On 22 May he told his brother Modest
Modest Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Modest Ilyich Tchaikovsky was a Russian dramatist, opera librettist and translator.-Early life:Modest Ilyich was born in Alapayevsk, the younger brother of the future composer Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. He graduated from the School of Jurisprudence with a degree in law...
that it was going well. On 25 May he left for a two-week vacation on the Ukrainian country estate Brailovo (sometimes seen in English as "Brailov"), which belonged to his benefactress Nadezhda von Meck
Nadezhda von Meck
Nadezhda Filaretovna von Meck was a Russian businesswoman, who is best known today for her artistic relationship with Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. She supported him financially for 13 years, enabling him to devote himself full-time to composition, but she stipulated that they were never to meet. ...
, where he finished the work by 31 May. For the first movement, he used the discarded Méditation, recasting it for violin and piano. The two additional movements, Scherzo and Mélodie, completed the Souvenir d’un lieu cher. While at Brailovo, he also completed the Six Romances, Op. 38, and sketched his entire setting of the Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom
Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom (Tchaikovsky)
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky composed a Liturgy of St John Chrysostom, Op. 41, in 1880. The Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom is the primary worship service of the Eastern Orthodox Church, with a significant portion involving dialogue between the clergy and choir. Tchaikovsky used many traditional...
.
Tchaikovsky had the original manuscript sent as a token of gratitude to Nadezhda von Meck, but he always intended to publish the work, so he asked her to arrange for a copy to be made, which was done by Wladyslaw Pachulski, a member of von Meck's household and later her son-in-law. This copy was sent to the publisher, Pyotr Jurgenson. Tchaikovsky dedicated the work to "B*******", which is understood to refer to Brailovo itself. It was published in May 1879, as Op. 42.
In 1880, the Méditation was published separately, and has since become well known as an independent piece. The Scherzo and Mélodie were published separately in 1884. In 1896 Jurgenson published the complete work in an arrangement by Alexander Glazunov
Alexander Glazunov
Alexander Konstantinovich Glazunov was a Russian composer of the late Russian Romantic period, music teacher and conductor...
for violin and orchestra, and in this form it has perhaps become better known than in its original form for violin and piano. There is also an arrangement for violin and strings by Alexandru Lascae.
There is no record of the work’s first performance.
Sources
External links
- Performance of Meditation by Nicholas Kendall (violin) and Robert Koenig (piano) from the Isabella Stewart Gardner MuseumIsabella Stewart Gardner MuseumThe Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum or Fenway Court, as the museum was known during Isabella Stewart Gardner's lifetime, is a museum in the Fenway-Kenmore neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts, located within walking distance of the Museum of Fine Arts and near the Back Bay Fens...
in MP3MP3MPEG-1 or MPEG-2 Audio Layer III, more commonly referred to as MP3, is a patented digital audio encoding format using a form of lossy data compression...
format