Symphony No. 5 (Tchaikovsky)
Encyclopedia
The Symphony No. 5 in E minor, Op. 64 by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
was composed between May and August 1888 and was first performed in St Petersburg at the Hall of Nobility on November 6 of that year with Tchaikovsky conducting. It is dedicated to Theodore Avé-Lallemant.
:
Like the Symphony No. 4
, the Fifth is a cyclical
symphony, with a recurring main theme. Unlike the Fourth, however, the theme is heard in all four movements, a feature Tchaikovsky had first used in the Manfred Symphony
, which was completed less than two years before the Fifth. The theme has a funereal character in the first movement, but gradually transforms into a triumphant march
, which dominates the final movement. Tchaikovsky was attracted to this particular theme because the topic of the Fifth Symphony is Providence, according to the composer's notebook page dated 15 April 1888, which was about one month before he began composition of the symphony. The composer stated, in describing the introduction, "a complete resignation before fate, which is the same as the inscrutable predestination of fate." The changing character of the motto over the course of the symphony seems to imply that Tchaikovsky is expressing optimism with regard to providence, an outlook that would not return in his Sixth Symphony.
(tragic to triumphant), which manifests as an overall tonal trajectory of e-minor to E-major. More details regarding struggle for tonal stability and triumph of E major is illustrated in the description of individual movements. As Beethoven’s 5th Symphony, the first movement fails to satisfy the per aspera ad astra paradigm and ends in minor mode, which allows the narrative to continue through the rest of the symphony. It will be inaccurate to say that the tonal trajectory of the first movement is directly projected onto the rest of the symphony, a similar tonal plan can be observed:
1st movement: i → V of relative major (D-major) → i → I
The symphony: i → V of relative major (D-major) → IV → I
The motto theme is not only used as a device to unify the four movements of the symphony but also projects the per aspera ad astra narrative of its own.
e-minor (1st mvt) → V⁷ (V4/2) of D-major (2nd mvt) →g#⁰⁷ (2nd mvt) → a-minor (3rd mvt) →E-major (4th mvt) →C-major → e-minor → E major
Primary Theme 1 (PT1), mm. 42-50
Primary Theme 2 (PT2), mm. 116-128
Subordinate Theme (ST), mm. 170-182
Motive X, mm.154-170
In the exposition of the first movement, one can observe that the initial condition (e-minor) is relatively unstable. The D-major tonality slips in and out of the e-minor sonority, since it is only a V of relative major (G major), but not until mm.128-132 does one hear this as an antagonistic to e-minor. The exposition concludes in D-major, after integrating part of the PT1 into its cadential moment (mm. 194-198). Motive X frames the secondary theme group by preceding the ST and reiterating the D-major after it.
The development consists of four distinct sections. The first section exhibits sequence based on the (Primary Theme 1) PT1 superimposed with the motive X. This is accompanied by a bass line that diatonically descends over an octave and a fifth. The second section develops the head motive of PT1. The shifting meter (from 6/8 to 3/4), and diminished sonority (m. 261 for example) adds to growing instability. The third section is a brief allusion to the PT2, interrupted by a fugato
based on PT1. Motive X returns strongly and insistently in m. 285, going back and forth between g-minor and d-minor. This can be interpreted as an effort to re-establish sonority in D.
The re-transition to recapitulation is rather abrupt, yet a clever use of common tone modulation can be observed.
The recapitulation of this movement follows the convention of sonata form
.
Theme A1: 1st horn
Theme A2: violin
Theme B: clear. in A
The second movement begins with the continuation of the tragic sonority in b-minor, as if the movement will be in the minor dominant of the tonic of the symphony. Instead, a common tone modulation leads to a D-major theme first introduced by a solo horn.
This movement is in a standard ternary form with A section in D-major, B section alluding to F minor, then a restatement of A section with different orchestration. Compared to a stable A section, the B section exhibits instability in many ways. For example, the theme begins and remains in V7/F minor, even though it could be easily resolved to F minor. Moreover, the segmentation of a theme, fugato texture, and rapid shift of hyper meter contributes to the instability of this section.
In this movement, the motto theme appears twice—from mm.99-103, as a structural dominant preparing the return of the A section, and in the coda
(mm.158-166) in G#7. One could interpret this as a preparation for I6, but also as a structural leading tone
to the next movement (G#7→ A), especially since the unwinding from the climactic restatement of the motto theme occurs relatively hesitantly and what follows seems to diminish away.
Waltz 1:
Waltz 2: ob 1.
Waltz 3:
Trio:
The third movement is a relatively ordinary waltz. Some elements of absurdity can be observed, for example, hemiola and unbalanced phrase structure at the outset of the movement. These elements takes over the movement in the trio section, whose nature is that of scherzo. The scherzo theme initially played by the first violins can be seen as a superimposition of 4/4 over 3/4. Hemiola
is used as a transitional technique (mm. 97-105). The return of the valse is accompanied by the scherzo texture from the trio.
The return of the motto theme in the 3rd movement, preceded by a waltz in a major mode, strikes the listener as a reminiscent of the tragic opening of the symphony, although perhaps in a ridiculed manner by integrating the hemiola, a light-hearted character displayed everywhere in the movement.
PT1: vl 1.
PT2:
ST:
As in the first movement, the exposition of the last movement begins in e-minor, and the D-major sonority struggles to establish itself. Unlike the first movement, this struggle manifests in brief tonicization of D-major, as well as V7 of D-major (mm. 86-90, mm. 106-114). The first attempt to resolve the accumulation of conflict (key oppositions, increasing harmonic rhythm, as well as segmentation and rapid changes of themes) takes place in m. 172, the re-introduction of the motto theme, in the wrong key (C-major).
The development is very brief and only lasts about 60 measures. In recapitulation, a new melody is super imposed over the PT1 texture. This melody, however it is new, exhibits characteristics of PT 2 (contour and initial succession of notes), as well as a chordal texture used elsewhere in the symphony that it does not necessary strike the listener as a new theme. This melody also never returns.
The 6th statement of motto theme is in e-minor, leading to an emphatic Perfect Authentic Cadence (PAC) in B major. It is perhaps unusual to see a PAC in the dominant to the home key at the end of the recapitulation, however, this could be interpreted, on a larger level, as a half cadence preparing for ever stronger return for the tonic.
Coda, following such preparation succeeds in re-emphasizing the tonic, using different themes and many cadences in tonic. Some of the themes used here are the motto theme (m. 474), the countermelody to PT1 (m. 474, superimposed to the motto theme), PT2 (m. 504), and Pt1 from the first movement of the symphony.
.
Possibly for its very clear exposition of the idea of "ultimate victory through strife", the Fifth was very popular during World War II
, with many new recordings of the work, and many performances during those years. One of the most notable performances was by the Leningrad Radio Symphony Orchestra during the Siege of Leningrad
. City leaders had ordered the orchestra to continue its performances to keep the spirits high in the city. On the night of October 20, 1941 they played Tchaikovsky's Symphony No. 5 at the city's Philharmonic Hall and it was broadcast live to London. As the second movement began, bombs started to fall nearby, but the orchestra continued playing until the final note. Since the war it has remained very popular, but has been somewhat eclipsed in popularity by the Fourth and Sixth Symphonies.
Critical reaction to the work was mixed, with some enthusiasm in Russia
. Berezovsky wrote, "The Fifth Symphony is the weakest of Tchaikovsky's symphonies, but nevertheless it is a striking work, taking a prominent place not only among the composer's output but among Russian works in general. ... the entire symphony seems to spring from some dark spiritual experience."
On the symphony's first performance in the United States
, critical reaction, especially in Boston, was almost unanimously hostile. A reviewer for the Boston Evening Transcript, October 24, 1892, wrote:
The reception in New York was little better. A reviewer for the Musical Courier, March 13, 1889, wrote:
Various passages from this symphony were used in the 1937 motion picture Maytime, starring Jeanette MacDonald
and Nelson Eddy
. The music appears not only in some of the background score, but also in the form of a sung pastiche invented by Herbert Stothart
as a fictitious French
opera entitled Czaritsa, "composed" by the character Trentini for the lead soprano (MacDonald).
The second movement was featured prominently in the 1986 film "Lucas".
Part of the second movement was given English lyrics under the title Moon Love, recorded by Glenn Miller
and Chet Baker
among others.
It is said that Annie's Song
by John Denver
was based in part by the first horn theme in movement two. Annie's Song is also in D major, and when Denver sang it in Russian in a 1985 concert the first five notes of the Russian portion of the song and the theme share the same rhythm.
An arrangement of the second movement was used in a prominent 1970s Australia
n advertisement for Winfield
cigarettes, with the slogan Anyhow, have a Winfield sung by a choir to the movement's central theme, to the great annoyance of many classical music buffs. The ads were presented by Paul Hogan
, who also used the arrangement as the theme to his Australian comedy show.
s (3rd doubling piccolo
), 2 oboe
s, 2 clarinet
s in A, 2 bassoon
s, 4 horns
in F, 2 trumpet
s in A, 3 trombone
s, tuba
, timpani
, and string
s.
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"...
was composed between May and August 1888 and was first performed in St Petersburg at the Hall of Nobility on November 6 of that year with Tchaikovsky conducting. It is dedicated to Theodore Avé-Lallemant.
Structure
A typical performance of the Symphony lasts about 46 minutes. The Symphony is in four movementsMovement (music)
A movement is a self-contained part of a musical composition or musical form. While individual or selected movements from a composition are sometimes performed separately, a performance of the complete work requires all the movements to be performed in succession...
:
- Andante — Allegro con anima (E minor)
- Andante cantabile, con alcuna licenza — Moderato con anima — Andante mosso — Allegro non troppo — Tempo I (D major)
- Valse: Allegro moderatoTempoIn musical terminology, tempo is the speed or pace of a given piece. Tempo is a crucial element of any musical composition, as it can affect the mood and difficulty of a piece.-Measuring tempo:...
(A major) - Finale: Andante maestoso — Allegro vivace — Molto vivace — Moderato assai e molto maestoso — Presto (E major → E minor → E major)
Like the Symphony No. 4
Symphony No. 4 (Tchaikovsky)
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky's Symphony No. 4 in F minor, Op. 36, was written between 1877 and 1878. The symphony's first performance was at a Russian Musical Society concert in Saint Petersburg on February 10 /February 22 1878, with Nikolai Rubinstein as conductor.- Form :The symphony is in four...
, the Fifth is a cyclical
Cyclic form
Cyclic form is a technique of musical construction, involving multiple sections or movements, in which a theme, melody, or thematic material occurs in more than one movement as a unifying device. Sometimes a theme may occur at the beginning and end Cyclic form is a technique of musical...
symphony, with a recurring main theme. Unlike the Fourth, however, the theme is heard in all four movements, a feature Tchaikovsky had first used in the Manfred Symphony
Manfred Symphony
The Manfred Symphony in B minor, Op. 58, is a programmatic symphony composed by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky between May and September 1885. It is based on the poem "Manfred" written by Lord Byron in 1817...
, which was completed less than two years before the Fifth. The theme has a funereal character in the first movement, but gradually transforms into a triumphant march
March (music)
A march, as a musical genre, is a piece of music with a strong regular rhythm which in origin was expressly written for marching to and most frequently performed by a military band. In mood, marches range from the moving death march in Wagner's Götterdämmerung to the brisk military marches of John...
, which dominates the final movement. Tchaikovsky was attracted to this particular theme because the topic of the Fifth Symphony is Providence, according to the composer's notebook page dated 15 April 1888, which was about one month before he began composition of the symphony. The composer stated, in describing the introduction, "a complete resignation before fate, which is the same as the inscrutable predestination of fate." The changing character of the motto over the course of the symphony seems to imply that Tchaikovsky is expressing optimism with regard to providence, an outlook that would not return in his Sixth Symphony.
Analysis
Analysis - The overall trajectory of Tchaikovsky’s 5th Symphony reminds the listener of Beethoven’s 5th. To begin with, this symphony exhibits the narrative paradigm of per aspera ad astraPer Aspera Ad Astra
Per aspera ad astra is a Latin phrase meaning "through hardships to the stars" and is the motto of many organizations. It may also refer to:* Per Aspera Ad Astra , a 1981 Soviet science fiction film...
(tragic to triumphant), which manifests as an overall tonal trajectory of e-minor to E-major. More details regarding struggle for tonal stability and triumph of E major is illustrated in the description of individual movements. As Beethoven’s 5th Symphony, the first movement fails to satisfy the per aspera ad astra paradigm and ends in minor mode, which allows the narrative to continue through the rest of the symphony. It will be inaccurate to say that the tonal trajectory of the first movement is directly projected onto the rest of the symphony, a similar tonal plan can be observed:
1st movement: i → V of relative major (D-major) → i → I
The symphony: i → V of relative major (D-major) → IV → I
The motto theme is not only used as a device to unify the four movements of the symphony but also projects the per aspera ad astra narrative of its own.
e-minor (1st mvt) → V⁷ (V4/2) of D-major (2nd mvt) →g#⁰⁷ (2nd mvt) → a-minor (3rd mvt) →E-major (4th mvt) →C-major → e-minor → E major
1st movement
Themes and MotivesPrimary Theme 1 (PT1), mm. 42-50
Primary Theme 2 (PT2), mm. 116-128
Subordinate Theme (ST), mm. 170-182
Motive X, mm.154-170
In the exposition of the first movement, one can observe that the initial condition (e-minor) is relatively unstable. The D-major tonality slips in and out of the e-minor sonority, since it is only a V of relative major (G major), but not until mm.128-132 does one hear this as an antagonistic to e-minor. The exposition concludes in D-major, after integrating part of the PT1 into its cadential moment (mm. 194-198). Motive X frames the secondary theme group by preceding the ST and reiterating the D-major after it.
The development consists of four distinct sections. The first section exhibits sequence based on the (Primary Theme 1) PT1 superimposed with the motive X. This is accompanied by a bass line that diatonically descends over an octave and a fifth. The second section develops the head motive of PT1. The shifting meter (from 6/8 to 3/4), and diminished sonority (m. 261 for example) adds to growing instability. The third section is a brief allusion to the PT2, interrupted by a fugato
Fugue
In music, a fugue is a compositional technique in two or more voices, built on a subject that is introduced at the beginning in imitation and recurs frequently in the course of the composition....
based on PT1. Motive X returns strongly and insistently in m. 285, going back and forth between g-minor and d-minor. This can be interpreted as an effort to re-establish sonority in D.
The re-transition to recapitulation is rather abrupt, yet a clever use of common tone modulation can be observed.
The recapitulation of this movement follows the convention of sonata form
Sonata form
Sonata form is a large-scale musical structure used widely since the middle of the 18th century . While it is typically used in the first movement of multi-movement pieces, it is sometimes used in subsequent movements as well—particularly the final movement...
.
2nd movement
ThemesTheme A1: 1st horn
Theme A2: violin
Theme B: clear. in A
The second movement begins with the continuation of the tragic sonority in b-minor, as if the movement will be in the minor dominant of the tonic of the symphony. Instead, a common tone modulation leads to a D-major theme first introduced by a solo horn.
This movement is in a standard ternary form with A section in D-major, B section alluding to F minor, then a restatement of A section with different orchestration. Compared to a stable A section, the B section exhibits instability in many ways. For example, the theme begins and remains in V7/F minor, even though it could be easily resolved to F minor. Moreover, the segmentation of a theme, fugato texture, and rapid shift of hyper meter contributes to the instability of this section.
In this movement, the motto theme appears twice—from mm.99-103, as a structural dominant preparing the return of the A section, and in the coda
Coda (music)
Coda is a term used in music in a number of different senses, primarily to designate a passage that brings a piece to an end. Technically, it is an expanded cadence...
(mm.158-166) in G#7. One could interpret this as a preparation for I6, but also as a structural leading tone
Leading-tone
In music theory, a leading-note is a note or pitch which resolves or "leads" to a note one semitone higher or lower, being a lower and upper leading-tone, respectively....
to the next movement (G#7→ A), especially since the unwinding from the climactic restatement of the motto theme occurs relatively hesitantly and what follows seems to diminish away.
3rd movement
ThemesWaltz 1:
Waltz 2: ob 1.
Waltz 3:
Trio:
The third movement is a relatively ordinary waltz. Some elements of absurdity can be observed, for example, hemiola and unbalanced phrase structure at the outset of the movement. These elements takes over the movement in the trio section, whose nature is that of scherzo. The scherzo theme initially played by the first violins can be seen as a superimposition of 4/4 over 3/4. Hemiola
Hemiola
In modern musical parlance, a hemiola is a metrical pattern in which two bars in simple triple time are articulated as if they were three bars in simple duple time...
is used as a transitional technique (mm. 97-105). The return of the valse is accompanied by the scherzo texture from the trio.
The return of the motto theme in the 3rd movement, preceded by a waltz in a major mode, strikes the listener as a reminiscent of the tragic opening of the symphony, although perhaps in a ridiculed manner by integrating the hemiola, a light-hearted character displayed everywhere in the movement.
4th movement
ThemesPT1: vl 1.
PT2:
ST:
As in the first movement, the exposition of the last movement begins in e-minor, and the D-major sonority struggles to establish itself. Unlike the first movement, this struggle manifests in brief tonicization of D-major, as well as V7 of D-major (mm. 86-90, mm. 106-114). The first attempt to resolve the accumulation of conflict (key oppositions, increasing harmonic rhythm, as well as segmentation and rapid changes of themes) takes place in m. 172, the re-introduction of the motto theme, in the wrong key (C-major).
The development is very brief and only lasts about 60 measures. In recapitulation, a new melody is super imposed over the PT1 texture. This melody, however it is new, exhibits characteristics of PT 2 (contour and initial succession of notes), as well as a chordal texture used elsewhere in the symphony that it does not necessary strike the listener as a new theme. This melody also never returns.
The 6th statement of motto theme is in e-minor, leading to an emphatic Perfect Authentic Cadence (PAC) in B major. It is perhaps unusual to see a PAC in the dominant to the home key at the end of the recapitulation, however, this could be interpreted, on a larger level, as a half cadence preparing for ever stronger return for the tonic.
Coda, following such preparation succeeds in re-emphasizing the tonic, using different themes and many cadences in tonic. Some of the themes used here are the motto theme (m. 474), the countermelody to PT1 (m. 474, superimposed to the motto theme), PT2 (m. 504), and Pt1 from the first movement of the symphony.
Critical reaction
Some critics, including Tchaikovsky himself, have considered the ending insincere or even crude. After the second performance, Tchaikovsky wrote, "I have come to the conclusion that it is a failure". Despite this, the symphony has gone on to become one of the composer's most popular works. The second movement, in particular, is considered to be classic Tchaikovsky: well crafted, colorfully orchestrated, and with a memorable melody for solo hornHorn (instrument)
The horn is a brass instrument consisting of about of tubing wrapped into a coil with a flared bell. A musician who plays the horn is called a horn player ....
.
Possibly for its very clear exposition of the idea of "ultimate victory through strife", the Fifth was very popular during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, with many new recordings of the work, and many performances during those years. One of the most notable performances was by the Leningrad Radio Symphony Orchestra during the Siege of Leningrad
Siege of Leningrad
The Siege of Leningrad, also known as the Leningrad Blockade was a prolonged military operation resulting from the failure of the German Army Group North to capture Leningrad, now known as Saint Petersburg, in the Eastern Front theatre of World War II. It started on 8 September 1941, when the last...
. City leaders had ordered the orchestra to continue its performances to keep the spirits high in the city. On the night of October 20, 1941 they played Tchaikovsky's Symphony No. 5 at the city's Philharmonic Hall and it was broadcast live to London. As the second movement began, bombs started to fall nearby, but the orchestra continued playing until the final note. Since the war it has remained very popular, but has been somewhat eclipsed in popularity by the Fourth and Sixth Symphonies.
Critical reaction to the work was mixed, with some enthusiasm in Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
. Berezovsky wrote, "The Fifth Symphony is the weakest of Tchaikovsky's symphonies, but nevertheless it is a striking work, taking a prominent place not only among the composer's output but among Russian works in general. ... the entire symphony seems to spring from some dark spiritual experience."
On the symphony's first performance in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, critical reaction, especially in Boston, was almost unanimously hostile. A reviewer for the Boston Evening Transcript, October 24, 1892, wrote:
- "Of the Fifth Tchaikovsky Symphony one hardly knows what to say ... In the Finale we have all the untamed fury of the Cossack, whetting itself for deeds of atrocity, against all the sterility of the Russian steppes. The furious peroration sounds like nothing so much as a horde of demons struggling in a torrent of brandy, the music growing drunker and drunker. Pandemonium, delirium tremens, raving, and above all, noise worse confounded!"
The reception in New York was little better. A reviewer for the Musical Courier, March 13, 1889, wrote:
- "In the Tchaikovsky Fifth Symphony ... one vainly sought for coherency and homogeneousness ... in the last movement, the composer's Calmuck blood got the better of him, and slaughter, dire and bloody, swept across the storm-driven score."
Uses of the symphony
The 5th symphony was used in 1933 by the Russian-born choreographer Léonide Massine for his - and the world's - first symphonic ballet, Les Présages. This caused a furore amongst musical purists, who objected to a serious symphonic work being used as the basis of a ballet.Various passages from this symphony were used in the 1937 motion picture Maytime, starring Jeanette MacDonald
Jeanette MacDonald
Jeanette MacDonald was an American singer and actress best remembered for her musical films of the 1930s with Maurice Chevalier and Nelson Eddy...
and Nelson Eddy
Nelson Eddy
Nelson Ackerman Eddy was an American singer and actor who appeared in 19 musical films during the 1930s and 1940s, as well as in opera and on the concert stage, radio, television, and in nightclubs. A classically trained baritone, he is best remembered for the eight films in which he costarred...
. The music appears not only in some of the background score, but also in the form of a sung pastiche invented by Herbert Stothart
Herbert Stothart
Herbert Stothart was a song writer, arranger, conductor, and composer. He was also nominated for nine Oscars, winning Best Original Score for The Wizard of Oz.-Biography:...
as a fictitious French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
opera entitled Czaritsa, "composed" by the character Trentini for the lead soprano (MacDonald).
The second movement was featured prominently in the 1986 film "Lucas".
Part of the second movement was given English lyrics under the title Moon Love, recorded by Glenn Miller
Glenn Miller
Alton Glenn Miller was an American jazz musician , arranger, composer, and bandleader in the swing era. He was one of the best-selling recording artists from 1939 to 1943, leading one of the best known "Big Bands"...
and Chet Baker
Chet Baker
Chesney Henry "Chet" Baker, Jr. was an American jazz trumpeter, flugelhornist and singer.Though his music earned him a large following , Baker's popularity was due in part to his "matinee idol-beauty" and "well-publicized drug habit."He died in 1988 in Amsterdam, the...
among others.
It is said that Annie's Song
Annie's Song
"Annie's Song" is a rock/country song recorded and written by singer-songwriter John Denver. It was his second number-one song in the United States, occupying that spot for two weeks in July 1974. "Annie's Song" also went to number one on the Easy Listening chart...
by John Denver
John Denver
Henry John Deutschendorf, Jr. , known professionally as John Denver, was an American singer/songwriter, activist, and humanitarian. After growing up in numerous locations with his military family, Denver began his music career in folk music groups in the late 1960s. His greatest commercial success...
was based in part by the first horn theme in movement two. Annie's Song is also in D major, and when Denver sang it in Russian in a 1985 concert the first five notes of the Russian portion of the song and the theme share the same rhythm.
An arrangement of the second movement was used in a prominent 1970s Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n advertisement for Winfield
Winfield (cigarette)
Winfield is a brand of cigarette that is popular in Australia and New Zealand. They are also sold in other markets in Europe, Canada, South Africa and Asia...
cigarettes, with the slogan Anyhow, have a Winfield sung by a choir to the movement's central theme, to the great annoyance of many classical music buffs. The ads were presented by Paul Hogan
Paul Hogan
Paul Hogan, AM is an Australian actor best known for his role as Michael "Crocodile" Dundee from the Crocodile Dundee film series, for which he won a Golden Globe award.-Early life and career:...
, who also used the arrangement as the theme to his Australian comedy show.
Instrumentation
The work is scored for 3 fluteFlute
The flute is a musical instrument of the woodwind family. Unlike woodwind instruments with reeds, a flute is an aerophone or reedless wind instrument that produces its sound from the flow of air across an opening...
s (3rd doubling piccolo
Piccolo
The piccolo is a half-size flute, and a member of the woodwind family of musical instruments. The piccolo has the same fingerings as its larger sibling, the standard transverse flute, but the sound it produces is an octave higher than written...
), 2 oboe
Oboe
The oboe is a double reed musical instrument of the woodwind family. In English, prior to 1770, the instrument was called "hautbois" , "hoboy", or "French hoboy". The spelling "oboe" was adopted into English ca...
s, 2 clarinet
Clarinet
The clarinet is a musical instrument of woodwind type. The name derives from adding the suffix -et to the Italian word clarino , as the first clarinets had a strident tone similar to that of a trumpet. The instrument has an approximately cylindrical bore, and uses a single reed...
s in A, 2 bassoon
Bassoon
The bassoon is a woodwind instrument in the double reed family that typically plays music written in the bass and tenor registers, and occasionally higher. Appearing in its modern form in the 19th century, the bassoon figures prominently in orchestral, concert band and chamber music literature...
s, 4 horns
Horn (instrument)
The horn is a brass instrument consisting of about of tubing wrapped into a coil with a flared bell. A musician who plays the horn is called a horn player ....
in F, 2 trumpet
Trumpet
The trumpet is the musical instrument with the highest register in the brass family. Trumpets are among the oldest musical instruments, dating back to at least 1500 BCE. They are played by blowing air through closed lips, producing a "buzzing" sound which starts a standing wave vibration in the air...
s in A, 3 trombone
Trombone
The trombone is a musical instrument in the brass family. Like all brass instruments, sound is produced when the player’s vibrating lips cause the air column inside the instrument to vibrate...
s, tuba
Tuba
The tuba is the largest and lowest-pitched brass instrument. Sound is produced by vibrating or "buzzing" the lips into a large cupped mouthpiece. It is one of the most recent additions to the modern symphony orchestra, first appearing in the mid-19th century, when it largely replaced the...
, timpani
Timpani
Timpani, or kettledrums, are musical instruments in the percussion family. A type of drum, they consist of a skin called a head stretched over a large bowl traditionally made of copper. They are played by striking the head with a specialized drum stick called a timpani stick or timpani mallet...
, and string
String instrument
A string instrument is a musical instrument that produces sound by means of vibrating strings. In the Hornbostel-Sachs scheme of musical instrument classification, used in organology, they are called chordophones...
s.
Sources
- Review by Bogdanov-Berezovsky, paraphrased from The Symphonies of Brahms and Tschaikowsky in Score, Bonanza Books, New York, 1935.
- Newspaper reviews quoted in Nicolas SlonimskyNicolas SlonimskyNicolas Slonimsky was a Russian born American composer, conductor, musician, music critic, lexicographer and author. He described himself as a "diaskeuast" ; "a reviser or interpolator."- Life :...
, The Lexicon of Musical Invective. Seattle, University of Washington Press, 1965. ISBN 0-295-78579-9 - Hans KellerHans KellerHans Keller was an influential Austrian-born British musician and writer who made significant contributions to musicology and music criticism, as well as being an insightful commentator on such disparate fields as psychoanalysis and football...
: 'Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky', in Vol. I of 'The Symphony', ed. Robert SimpsonRobert Simpson (composer)Robert Simpson was an English composer and long-serving BBC producer and broadcaster.He is best known for his orchestral and chamber music , and for his writings on the music of Beethoven, Bruckner, Nielsen and Sibelius. He studied composition under Herbert Howells...
(Harmondsworth, 1966). - The Symphony be Michael Steinberg, Oxford University Press 1995
External links
- http://www.tchaikovsky-research.net/en/Works/Symphonies/TH029/index.html
- Listen online from BBC Radio 3 website
- Recordings for personal use as performed by the Peabody Concert OrchestraPeabody InstituteThe Peabody Institute of the Johns Hopkins University is a renowned conservatory and preparatory school located in the Mount Vernon neighborhood of Baltimore, Maryland at the corner of Charles and Monument Streets at Mount Vernon Place.-History:...