Variations on a Rococo Theme
Encyclopedia
The Variations on a Rococo Theme, Op. 33, for cello
and orchestra
was the closest Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
ever came to writing a full concerto
for cello and orchestra. The style was inspired by Mozart
, Tchaikovsky's role model
, and makes it clear that Tchaikovsky admired the Classical
style very much. However, the Thema is not Rococo
in origin, but actually an original theme in the Rococo style.
Tchaikovsky wrote this piece for and with the help of Wilhelm Fitzenhagen
, a German cellist and fellow-professor at the Moscow Conservatory
. Fitzenhagen gave the premiere in Moscow on November 30, 1877, with Nikolai Rubinstein conducting. This was perhaps the only hearing of the Variations as Tchaikovsky wrote the piece until 1941, when it was played in Moscow without Fitzenhagen's by-then-standard emendations.
s, two horns
, and strings
. This reduction of forces is a deliberate reflection of an 18th-century orchestra.
, but only by a fermata
over the final rest. The difficulty of the piece lies in this seemingly innocent set-up of the eight differing sections, without the usual longer orchestral interludes for the soloist to catch his or her breath.
The piece was written between December 1876 and March 1877, immediately following his tone poem
Francesca da Rimini
, and compared to the vehemence and intensity of Francesca, the Variations show an elegant detachment that was new to his music. While the theme upon which the composition is based is Tchaikovsky's own, the graceful contours and well-mannered cadence that make up the first half of this theme show clearly from which period Tchaikovsky had taken his model.
Tchaikovsky had rarely been attracted to the variation form
. The convenience of this form became apparent with what he now set out to accomplish. With a traditional concerto format, structural complexities and dramatic issues that would have clashed with the 18th-century detachment and finesse could not have been avoided. A neat and easier solution was, in each variation, to retain the melodic outlines and harmonic support outlined in his initial theme.
The potential problem with this approach could be a lack of variety between variations. This would effectively kill the piece. Thanks to his consummate craftsmanship, Tchaikovsky avoids this trap. There is barely a phrase within each variation whose relationship with its progenitor is not explicit. However, no two variations assemble their constituent phrases in the same manner, nor build to the same proportions.
One device which helps Tchaikovsky greatly in this regard is a codetta attached to the end of the theme. Attached to this codetta is a quasi-cadential or linking extension. Tchaikovsky varies this extension in length and direction, further modifying the proportions of individual variations and providing a bridge passage from one variation to the next. He even mixes the codetta material with the theme itself in the Andante grazioso variation (No. 4 in Fitzenhagen's arrangement, No. 5 in Tchaikovsky's original order).
points out that, in the composer's original order, the first five variations show "a progressive expansion and evolution of the theme's structure ... the sixth briefly recalling the original phrases of the theme before the seventh, C major variation, new in meter and key," reveals "a vast melodic sweep," providing "the real peak of the piece," after which the final variation (the one Fitzenhagen eventually jettisoned) would guide listeners back toward the point where the piece had started.
As Michael Steinberg
points out, "Fitzenhagen intervened considerably in shaping what he considered "his" piece." Much of the detail in the solo part is his and was actually written by him into Tchaikovsky's autograph. "More importantly," Steinberg adds, "he dropped one entire variation and reshuffled the order of the others. This, in turn, necessitated further cuts and splices."
Tchaikovsky had in fact asked Fitzenhagen to go through the Variations—something about which the composer apparently neglected to inform his publisher, P. I. Jurgenson. In the autograph score the majority of the solo part is actually in Fitzenhagen's hand and the cellist apparently exercised the role of reviser vigorously enough to lead Jurgenson to protest to Tchaikovsky, "Horrible Fitzenhagen insists on changing your cello piece. He wants to 'cello' it up and claims you gave him permission. Good God! Tchaïkovski revu et corrigé par Fitzenhagen!"
Fitzenhagen was proud of the success he had in performing the work, and in a report he wrote Tchaikovsky after playing it at the Wiesbaden Festival in June 1879, he gave a clue as to why he rearranged the order of variations as he did. "I produced a furore with your variations. I pleased so greatly that I was recalled three times, and after the Andante variation (D minor) there was stormy applause. Liszt
said to me: 'You carried me away! You played splendidly," and regarding your piece he observed: 'Now there, at last, is real music!'"
The D minor variation Fitzenhagen mentions is actually the third in Tchaikovsky's original sequence. Fitzenhagen may have thought it more effective later in the piece because of its ability to draw applause. He exchanged it with Tchaikovsky's slow penultimate variation, the one in 3/4 time
in C major. The Allegro vivace variation which now followed the D minor contrasted very effectively. However, the eighth and final variation was extremely similar to the Allegro vivace. Fitzenhagen did not hesitate to jettison this variation and tack the final 32 bars of the piece onto the Allegro vivace.
Nevertheless, in one of his occasional fits of insecurity about his work, especially when it came to form, Tchaikovsky allowed the changes to stand. Eleven years later one of Fitzenhaugen's students, Anatoliy Brandukov
, approached the composer about whether he would restore his original idea to the piece. Apparently irritated by the question, Tchaikovsky replied, "Oh, the hell with it! Let it stay the way it is."
The Variations were played in Fitzenhagen's order until the Russian cellist Victor Kubatsky started researching the piece for himself. By subjecting the manuscript to X-ray
experiments, he discovered that Tchaikovsky's text had been inked over. As a result of this discovery, the original version was finally published and has since been recorded. Nevertheless, most cellists still use the Fitzenhagen version of the piece. A large part of the problem was that, while the Russian complete edition of Tchaikovsky's complete works included the original version of the Variations, the State Publishing House issued neither the orchestral parts nor a piano reduction for study purposes.
Cellists who have recorded Tchaikovsky's original version have included Steven Isserlis
, Raphael Wallfisch
and Julian Lloyd Webber
.
played a version of Variations on a Rococo Theme in a transcription for the flugelhorn
.
In 2010, Maxim Rysanov played the Variations on a Rococo Theme in his transcription for viola
in a London Promenade Concert
.
In 2009, Catalin Rotaru played the "Variations on a Rococo Theme" in a transcription for the double bass
for a radio orchestra in Bucharest
, Romania
.
Cello
The cello is a bowed string instrument with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is a member of the violin family of musical instruments, which also includes the violin, viola, and double bass. Old forms of the instrument in the Baroque era are baryton and viol .A person who plays a cello is...
and orchestra
Orchestra
An orchestra is a sizable instrumental ensemble that contains sections of string, brass, woodwind, and percussion instruments. The term orchestra derives from the Greek ορχήστρα, the name for the area in front of an ancient Greek stage reserved for the Greek chorus...
was the closest Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
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"...
ever came to writing a full concerto
Concerto
A concerto is a musical work usually composed in three parts or movements, in which one solo instrument is accompanied by an orchestra.The etymology is uncertain, but the word seems to have originated from the conjunction of the two Latin words...
for cello and orchestra. The style was inspired by Mozart
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart , baptismal name Johannes Chrysostomus Wolfgangus Theophilus Mozart , was a prolific and influential composer of the Classical era. He composed over 600 works, many acknowledged as pinnacles of symphonic, concertante, chamber, piano, operatic, and choral music...
, Tchaikovsky's role model
Role model
The term role model generally means any "person who serves as an example, whose behaviour is emulated by others".The term first appeared in Robert K. Merton's socialization research of medical students...
, and makes it clear that Tchaikovsky admired the Classical
Classical period (music)
The dates of the Classical Period in Western music are generally accepted as being between about 1750 and 1830. However, the term classical music is used colloquially to describe a variety of Western musical styles from the ninth century to the present, and especially from the sixteenth or...
style very much. However, the Thema is not Rococo
Rococo
Rococo , also referred to as "Late Baroque", is an 18th-century style which developed as Baroque artists gave up their symmetry and became increasingly ornate, florid, and playful...
in origin, but actually an original theme in the Rococo style.
Tchaikovsky wrote this piece for and with the help of Wilhelm Fitzenhagen
Wilhelm Fitzenhagen
Wilhelm Karl Friedrich Fitzenhagen , was a German cellist, composer and instructor, best known today as the dedicatee of Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky's Variations on a Rococo Theme.-Life:...
, a German cellist and fellow-professor at the Moscow Conservatory
Moscow Conservatory
The Moscow Conservatory is a higher musical education institution in Moscow, and the second oldest conservatory in Russia after St. Petersburg Conservatory. Along with the St...
. Fitzenhagen gave the premiere in Moscow on November 30, 1877, with Nikolai Rubinstein conducting. This was perhaps the only hearing of the Variations as Tchaikovsky wrote the piece until 1941, when it was played in Moscow without Fitzenhagen's by-then-standard emendations.
Orchestration
The piece is scored for a reduced orchestra consisting of pairs of basic woodwind instrumentWoodwind instrument
A woodwind instrument is a musical instrument which produces sound when the player blows air against a sharp edge or through a reed, causing the air within its resonator to vibrate...
s, two 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 ....
, and strings
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...
. This reduction of forces is a deliberate reflection of an 18th-century orchestra.
Structure and overview
The piece is composed of a theme and seven variations (eight in Tchaikovsky's original version), making up roughly 20 minutes of music. The variations are played without pause, except between the last slow movement and the finale; even these are not set off by the thick double bar which traditionally indicates separate 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...
, but only by a fermata
Fermata
A fermata is an element of musical notation indicating that the note should be sustained for longer than its note value would indicate...
over the final rest. The difficulty of the piece lies in this seemingly innocent set-up of the eight differing sections, without the usual longer orchestral interludes for the soloist to catch his or her breath.
- Moderato assai quasi Andante - Thema: Moderato semplice
- The orchestra comes in with a somewhat brief (though it looks long on paper) introduction, and the solo cello states the simple, elegant theme. The theme is repeated a total of six times, then the cello plays a brief conjunctive passage, the same exact notes of which are used to link Vars. I and II. The same conjunction is played an octave lower to link Vars. II and III.
- Var. I: Tempo della Thema
- The first variation is in triplets, through the midst of which the orchestra restates the theme. The sound is very lively and graceful.
- Var. II: Tempo della Thema
- The second variation features a section of conversation between the orchestra and soloist, in which the theme is nearly doubled in speed.
- Var. III: Andante sostenuto
- In the third variation the theme has changed key to C majorC majorC major is a musical major scale based on C, with pitches C, D, E, F, G, A, and B. Its key signature has no flats/sharps.Its relative minor is A minor, and its parallel minor is C minor....
and is played at a more contemplative speed.
- In the third variation the theme has changed key to C major
- Var. IV: Andante grazioso
- The fourth variation is back in A major and is a livelier version of the theme.
- Var. V: Allegro moderato
- The fifth variation carries over trills from the end of the fourth variation, and after a grand "fall" by the solo cello onto a low E, the orchestra takes over gallantly. A cadenza follows, ending back in the trills from the beginning, and once again the melody is taken over by the full orchestra, at which point a second, much longer and more difficult cadenza follows. The second cadenza, which is brazen and filled with chords, steadfastly refuses to resolve its minor keyMinor scaleA minor scale in Western music theory includes any scale that contains, in its tonic triad, at least three essential scale degrees: 1) the tonic , 2) a minor-third, or an interval of a minor third above the tonic, and 3) a perfect-fifth, or an interval of a perfect fifth above the tonic, altogether...
.
- The fifth variation carries over trills from the end of the fourth variation, and after a grand "fall" by the solo cello onto a low E, the orchestra takes over gallantly. A cadenza follows, ending back in the trills from the beginning, and once again the melody is taken over by the full orchestra, at which point a second, much longer and more difficult cadenza follows. The second cadenza, which is brazen and filled with chords, steadfastly refuses to resolve its minor key
- Var. VI: Andante
- The sixth variation is a melancholy restatement of the theme in D minorD minorD minor is a minor scale based on D, consisting of the pitches D, E, F, G, A, B, and C. In the harmonic minor, the C is raised to C. Its key signature has one flat ....
, which carries over from the cadenza.
- The sixth variation is a melancholy restatement of the theme in D minor
- Var. VII e Coda: Allegro vivo
- After a brief pause, the soloist launches into the most difficult variation, an Allegro vivo which rarely relents its constant 32nd notes. The orchestra, too, has a difficult time keeping up with the blazing speed of the finale, the solo flute being one example.
The piece was written between December 1876 and March 1877, immediately following his tone poem
Symphonic poem
A symphonic poem or tone poem is a piece of orchestral music in a single continuous section in which the content of a poem, a story or novel, a painting, a landscape or another source is illustrated or evoked. The term was first applied by Hungarian composer Franz Liszt to his 13 works in this vein...
Francesca da Rimini
Francesca da Rimini (Tchaikovsky)
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky's symphonic poem Francesca da Rimini: Symphonic Fantasy after Dante, Op. 32, was composed in less than three weeks during his visit to Bayreuth in the autumn of 1876....
, and compared to the vehemence and intensity of Francesca, the Variations show an elegant detachment that was new to his music. While the theme upon which the composition is based is Tchaikovsky's own, the graceful contours and well-mannered cadence that make up the first half of this theme show clearly from which period Tchaikovsky had taken his model.
Tchaikovsky had rarely been attracted to the variation form
Variation (music)
In music, variation is a formal technique where material is repeated in an altered form. The changes may involve harmony, melody, counterpoint, rhythm, timbre, orchestration or any combination of these.-Variation form:...
. The convenience of this form became apparent with what he now set out to accomplish. With a traditional concerto format, structural complexities and dramatic issues that would have clashed with the 18th-century detachment and finesse could not have been avoided. A neat and easier solution was, in each variation, to retain the melodic outlines and harmonic support outlined in his initial theme.
The potential problem with this approach could be a lack of variety between variations. This would effectively kill the piece. Thanks to his consummate craftsmanship, Tchaikovsky avoids this trap. There is barely a phrase within each variation whose relationship with its progenitor is not explicit. However, no two variations assemble their constituent phrases in the same manner, nor build to the same proportions.
One device which helps Tchaikovsky greatly in this regard is a codetta attached to the end of the theme. Attached to this codetta is a quasi-cadential or linking extension. Tchaikovsky varies this extension in length and direction, further modifying the proportions of individual variations and providing a bridge passage from one variation to the next. He even mixes the codetta material with the theme itself in the Andante grazioso variation (No. 4 in Fitzenhagen's arrangement, No. 5 in Tchaikovsky's original order).
Tchaikovsky versus Fitzenhagen
While the tasteful invention and refined craftsmanship that Tchaikovsky admired in classical-era music is thoroughly in evidence, the structure he intended in his ordering of variations was subverted by the work's dedicatee. Tchaikovsky scholar Dr. David BrownDavid Brown (musicologist)
David Brown is an English musicologist, most noteworthy for his major study of Tchaikovsky’s life and works.Brown studied English, Latin and music at the University of Sheffield, graduating in 1951, and took his MusB there . During national service he studied Russian and was commissioned in the...
points out that, in the composer's original order, the first five variations show "a progressive expansion and evolution of the theme's structure ... the sixth briefly recalling the original phrases of the theme before the seventh, C major variation, new in meter and key," reveals "a vast melodic sweep," providing "the real peak of the piece," after which the final variation (the one Fitzenhagen eventually jettisoned) would guide listeners back toward the point where the piece had started.
As Michael Steinberg
Michael Steinberg (music critic)
Michael Steinberg was an American music critic, musicologist, and writer. Born in Breslau, Germany , Steinberg left Germany as one of the Kindertransport child refugees...
points out, "Fitzenhagen intervened considerably in shaping what he considered "his" piece." Much of the detail in the solo part is his and was actually written by him into Tchaikovsky's autograph. "More importantly," Steinberg adds, "he dropped one entire variation and reshuffled the order of the others. This, in turn, necessitated further cuts and splices."
| Order of Variations | |
| Tchaikovsky | Fitzenhagen |
|---|---|
| Introduction—Theme | Same |
| Variation I | Same |
| Variation II | Same |
| Variation III | Variation VII |
| Variation IV | Variation V |
| Variation V | Variation VI |
| Variation VI | Variation III |
| Variation VII | Variation IV |
| Variation VIII | (Variation VIII cut) |
| Coda | Same |
Tchaikovsky had in fact asked Fitzenhagen to go through the Variations—something about which the composer apparently neglected to inform his publisher, P. I. Jurgenson. In the autograph score the majority of the solo part is actually in Fitzenhagen's hand and the cellist apparently exercised the role of reviser vigorously enough to lead Jurgenson to protest to Tchaikovsky, "Horrible Fitzenhagen insists on changing your cello piece. He wants to 'cello' it up and claims you gave him permission. Good God! Tchaïkovski revu et corrigé par Fitzenhagen!"
Fitzenhagen was proud of the success he had in performing the work, and in a report he wrote Tchaikovsky after playing it at the Wiesbaden Festival in June 1879, he gave a clue as to why he rearranged the order of variations as he did. "I produced a furore with your variations. I pleased so greatly that I was recalled three times, and after the Andante variation (D minor) there was stormy applause. Liszt
Franz Liszt
Franz Liszt ; ), was a 19th-century Hungarian composer, pianist, conductor, and teacher.Liszt became renowned in Europe during the nineteenth century for his virtuosic skill as a pianist. He was said by his contemporaries to have been the most technically advanced pianist of his age...
said to me: 'You carried me away! You played splendidly," and regarding your piece he observed: 'Now there, at last, is real music!'"
The D minor variation Fitzenhagen mentions is actually the third in Tchaikovsky's original sequence. Fitzenhagen may have thought it more effective later in the piece because of its ability to draw applause. He exchanged it with Tchaikovsky's slow penultimate variation, the one in 3/4 time
Time signature
The time signature is a notational convention used in Western musical notation to specify how many beats are in each measure and which note value constitutes one beat....
in C major. The Allegro vivace variation which now followed the D minor contrasted very effectively. However, the eighth and final variation was extremely similar to the Allegro vivace. Fitzenhagen did not hesitate to jettison this variation and tack the final 32 bars of the piece onto the Allegro vivace.
Nevertheless, in one of his occasional fits of insecurity about his work, especially when it came to form, Tchaikovsky allowed the changes to stand. Eleven years later one of Fitzenhaugen's students, Anatoliy Brandukov
Anatoliy Brandukov
Anatoliy Andreyevich Brandukov was a Russian cellist who premiered many cello pieces of prominent composers including Pyotr Tchaikovsky and Sergei Rachmaninoff. Born as Russian classical music was flourishing in the middle of the 19th century, he worked with many of the important composers and...
, approached the composer about whether he would restore his original idea to the piece. Apparently irritated by the question, Tchaikovsky replied, "Oh, the hell with it! Let it stay the way it is."
The Variations were played in Fitzenhagen's order until the Russian cellist Victor Kubatsky started researching the piece for himself. By subjecting the manuscript to X-ray
X-ray
X-radiation is a form of electromagnetic radiation. X-rays have a wavelength in the range of 0.01 to 10 nanometers, corresponding to frequencies in the range 30 petahertz to 30 exahertz and energies in the range 120 eV to 120 keV. They are shorter in wavelength than UV rays and longer than gamma...
experiments, he discovered that Tchaikovsky's text had been inked over. As a result of this discovery, the original version was finally published and has since been recorded. Nevertheless, most cellists still use the Fitzenhagen version of the piece. A large part of the problem was that, while the Russian complete edition of Tchaikovsky's complete works included the original version of the Variations, the State Publishing House issued neither the orchestral parts nor a piano reduction for study purposes.
Cellists who have recorded Tchaikovsky's original version have included Steven Isserlis
Steven Isserlis
Steven Isserlis CBE is a British cellist. He is distinguished for his diverse repertoire, distinctive sound and total command of phrasing. He studied at Oberlin Conservatory of Music and was much influenced by the great iconoclast of Russian cello playing, Daniil Shafran...
, Raphael Wallfisch
Raphael Wallfisch
Raphael Wallfisch is a British cellist.Wallfisch was born into a family of distinguished musicians, his father the pianist Peter Wallfisch and his mother the cellist Anita Lasker-Wallfisch, who is one of the last known surviving members of the Girl orchestra of Auschwitz...
and Julian Lloyd Webber
Julian Lloyd Webber
Julian Lloyd Webber is a British solo cellist who has been described as the "doyen of British cellists".-Early life:Julian Lloyd Webber is the second son of the composer William Lloyd Webber and his wife Jean Johnstone . He is the younger brother of the composer Andrew Lloyd Webber...
.
Adaptations
In 2000, trumpeter Sergei NakariakovSergei Nakariakov
Sergei Mikhailovich Nakariakov is a Russian virtuoso trumpeter who came to prominence in the late 1990s. He released his first CD recording in 1992 at the age of 15.-Recordings:...
played a version of Variations on a Rococo Theme in a transcription for the flugelhorn
Flugelhorn
The flugelhorn is a brass instrument resembling a trumpet but with a wider, conical bore. Some consider it to be a member of the saxhorn family developed by Adolphe Sax ; however, other historians assert that it derives from the valve bugle designed by Michael Saurle , Munich 1832 , thus...
.
In 2010, Maxim Rysanov played the Variations on a Rococo Theme in his transcription for viola
Viola
The viola is a bowed string instrument. It is the middle voice of the violin family, between the violin and the cello.- Form :The viola is similar in material and construction to the violin. A full-size viola's body is between and longer than the body of a full-size violin , with an average...
in a London Promenade Concert
The Proms
The Proms, more formally known as The BBC Proms, or The Henry Wood Promenade Concerts presented by the BBC, is an eight-week summer season of daily orchestral classical music concerts and other events held annually, predominantly in the Royal Albert Hall in London...
.
In 2009, Catalin Rotaru played the "Variations on a Rococo Theme" in a transcription for the double bass
Double bass
The double bass, also called the string bass, upright bass, standup bass or contrabass, is the largest and lowest-pitched bowed string instrument in the modern symphony orchestra, with strings usually tuned to E1, A1, D2 and G2...
for a radio orchestra in Bucharest
Bucharest
Bucharest is the capital municipality, cultural, industrial, and financial centre of Romania. It is the largest city in Romania, located in the southeast of the country, at , and lies on the banks of the Dâmbovița River....
, Romania
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
.
External links
- Tchaikovsky Research : Variations on a Rococo Theme Please note: the information regarding the "original" version on this site is not entirely true; the theme and all the variations (except Variation IV) are what Tchaikovsky originally wrote, whereas the final coda is Fitzenhagen's version. However, since most cellists today play Fitzenhagen's version throughout, this score will still be substantially different from most modern recordings.