× Upcoming Events School Programs About Us Thank You to our Donors Past Events
Home School Programs About Us Thank You to our Donors
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky 1840-1893
Serenade for Strings, Op. 48

Throughout his creative career, Tchaikovsky went through extreme cycles of inspiration – or lack of it – tied to his frequent bouts of deep depression and self-doubt. His music usually reflected his mood, especially the depression, but sometimes he managed to escape. One of these occasions occurred in 1880.

The year had not been productive, but in the fall he produced in quick succession two vastly dissimilar works: The bombastic 1812 Overture, composed for the consecration of the Church of Christ the Savior in Moscow commemorating Russia’s victory over the armies of Napoleon; and the Serenade for Strings, one of his warmest, heartfelt creations.

Tchaikovsky commented on the two works: “The overture will be very loud, noisy, but I wrote it without any warm feelings of love and so it will probably be of no artistic worth. But the Serenade, on the contrary, I wrote from inner compulsion. This is a piece from the heart and so, I venture to say, it does not lack artistic worth.” He wrote to his friend and publisher: “Whether because it is my latest child or because in reality it is not bad, I am terribly in love with this Serenade and can scarcely wait to have it presented to the world.”

That being said, the Serenade was an accident. Although Tchaikovsky was planning a symphony or a string quartet when he started writing, his work gradually evolved into the Serenade, perhaps because of its lack of weighty substance. It is surprisingly lighthearted, compared to the composer's many melancholy works. Although the number and structure of the movements conform to the symphonic model, its sunny mood caused the composer to refrain from calling it a true symphony. In the nineteenth century, music had to be serious to be taken seriously. The composer wrote on the score: “The larger the string orchestra, the better the composer's desires will be fulfilled.” 

The Serenade’s enthusiastic reception at its first performance in St. Petersburg confirmed Tchaikovsky’s evaluation; the Valse had to be encored.

Program notes by:
Joseph & Elizabeth Kahn
Wordpros@mindspring.com
www.wordprosmusic.com

Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky 1840-1893
Serenade for Strings, Op. 48

Throughout his creative career, Tchaikovsky went through extreme cycles of inspiration – or lack of it – tied to his frequent bouts of deep depression and self-doubt. His music usually reflected his mood, especially the depression, but sometimes he managed to escape. One of these occasions occurred in 1880.

The year had not been productive, but in the fall he produced in quick succession two vastly dissimilar works: The bombastic 1812 Overture, composed for the consecration of the Church of Christ the Savior in Moscow commemorating Russia’s victory over the armies of Napoleon; and the Serenade for Strings, one of his warmest, heartfelt creations.

Tchaikovsky commented on the two works: “The overture will be very loud, noisy, but I wrote it without any warm feelings of love and so it will probably be of no artistic worth. But the Serenade, on the contrary, I wrote from inner compulsion. This is a piece from the heart and so, I venture to say, it does not lack artistic worth.” He wrote to his friend and publisher: “Whether because it is my latest child or because in reality it is not bad, I am terribly in love with this Serenade and can scarcely wait to have it presented to the world.”

That being said, the Serenade was an accident. Although Tchaikovsky was planning a symphony or a string quartet when he started writing, his work gradually evolved into the Serenade, perhaps because of its lack of weighty substance. It is surprisingly lighthearted, compared to the composer's many melancholy works. Although the number and structure of the movements conform to the symphonic model, its sunny mood caused the composer to refrain from calling it a true symphony. In the nineteenth century, music had to be serious to be taken seriously. The composer wrote on the score: “The larger the string orchestra, the better the composer's desires will be fulfilled.” 

The Serenade’s enthusiastic reception at its first performance in St. Petersburg confirmed Tchaikovsky’s evaluation; the Valse had to be encored.

Program notes by:
Joseph & Elizabeth Kahn
Wordpros@mindspring.com
www.wordprosmusic.com