4. Op. 34. Valse Scherzo, for violin and orchestra. Dedicated to Joseph Kotek. Composed early in January, 1877. Jurgenson.
During this season Tchaikovsky sketched out his Fourth Symphony and two-thirds of his opera, Eugene Oniegin.
1877-1878
1. Op. 36, Symphony No. 4 (F minor), in four movements. Dedicated to “My best friend.” The first sketch was finished in May, 1877. On August 11th (23rd) Tchaikovsky began the instrumentation of the work, and completed the first movement on September 12th (24th). After an interval of two months he returned to the Symphony, about the end of November. The Andante was finished on December 15th (27th), the Scherzo on the 20th (January 1st) 1878, and the Finale on the 26th (January 7th, 1878). The first performance of the Symphony took place February 10th (22nd), 1878, at a concert of the Russian Musical Society, conducted by N. Rubinstein.
2. Op. 24, Eugene Oniegin, lyric scenes, in three acts and seven scenes. The libretto is freely arranged from Poushkin by the composer himself and K. S. Shilovsky. The idea of this opera originated with the celebrated singer, Madame E. A. Lavrovsky.
On May 18th (30th), 1877, Tchaikovsky sketched the plan for a libretto.
On June 6th (18th) the second scene of the first act (the Letter Scene) was finished, and by June 15th (27th) the entire act was complete. By June 23rd (July 5th), two-thirds of the opera were ready. After a month’s respite, Tchaikovsky returned to the work at Kamenka, in August, and completed the opera. Here he also began the instrumentation. During September and the first half of October he did not work upon it at all; afterwards he continued the instrumentation, finishing the whole of the first act and despatching it to Moscow by the 23rd (November 4th). In November Tchaikovsky orchestrated the first scene of the second act. The whole of December, was devoted to the Fourth Symphony. On January 2nd (14th) he took up the opera once more, at San Remo, and, completed it by the 20th (February 1st) of this month. In the summer of 1880, at the request of the Director of the Imperial Opera, Tchaikovsky added an écossaise to the first scene of Act II. and made some slight changes in the Finale.
The first performance of the opera took place on March 17th (29th), 1879, by the students of the Moscow Conservatoire, in the Small Theatre. For an account of the plot, see [Appendix B].
3. Op. 38. Six songs, dedicated to A. Tchaikovsky. (1) “Don Juan’s Serenade,” words by Count A. Tolstoi; (2) “Das war im ersten Lenzesstrahl” (A. Tolstoi); (3) “Im erregenden Tanze” (A. Tolstoi); (4) “Ach wenn du könntest” (A. Tolstoi); (5) “Aus dem Jenseits” (Lermontov); (6) “Pimpinella” (Florentine song). Published by P. I. Jurgenson, Moscow.
4. Op. 40. Twelve pieces for pianoforte (medium difficulty), dedicated to M. Tchaikovsky, (1) “Etude,” (2) “Chanson triste,” (3) “Marche funèbre,” (4) “Mazurka in C major,” (5) “Mazurka in D major,” (6) “Chant sans paroles,” (7) “Au village,” (8) “Valse in A major,” (9) “Valse in A major,” (10) “Danse russe,” (11) “Scherzo in F major,” (12) “Rêverie interrompue.” Of these pieces, No. 12 was composed first. The middle section of this piece is a Venetian song, which was sung almost every evening under his window in Venice. The other pieces date from various times, the “Danse russe” from 1876, having been originally intended as a number for the Ballet, The Swan Lake. Jurgenson, Moscow.