Symphony No. 6 (Tchaikovsky)

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Excerpt from the fourth movement of Tchaikovsky's Pathétique Symphony.

The Symphony No. 6 in B minor, Pathétique, Op. 74 is Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky's final symphony. It was premiered nine days before his death in 1893. Tchaikovsky said of it, "Without exaggeration, I have put my whole soul into this work."^{[[Citing sources citation needed]]}

Title

Because of the proximity of Tchaikovsky's death (as well as the sad tone of the music), it is often referred to as Tchaikovsky's "suicide note."^{[[Citing sources citation needed]]} However, the Russian word pateticheskii means "enthusiatic", "passionate" or "emotional", not "arousing pity". Tchaikovsky considered calling it "Programme Symphony" (Programmnaia) but realised that would encourage curiosity about the programme, which he did not want to reveal. His brother Modest suggested the title, which was used in early editions of the symphony; although Tchaikovsky disliked the title and instructed the publisher to remove it, his publisher chose not to, and the title remained.^{[[Citing sources citation needed]]}

Structure

The symphony is approximately 47 minutes long and is in four movements

Adagio - Allegro non troppo
Allegro con grazia
Allegro molto vivace
Finale: Adagio lamentoso

The first movement opens with a bassoon solo, often interpreted to represent death.^{[[Citing sources citation needed]]} A romantic theme occurs 89 bars in. After some development, it fades away in a bassoon passage marked pppppp, followed (at bar 161) by a sudden tutti fortissimo and an agitated passage. According to Simon Karlinsky ("Should We Retire Tchaikovsky?" Christopher Street Vol 11 No 3, 16-21), in an oral tradition passed from Tchaikovsky, to his brother Modest, to the painter Pavel Tchelitchew, to a musician called Alex, to him in 1941, the secret programme of the symphony is about the love of two men - represented by the romantic theme - and the agitated passage represents the attacks of a hostile world. A brief trombone chorale based on an Orthodox hymn is heard near the end.

The second movement takes the form of an lively dance. Its unusual 5/4 time signature is the subject of much speculation, most of which claims that the movement acts as a stretched or limping waltz.^{[[Citing sources citation needed]]}

The third movement is again upbeat. In common time, it adheres to much more of a standard form than the rest of the work. The movement revolves around two themes, a nervous, jittery motif in the woodwinds and a majestic march originating in the brass. As a march, it is very un-military.^{[[Citing sources citation needed]]} Its harmonic structure is based on the tonic and subdominant rather than the more common tonic and dominant. Eventually, the orchestra launches into a full, triumphant chorus of the brass theme at the movement's end, often leading many people to believe that the symphony is over.^{[[Citing sources citation needed]]} Perhaps for this reason, or just because it is so uplifting, it has become customary to applaud after the movement.^{[[Citing sources citation needed]]}

The final movement immediately returns to the darkness of the first with its brooding tone and slow tempo. The opening is scored unusually, the first and second violins taking turns to play the notes of the main theme, and the same is done with the other parts. A slow crescendo builds up to afortissimo of wailing strings accompanying a fanfare for the brass and drums. The bassoon theme reemerges and is built upon; after much developmentm the movement, without ever quickening, again climaxes with a fff drumroll, brass knell, and a resurgence of the first string theme, then meanders off into a quiet ending. According to Karlinsky, it is an elegy for one or more of Tchaikovsky's deceased lovers.

External links

[IMSLP] - Complete score of the 6th symphony at the International Music Score Library Project.

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