jan 1, 1878 - Fourth Symphony

Description:

Russian Symphonies
1. The two music camps each produced an outstanding symphonist in the 1870s.
a. For the kuchka, it was Borodin.
b. For the conservatory composers, it was Tchaikovsky.
2. Even with the connection to traditional European music, Tchaikovsky still felt like an
outsider.
3. The Fourth Symphony marked a break with symphonic tradition.
a. Instead of motives, Tchaikovsky used expansive melodies, as well as reference to songs and dances.
b. His symphonic music demonstrates an affinity for French symphonists.
c. Because most music textbooks have been written from a German-dominated view of history, Tchaikovsky’s music has been overlooked.
4. But what to express? In the first movement, Tchaikovsky presents a strident and violent waltz, in with dramatic flair.
5. Mme. von Meck asked Tchaikovsky what the first movement meant, and he replied in
a famous letter.

Autobiography in Music?
1. In spite of his homosexuality, Tchaikovsky accepted a proposal of marriage in 1877.
2. The resulting fiasco, in which Tchaikovsky fled the marriage, has been associated with
the Fourth Symphony for years.
a. The correspondence with Mme. von Meck supports an autobiographical reading of the Fourth Symphony.
3. Tchaikovsky used dance genres as a code in the Fourth Symphony.
a. He told Mme. von Meck that the brass fanfares represented fate.
b. He pairs aspects of the waltz with the polonaise (associated with military
parades). The manner in which Tchaikovsky uses the two tells us that the polonaise always
trumps the waltz.
4. Nonetheless, one must be careful not to read too specifically into such works, as the
example of the Sixth Symphony shows.

Dedication of the 4th Symphony: Tchaikovsky, as a sign of appreciation, dedicated his Symphony No. 4 to von Meck. This was important because, due to the nature of artistic patronage in Russian society, patron and artist were considered equals. Dedications of works to patrons were expressions of artistic partnership. By dedicating the Fourth Symphony to Nadezhda von Meck, he was affirming her as an equal partner in its creation

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