Tchaikovski (Paperback)

Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: THE MUSIC OF THE MASTERS CHAPTER I THE EARLIER SYMPHONIES Op. 13. No. I. in G minor, Winter Day Dreams. Op. 17. No. II. in C minor. Op. 29. No. III. in D major, The Polish. Without pushing the line of distinction very far, the six symphonies of Tchai- kovski readily split up into two halves; the three earlier ones standing in one division, the three later ones in another. The former division, although containing germs of many lovely ideas, exhibits neither the mastery, power, nor originality of the later set. These three are seldom played, preference naturally being given to the finer works of Tchaikovski's more advanced period. Winter Day Dreams is the fanciful and poetic title given'to the first symphony of all. G minor is its key, 13 its opus VOL. II. A number. Its heading gives the cue to the first movement Dreams on the High- Road in Winter, and it opens dreamily and softly with a murmuring tremolo accompaniment to this theme given to flute and bassoon? A three-bar rhythm dominates the whole of the movement. There is a certain charming languor in this halting uncertain rhythm, which is intensified by the frequent interpolation of a phrase which sounds Eastern in character? Let it not be imagined that this symphony sounds immature. Though not of its composer's best, it is far from being the work of a novice; and this first movement contains features which meet with speedy recognition. Very distinctive is this phrase of frequent recurrence given to the wind? as are also the rushing scales (reminiscent of the Fifth Symphony) that occur in the coda. As far as development goes this movement is regular enough. The second subject is given to the clarionet, and is later welded with a counter theme for violins. The development s...