Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky , group=n ( ; 7 May 1840 – 6 November 1893) was a Russian composer of the Romantic period. He was the first Russian composer whose music would make a lasting impression internationally. He wrote some of the most pop ...

composed his ''Pezzo capriccioso'', Op. 62, for

cello The cello ( ; plural ''celli'' or ''cellos'') or violoncello ( ; ) is a bowed (sometimes plucked and occasionally hit) string instrument of the violin family. Its four strings are usually tuned in perfect fifths: from low to high, C2, G ...

and orchestra in a single week in August 1887. Belying its title, this work is written in the somber key of

B minor B minor is a minor scale based on B, consisting of the pitches B, C, D, E, F, G, and A. Its key signature has two sharps. Its relative major is D major and its parallel major is B major. The B natural minor scale is: : Changes need ...

, the same key as the Symphony No. 6 ''Pathétique''. The ''Pezzo'' is not capricious in a lighthearted sense. The ''capriccioso'' aspect comes from Tchaikovsky's fanciful treatment of various aspects of the work's simple theme. Despite some rapid passages and a turn to the major key, Tchaikovsky preserves the basic pulse and sober mood throughout the piece. Anatoli Brandukov

The sobriety was a result of Tchaikovsky's sufferings with his friend Nikolay Kondratyev. Kondratyev was in the final throes of syphilis. After a brief remission, he had been taken to Aachen, Germany, where his family hoped the

mineral water Mineral water is water from a mineral spring that contains various minerals, such as salts and sulfur compounds. Mineral water may usually be still or sparkling (carbonated/effervescent) according to the presence or absence of added gases. T ...

s there would prolong his life at least a few months. Instead, Kondratyev had taken a turn for the worse. Moreover, he proved a highly unpredictable, volatile and demanding patient, which unnerved the already death-shy Tchaikovsky. A visit to see friends in Paris—among them cellist

Anatoliy Brandukov Anatoly Andreyevich Brandukov (russian: Анато́лий Андре́евич Брандуко́в) ( – February 16, 1930) was a Russian cellist who premiered many cello pieces of prominent composers including Pyotr Tchaikovsky and Sergei ...

—proved only a brief respite. All this suffering poured through the music Tchaikovsky was writing, as well. Tchaikovsky wrote Brandukov on August 25, "I have written a small cello piece, and would like you to look through it, and put the final touches to the cello part." Two days later he had begun to make the piano score of the piece, and on 31st he began orchestrating it. The first performance of the ''Pezzo capriccioso'', in its arrangement for piano accompaniment, took place on at the home of M. P. Benardaky, during Tchaikovsky's visit to

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), ma ...

. Brandukov was soloist, with the composer at the keyboard. The first performance of the orchestral version was given by Brandukov in Moscow at a special concert of the Russian Musical Society on November 25, 1889. Tchaikovsky conducted the orchestra.

P. Jurgenson P. Jurgenson (in Russian: П. Юргенсон) was, in the early twentieth century, the largest publisher of classical sheet music in Russia. History Founded in 1861, the firm — in its original form, or as it was amalgamated in 1918 with ...

published the ''Pezzo capriccioso'' in 1888—the orchestral parts in January, and the arrangement for cello with piano in March. Publication of the full score was delayed because Tchaikovsky had taken the manuscript abroad with him, and did not return it to Jurgenson until May 6, 1888. The full score was printed in July the same year.

External links

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Tchaikovsky ResearchPerformance of Pezzo capriccioso
by Narek Hakhnazaryan (cello) and Noreen Polera (piano) from the

Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum The Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum is an art museum in Boston, Massachusetts, which houses significant examples of European, Asian, and American art. Its collection includes paintings, sculpture, tapestries, and decorative arts. It was found ...

MP3 MP3 (formally MPEG-1 Audio Layer III or MPEG-2 Audio Layer III) is a coding format for digital audio developed largely by the Fraunhofer Society in Germany, with support from other digital scientists in the United States and elsewhere. Origin ...

format {{Authority control Compositions by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky Compositions for cello and orchestra 1887 compositions Music with dedications

Further reading

External links