Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky

Symphony No. 2 in C minor, Op. 17, "Little Russian" (1872, revised 1879)

Andante sostenuto / Allegro vivo (C minor) - Andantino marziale, quasi moderato (E-flat major) -

Scherzo. Allegro molto vivace (C minor) - Finale. Moderato assai / Allegro vivo (C major)

Tchaikovsky began work on his folksy Symphony No. 2 in the summer of 1872. On break from his post at the Moscow Conservatory, the 32-year-old harmony professor was vacationing at the estate of his beloved younger sister, Sasha, and her husband, Lev Davidoff. Now, the tendency to attribute autobiographical origins to Tchaikovsky's artistic impulses often seems overplayed. In this case, however, the composer himself spoiled any mystery regarding who or what kindled his inspiration: the butler did it.

The Davidoff's rural retreat was in "Little Russia," which is what imperialist Big Russians called Ukraine. Sasha's old steward had a habit of humming homegrown tunes as he puttered about, and one of his Ukrainian Top 40 made it into the symphony, along with some other folk-songs. Tchaikovsky had used folk music before, as did Mily Balakirev and his protégés, Borodin, Rimsky-Korsakov, Mussorgsky and Cui, the self-proclaimed leaders of Russian musical nationalism. This "Mighty Handful" mistrusted Germanic symphonic techniques, which failed to nurture the unique melodic flowering born of Russian soil, or worse, hacked it to bits. Tchaikovsky, a handful unto himself, revered Beethoven and adored Mozart, so he dismissed this view. Nevertheless, he also wanted a music that reflected the national identity, and recognized that his own talent manifested in memorable, sweeping melodies. With little precedent, Tchaikovsky cultivated a hybrid, retaining basic formal outlines codified by Papa Haydn, but letting melody, rather than motif, dominate the discourse. Many critics have lambasted this sacrilege as a shortcoming, but time has proven that Tchaikovsky's bending of "the rules" has not diminished his ability to stir the hearts and minds of listeners. On the contrary, along with his heroes Beethoven and Mozart, Tchaikovsky remains among the most-performed composers of symphonic music.

Added posthumously, the Ukrainian "Little Russian" nickname is certainly apt. The first movement begins with Down by Mother Volga, a Ukrainian folk-song intoned by unaccompanied horn. The strain is repeated, becoming increasingly agitated until the full orchestra drops out again, leaving only horns in octaves to herald the main body of the movement; the same tune reappears in the development and coda. The second movement is a charming wedding march resurrected from Tchaikovsky's discarded opera, Undine, and the lyrical middle section quotes another folk-song, Spin, O My Spinner. Some suggest that the Scherzo was inspired by the gossamer Queen Mab of Berlioz, or Borodin's First Symphony. But Tchaikovsky's relative earthiness seems as much a tribute to Beethoven, especially since the 4-notes that head the trio section transform Beethoven's Fifth Symphony "fate" motif into a jaunty folk-dance. As in Beethoven's Fifth, Tchaikovsky's lively Finale transports the symphony from C minor to a festive C major. The movement features variations on The Crane, the favorite folk-song of Sasha's butler, which also is a tune Mussorgsky would use later in Pictures at an Exhibition.Following the example of Glinka's Kamarinskaya, Tchaikovsky generally keeps the melody intact, providing variety through the ever-changing background and colorful harmonies. For contrast, he introduces a somewhat jazzy lyrical tune of his own devising.

The February 1873 premiere of Tchaikovsky's Symphony No. 2 was so successful that the work was repeated by popular demand twice that same season. It seems the only detractor was the composer: in 1879, he tweaked the orchestration throughout, and pruned the third and fourth movements. Tchaikovsky also completely gutted the first movement, but he retains both its original introduction and coda, and, as before, includes Down by Mother Volga prominently in the development section as well. For his new "first subject" he introduces a five-note motif taken from Let God Arise, a Russian liturgical chant, which, coincidentally, is similar to Beethoven's fate motif. For the chromatic start of his new "second subject," Tchaikovsky truncates his old first subject, and also reuses figures from the old second subject. The revision was a resounding success when first performed in 1881, and as the composer wished, it is the version of the Second Symphony almost always performed.

Fun fact: Tchaikovsky's "Little Russian" was a particular favorite of Igor Stravinsky, who conducted a number of American orchestras in their first performances of the work.