Analysis of musical works. Analysis of the three-part form of the musical work "new doll"

Tchaikovsky P.I. "Children's album

(methodological and performance analysis)

Teacher of children's music school No. 1 Semenova Marina Alexandrovna
Cycle of piano pieces "Children's Album", Op. 89, written by P.I. Tchaikovsky in May 1878, dedicated to his beloved nephew Volodya Davydov and published by P. Jurgenson in October of the same year.
On the title page of the first edition the full title of the cycle is: “Children's Album. A collection of light plays for children (imitation of Schumann). Composition by P. Tchaikovsky.”
Tchaikovsky's love for children is widely known. He treated with great tenderness, for example, his nephews, or the deaf-mute boy Volodya Konradi, a pupil of the composer’s brother M.P. Tchaikovsky. It is also known how persistently the composer worked to open a school in Maidanovo. Tchaikovsky could spend hours playing with children, taking part in games, enjoying their spontaneity. The children paid the composer with sincere affection and love. The bright, joyful world of a child is reflected in the work of Tchaikovsky. Suffice it to recall the cycle of “Children’s Songs” (the full title is “16 songs for children based on the poems of A.M. Pleshcheev and other poets,” op. 543 or the ballet extravaganza “The Nutcracker,” op. 71).
With extraordinary sensitivity and a subtle understanding of child psychology, the composer reflected in the “Children's Album” the life and everyday life of the children of the environment that surrounded him every day.
The “Children's Album” contains 24 plays that are not connected by a single theme. All plays in the cycle are programmatic, each containing a specific plot and living poetic content.
The collection depicts wide circle images These are paintings of nature - “Winter Morning”, “Song of the Lark”, children’s games - “Playing Horses”, “Doll Illness”, “Doll Funeral”, “New Doll”, “March” wooden soldiers" The characters of Russian folk tales are vividly depicted - “Nanny’s Tale”, “Baba Yaga”, Russian folk art - “Russian Song”, “A Man Plays the Harmonica”, “Kamarinskaya”, songs of other nations - “Italian Song”, “Old French song", "German song", "Neapolitan song". The cycle contains elements of figurativeness - “The Organ Grinder Sings” and onomatopoeia - “The Lark’s Song”. Tchaikovsky, without resorting to simplification, depicts the rich inner world of a child in the plays “Morning Reflection”, “Sweet Dream” and “Chorus”.
The songs of various peoples are based on authentic folk melodies. “Russian Song” is based on the theme of the song “Are you a head, my little head?” Italian folk melodies are the “Neapolitan Song”, previously included in the ballet “Swan Lake” and “Italian Song”. Another Italian folk melody formed the basis of the play “The Organ Grinder Sings.” The theme of “An Old French Song” is also genuine, and was later used in the opera “The Maid of Orleans”.
. Robert Schumann's Album for Youth, which Tchaikovsky imitates, is widely known. He expressed his love for Schumann in some piano works, for example, in the play “Un poco di Schuman”, op. 72. or in one of the variations of op. 19.
Schumann's influence on Tchaikovsky's piano style is visible, for example, in the similarity of texture, rhythm and dynamics, but in the "Children's Album", paradoxically, it is expressed in to a lesser extent, the genre themes of these collections are rather similar. The plays “The Brave Rider”, “The Cheerful Peasant”, “Soldier’s March”, “Winter”, “Sicilian Song” by Schumann correspond to works from Tchaikovsky’s cycle that are similar in theme: “The Game of Horses”, “A Man Plays a Harmonica”, “March of the Wooden soldiers", "Winter morning", "Italian song".
If we talk about continuity, we should note the similarity of the musical language " Children's album"with the melody and texture of the piano style of M.I. Glinka. His waltzes, nocturnes, polkas, mazurkas, plays “Feeling” and “Innocence” are the immediate predecessors of “Waltz”, “Mazurka”, “Polka” and other plays from the “Children's Album”.
The “Children’s Album” was published several times during the author’s lifetime. Nowadays there is large number domestic and foreign publications. The cycle is published in full and in parts; individual plays are also included in various collections. In some publications, for various reasons, individual plays were removed from the Children's Album. In Muzgiz's 1929 edition. the play “Funeral of a Doll” was not included under the pretext of its tragic nature, and from the same publication of 1935. the play “Chorus” (formerly “In the Church”) was withdrawn as generally unacceptable.
In the autograph of the “Children's Album,” the designations of tempo and character are given in Russian, but already in the first edition of Jurgenson, which the author reviewed and corrected, the terminology changed significantly. For example, the character of the play “Morning Reflection” is designated “Quiet” in the autograph, while Jurgenson’s edition prescribes the tempo designation Andante (Calmly). In the play “A Man Plays the Harmonica” - in the autograph “Quite Slowly”, and in the 1st edition - Adagio (Slowly).
The autograph of the play “The Organ Grinder Sings” does not contain the author’s tempo designation. In Jurgenson's edition - Andante. In a number of editions, this tempo is designated differently. Edited by E. Golubev - Andantino, published by Peters - Moderato. In the latter, the author's designations of tempo are generally distorted in many ways. In the plays “Morning Meditation” and “The Doll’s Disease” Lento is arbitrarily written, in “Russian Song”, “Kamarinskaya” and the first part of the “Neapolitan Song” - Commodo, “Song of the Lark” - Lentamente. The editor's complete lack of understanding of the nature of music is demonstrated in the designation of the Andante tempo in the play "Winter Morning".
In the autograph, the first period of the play “German Song” is maintained on the unchanged bass Es (in the first quarter of the bar), and the same is true in the reprise. However, already in Jurgenson's edition the unchanged organ item is missing. All subsequent editions based on Jurgenson's publication. The version with a constant organ section is very attractive - it fits well with the nature of the music and can be considered as a unique author’s version.
In the preface to the edition of the “Children's Album,” editor E. Golubev points out “the incorrect designation of the rhythmic figure in the “German Song” available in all editions of the album in the third bar from the end, two eighth notes with a dot, followed by a dotted line and two eighths, as everywhere in similar places. The error arose as a result of a typo by the author himself.” We cannot agree with this argument. Why should the author act in a reprise exactly by analogy, because the reprise sounds more convincing with an even more emphasized dotted line.
All Russian and Soviet editions accurately reproduce the articulation and dynamics of the autograph and the first edition. However, in many foreign publications these designations are distorted. In the already mentioned Peters edition, editor V. Niman arbitrarily corrects the author's instructions. In this edition, translations of play titles into German, French and English languages. The play “The Game of Horses” is translated as “Little Cavalryman”, “March of the Wooden Soldiers” is “Soldier’s March”, “A Man Plays the Harmonica” is “The Peasant’s Song”, and “Mama” is translated as “My Mommy”. Incorrect translations also distort the nature of the music and do not give children a complete understanding of it. The element of play is lost in the plays “The Game of Horses” and “March of the Wooden Soldiers,” “Mama” is translated in a cloyingly sweet way, and no idea is given about the specificity of the work “A Man Plays a Harmonica.”
From all that has been said, it follows that it is better to turn to domestic editions of the “Children’s Album”, which accurately depict the author’s text.
Although the texture, melody, harmony, rhythm, articulation, dynamics, ornamentation, fingering and pedaling of the “Children's Album” are sometimes complex, they take into account the level of development of children and their performing capabilities.
Tchaikovsky did not use complex keys or tonal shifts. Of the 24 plays, 19 were written in major keys, and of the 5 minor ones, only the pieces “The Doll’s Illness” and “The Doll’s Funeral” (G minor and C minor) sound truly gloomy. The major keys are dominated by C major, D major, F major, B flat major, E flat major, which give the whole cycle a bright, joyful sound.
The ratio of tempos in the cycle is thought out and built on contrasts. Here is what A.A. Nikolaev, a researcher of Tchaikovsky’s piano work, wrote: “In the “Children’s Album” we recognize Tchaikovsky’s characteristic piano style, which retains its basic, typical features. Here, as if on a reduced scale, in a simplified presentation, almost all the technical formulas found in “The Seasons” and in other miniatures by Tchaikovsky are presented.”
It is interesting that Tchaikovsky, who never taught children and had little contact with the issues of teaching the piano, showed excellent knowledge of piano presentation, accessible to children's hands.
In the entire collection there is, for example, not a single octave or chord located wider than within a seventh. In not a single piece will we find a simultaneous combination of the extreme registers of the keyboard, requiring a wide distance between the hands. The lower register (counter- and sub-contractaves) are not used at all, and sounds in the highest octaves are found only in the play “The Lark's Song”. The fabric of these works itself is much simpler in design. The usual multi-element presentation, imitations, echoes characteristic of Tchaikovsky are almost absent here.
Chord technique occupies a predominant place in the series of these pieces, but as we noted above, throughout the chords are used taking into account the physical capabilities of the child’s hand.
Chord accompaniment in the left hand part is typical for such pieces as “Waltz”, “Mazurka”, “Italian Song”, “German Song”, “Neapolitan Song”, “The Organ Grinder Sings”, i.e. for such music pictures where is the melodious character in the party right hand supported by accompaniment that clearly reveals the harmonic basis.
Another type of piano presentation is an almost continuous harmonization of the melody, forming a movement with chords located in both hands. We see such a drawing in “Morning Prayer”, in modern transcription - “Morning Reflection”, the plays “Winter Morning”, “March of the Wooden Soldiers”, “Funeral of a Doll”, “Nanny’s Tale”, etc. A particularly dense chord structure is found in the piece “A Man Plays a Harmonica,” where the sound of a harmonica is imitated by the ingenious technique of using dominant seventh chords in a close arrangement, which sounds quite shrill and sharp in the middle register of the piano.
To all that has been said, it must be added that in the plays “Morning Reflection”, “Winter Morning”, “Game of Horses”, “Mother”, “Russian Song”, “Nanny’s Tale”, “Chorus” the quartet structure is clearly felt. The melody is extremely expressive. The composer generously draws it, as if from a cornucopia. The rhythm is also varied. Harmonic warehouse The plays are simple and accessible. The ornamentation is organically woven into the melodic line of the plays “Polka”, “Italian Song”, “Song of the Lark”.
Let us especially focus on articulation and dynamics. The composer finds precise intonations that sometimes convey even barely noticeable, subtle shades of expressiveness of human speech. Studying the "Children's Album" can be an excellent articulation school.
I. Braudo in his major work “Articulation” outlined a scale of connectedness and dismemberment in the following table:
"Connectedness"
1.Acoustic legato or legatissimo
2. Legato
3. Dry legato
"Dismemberment":
4.Deep non legato
5.Non legato
6.Metrically defined non legato
"Brevity":
7. Soft staccato
8. Staccato
9. Staccatissimo (maximum achievable brevity)
Of course, the given table is only a diagram, because the degrees of coherence, brevity and dissection are truly limitless, but all the given types of articulation are available in the “Children's Album” from legato and legatissimo in the plays “Mama”, “Old French Song”, “Sweet Dream” to staccatissimo in the works “Baba Yaga” and “The Game of Horses”. In many plays, a combination of precisely placed legato, non legato, staccato, leagues, and accents is necessary to create an image, which will be discussed in detail below.
The dynamics are also carefully outlined. The composer uses both its gradual development and sudden changes in subtle gradations of sonority. But nowhere in the cycle is ff indicated - the author prescribes a dynamics scale ppp-f. In the works of the cycle, Tchaikovsky used mainly simple forms that are easy to analyze.
It should be recognized that the fingering of some publications is unsuccessful - it often does not agree with the meaning of the music, is inconvenient and difficult to remember. When analyzing individual pieces, fingering options for the author of the work will be suggested.
The pieces from Tchaikovsky's piano collection are invaluable pedagogical and artistic material. To create images, the performer will have to use the entire arsenal of musical means of expression.
Studying works will allow young pianists to show creative initiative and read each in their own way.
The “Children's Album” can be performed in its entirety, or individual pieces should be included in the repertoire of young performers. The following microcycles can be built on its material:
1. “Doll’s illness”, “Doll’s funeral”, “New doll”.
2. “Waltz”, “Mazurka”, “Polka”, “March of the Wooden Soldiers”.
3. “Russian song”, “A man plays a harmonica”, “Kamarinskaya”.
4. “Italian song”, “Old French song”, “German song”, “Neapolitan song”.
5. “Nanny’s Tale”, “Baba Yaga”.
Other solutions can be found when combining plays.
The author of the methodological manual does not provide musical examples, because the notes of "Children's Album" are ubiquitous. When reading the work you need to have them in front of you. We emphasize that the reader will inevitably encounter some repetitions, because... A number of plays pose similar artistic and pianistic goals.
Let's move on to the performance and pedagogical analysis plays of the cycle.

1. Morning reflection

The play introduces a child to the world of complex experiences. The work, reminiscent of a saraband, has strict four-voices (the student can imagine the sound of a quartet of string instruments). In the chorale, the author avoids harmonic complications and is content with simple cadence formulas. It is worth emphasizing the sharp sound of the seconds in bars 6,8, 10,21, the opening seventh chord on the tonic organ point (bars 17,19).
Carefully work with the student on voice leading, the melodiousness of each voice, but especially pay attention to the sound of the mobile soprano and bass.
Articulation and dynamics should emphasize the expressiveness of the piece. Although in bars 1,2,7-12 legato is not written out by the author - it is implied. It is important to achieve a soft, melodious legato sound in all voices. This will be ensured by appropriately selected fingering (when repeating chords, fingers should not be changed).
In one case, the expressiveness of speech intonations is emphasized by leagues - supports on the strong beats of measures, in the other - by syncopations on the second or third beat. The teacher will also draw the student's attention to the fact that an accented downbeat and soft syncopation sometimes follow one another (bars 17,19).
When working on dynamics, pay close attention to the instructions in the text - first, a small “fork” in bars 3-5, then a partial climax mf in bar 8 and a bright climactic f in the twelfth. At the end of the piece, the music gradually fades away and dissolves on pp.
In the rhythmic figure characteristic of the saraband - a quarter note with a dot - an eighth, students often do not listen to the full stop. Rhythmically, you need to play the right hand part and the dotted eighth with a dot - the sixteenth, taking into account that in all cases the eighth is accented; this gives the rhythm additional elasticity.
You should especially work on the tonic organ point, use the rehearsal capabilities of the piano, and differentiate the bass and tenor parts. To do this, the support is removed from the fifth finger (it gently repeats the organ point) and transferred to the remaining fingers. In a singing tenor part, a strong first finger will be able to naturally fulfill the accents in bars 17 and 19 - supporting the expressiveness of the soprano, enhancing the sound of the chord. In this fragment, also feel the “talking” pauses in bars 16 and 18.
The piece may use a delay pedal to mark changes in harmonies. 17, 19 and the last three measures can be pronounced on one pedal. The organ point contributes to this.
When playing holistically, students tend to drag out the tempo; The desire to overcome the chord vertical and find a natural, leisurely, flowing movement in the rhythm of the saraband will help.
The relatively simple texture of the work does not mean that it is easy and accessible for the student to understand. Performing a piece requires a sufficient amount of attention from the child; he must clearly show the polyphony of the piece, take into account the harmonic, phrasing, articulation, dynamic, and rhythmic features of the work. Only work on conscious mastery of all components of interpretation will lead to its meaningfulness.
2. Winter morning

The play captures not only the picture of a snowy, frosty winter morning, but also the psychological mood of the child. The piece begins with a joyful D major, which soon modulates into parallel minor, as if joy is overshadowed by cloudy weather.
A potential mistake for a student is dividing the music into separate units by beat, so the teacher should pay attention to the fact that each eight-beat of the outer parts of the piece should be pronounced in one breath, as if under a common league. It is necessary to find the appropriate pianistic movements so that each cell (measure) is an integral part general movement. The collected hands are positionally transferred with soft, economical, synchronous movements. Along the way, springy spring supports with clear resolutions alternate within each bar, a general crescendo is carried out with climaxes in bars 5 and 13 and a subsequent diminuendo.
Monitor the accuracy of the dotted rhythm, emphasize the roll calls in the soprano and alto parts in bars 5-8 and soprano and tenor (bars 13-16). The same with minor changes in the reprise.
The contrasting middle part of the play is very expressive. Its metricality (in each two-beat the same rhythm is repeated) must be overcome by performing means in the same way as in the extreme parts of the play, combine two-beats, pronounce them in one breath with a melodious, soulful sound. Expressive accents should not delay movement. Don't smooth out dissonances. In bars 25-40, it is important to emphasize the bass line, which gives the fragment a special charm. You should work on the accuracy of the rhythmic figure - eighth with a dot - sixteenth, hear the roll calls of soprano and alto. Draw the student’s attention to the clear, melodious performance of the culminating dotted line of this figure in bars 28 and 32, which runs synchronously in all voices. Movement rushes towards it, as if summing up the previous constructions.
In bars 39-40, the mystery of p can be emphasized by a barely noticeable slowdown in tempo. You can also slow down a little at the end of the play.
In the extreme parts of the piece in each measure, the accentuation of strong beats can be supported by the pedal, and in the middle part and coda the pedal should help identify the melodic and harmonic features of the texture.
Difficulty of this work It also lies in the fact that it is designed for the student’s good reaction and ability to think at a fast pace.
3. Game of horses
The student must introduce himself actor, galloping astride a stick or toy horse. The bright, colorful little toccata is reminiscent of the Scherzo pizzicato from Tchaikovsky's IV Symphony.
When determining tempo and movement, it is important to assume that the metric unit here is a beat, not an eighth note. A musical idea fits into four measures.
From beginning to end, the piece is structured in a four-voice quartet chord structure. What comes naturally from a string quartet, with each voice played by a different person, is not at all easy to do on the piano. Natural sound can be achieved if the student feels the change of harmonies, the logic of voice guidance, and hears modulations. In chords you need to achieve sound alignment and harmony.
Staccato is performed with the smallest movements of the hand and tucked fingertips. The teacher will make sure that the student does not make any unnecessary movements on the keyboard, and when repeating notes, he uses a double piano rehearsal. Each subsequent note or chord is played before the keys are fully raised. You should choose the fingering well to avoid unnecessary hand movements.
When learning a piece, the student often touches extraneous keys. The chords sound dirty. Repeated repetitions do not improve the situation. Raise the fingers not involved in the game slightly; they should not touch the keys. Crescendo and diminuendo are achieved by increasing or decreasing the intensity of the touch on the keys. At the moment the sonority increases, the hand and then the forearm are “connected” to the fingers, and when the sound decreases, they are gradually “turned off”. These pianistic techniques should be preserved when moving to a fast tempo. If you use only uniform vertical movements, this will inevitably lead to rapid fatigue of your hands.
We emphasize that to master the piece, persistent work at a slow tempo is necessary. After thoroughly mastering a piece at a slow tempo, you should not immediately switch to a fast tempo. Often some inexperienced young pianists make this transition all at once, and as a result the piece fails at a fast tempo. In a slow tempo, the pianist gets used to a certain slow type of movement. If you move directly to a fast pace, your hands begin to work hard and quickly get tired, the skills acquired at a slow pace are destroyed, and automation of movements cannot be achieved. At a fast tempo, the fingers expend less effort - the shoulder and forearm take on part of the work, the sound becomes lighter and more defined, and one should play closer to the keys. You should move from a slow to a fast pace gradually so that your hands gradually get used to the new type of movements. You need to find 5-7, and in some cases more intermediate gradations of tempo, from slow to the desired fast, achieving accuracy in the pronunciation of music in each. If there are rough edges in the next faster pace, you should return to the previous pace and continue polishing the failed fragment. The teacher must carefully monitor the complex process of gradual automation of movements and make adjustments.
The principle of transition from a slow tempo to a fast one applies not only to the play “The Game of Horses”, it is universal and can be widely applied in pedagogical practice.

The title itself contains the meaning of the work, which is emphasized by the author’s remark - “With great feeling and tenderness.” It is necessary to establish what the child sees in this image, how he can capture it in interpretation.
The play is written in a polyphonic, polyphonic style. The bass and soprano sing in decima almost throughout its entire length, but their articulatory tasks are different. The lower voice is marked legatissimo (short leagues in each measure should not be taken into account; according to a long tradition, they correspond to the movement of the bow of string instruments). The articulation of the right hand part conveys a variety of speech intonations. Tchaikovsky's enormous skill is manifested in the fact that until bar 31 the presentation does not rely on strong beats, and unfinished cadences are used in harmony, which emphasizes the through movement of the music. Its achievement is the main performance difficulty.
So, from bars 1-8 and 17-24 in the right hand part, articulatory leagues begin on the weak beats and softly resolve on the strong beats of the following bars. From the second half of bars 8 to 12 and from bars 24 to 28, short leagues, combining two quarters, follow one after another, evoking an association with a pendulum. It should also not disrupt the end-to-end development of the music. Warn the student against possible error: left hand often, out of solidarity, plays with the same articulation as the right one. Elastic brush movements and well-chosen fingering will help achieve legatissimo in the left hand part.
A precisely written dynamic plan leads to a soft climax in bar 30, after which the young pianist should be well aware of the expressive “talking” pause. In the last six bars of the piece, the reliance on the downbeats of every other bar contrasts with the previous presentation, emphasizing the completeness of the statement.

5. March of the Wooden Soldiers

To embody the image, the young pianist must achieve the lightness, sonority of staccato, the “toy” sonority of the “March of the Wooden Soldiers”, to the sounds of a “toy” orchestra with flutes and a drum.
It is necessary to work on the elasticity and accuracy of the rhythm. In one case (bars 2-4) in the first half of the bar, the indicated dotted line - an eighth with a dot and a sixteenth are pronounced under the league, and in the second half the dot is replaced by a pause. In another case (bars 7, 15), pauses are placed in both the first and second half of the bars. These fine details must be followed precisely. Pianistic techniques require short, fast, precise movements of targeted, rounded fingertips. It is important to work on the precision of chords and dotted rhythm, and pay attention to the fingering; for example, rehearsals in 8, 16, 40 bars are better performed different fingers(sometimes they can be moved to the right hand part to make it easier).
The play never goes beyond the limits of r and pp. Accents should not disrupt the dynamics; they further emphasize the “toy-like” nature of the music.
A short pedal helps you better hear the precise sound of texture, strong beats of measures, and accentuation of chords.
It is necessary to warn the student against accelerating the tempo, strictly following the author's instructions Moderato (Moderate).

6. Doll disease

The play is one of the easiest in the “Children's Album”, but it is also fraught with certain difficulties. Students usually convey her character well - the doll is sick, suffers, moans, complains.
A common mistake is hearing only the vertical. Meanwhile, the young pianist should feel the horizontal development of three sounding layers - melody, bass and harmony. Each of these elements of the composition has its own expressiveness. Merging together, they form harmony. Work on a singable melody, expressive bass and harmonies that follow one after another. When combining layers, you need to pay attention to the fact that each of them is independent, and, at the same time, to their subordination, help to find the sound ratio. Students, for example, usually “sit” on a melodic note and do not feel the need to continue the melodic line. You can learn the melody separately, without pauses, at a more agile tempo, in order to better feel its development. Collect the harmonies vertically into a chord: this will make them easier to hear. Fingers will help in working on the sound, as if fused with the keys, taking them “closely,” “warmly,” softly.
Let us note the greater gradualness of dynamic development, for example, the approach to the climax f in bars 21-24, followed by diminuendo, small dynamic influxes in bars 31-34 and, finally, the final “fork”, at the end of which the tempo can be slowed down.
Unnecessarily slow pace, in which all the elements of the piece will inevitably disintegrate - it is necessary to find a smooth, fluid pulsation.
“Doll Disease” can be a good school for pedaling. In each measure, except 9-16, gently take the delay pedal on a quarter with a dot in the left hand part and listen to it along with the melody note until the end of the measure, and then smoothly remove it when a new bass arrives. The same thing happens in every next measure. In the second eight-bar, also take the quarter pedal with a dot in the right hand part and attach the harmony to the melodic note of the next bar.
The teacher must monitor the pedaling technique so that the pedal is taken smoothly, is not pressed to the bottom and does not cause a large number of overtones, which would be in conflict with the transparent nature of the music. You also need to pay attention to finger discipline. If they overexpose the bass or harmony, then the next harmony will contain overtones of the previous one.

7. Doll funeral

In a solemn funeral procession, a funeral march sounds in gloomy C minor. At first the funeral procession is far away, then it gets closer and closer, now it is already next to us, and then it begins to move away. In accordance with this, a dynamic plan is constructed (the play begins pp, gradually develops to mf, and returns to pp again). Its accuracy is very important for revealing the image. As with every funeral march, the young pianist's attention should be drawn to the rhythmic figure (half note, dotted eighth note, sixteenth note and half note again - students often turn a dotted eighth note and a sixteenth note into a triplet). In different performing situations, this game sounds differently - sometimes like a mannered step, sometimes at the climax - minted, ominous. The gloomy nature of the music is emphasized by heavy chords and intervals in the accompaniment, which should be well coordinated with the melodic line. It is especially necessary to emphasize the seventh code of the double dominant at the climax: it usually appears in Tchaikovsky in the most tense fragments.
The articulation is dominated by measured non legato gait. The expressive leagues in measures 17, 18, 21 and 22 must be listened to to the end, but not connected to the next sixteenth note. Legato (bars 31-33) should sound melodious, highlighting the dominant stroke.
The child must be aware that this is a doll funeral and treat it as a game.

Waltz is a pair dance based on smooth twirling, one of the most common dance genres. He took a worthy place in Tchaikovsky's work. It is necessary to introduce the young pianist to analogues - two or three samples from symphonies, operas, ballets or piano waltzes, for example, the “Nata Waltz” or the play “December” from “The Four Seasons”. It is useful to show him waltz steps or even teach him how to dance (children rarely know how to dance the waltz these days). It is advisable to turn to a figurative comparison - the student should imagine that the waltz is being performed at a holiday at school or at home.
The play is written in a complex three-part form in a small-format version.
First of all, you need to take care of waltzing.
The left hand part is pronounced easily, with soft support from the bass. In the second period, the bass line acquires a certain independence, which should be emphasized.
When working on a melody, strive for melodiousness, clarity, plasticity, pay attention to syncopation in 2-4 bars. Light accents and pauses should not interrupt the movement. You should think about a through development, as if the bar line disappears under the influence of the elements of dance. The melodic line tends to intermediate “intonation points” in bars 5, 7, 9 (also in the second phrase), and then to a small climax in bar 17. Next, the action becomes dynamic, the author writes out mf from 18 and f from 26 bars, which should not lead to heavier syncopation, accents, or inhibition of movement. Short leagues and staccato give this fragment special grace. It's the same in the reprise. When performing the first part of the piece and reprise with both hands, you need to make sure that the bass and chords in the left hand part are organically woven into the overall outline of the non-stop waltz movement, to find a good balance
melodic line of bass and harmony.
In the middle part, students sometimes do not feel polymetry - a combination of a three-beat waltz accompaniment with a two-beat right hand part, and do not feel two-voices. Sometimes the sonority is forced, which leads to a dull two-beat (the left one plays along with the right one out of “sympathy”). The second phrase of the middle part can be played a little quieter, and at the end the tempo can be slowed down a little.
Carefully selected fingerings can help the artistic performance of a piece. In the left hand part, in measures 1-16 and a similar fragment in the 5th reprise, the finger should only be placed on the bass.
Pedaling will help identify danceability: connecting the bass with chords with a delayed pedal.

9. New doll

This is a subtle psychological sketch - a girl’s joy over a wonderful gift - a new doll.
When working on a play, teachers and young musicians face pitfalls. Using performing means, one must be able to overcome rhythmic and textural monotony: in the extreme parts of the piece there is repetition in the right hand part of a rhythmic figure - a quarter and an eighth, and in the middle - two eighths separated by pauses, which is further aggravated by the monotonous texture of the accompaniment throughout the entire piece. In the extreme parts, the development and variety of wonderful expressiveness, flight, and soft aspiration of the melody will be helped by the dynamics and subtle articulatory instructions set by the author. These parts should be performed as if “in one breath”, to achieve gradual dynamics, melodious legato in bars 1-5, 10-13. Expressive pronunciation of “talking” leagues (bars 6-9, 14-17) will help to identify lively speech intonations. It's the same in the reprise. In the middle part of the piece and the coda, the student must find a subtle, “breathing” melody, monitor the flexibility of intonation and the continuity of development of the music. In the dynamics, accurately presented by the author, the climax occurs at 24-25 bars.
The left hand part has its own difficulties - in each measure, in a group of repeating two eighths, soft support falls on the first, which should not interfere with the continuity in the development of the music.
When playing a piece with both hands, make sure that the melody and accompaniment are consistent. The left part always followed the right, like a thread following a needle, and the change of harmonies in each measure was heard.
For sound evenness and identification of articulation, it is advisable to play all thirds in the accompaniment only with 2 and 4 fingers, and the melody of the middle part with 2 and 3.
The pedal can be taken on strong beats and a little thicker (but not longer) at the climaxes by softly touching the foot to the pedal foot not to the bottom, so as not to cause the appearance of unnecessary overtones and promote the transparency of the music.

10. Mazurka

The name of the Polish folk dance “Mazurka” comes from “Masur”, the name of the inhabitants of Mazovia. The mazurka is characterized by a three-beat meter and rhythm with frequent shifts of emphasis to the second and third beats of the measures. These features must be taken into account by the performer. In the middle section of the dance from bar 19 the accent is emphasized first, and then in bars 32 and 33 and sf on the third beat. The second beat is often noted - tenuto on the half (bars 1-4 and further in similar places), as well as a short league (bars 5, 13, 15). In some cases, both the second and third beats can be emphasized: for example, in measures 19 and 23, you need to softly show the second beat in the right hand part, and then the emphasis in the left on the third. At the same time, one should not forget about the strong beats, find their “balance” with syncopations.
Scrupulous work is required on the pronunciation of the short league and staccato in the 5th bar, staccato in the 7th bar, the dotted line in the 16-18 bars, the combination of staccato in the right hand part and tenuto in the left (the first beat of bars 1-4 and further in similar fragments).
The dynamics change due to changes in performance situations: it gradually intensifies in bars 21-23, 23-26, 28-31, and in bars 5, 19, 23, 27 and 31 it is associated with a sudden change in mf-p.
The combination of lively rhythm, clear articulation and dynamics can lead to an interesting interpretation of the mazurka, a graceful, graceful dance.
A distinct, precise touch of selected fingertips on the piano keyboard, a slow tempo, clear hearing of harmony, carefully selected fingering, as well as pedaling that helps to mark either the downbeat or syncopation will complete the work on an interesting piece.
11. Russian song

"Russian Song" is based on genuine folk melody“Are you a head, my little head?” This is an example of Russian folk subvocal polyphony, in which four-voice alternates with two- and three-voice.
With a constant melody, the music varies due to the moving bass and echoes.
The song is written in periodic alternating meter alternating 6/4, 4/4 and 2/4 (except for the last six bars). To make the meter understandable to children, the author put 2/4 everywhere, so you need to read 6/4 as 3 times

It is necessary to introduce children to classical music at any age. Let it play during their games and other activities. The child will develop emotionally and become involved in art, which is important for the development of personality - many pediatricians and teachers are convinced of this.

Some classical composers wrote specifically for children, taking into account children's perceptions and the range of interests of children of a certain age. Other works were written for young performers; they correspond not only to children’s perception of the content itself piece of music, but also the technical capabilities of the child.

In our article we will talk about some composers and their works written specifically for children.

P.I. Tchaikovsky "Children's Album"

The collection includes 24 pieces for performance by a small pianist. It is dedicated to the composer's nephew V.L. Davydov. This is the composer's first approach to a children's theme. Later P.I. Tchaikovsky will write the cycle “Children's Songs” and the ballet “The Nutcracker” for children.

All the names of the plays indicate that we are dealing with works for children:

1. “Morning prayer”
2. “Winter Morning”
3. "Mom"
4. "Game of Horses"
5. “March of the Wooden Soldiers”
6. "Doll Disease"
7. "Doll Funeral"
8. "Waltz"
9. "New Doll"
10. "Mazurka"
11. “Russian song”
12. “A man plays a harmonica”
13. "Kamarinskaya"
14. "Polka"
15. “Italian song”
16. “Old French Song”
17. “German Song”
18. “Neapolitan Song”
19. "Nanny's Tale"
20. "Baba Yaga"
21. "Sweet Dream"
22. "The Lark's Song"
23. “The Organ Grinder Sings”
24. "In the Church"

The history of the album

P.I. Tchaikovsky loved children very much; he often communicated with the children of his sister A.I. Davydova, when he visited them in Kamenka. His nephew Volodya Davydov was a very musical child. In one of his letters, Tchaikovsky wrote: “I dedicated this album to my nephew Volodya, who passionately loves music and promises to be a musician.”

When publishing the album, the composer himself took care of both the format of the collection and the pictures that were supposed to accompany the notes.

Some plays in the cycle were created on folklore material. For example, in the “Neapolitan Song” and in the “Italian Song” Tchaikovsky used Italian folk melodies. By the way, the theme of the “Neapolitan Song” is also heard in the third act of the ballet “Swan Lake”. The play “The Organ Grinder Sings” also features a folk (Venetian) motif. In “Russian Song,” the composer turned to the Russian folk dance song “Are you a head, my head?” The play “Kamarinskaya” is based on the melody of a famous Russian dance song.

An authentic French melody sounds in “An Old French Song” (in later composer used this melody, slightly modifying it, in the minstrel chorus from Act II of the opera "Maid of Orleans"). The Tyrolean motif is used in the "German Song". In the play “A Man Plays the Harmonica,” you can hear the intonations of Russian single-row harmonicas.

Storylines of the “Children's Album” cycle

They are clearly visible and seem to make up the child’s whole day from the moment he wakes up to sleep.

Morning. Plays “Morning Prayer”, “Winter Morning”, “Mother”.

Day. Games and children's activities. Plays “The Game of Horses”, “March of the Wooden Soldiers”.

Trilogy dedicated to the doll. Plays “The Doll’s Illness”, “The Doll’s Funeral”, “The New Doll”.

Fascinating musical travels through Italy, France, Germany. Plays “Italian Song”, “Neapolitan Song”, “Old French Song”, “German Song”. But let’s not forget our native tunes (“Russian Song”, “Kamarinskaya”).

Children's day ends. The play "Nanny's Tale", in which it is impossible without "Baba Yaga". And then the play “Sweet Dream”.

The album contains landscape sketches (the play “The Lark’s Song”), and everyday sketches (“The Organ Grinder Sings”), as well as dances “Waltz”, “Polka”, “Mazurka”. The cycle ends with the play “In the Church,” as if echoing “Morning Prayer.”

Although the musical cycle “Children's Album” is addressed to children, its performers were often adults: Y. Flier, M. Pletnev, etc.

P.I. Tchaikovsky "Children's Songs"

History of creation

The success of the "Children's Album" inspired P.I. Tchaikovsky to create another album for children. This was also facilitated by the collection of poems by the poet A. Pleshcheev “Snowdrop”, which he presented to Tchaikovsky with the inscription: “To Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky as a sign of respect and gratitude for his wonderful music on my bad poems" Tchaikovsky was already by that time the author of several romances based on Pleshcheev’s poems. In this book there were many poems about children's life or dedicated to children, edifying stories. These poems prompted the composer to create songs. Pleshcheev's poems are supplemented by texts by I. Surikov and S. Aksakov. Unlike the "Children's Album", "Children's Songs" are not intended to be performed, but to be heard by children.

It is based on the relationship between an adult and a child, as an adult sees it. Motives stand out Spring, Birds and Garden (song “My Garden”), but as an adult’s view of childhood, which brings hope. Motives of Compassion and God related to those moral values that a loving adult would like to pass on to his children. In the Legend, the motif is interpreted symbolically and serves to reveal the theme of the suffering of Christ. The song “Legend” (“The Child Christ Had a Garden”) was later rearranged by Tchaikovsky and Taneyev for the choir.

Sometimes P.I. Tchaikovsky himself reworked some of the poems in the collection or added to them. The song “Cuckoo” is a translation of H. Gellert’s fable. Tchaikovsky's funny dialogue between the cuckoo and the starling turns into a funny and instructive song-sketch. The song “Flower”, a free translation from the collection of the French children's writer L. Ratisbonne, echoes in content the famous fairy tale by H.K. Andersen "Five from One Pod".

R. Schumann "Children's Scenes"

The collection was first published in 1839. The composer himself spoke about its purpose and content in his letter to Clara Schumann, a pianist and his wife: “I learned that nothing inspires imagination more than tension and longing for something; this is exactly what happened to me in the last days, when I was waiting for your letter and composed whole volumes - strange, crazy, very funny - you will open your eyes wide when you play this; in general, I am now capable of sometimes being torn to pieces by the music sounding [in me]. - And I would not forget everything that I composed. It was like an echo of the words that you once wrote to me: “At times I can seem like a child to you,” in short, I was truly inspired and wrote thirty little funny things, of which I selected about twelve and called “Children’s Scenes.” You will be delighted with them, but, of course, you will have to forget about yourself as a virtuoso. There are such titles as “Frightening”, “By the Fireplace”, “A Game of Blind Man’s Bluff”, “The Begging Child”, “Riding on a Stick”, “About Foreign Countries”, “ Funny story", etc., whatever is there! In general, everything is obvious there, and besides, all the pieces are easy to hum.”

Despite its apparent simplicity, only a very mature pianist capable of penetrating the essence of the author’s intention can perform the cycle with dignity.

Schumann's musical miniatures are a kind of “musical short stories”, stories with a simple plot. Schumann focuses not so much on narration as on mood, on emotions. “Children's Scenes” is not a cycle “for children”, like Tchaikovsky’s famous “Children’s Album”. Rather, this is music to be performed by adults who do not want to forget their childhood. According to the author himself, this cycle is “a reflection of the past through the eyes of the elder and for the elders.”

Contents of R. Schumann’s cycle “Children’s Scenes”

1. “About foreign countries and people”

2. "A Curious Story"

3. "Game of Tag"

4. “The Asking Child”

5. “Total Happiness”

6. "Important Event"

7. "Dreams"

8. "By the Fireplace"

9. "Game of Horses"

10. "Not too serious"

11. "The Horror Story"

12. “Child falling asleep”

13. “The poet speaks”

S. Prokofiev. Symphonic fairy tale for children “Peter and the Wolf”

The work was written in 1936 for production at the Children's musical theater Natalia Sats. The tale is performed by a reader, the text for which was written by the composer himself, and by an orchestra.

The plot of the work is simple, but the point is that each character is represented certain instrument and a separate motive, thus, children get acquainted with the musical instruments that make up the symphony orchestra.

The plot of the tale

Early in the morning, pioneer Petya goes out onto a large green lawn. The familiar Bird, noticing Petya, flies down. The Duck enters the slightly open gate and goes to the pond. Along the way, she begins to argue with the Bird about which of them should be considered the real bird. The Cat is watching them, she is ready to catch one of them, but Petya warns them. The bird flies up into the tree, and the Duck dives into the pond, and the Cat is left with nothing.

Petya's grandfather comes out. He warns Petya that a big gray Wolf is walking in the forest, and takes his grandson away. Soon the Wolf appears. The Cat quickly climbs the tree, and the Duck jumps out of the pond, but the Wolf overtakes her and swallows her.

Petya climbs over the fence with the help of a rope and finds himself on a tall tree. He asks the Bird to distract the Wolf and puts a noose around his tail. Hunters who have been watching the Wolf for a long time come out of the forest. Petya helps them tie up the Wolf and take him to the zoo. The work ends with a general procession in which all its characters participate: Petya walks ahead, the Hunters lead the Wolf behind him, the Bird flies above them, and Grandfather and the Cat are behind. A quiet quack is heard: this is the voice of the Duck, sitting in the belly of the Wolf, who was in such a hurry that he swallowed her alive.

Petya― string instruments(mostly violins).
Birdie- flute in a high register.
Duck- oboe, “quacking” melody in the lower register.
Cat- clarinet.
Grandfather- bassoon imitating grumbling.
Wolf- three horns.
Hunters- timpani and bass drum (image of shots), wind instruments (final march).

E. Grieg "Peer Gynt"

Norwegian composer Edvard Grieg did not create special children's cycles, but his music is so simple and accessible to children that even children 5-6 years old can understand it. They take especially close to their hearts the plays from the music to Ibsen’s drama “Peer Gynt” - “Solveig’s Song”, “In the Cave of the Mountain King”, “Anitra’s Dance”, etc.

P.I. Tchaikovsky wrote: “In Grieg’s music, imbued with enchanting melancholy, reflecting the beauty of Norwegian nature, sometimes majestically wide and grandiose, sometimes drab, modest, wretched, but for the soul of a northerner always incredibly enchanting, there is something close, dear, immediately which finds a warm, sympathetic response in our hearts.”

Other composers also wrote for children: piano cycle C. Debussy « Children's corner"; M. Ravel“Mother Goose”, pieces for piano based on fairy tales by Perrault; collection B. Bartok“First steps at the piano”, as well as many Russian authors, from A. Grechaninova, S. Prokofiev and V. Rebikov to S. Maikapara, A. Gedike, E. Gnesina, Dm. Kabalevsky etc. Children's cycles are known S. Gavrilova“Heroes of fairy tales”, “For kids about animals”, “For the little ones”, D. Shostakovich"Album of piano pieces for children."

24 EASY PIECES FOR PIANO, OR.39

Dedicated to the composer's beloved nephew V.L. Davydov.

1. Morning prayer;
2. Winter morning;
3. Mom;
4. Game of horses;
5. March of wooden soldiers;
6. Doll disease;
7. Funeral of a doll;
8. Waltz;
9. New doll;
10. Mazurka;
11. Russian song;
12. A man plays the harmonica;
13. Kamarinskaya;
14. Polish;
15. Italian song;
16. An old French song;
17. German song;
18. Neapolitan song;
19. Nanny's tale;
20. Baba Yaga;
21. Sweet dream;
22. Song of the lark;
23. The organ grinder sings;
24. In the church.

The composition of "Children's Album" is the composer's first approach to a children's theme. Later the cycle of Children's Songs op.54 and the ballet "The Nutcracker" will follow. The reason for turning to music for children was also the composer’s life circumstances in 1877-1878, and, above all, communication with children in the family of sister A.I. Davydova in Kamenka at the time of the strongest emotional experiences caused by marriage.

The creation of the "Children's Album" was immediately preceded by a long communication with Kolya Conradi, a deaf-mute student of M.I. Tchaikovsky. It was with him and his brother that the composer spent part of the winter of 1877 - 1878. The three of them visited sights and traveled. Previously, the world of a child for Tchaikovsky was the memories of his own childhood, communication with the Davydov family in Kamenka. In Switzerland and Italy, Tchaikovsky spent quite a long time with Kolya, entered the world of the boy’s interests, was involved in his upbringing, and also witnessed his reactions to the impressions that the journey brought, and directly observed the world of the child. Tchaikovsky, having left Moscow, very much asked his brother M.I. Tchaikovsky to come to him in Italy. He asked Kolya himself about the same in a letter on November 12/24, 1877: “I’m very bored that I won’t see Modya and you for so long. What if we could live together again...”.

Tchaikovsky met M.I. Tchaikovsky and Kolya Conradi, who had come to see him, on the very eve of 1878, and N.F. von Meck wrote with delight: “In essence, I am completely happy. Last days <...>were full of the most joyful sensations. I really love children. Kolya makes me endlessly happy.<...>It is extremely interesting to watch such a smart child<...>".

The second factor that preceded the idea of composing a series of plays for children were meetings and impressions of the singing of a “non-children’s” song by the street boy singer Vittorio in Florence, about which Tchaikovsky wrote: “The most curious thing was that he sang a song with words of a tragic nature, sounding extraordinarily sweet from the mouth of a child." On February 27/March 11, 1878, in those days when the composer first spoke about his desire to compose a collection of plays for children, he wrote to his brother M.I. Tchaikovsky: “I am sending you a card of the boy singer who sang Perce lasciar mi (“Why left me" - Italian). Tell me how you find his face. In my opinion, there are signs of genius in his face..."

The third factor that determined Tchaikovsky’s intention to compose plays for children can be considered the example of R. Schumann. It is no coincidence that in one of his letters, talking about the idea of the "Children's Album", Tchaikovsky mentions R. Schumann in this regard. Let us also recall that at the very beginning creative path Tchaikovsky wrote in one of his articles: “We can say with confidence that the music of the second half of the current century will amount to future history art period, which will be called Schumann."

The first mention of the idea of the “Children’s Album” can be considered a letter to P.I. Jurgenson on February 26/14, 1878 from Florence: “<...>I suggested that I write little plays little by little. I want to try to write a series of light plays, Kinderstucks. It will be pleasant for me, and for you, I think, even beneficial, i.e. relatively. What do you think about this? In general, my friend, write what small essays I can especially please you with. I am now very inclined to do all sorts of small work as a form of relaxation. After the first mention of the idea for the "Children's Album", more than a month passed before work on it began. It is unknown whether any sketches were made for it at this time.

The beginning of work on the "Children's Album" is known from the composer's letter dated April 30, 1878. Tchaikovsky, while in Kamenka, in the Davydov family, wrote to P.I. Yurgenson: “Tomorrow I will start working on a collection of miniature plays for children. I have long been thinking that it would not hurt to contribute, to the best of my ability, to the enrichment of children’s musical literature, which very poor I want to do a whole series small passages of unconditional lightness and with titles tempting for children, like Schumann's."

There is no information about the order in which the plays were composed. Their sketches were completed very quickly. On May 27, 1878, in a letter to N.F. von Meck from Brailov, the composer reported on all the works composed up to that point, including the “Children’s Album,” while explaining: “It will take a lot of time, at least a month and a half hard work to put it all in order and rewrite it." What exactly Tchaikovsky did during this period of time with the pieces of the "Children's Album" cannot be found out. Judging by the composer’s letters, during July he worked on “rewriting” the plays, including the “Children’s Album” plays. So on July 13, 1878 he wrote: "<...>The work of correspondence is gradually progressing.<...>Now I'm starting to write a collection of children's plays<...>" Tchaikovsky reported from Verbovka on July 22, 1878, that Tchaikovsky had already completed the Children's Album. On July 29, from Verbovka, he wrote to the publisher P.I. Yurgenson that he had sent him the manuscripts of all the works completed by that time, including the Children's Album album", for which he asked to set a price of 10 rubles per piece, and a total of 240 rubles. The order of the pieces of the "Children's Album", indicated in Tchaikovsky's autograph already in the first edition, which was carried out with the participation of the author, was changed.

The idea of dedicating the “Children’s Album” to Volodya Davydov apparently arose after finishing the composition. Tchaikovsky spent quite a lot of time with his nephew in the summer of 1878 in Kamenka. Volodya Davydov was 6 years old at the time. There is no dedication in the "Children's Album" autograph. In Tchaikovsky's letters this was mentioned only after the plays were published. So on November 24/December 6 from Florence he wrote to N.F. von Meck: “I dedicated this album to my nephew Volodya, who passionately loves music and promises to be a musician.” Even later, on December 12/24, 1878, from Florence, he wrote to L.V. Davydov, his sister’s husband: “Tell Bobik that the notes with pictures were printed, that the notes were composed by Uncle Petya, and what is written on them: dedicated to Volodya Davydov. He, he’s stupid and won’t understand what it means to be dedicated! musical compositions when he directly says that he doesn’t like music? And Bobik, even for the sake of his inimitably charming figure, when he plays, looks at the notes and counts, entire symphonies can be dedicated.”

From the above letter to L.V. Davydov it is clear that the Davydov family and Volodya himself knew nothing about the dedication of the collection and that, perhaps, instead of Volodya there could have been one of the Davydov children, for example Dmitry, whom the composer mentions in his letter, it is possible that the collection could have been dedicated to one of the other children he knew. And the decisive factor was Volodya Davydov’s love for music. It remains to be assumed that Tchaikovsky made the order for the dedication during a personal meeting with P.I. Yurgenson in Moscow at the end of September - beginning of October 1878.

Tchaikovsky was pleased with the first edition of the "Children's Album" and the absence, as he believed, of typos. True, he expressed some disappointment to the publisher about appearance publication: “I regret that it didn’t occur to me to ask you to print the children’s album in a different format. After all, Volodya Davydov will have to play standing up to look at the notes! The pictures are significantly inferior in artistic merit Sistine Madonna Raphael, but that’s okay, it’ll be fun for the kids.”

Some plays in the cycle are based on folklore material. In the "Neapolitan Song" (the theme of which was transferred to the "Children's Album" from the 3rd act of the ballet "Swan Lake"), as well as in the "Italian Song" Tchaikovsky used authentic Italian folk melodies. Another Italian (Venetian) motif is taken as a basis in the play “The Organ Grinder Sings.” In "Russian Song" the composer turned to the Russian folk dance song "Are you a head, my little head." In one of the variants of the famous Russian folklore theme The play "Kamarinskaya" was constructed. A truly folk French melody can be heard in “An Old French Song” (the composer later used this melody, slightly modifying it, in the minstrel chorus from Act II of the opera “The Maid of Orleans”). There is reason to believe that it is genuine folklore motif(most likely Tyrolean) used in the "German Song". In the play "In the Church" the church motif of the so-called "sixth voice" is implemented. In the play "A Man Plays the Harmonica" the intonation turns and harmonic moves characteristic of Russian single-row harmonicas are played out.

With all the variety of everyday scenes, paintings and situations captured in the collection, several relatively independent storylines can be seen in it. The first of them is associated with the awakening of the child and the beginning of the day (“Morning Prayer”, “Winter Morning”, “Mom”). The next plot is about games, the child's home entertainment ("Game of Horses", "March of the Wooden Soldiers").

A unique offshoot of the gaming theme in the series is a mini-trilogy dedicated to the doll (“The Doll’s Illness,” “The Doll’s Funeral,” “The New Doll”). In the future, Ch. sends the child on fascinating musical journeys through Italy (“Italian Song”, “Neapolitan Song”), France (“Ancient French Song”) and Germany (“German Song”). Along with this, the Russian theme also clearly runs through the cycle (“Russian Song”, “Kamarinskaya”).

The child's day is coming to an end and the next plot twist is indicated by the play "Nanny's Tale", next to which - as its special, separate musical character- "Baba Yaga" appears. However, soon all the fabulous worries and fears are behind; they are replaced - like a harbinger of blissful childhood dreams - by “Sweet Dream”.

The composer finds a place for his favorite sphere of everyday dances ("Waltz", "Mazurka", "Polka"), and for musical landscapes ("Song of the Lark"), and for genre-characteristic sketches ("A man plays a harmonica", " The organ grinder sings." The collection ends with the play “In the Church.” Thus, the first and last numbers are connected by a kind of arch; What is common in both cases is the solemn enlightened religious principle.

"Tchaikovsky's Children's Album", along with widely famous works Schumann, Grieg, Debussy, Ravel, Bartok and some other classical composers, is included in the golden fund of world musical literature for children. In Russia, he gave impetus to the creation of a number of piano opuses that were similar in character and theme. Many Russian authors, from A. Grechaninov, S. Prokofiev and V. Rebikov to S. Maykapar, A. Gedike, E. Gnesina, Dm. Kabalevsky and others, experienced the influence of Ch.’s work - to one degree or another.

Although the cycle is addressed to children, professional artists have also repeatedly turned to it. A highly artistic example of the interpretation of the "Children's Album" was left by Y.V. Flier, who captured it in a recording. Nowadays, the performance of the Children's Album by M. Pletnev and V. Postnikova is known. Pletnev allows a number of significant rearrangements of numbers within the collection, changing their traditional sequence, thereby putting forward his “version” regarding the “plot moves” and the holistic dramatic concept of the cycle.

P.I. Tchaikovsky "Children's Album"

It is known that Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky loved children very much and understood them well. This is evidenced by his famous phrase that flowers, music and children constitute the best decoration of life. It is not surprising that the children's theme literally permeates all of his work, and the collection of plays “Children's Album” was the first such work in Russia. Later, this cycle was included in the golden fund of essays written specifically for children. This is not just a collection - it is a whole world, a magical land, retold in sounds.

History of creation

Tchaikovsky was inspired by two factors to write a collection of short plays specifically for children. Firstly, they were given an example Robert Schumann. Pyotr Ilyich also wanted to compose a cycle of simple plays, like “Album for Youth,” that children could freely perform.Secondly, to the idea of composing similar work, Tchaikovsky inspired by communication with my nephews. It is known that the composer treated his sister’s children very warmly, often visited them, told them various stories about his travels, played for them, and also listened with interest to all their stories.

Tchaikovsky first mentioned his intention to compose a collection of children's plays on February 26, 1878, in a letter to his publisher while in Florence. A month later, the composer begins work on the cycle. On April 30, 1878, during a visit to his sister A.I. Davydova in Kamenka, he writes to P.I. Jurgenson, reporting on his work on the “Children's Album”.

There is no information about the process of composing the cycle; it is known that the composer wrote it quite quickly. About a month later, in his letter to N.F. von Meck Pyotr Ilyich wrote that he had composed all the plays and now it would take another month and a half to put the cycle in order and edit everything.

On June 29, in his letter to the publisher, Tchaikovsky sent the manuscripts of all the works written at that time, including a collection of children's plays.

Researchers suggest that the idea of dedicating the collection to his nephew Volodya Davyvod came to Tchaikovsky after finishing work on the composition. It is known that in the summer of 1878 the composer spent a lot of time with him in Kamenka. There is no dedication in the autograph of the collection, but in his letter to N.F. von Meck Tchaikovsky already talks in detail about the fact that he decided to dedicate the cycle to his nephew, who loves music very much and even promises to become a musician. It is obvious that Tchaikovsky expressed his decision to the publisher during a personal meeting at the end of September, beginning of October 1878.

Interesting facts

It is known that Tchaikovsky received 240 rubles from the publishing house for his composition. This is exactly the price the composer himself set – 10 rubles for each piece.
Researchers believe that the reason that prompted the composer to start writing a collection of children's plays could be the very vivid impressions of hearing the song of a street singer in Florence. Tchaikovsky even wrote about this incident in a letter to his brother on March 27, 1878. The composer was especially shocked by the performance of such a “non-childish” song by a boy singer, which in his interpretation did not sound as tragic as in the original.

There is another factor that influenced Tchaikovsky’s decision to compose “Children’s Album” - his communication with Kolya Conradi (a pupil of the composer’s brother). It is known that with Kolya and M.P. He spent part of the winter of 1877-1878 with Tchaikovsky. They visited sights together and traveled a lot.
Initially, Tchaikovsky conceived a slightly different order of the plays, which was changed already in the first edition, carried out with his participation.
Despite the fact that the collection was originally intended specifically for children, it has firmly entered the world's musical literature and is often performed even by professional artists. Suffice it to recall the version of Ya.V. Fliera, which is familiar to many thanks to surviving audio recordings. The versions by M. Pletnev and V. Postnikova are highly artistic examples. Pletnev brings his own vision to the reading of this work. He changes the order of the numbers, putting forward his own version of the dramaturgical concept of the collection.
Pyotr Ilyich highly appreciated the first edition of his collection, but he still did not like some aspects. Thus, he regretted the appearance of the “Children’s Album”. He wanted the format of the collection to be different, since Volodya (to whom the composition is dedicated) would be very uncomfortable looking at the notes when playing. The composer also had complaints about the illustrations.

In all editions of the Soviet period, the title of the last play, “In the Church,” was specially changed to “Chorus.”
I wonder what the idea of creating similar collections miniatures for children were later used by such composers as A.S. Arensky, V.I. Rebikov, S.M. Maykapar.
There are a large number of arrangements of Tchaikovsky's children's collection for a variety of instruments and even orchestras. For example, Vladimir Milman and Vladimir Spivakov made an arrangement for chamber orchestra. Thanks to the efforts of Robert Groslot, an arrangement for chamber orchestra appeared and wind ensemble. There is a score for “Children’s Album” for a percussion ensemble, which was reworked by Anatoly Ivanov, and a little later, in 2014, an arrangement for string orchestra and percussion instruments appeared, made by composer Dmitry Batin.

The “Children's Album” includes 24 plays with their own individual titles. The program content of the collection is structured in a certain sequence: morning, afternoon and evening. In addition, the cycle contains several storylines at once.

The first storyline reveals to the listeners images of a child waking up and the beginning of the day.

"Morning Prayer" is an incredibly beautiful, bright, contemplative play that evokes thoughts about God and the soul. Tchaikovsky managed to miraculously convey piano music choir singing. The melody of this piece seems to be woven from living intonations, thanks to its special presentation. The mood of concentration is also conveyed by uniform rhythmic movement, texture of presentation, simple harmonic language and light tonality.

Second play "Winter Morning" brings a different mood to the peaceful morning atmosphere. Inclement weather (cold, with blizzards and blizzards) is very accurately conveyed by the alarming and transparently enlightened music that replaces it. The middle part introduces a certain shade of sadness, which further sets off the onset of the reprise.

“Winter Morning” (listen)

Third piece "Horse Game" opens storyline toys and children's room. This short piece conveys the clatter of hooves very accurately thanks to a uniform rhythmic pulsation that brings it closer to a toccata. The image of toy horses helps convey the three-beat meter that sounds in in this case light and lively.

In the play "Mother" The music is very simple, but full of emotional experiences. It is presented in the form of a duet: the lower voice has a warmer timbre, and the upper one has a clear, light timbre. In general, this piece is very harmonious, soft, even the composer chose the size not by chance, since the three-part structure gives the music roundness and softness.

In the play, Tchaikovsky reveals main image with a very clear rhythmic pattern and precise strokes. The composer managed to very accurately convey the clear, almost mechanical movements of the soldiers to the beat of the drummer.

“March of the Wooden Soldiers” (listen)

The following plays (6,7,8,9), forming a small suite, reveal another storyline that tells about a complex, serious mental life small child, feeling everything as keenly as adults.

"Doll Disease" introduces a completely different figurative structure. Sad music conveys the experiences of a little girl who is so overplayed that she takes everything seriously and is very worried about her favorite doll. The musical fabric of the play is interestingly constructed, in which there is no continuous melody. Pauses, as well as plaintive intonations, convey the “sighs” and “moans” of the doll. After a tense climax, everything ends with a "fading" coda.

Play "Doll Funeral" has another subtitle, which was given by the author himself - “In imitation of Schumann.” In its figurative structure, this miniature is very similar to Robert Schumann’s “First Loss” from his “Album for Youth.” The composer took the child’s experiences very seriously, reflecting the little heroine’s genuine feelings.

"Waltz" quite suddenly bursts into the flow of the narrative, replacing sadness and sadness with fun. Why waltz? This dance was one of the most popular and beloved in the 19th century and it was performed not only at magnificent balls, but also at home celebrations. “Waltz” from “Children’s Album” conveys the atmosphere of a home holiday.

"Waltz" (listen)

"New Doll"- this is a continuation of the fun, because the girl is very happy with her new toy. She dances and spins with the new doll. The music very accurately conveys the mood of the little girl, the feeling of delight and joy. The piece resembles a waltz, however, it sounds very fast, the usual 3/4 time signature is doubled in speed.

Fast Polish dance "Mazurka" continues the line of dance miniatures in the collection. But in Tchaikovsky it is more intimate in nature, which is why the first theme of the play is calm and elegiac.

Genre: Piano miniature in C minor from the “Children's Album” cycle, op. Z9.

In music written for children, one feels careful attitude to the child’s experiences, understanding their depth and significance. Listening to this piece, you pay attention to the seriousness and genuineness of the little hero’s feelings, to the respect with which the composer treats the child’s personality.

It was no coincidence that Tchaikovsky gave the subtitle to his cycle – “In Imitation of Schumann.” This piece involuntarily recalls “The First Loss” from R. Schumann’s “Album for Youth.”

The play is permeated by the characteristic rhythm of a typical funeral march, but this feature does not make the play a truly funeral march. Sometimes in literature you can find a statement that here Tchaikovsky reproduced the sound of a choir. It seems to us that this music can be more easily imagined in an orchestral rather than a choral version. But be that as it may, both when performing and listening to this play, you should not take everything too seriously. Still, the composer creates the impression of a funeral with sounds dolls: The element of play here should not disappear completely.

This one-page piece is written as a three-part piece (P. Tchaikovsky's favorite musical form in piano miniatures). If we imagine it in an orchestral sound, the outer (identical) parts are associated with wind instruments, while the music in the middle part could be performed by strings, for example, a string quartet.

Notes

1 Here comes a good opportunity to talk not only about the art of composing music and not only about the art of performing it, but also about the art of listening to it. Of course, no one has the right to prohibit the listener from having certain ideas and fantasies, but sometimes these fantasies are initially directed in the wrong direction. The 20th century, with its catastrophic world cataclysms, encourages - and this is quite natural - to look at many things in the past (and those that came from the past) through the prism of this human experience. As a result, such a popular work as Haydn's Farewell Symphony, written as humorous or, to put it mildly, ironic, is perceived as tragic.