Skip to main content ↑ ↓
Topic: Overture 1812 criticism (Read 3571 times) previous topic - next topic

Overture 1812 criticism

A while back, there was a thread regarding the words to the chorus parts in Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture. (If you didn't know there were words, you haven't been paying attention!)

I looked around for a reference giving the original words, but didn't find one authoritative enough. However, I did come across this commentary, in "The Music of Tchaikovsky," by Gerald Abraham (New York: Norton, 1946) page 95:

"1812 must be one of the most dreary and repulsive works in the whole of music. ... What makes us unable to call it anything but noisy, vulgar, and empty, is just the actual material used: a hotchpotch of a Russian liturgical theme (bravely demoded from Locrian to diatonic major), ... "

Take that, Peter Ilyich!

Re: Overture 1812 criticism

Reply #1 –
well actually the original from Tsjaikovsky was without the words in the start...

Anyhow it was the idea of Tsjaikovsky himself to write this , he was asked it to compose it for the 70 year Birthday of the defeat of the French army and the retreat from Moscow. This was then used on the opening of the exhibition of Moscow in 1882. That is why both the Russian imperial national anthem and the French anthem are used.
He stated when listening to the finished part that he did not like it at all.... ... but then when you write music for other people you sometimes have no choice...

so ... that that ..back

Re: Overture 1812 criticism

Reply #2 –
He also was not pleased with his Nutcracker.
He was his own worst critic.

Re: Overture 1812 criticism

Reply #3 –
ANYONE who has the gaul to call a piece such as the 1812 Overture "dreary and repulsive" is assanine.  Who is he to critisize Tchaikovsky?  People such as he who beleive they know art disgust me.  I agree that he is entitled to his opinion, however, I am entitled to mine as well and I beleive that he is losing credibility with every ignorant critisim such as that.  Perhaps someone should suggest he listen to this piece again.

Re: Overture 1812 criticism

Reply #4 –
Someone didn't use the spell checker...