Tchaikovsky: 6 Pieces, Op.19

Introduction

The Six Pieces (Six Morceaux) for solo piano, Op. 19 (TH 133 ; ČW 112 to 117) , were completed by Tchaikovsky in the autumn of 1873 in Moscow.

Movements and Duration

1. Rêverie du soir
   Andante espressivo (G minor, 82 bars).
2. Scherzo humoristique
   Allegro vivacissimo (D major, 316 bars).
3. Feuillet d'album
   Allegretto semplice (D major, 66 bars).
4. Nocturne
   Andante sentimentale (C-sharp minor, 66 bars).
5. Capriccioso
   Allegretto semplice (B-flat major, 150 bars).
6. Thème original et variations
   Andante con moro (F major, 341 bars).

A complete performance lasts around 30 minutes.

Composition

The set was commissioned by the publisher Pyotr Jurgenson , but their exact dates of origin are uncertain. The completed manuscript is dated 27 October/8 November 1873, but rough sketches for the Nocturne (No. 4) and Capriccioso (No. 5) appear in the same copybook as sketches for the opera Vakula the Smith (1874), the String Quartet No. 2 (1874), and the Six Pieces on a Single Theme, Op. 21 (autumn 1873), suggesting that some of the Op. 19 pieces could have been written during the summer of 1873 at Kamenka.