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Lesson time: (7min 24sec)
This lesson is part of the course Perform Tchaikovsky's "The Seasons" - March, April, June, October
Watch a preview of the full course below.
Lesson transcript:
Here is a poem by Count Tolstoy which reads:
"Autumn, Our poor garden is all falling down. The yellowed leaves are flying in the wind."
Very sad picture.
Now, just to mention, because, of course, you know the Tolstoys. There were three Tolstoys in Russia:
The October or the Autumn Song is not a very long piece, and it is not a very virtuosic piece like, for example, August, September, or November. However, it leaves the listener with the most profound and lasting impression.
As we know, Tchaikovsky was very prone to these feelings; he was a very lonely person, quite a depressive type. He was brooding and loved to be brooding. We are aware of his trials and tribulations in his personal life, and he wasn't a very happy individual.
"The Nature is crying. It's saying goodbye to the summer."
It is, of course, a song, but it is such a masterpiece, a gem. This piece is very popular and has been arranged for many instruments, performed countless times around the world in concerts.
Unlike the other pieces, Tchaikovsky isn't really describing anything specific here. There's no lark, no imitation, just this feeling of sadness. It evokes memories of something that has been lost.
The October is written in a simple ABA three-part form:
In examining the dynamic plan, it primarily consists of piano, mezzo piano, and pianissimo. There is a mezzo forte in measure 22, and the culmination features a crescendo in measure 21.
Once we know the dynamic plan and structure, it's very important to consider the tempo indication, which is highly unusual:
Andante doloroso e molta cantabile
The standout term here is doloroso, which translates to "sorrowful" or "with sorrow." This carries significant connotation in the Christian culture, referring to Via Doloroso, the sorrowful path that Jesus walked to his execution. I don't think it's a coincidence that Tchaikovsky chose this term.
This choice of language is key to understanding this profound and deep piece where he perhaps shares very personal secrets with us. Tchaikovsky's untimely end echoes this sentiment, whether he got sick and died or chose to end his life, it was indeed tragic.
"He was still full of life."
In the same way that Mozart bid farewell with his Requiem, Tchaikovsky said goodbye with his famous Pathetique, or Sixth Symphony.
Returning to October, its seemingly simple structure and texture feature a melody in accompaniment. As with every melody, we should pay attention to the little slurs to create a long phrase toward D, continuing that second sentence.
Left Hand: It's vital that whenever the right hand has part of the accompaniment, all notes are audible but do not overshadow the melody.
Russian-born American pianist Julia Zilberquit has earned critical acclaim as a recitalist, chamber musician and recording artist. She was praised by The New York Times as "an outstanding soloist" after her Carnegie Hall performance of Cesar Franck's symphonic poem Les Djinns for piano and orchestra with Leon Botstein and the American Symphony Orchestra. In 2014, Warner Classics released her CD Bach: Complete Solo Keyboard Concertos. This recording features the premiere of two Bach-Vivaldi Concerti Grossi arranged by Ms. Zilberquit for piano and orchestra, and was hailed as a "gorgeous rendition" by the prestigious Gramophone Magazine. Her arrangement of the Shostakovich Concertino for 2 Pianos, Op. 94 for piano and orchestra was premiered at Carnegie Hall; she has performed it worldwide to critical acclaim and recorded it with Vladimir Spivakov and the Moscow Virtuosi. Other recordings include a solo recording, The Mystery of Bagatelles, released by Naxos. The CD was praised as a "superb performance" by The Washington Post, and described as an "adventurous program, sparkling with unusual clarity and pointillistic luminescence" in London's Piano Magazine. Her recitals have taken place at major concert halls including New York's Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall, the 92nd Street Y, and Alice Tully Hall at Lincoln Center. Engagements at major international music festivals include appearances in Seattle, Colmar (France), Klangbogen (Vienna), Valery Gergiev's "White Nights" (St. Petersburg), Richter's "December Nights" (Moscow), "The Palaces of St. Petersburg," the Bard Music Festival in New York, and the Penderecki Festival (Poland). A native of Moscow, Julia Zilberquit was born into a family of musicians. She graduated from the Moscow Gnessin School of Music and The Juilliard School (class of Bella Davidovich). She lives in New York City with her husband, son and daughter. In this course she draws on that artistry to guide you through four movements of Tchaikovsky's "The Seasons" - March, April, June and October - so you can shape their poetry and colour at the keyboard yourself. read more
