List of compositions by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky

Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky wrote several works well known among the general classical public—"Romeo and Juliet", the "1812 Overture", his Nutcracker, Swan Lake, and Sleeping Beauty ballets, and "Marche Slave". These, along with two of his concertos and three of his latter symphonies, are probably his most familiar works—brimming with melody, color and passion, they are what most people think of when they hear the name "Tchaikovsky." However, there is much more to Tchaikovsky's output than that.

Works by opus number

Works with opus numbers are listed in this section, together with their dates of composition. For a complete list of Tchaikovsky's works, including those without opus numbers, see [http://www.tchaikovsky-research.org/en/Works/index.html] . For more detail on dates of composition, see [http://www.geocities.com/Vienna/5648/DCalend.htm] .

*Op. 1 2 Pieces, for piano (1867)
*Op. 2 "Souvenir de Hapsal", 3 pieces for piano (1867)
*Op. 3 "Voyevoda", opera (1868)
*Op. 4 Valse-caprice in D Major, for piano (1868)
*Op. 5 Romance in F minor, for piano (1868)
*Op. 6 6 Romances (1869), including "None but the lonely heart"
*Op. 7 Valse-scherzo in A, for piano (1870)
*Op. 8 Capriccio in G-flat, for piano (1870)
*Op. 9 3 Morceaux, for piano (1870)
*Op. 10 2 Morceaux, for piano (1871)
*Op. 11 String Quartet No. 1 in D (1871)
*Op. 12 "Snegurochka", incidental music (1873)
*Op. 13 Symphony No. 1 in G minor "Winter Daydreams" (1866)
*Op. 14 "Vakula the Smith", (revised as Cherevichki), opera (1874)
*Op. 15 Festival Overture in D on the Danish National Anthem, for orchestra (1866)
*Op. 16 6 Songs (1872)
**"No. 1" Lullaby "(Cradle Song)"
**"No. 2" Wait!
*Op. 17 Symphony No. 2 in C minor "Little Russian" (1872)
*Op. 18 "The Tempest", symphonic fantasia in F minor, after Shakespeare (1873)
*Op. 19 6 Pieces, for piano (1873)
*Op. 20 "Swan Lake", ballet (1876)
*Op. 21 6 Morceaux, for piano (1873)
*Op. 22 String Quartet No. 2 in F (1874)
*Op. 23 Piano Concerto No. 1 in B-flat minor (1875)
*Op. 24 "Eugene Onegin", opera (1878)
*Op. 25 6 Songs (1874)
**"No. 2" As When Upon Hot Ashes "(Over Burning Ashes)"
*Op. 26 "Sérénade mélancolique" in B minor, for violin and orchestra (1875)
*Op. 27 6 Songs (1875)
*Op. 28 6 Songs (1875)
*Op. 29 Symphony No. 3 in D "Polish" (1875)
*Op. 30 String Quartet No. 3 in E-flat minor (1876)
*Op. 31 "Marche slave" in B-flat minor, for orchestra (1876)
*Op. 32 "Francesca da Rimini", symphonic fantasia in E minor, after Dante Alighieri (1876)
*Op. 33 Variations on a Rococo Theme in A, for cello and orchestra (1876)
*Op. 34 Valse-scherzo in C, for violin and orchestra (1877)
*Op. 35 Violin Concerto in D (1878)
*Op. 36 Symphony No. 4 in F minor (1877)
*Op. 37a Piano Sonata No. 1 in G (1878)
*Op. 37b "The Seasons", 12 pieces for piano (1876)
*Op. 38 6 Songs (1878)
*Op. 39 "Album pour enfants", 24 pieces for piano (1878)
*Op. 40 12 Morceaux de difficulté moyenne, for piano (1878)
*Op. 41 Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom, for unaccompanied chorus (1878)
*Op. 42 "Souvenir d'un lieu cher", 3 pieces for violin and piano (1878)
*Op. 43 Orchestral Suite No. 1 in D (1879)
*Op. 44 Piano Concerto No. 2 in G (1880)
*Op. 45 "Capriccio italien" in A, for orchestra (1880)
*Op. 46 6 Vocal duets, with piano (1880)
*Op. 47 7 Songs (1880)
*Op. 48 Serenade in C for Strings (1880)
*Op. 49 Festival Overture in E-flat "The Year 1812" (1880)
*Op. 50 "Piano Trio in A minor (1882)
*Op. 51 6 Pieces, for piano (1882)
*Op. 52 Vespers, for unaccompanied chorus (1882)
*Op. 53 Orchestral Suite No. 2 in C (1883)
*Op. 54 16 Children's songs (1883)
*Op. 55 Orchestral Suite No. 3 in G (1884)
*Op. 56 Concert Fantasy in G, for piano and orchestra (1884)
*Op. 57 6 Songs (1884)
*Op. 58 "Manfred" Symphony in B minor (1885)
*Op. 59 Dumka in C minor, for piano (1886)
*Op. 60 12 Songs (1886)
**"No. 6" Wild Nights "(Frenzied Nights)"
**"No. 7" Gypsy's Song
**"No. 12" Gentle Stars Shone For Us "(The Mild Stars Shone For Us)"
*Op. 61 Orchestral Suite No. 4 "Mozartiana" (1887)
*Op. 62 Pezzo capriccioso in B minor, for cello and orchesta (or piano) (1887)
*Op. 63 6 Songs (1887)
*Op. 64 Symphony No. 5 in E minor (1888)
*Op. 65 6 Songs on French texts (1888)
*Op. 66 "The Sleeping Beauty", ballet (1889)
*Op. 67 "Hamlet", fantasy overture in F minor (1889)
*Op. 67a "Hamlet", incidental music
*Op. 68 "The Queen of Spades", opera (1890)
*Op. 69 "Iolanta", opera (1891)
*Op. 70 String Sextet in D minor "Souvenir de Florence" (1890)
*Op. 71 "The Nutcracker", ballet (1892)
*Op. 71a "The Nutcracker", suite from the ballet (1892)
*Op. 72 18 Pieces, for piano (1893)
*Op. 73 6 Songs (1893)
*Op. 74 Symphony No. 6 in B minor "Pathétique" (1893) "Opp. 75–80 were published posthumously."
*Op. 75 Piano Concerto No. 3 in E-flat (1893)
*Op. 76 "The Storm", overture in E (1864)
*Op. 77 "Fate", symphonic poem in C minor (1868)
*Op. 78 "The Voyevoda", symphonic ballad in A minor (1893; unrelated to the earlier opera of the same name, Op. 3)
*Op. 79 Andante in B-flat and Finale in E-flat, for piano and orchestra (1893)
*Op. 80 Piano Sonata No. 2 in C-sharp minor (1865)

Works by genre

Ballets

Tchaikovsky is well known for his ballets, although it was only in his last years, with his last two ballets, that his contemporaries came to really appreciate his finer qualities as ballet music composer.

* "Swan Lake", Op. 20, (1875–1876): Tchaikovsky's first ballet, it was first performed (with some omissions) at the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow in 1877.

* "The Sleeping Beauty", Op. 66, (1888–1889): This work Tchaikovsky considered to be one of his best. Commissioned by the director of the Imperial Theatres, Ivan Vsevolozhsky, its first performance was in January, 1890 at the Mariinsky Theatre in Saint Petersburg.

* "The Nutcracker", Op. 71, (1891–1892): In Western countries, this ballet has become among the most popular ballets performed, primarily around Christmas time.

In addition, George Balanchine choreographed some of Tchaikovsky's orchestral works:

for the American Ballet
*"Mozartiana" (1934). Music from the Orchestral Suite No. 4, "Mozartiana".

for the American Ballet Caravan
*"Ballet Imperial" (later referred to as the "Tschaikovsky Piano Concerto No. 2") (1941). Music from the Piano Concerto No. 2.

for the Ballet Theatre
*"Theme and Variations" (1947). Music from the final movement of Orchestral Suite No. 3.

for the New York City Ballet
* "Allegro Brillante" (1956). Music from Piano Concerto No. 3.
* "Tschaikovsky Pas de Deux" (1960). Music excerpted from Act III of "Swan Lake".
* "Tschaikovsky Suite No. 3" (1970)
** Tschaikovsky Festival (1981)
*** "Garland Dance"
*** "Mozartiana"
* "Diamonds" last 4 movements of Symphony No.3

Operas

Tchaikovsky completed ten operas, although one of these is mostly lost and another exists in two significantly different versions. In the West his most famous operas are "Eugene Onegin" and "The Queen of Spades".

* "Voyevoda" ("Воевода – The Voivode", Op. 3, 1867—1868) ::Full score destroyed by composer, but posthumously reconstructed from sketches and orchestral parts. Not related to the much later symphonic ballad "The Voyevoda", Op. 78.

* "Undina" ("Ундина" or "Undine", 1869) ::Not completed. Only a march sequence from this opera saw the light of day, as the second movement of his Symphony No.2 in C Minor and a few other segments are occasionally heard as concert pieces. Interestingly, while Tchaikovsky revised the Second symphony twice in his lifetime, he did not alter the second movement (taken from the "Undina" material) during either revision. The rest of the score of "Undina" was destroyed by the composer.

* "The Oprichnik" ("Опричник"), 1870–1872::Premiere April 24 [OS April 12] , 1874, Saint Petersburg

* "Vakula the Smith" ("Кузнец Вакула" or "Kuznets Vakula"), Op. 14, 1874; :: Revised later as "Cherevichki", premiere December 6 [OS November 24] , 1876, Saint Petersburg

* "Eugene Onegin" ("Евгений Онегин" or "Yevgeny Onegin"), Op. 24, 1877–1878::Premiere March 29 [OS March 17] 1879 at the Moscow Conservatory

* "The Maid of Orleans" ("Орлеанская дева" or "Orleanskaya deva"), 1878–1879 ::Premiere February 25 [OS February 13] , 1881, Saint Petersburg

* "Mazepa (or Mazeppa)" ("Мазепа"), 1881–1883::Premiere February 15 [OS February 3] 1884, Moscow

* "Cherevichki" ("Черевички"; revision of "Vakula the Smith") 1885::Premiere January 31 [OS January 19] , 1887, Moscow)

* "The Enchantress" (or "The Sorceress", "Чародейка" or "Charodeyka"), 1885–1887::Premiere November 1 [OS October 20] 1887, Saint Petersburg

* "The Queen of Spades" ("Пиковая дама" or "Pikovaya dama"), Op. 68, 1890::Premiere December 19 [OS December 7] 1890, Saint Petersburg

* "Iolanta" ("Иоланта" or "Iolanthe"), Op. 69, 1891:: First performance: Maryinsky Theatre, Saint Petersburg, 1892. Originally performed on a double-bill with "The Nutcracker"

(Note: A "Chorus of Insects" was composed for the projected opera "Mandragora" ["Мандрагора"] of 1870).

=Symphonies=

Tchaikovsky's earlier symphonies are generally optimistic works of nationalistic character, while the later symphonies are more intensely dramatic, particularly the Sixth, generally interpreted as a declaration of despair. The last three of his numbered symphonies (the fourth, fifth and sixth) are recognized as highly original examples of symphonic form and are frequently performed.
* No. 1 in G minor, Op. 13, "Winter Daydreams" (1866)
* No. 2 in C minor, Op. 17, "Little Russian" (1872)
* No. 3 in D major, Op. 29, "Polish" (1875)
* No. 4 in F minor, Op. 36 (1877–1878)
* "Manfred" Symphony, B minor, Op. 58; inspired by Byron's poem "Manfred"; Tchaikovsky labelled this work "a symphonic poem in four movements" (1885)
* No. 5 in E minor, Op. 64 (1888)
* No. 6 in B minor, Op. 74, "Pathétique" (1893)
* Symphony in E flat (sketched 1892 but not finished; reconstructed during the 1950s and subsequently published as Symphony No. 7)

Orchestral suites

In the ten years between the Fourth and Fifth Symphonies, Tchaikovsky also wrote four orchestral suites. He originally intended to designate one of these a symphony—the Third, he told Taneyev, "but the title is of no importance [As quoted in Warrack, "Tchaikovsky" (New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1973), 161.] ." The four suites contain a great deal of attractive music, giving the composer full rein to his prowess in writing short genre pieces and orchestration without the constraints of symphonic form. More importantly, Tchaikovsky used the suites to research new instrummental combinations, reassessing radically how he orchestrated his music and refined his orchestral technique to a great degree of sophisication.

* Orchestral Suite No. 1 in D minor, Op. 43 (1878-1879)
* Orchestral Suite No. 2 in C major, Op. 53 (1883)
* Orchestral Suite No. 3 in G major, Op. 55 (1884)
* Orchestral Suite No. 4 in G major, "Mozartiana", Op. 61 (1887)

In addition to the above suites, Tchaikovsky made a short sketch for a Suite in 1889 or 1890, which was not subsequently developed.

Tchaikovsky himself arranged the suite from the ballet "The Nutcracker." He also considered making suites from his two other ballets, "Swan Lake" and "The Sleeping Beauty". He ended up not doing so, but after his death, others compiled and published suites from these ballets.

Concerti and concert pieces

* Piano Concerto No. 1 in B-flat minor, Op. 23 (1874–1875): Initially rejected by its dedicaté, pianist Nikolai Rubinstein, as poorly composed and unplayable, this work is now the best known and most highly regarded of Tchaikovsky's three piano concerti, and one of the most popular piano concertos ever written.
* Serenade Melancolique, Op.26, for Violin and Orchestra
* Variations on a Rococo theme Op.33 for violoncello and orchestra, (1876), The piece was written between December 1876 and March 1877, for and with the help of the German cellist Wilhelm Fitzenhagen. Though not really a concerto, it was the closest Tchaikovsky ever came to writing a full concerto for cello.
* Valse-Scherzo, Op.34, for Violin and Orchestra
* Violin Concerto in D major, Op. 35, (1878). This violin concerto—like the First Piano Concerto called unplayable by its initial dedicaté, Leopold Auer—is today one of the most popular and frequently performed concertos for the instrument.
* Piano Concerto No. 2, Op. 44, (1879), is an eloquent, less extroverted piece with a violin and cello added as soloists in the second movement.
* Concert Fantasia in G, Op.56, for piano and orchestra
* Pezzo capriccioso, Op.62, (1888), for Cello and Orchestra
* Piano Concerto No. 3, Op. 75 posth. (1892): Commenced after the Symphony No. 5, what became the Third Piano Concerto and Andante and Finale for piano and orchestra was intended initially to be the composer's next (i.e., sixth) symphony.
* Andante and Finale, Op. 79 posth. (1895): After Tchaikovsky's death, the composer Sergei Taneyev completed and orchestrated the Andante and Finale from Tchaikovsky's piano arrangement of these two movements, publishing them as Op. 79.
* Concertstück for Flute and Strings, TH 247 op. posth. (1893): the piece, after having been lost for 106 years, was found and reconstructed by James Strauss in 1999 in Saint Petersburg.
* Cello Concerto (1893): Completed by Yuriy Leonovich and Brett Langston in 2006.

Other works

For orchestra

*"Romeo and Juliet" Fantasy Overture, (1869 revised 1870, 1880). This piece contains one of the world's most famous melodies. The "love theme" has been used countless times in commercials and movies, frequently as a spoof to traditional love scenes.
*"Festival Overture on the Danish national anthem", Op. 15, (1866).
*"The Tempest", Symphonic Fantasia after Shakespeare, Op. 18, (1873)
*Slavonic March/"Marche Slave", Op. 31, (1876). This piece is another well-known Tchaikovsky piece and is often played in conjunction with the 1812 Overture.
*"Francesca da Rimini", Op. 32, (1876). This piece has been described as "pure melodrama" similar to stretches of Verdi operas; [http://www.shepherd-express.com/3_2_06/review_concerts.htm] some passages are similar to sword-fight clashes in "Romeo and Juliet".
*"Capriccio Italien", Op. 45, (1880). Tchaikovsky stayed in Italy in the late 1870s to early 1880s and throughout the various festivals he heard many themes, some of which were played by trumpets, samples of which can be heard in this capriccio.
*"Serenade in C for String Orchestra", Op. 48, (1880). The first movement, "In the form of a sonatina," was an homage to Mozart. The second movement is a "Waltz," followed by an "Elegy" and a spirited Russian finale, "Tema Russo." In his score, Tchaikovsky supposedly wrote, "The larger the string orchestra, the better will the composer's desires be fulfilled."
*"1812 Overture", Op. 49, (1880). Written by Tchaikovsky to commemorate the Russian victory over Napoleon in the Napoleonic Wars, it is known for its traditional Russian themes (such as the old Tsarist National Anthem) as well as its 16 cannon shots and chorus of church bells in the coda.
*"Festival Coronation March", Op. 50, (1883). The mayor of Moscow commissioned this piece for performance in May 1883 at the coronation of Tsar Alexander III. Tchaikovsky's arrangement for solo piano and E. L. Langer's arrangement for piano duet were published in the same year.
*Concert Overture "The Storm", Op. 76, (1860).
*"Fatum", Op. 77, (1868).
*"The Voyevoda", symphonic ballad, Op. 78, (1891).

For voices and orchestra

* "Snegurochka" ("The Snow Maiden") (1873), incidental music for Alexander Ostrovsky's play of the same name. Ostrovsky adapted and dramatized a popular Russian fairy tale, [ [http://clover.slavic.pitt.edu/~tales/snow_maiden.html Russian Fairy Tales, Spring 1998: Snow Maiden ] ] and the score that Tchaikovsky wrote for it was always one of his own favorite works. It contains much vocal music, but it is not a cantata, nor an opera.

* "Hamlet" (1891), incidental music for Shakespeare's play. The score uses music borrowed from Tchaikovsky's overture of the same name, as well as from his Symphony No. 3, and from "The Snow Maiden", in addition to original music that he wrote specifically for a stage production of "Hamlet". The two vocal selections are a song that Ophelia sings in the throes of her madness, and a song for the First Gravedigger to sing as he goes about his work.

Solo and chamber music

* String Quartet in B-Flat Major, Op.Posth. (1865)
* String Quartet No. 1 in D major, Op. 11 (1871)
* String Quartet No. 2 in F major, Op. 22 (1874)
* String Quartet No. 3 in E-Flat minor, Op. 30 (1875)
* "The Seasons (Les saisons)", Op. 37b (1876), a set of 12 short pieces for piano
* Piano Sonata in G major, Op.37 (1878)
* "Souvenir d'un lieu cher" ("Memory of a Cherished Place") for violin and piano, Op. 42 (Meditation, Scherzo and Melody) (1878)
* Russian Vesper Service, Op. 52 (1881)
* Piano Trio in A minor, Op. 50 (1882)
* "Dumka", Russian rustic scene in C minor for piano, Op. 59 (1886)
* String Sextet "Souvenir de Florence" ("Recollections of Florence"), Op. 70 (1890)
* 18 Piano Pieces, Op.72 (1892). Some of these pieces were used in a cello concerto arrangement by Gaspar Cassadó.

References