Compared with his output in other forms, Tschaikowsky’s chamber music
is small, consisting of an early quartet, of which only the first
movement survives, three complete string quartets, a trio, and the
_Souvenir de Florence_, written for violins, violas, and ’cellos in
pairs.
As the title implies, the work grew out of a visit to Italy early in
1890, though as a clew to the mood and manner of the music, _Souvenir
de Florence_ is a better title for the first two movements than for the
others. The remaining _Allegretto moderato_ and _Allegro vivace_ bear
an Italian “memory” only insofar as much other music by Tschaikowsky
and other composers may share the same quality. Even a marked Slavic
character is evident in places, which is only natural. As is well
known, Tschaikowsky’s overture-fantasy _Romeo and Juliet_ is often
dubbed “Romeo and Juliet of the Steppes.”
A first mention of the _Souvenir_ occurs in a letter to
Ippolitoff-Ivanoff dated May 5, 1890, written shortly after
Tschaikowsky’s return from abroad. It is quoted by his brother Modeste:
“My visit brought forth good fruit. I composed an opera, ‘Pique Dame,’
which seems a success to me.... My plans for the future are to finish
the orchestration of the opera, sketch out a string sextet [the
_Souvenir_], go to my sister at Kamenka for the end of the summer, and
spend the whole autumn with you at Tiflis.”
On the following June 30 he communicated news of the sextet to his
patroness-saint Mme. von Meck, hoping she would be “pleased to hear”
about it. “I know your love of chamber music,” he writes, “and I hope
the work will please you. I wrote it with the greatest enthusiasm and
without the least exertion.”
In November Tschaikowsky went to St. Petersburg for a rehearsal of
_Pique Dame_. While there he arranged for a private hearing of the
sextet by friends. The performance left him cold and he resolved to
rewrite the Scherzo and Finale. By the following May the work was
thoroughly remodelled. It was not till June, 1892, while in Paris, that
he actually completed the revision to his satisfaction.
The four movements comprise an _Allegro con spirito_ (D minor, 4-4),
an _Adagio cantabile e con moto_ (D major, 3-4), an _Allegretto
moderato_ (A minor, 2-4), and an _Allegro vivace_ (D minor-D major,
2-4). The form is largely that of the classical string quartet, though
characteristically bold and novel devices of color and structure
abound. Often the strings are ingeniously treated to suggest wind
instruments, and one senses Tschaikowsky’s frequent striving for
orchestral effects.
Research has failed to unearth the “opprobrious epithets” Tschaikowsky
is alleged to have heaped upon this slight but appealing work.