TCHAIKOVSKY (Op. 59 & Op. 37b)& GRIEG (Op. 43 & Op. 54)

Tchaikovsky

Dumka, Op 59
Dumka ( Russian Rustic Scene) is defined as a Slavic folksong that has both happy and sad sections. It is said that Tchaikovsky may have taken this idea from Dvorak’s “Dumky” Trio, p. 65.

The Seasons, Op 37b
The Seasons, op. 37b is a set of twelve short character pieces for solo piano by the Russian composer Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (1840-1893). The work is also sometimes heard in orchestral arrangements produced by other musicians.The 12 pieces with their titles are:

January: At the Fireside-a sense of regret but playful
February: Carnival - joyful
March: Song of the Lark – a sense of melancholy
April: Snowdrop - bright"
May: Starlight Nights – sweet-sounding
June: Barcarolle – Chopin-like; both happy and sad
July: Song of the Reaper – several mood changes
August: Harvest – ABA form
September: The Hunt – fanfare-like
October: Autumn Song –sad, melancholy
November: Troika - playful
December: Christmas- in waltz style

Grieg
Lyrical Pieces, Op. 43 and 54: like the title suggested, these pieces sound not only lyrical but poetic as well. After listening to Lyrical Pieces and then Sonata in E minor, Op. 7, I began to have a thought about the musical style of his pieces: ‘young and fresh.’