| 1812 Overture | |
|---|---|
| Concert overture byPyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky | |
 | |
| Key | E♭ major |
| Opus | 49 |
| Occasion | Commemoration of the 1812 Russian defense againstNapoleon's invadingGrande Armée |
| Composed | 1880 (1880) |
| Premiere | |
| Date | 20 August 1882 (1882-08-20) |
| Location | Moscow |
| Conductor | Ippolit Al'tani |
The Year 1812, Solemn Overture, Op. 49, popularly known as the1812 Overture,[1] is aconcert overture inE♭ major written in 1880 by Russian composerPyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. The piece commemorates Russia's successful defence against theFrench invasion of the nation in 1812.
The overture's first public performance, conducted byIppolit Al'tani, took place in Moscow on 20 August [O.S. 8 August] 1882,[2] under a tent, near the still unfinishedCathedral of Christ the Saviour, which also memorialised the 1812 defence of Russia.[3]
The fifteen-minute overture is best known for its climactic volley of cannon fire, ringing chimes, and a brass fanfare finale. It has also become a common accompaniment to fireworks displays on the United States'Independence Day.[4] The1812 Overture went on to become one of Tchaikovsky's most popular works, along with his ballet scores toThe Nutcracker,The Sleeping Beauty, andSwan Lake.[5]
The1812 Overture is scored for an orchestra that consists of the following:[6]
The carillon is sometimes replaced withtubular bells or recordings of carillons, or even church bells. In the sections that contain cannon shots, actual cannons are sometimes replaced byhowitzers, tanks, fireworks, recorded cannons, or played on a piece of staging, usually with a large wooden mallet or sledgehammer as used inMahler's6th Symphony. The bass drum, andgong/tam-tam are also regularly used as cannon substitutes or adjuncts in indoor performances.
In his 1966Deutsche Grammophon recording,Herbert von Karajan scored the first 02'43" (or 36 bars) for voices instead of strings at the start and the subsequent dialogue between strings and woodwind, adding theRussian Orthodox plainchantGod Preserve Thy People text to the melody and slightly rearranging the texture to suit voicesa capella rather than instruments. Two years later, the American conductorIgor Buketoff, son of a Russian Orthodox priest, went a stage further on hisRCA Victrola recording with theNew Philharmonia Orchestra. Not only did he deploy voices for the opening chant but he also had a children's chorus sing the folk tune "By the Gates" and brought the choir back to bolster the chant and the Russian Imperial national anthemGod Save the Tsar!.[7]
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On 7 September 1812, atBorodino, 120 km (75 mi) west of Moscow,Napoleon's forces met those of GeneralMikhail Kutuzov in a concerted stand made by Russia against the seemingly invincible French Army. TheBattle of Borodino saw casualties estimated as high as 100,000 and the French were masters of the field. It was, however, ultimately apyrrhic victory for the French invasion.[8]
With resources depleted and supply lines overextended, Napoleon's weakened forces moved into Moscow, which they occupied with no delegation to receive the conquerors. Expecting a capitulation fromTsar Alexander I, the French instead found themselves in a barren and desolate city. To make things worse, 48 hours after Napoleon's entry to the Russian city on 14 September 1812, three quarters ofMoscow was burned to the ground.[9]
Deprived of winter stores, Napoleon had to retreat. Beginning on 19 October and lasting well into December, the French Army faced several overwhelming obstacles on its long retreat:famine,typhus, freezing temperatures, harassingcossacks, and Russian forces barring the way out of the country. Abandoned by Napoleon in November, theGrande Armée was reduced to one-tenth of its original size by the time it reachedPoland and relative safety.[10]
In 1869, the full edition ofWar and Peace byLeo Tolstoy was published. The novel reported a very accurate description of the Napoleonic invasion of 1812, reviving memories of the Russian resistance. This led to the commissioning of new monuments, paintings and also of new musical compositions, including Tchaikovsky's.
TheCathedral of Christ the Saviour, commissioned in 1812 byTsar Alexander I to commemorate the Russian victory, was nearing completion in Moscow in 1880; the 25th anniversary of the coronation of Alexander II would be at hand in 1881; and the 1882 All-Russia Arts and Industry Exhibition at Moscow was in the planning stage. Tchaikovsky's friend and mentorNikolai Rubinstein suggested that he write a grand commemorative piece for use in related festivities. Tchaikovsky began work on the project on 12 October 1880, finishing it six weeks later.[11]
Organizers planned to have the overture performed in the square before the cathedral, with a brass band to reinforce the orchestra, the bells of the cathedral, and all the others in downtown Moscow playing "zvons" (pealing bells) on cue – and cannons, fired from an electric switch panel to achieve the precision the musical score required. However, this performance did not take place, possibly due in part to the over-ambitious plan. Regardless, theassassination of Alexander II that March deflated much of the impetus for the project. In 1882, during the All-Russia Arts and Industry Exhibition, the Overture was performed in a tent next to the unfinished cathedral.[3] The cathedral was completed on 26 May 1883.[12]
Meanwhile, Tchaikovsky complained to his patronNadezhda von Meck that he was "... not a conductor of festival pieces," and that theOverture would be "... very loud and noisy, but [without] artistic merit, because I wrote it without warmth and without love." He put it together in six weeks. It is this work that would make the Tchaikovsky estate exceptionally wealthy, as it is one of the most performed and recorded works from his catalog.[13][14][15]
In Russia, during theSoviet era, the imperial anthem was replaced with the chorus "Glory, Glory to you, holy Rus'!" (Славься, славься, святая Русь!), which came from the finale ofMikhail Glinka's opéraIvan Susanin, a historical drama about a patriotic commoner ofthe same name. The original version of the song, written byVasily Zhukovsky andEgor Fyodorovich Rozen, praised the Tsar and theRussian Tsardom, while the latter version bySergey Gorodetsky was one of a patriotic form and is sometimes regarded as the unofficial anthem of Russia in the 20th century and even today. With thedissolution of the Soviet Union at the end of theCold War, the original score returned.[16][17]
As a rousing patriotic hymn, the Overture has subsequently been adapted into and associated with other contexts than that of the Russian resistance to Napoleon's invasion. The1812 Overture is popularly known[18] in the United States as a symbol of theUnited States Independence Day, a tradition that dates back to a 1974 choice made byArthur Fiedler for a performance at theBoston Pops July 4th concert.[19][20] An earlier outdoors July presentation in the U.S. was by theNational Symphony Orchestra, led byHoward Mitchell, on 7 July 1950--incorporation eight 75mm Howitzers.[21] According to the NSO's management, the performance celebrated the sesquicentennial of the relocation of America's capital from Philadelphia to Washington, DC.[22]
The piece was parodied by composerMalcolm Arnold inA Grand, Grand Overture which features four rifles, threeHoover vacuum cleaners (two uprights in B♭ and one horizontal with detachable sucker in C), and an electric floor polisher in E♭; it is dedicated toPresident Hoover.[23] The piece was also parodied byP. D. Q. Bach for the 1989 musical album1712 Overture and Other Musical Assaults.[24]
 |
| U Vorot, Vorot is a folk song brought up in the piece representing the Russian people |
The piece begins with the simple, plaintive Russian melody of theEastern OrthodoxTroparion of the Holy Cross (also known as "O Lord, Save Thy People") played by four cellos and two violas.[25] This represents the Russian people praying for the victory. Then, the French national anthem, "La Marseillaise", is heard, representing the invading French army.[26] Then, the melody of "La Marseillaise" is heard competing against Russian folk music, representing the two armies fighting each other as the French approached Moscow. At this point, five cannon shots are heard, representing theBattle of Borodino. This is where "La Marseillaise" is most prominent, and seems to be winning. After this, a long descending run represents the French army retreating out of Moscow as the freezing winter winds rage on. At the end of this run the opening motif is repeated, which can be interpreted as prayers being answered. The grand finale culminates with eleven more cannon shots and the melody of "God Save the Tsar!".[27]
AlthoughLa Marseillaise was chosen as the French national anthem in 1795, it was banned by Napoleon in 1805 and would certainly not have been played during the Russian campaign. It was only reinstated as the French anthem in 1879 – the year before the commission of the overture – which can explain its use by Tchaikovsky in the overture.[28] "Chant du départ", nicknamed "the brother of the Marseillaise" byFrench Republican soldiers, served as the official anthem ofNapoleon's regime. However, it had been largely forgotten by 1882, while educated Russians of the time were likely to be familiar with the tune of "La Marseillaise" and recognize its significance.[original research?]
Although "God Save the Tsar!" was theRussian national anthem during Tchaikovsky's lifetime, it did not exist in 1812. There was no official Russian anthem until 1815, from which time until 1833 the anthem was "The Prayer of Russians" (Molitva russkikh), sung to the tune of "God Save the King".[29] The two songs both start with the same words, God Save the Tsar!, but diverge after that.
O Lord, Save thy People represents the praying for deliverance from the invading army. A part of this hymn translates to "Grant victory to all Orthodox Christians over their enemies."[30][31] By including this hymn in the piece, Tchaikovsky is suggesting that God granted theOrthodox Russians victory over the French imperial troops. Later in the piece whenLa Marseillaise is played, it seems as though the Russians will lose the battle. ThenO Lord, Save thy People, along withGod Save the Tsar!, is played powerfully in the brass section with a strong display of chimes in the background. The ringing chimes are written to represent the bells of Moscow.[32] The Bells of Moscow hold significance, because in the Russian Orthodox religion, the bells symbolize the voice of God.[33]
In the introduction, the prayer Tropar Krestu (Troparion to the Cross) is used. There are four versions of this prayer used in the introduction.
| Russian | Transliteration |
|---|---|
Спаси, Господи, люди Твоя, | Spasi, Gospodi, liudi Tvoya, |
| Russian | Transliteration |
|---|---|
Спаси, Господи, люди Твоя, | Spasi, Gospodi, liudi Tvoya, |
| Russian | Transliteration |
|---|---|
Спаси, Господи, люди Твоя, | Spasi, Gospodi, liudi Tvoya, |
| Russian | Transliteration |
|---|---|
Спаси, Господи, люди Твоя, | Spasi, Gospodi, liudi Tvoya, |
In a live performance, the logistics of safety and precision in placement of the shots require either well-drilled military crews using moderncannons, or the use of sixteen pieces of muzzle-loading artillery, since any reloading schemes, to attain the sixteen shots, or even a semblance of them, in the two-minute time span involved, makes safety and precision impossible with 1800s artillery. Time lag alone precludes implementation of cues for the shots for fewer than sixteen 1812-era field pieces.[34]
The earliest traceable orchestral recording, which does not include the shots and features no percussion apart from bells, was by theRoyal Albert Hall Orchestra conducted byLandon Ronald, and issued byHis Master's Voice on three 12-inch 78-rpm sides in 1916.[35] ARoyal Opera Orchestra recording of about the same time similarly contains no shots at all.[36]
Antal Doráti's 1954Mercury Records recording with theMinneapolis Symphony Orchestra, partially recorded atWest Point, and using theYale Memorial Carillon inNew Haven, Connecticut, uses a Napoleonic French singlemuzzleloading cannon shot dubbed in 16 times as written. On the first edition of the recording, one side played theOverture and the other side played a narrative byDeems Taylor about how the cannon and bell effects were accomplished. (Later editions placed the commentary after the performance on side 1 and theCapriccio Italien on side 2.) A stereophonic version was recorded on 5 April 1958, using the bells of the Laura Spelman Rockefeller Memorial Carillon, atRiverside Church. On this Mercury Living Presence Stereo recording, the spoken commentary was also given by Deems Taylor and the 1812 was coupled with Tchaikovsky'sCapriccio Italien. Later editions coupled the1812 Overture with Dorati's recording ofBeethoven'sWellington's Victory, which featured theLondon Symphony Orchestra and real cannon.[37]
TheBlack Dyke Band has recorded a brass band arrangement of the piece. This recording on their albumSymphonic Brass includes the cannon shots as originally written.[38]
TheBerlin Philharmonic Orchestra conducted byHerbert Von Karajan, and theDon Cossacks Choir recorded the piece in 1967 forDeutsche Grammophon.[39]
In 1971,CBS released a recording[40] with thePhiladelphia Orchestra conducted byEugene Ormandy, also featuring theMormon Tabernacle Choir, theValley Forge Military Academy band and real artillery shots. British rock drummerCozy Powell sampled the overture at the end of the track "Over The Top" in his eponymous1979 studio album.
The first digital recording occurred in 1979 byTelarc with the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra headlining under the leadership of Erich Kunzel. The Kiev Symphony Chorus was secured and brought stateside for the express purpose of this recording, while the Children's Choir of Greater Cincinnati (presently doing business as the Cincinnati Youth Choir), a regular Symphony and Pops collaborator to this day, supplied the children's voices. The recording features the tones of the Emery Memorial Carillon (in adjacentMariemont, Ohio) to a uniquely magnificent effect alongside high-definition cannon shots using full-sized 19th century military cannons, also specially recorded locally. In addition to becoming Telarc's best-selling record and helping to establish them as a company, the record soon became a popular and well-known method for testing hifi record-playing equipment and related setups. Only the best and most fine-tuned allowed the cannon shots to be played properly (an accompanying warning for users not to destroy their audio equipment was included with the record).[41][42][43]
In 1989,the Swingle Singers recorded ana cappella version of the overture as part of an album whose title is1812.[44]
In 1990, during a worldwide celebration of the 150th anniversary of Tchaikovsky's birth, theOverture was recorded in the city of his youth by theLeningrad Philharmonic Orchestra using 16 muzzleloading cannons fired live as written in the 1880 score. That recording was done within earshot of the composer's grave. The festival was televised for the first time in the United States on 9 March 1991.[45][46]
TheTexan band "The Invincible Czars" released a rock version of1812 Overture for the bicentennial of theBattle of Borodino in September 2012.[47] The band had already debuted their arrangement of the piece at the 20th annual OK Mozart classical music festival atBartlesville, Oklahoma, with professional orchestra musicians, in June 2009, complete with fireworks at the finale.[48]
Media related to1812 Overture at Wikimedia Commons
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