Barga 12
Eric Barga
Introduction to Musical Styles
Dr. Joseph Morgan, PhD
March 20, 2014
The Programmatic Nature of Tchaikovsky's Fourth Symphony:
Can Man Overcome Fate?
This is Fate, that fateful force that prevents the impulse to happiness from attaining its goal, which hangs above your head like the sword of Damocles. It is invincible, and you will never overcome it.... you can only reconcile yourself to it, and languish fruitlessly. (Brown [Tchaikovsky], 147)
In these words written by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky in one of more than six hundred letters to his patroness, Nadezdha von Meck, the composer describes the now iconic opening of his fourth symphony. Dedicated to her, this symphony not only details the inner workings of a man troubled by issues of his sexuality, but also the feelings that the patroness and composer shared: misanthropy, inner conflict, turmoil, depression, inconsistency, discomfort, and discontentment. Tchaikovsky's fourth symphony reveals to the listener the depth and complexity of artistry that was both a gift and a curse to Tchaikovsky.
From capricious musical conversation through folk tunes, to mournful, plaintive, and otherwise heart-wrenching melodies, Tchaikovsky's fourth symphony is a programmatic masterpiece that tells the story of a man condemned to live in a world in which he is constrained by powers beyond his control.
From an early age, Tchaikovsky expressed symptoms of major depression. His mother, Alexandra Tchaikovskaya (née Assier), was a kind but detached mother who he described as "rather unaffectionate," at least to the young Pyotr's standards. Pyotr, an incredibly emotional child with a strong need for the comforting embrace of a mother, was often denied this gesture. Accounts of Pyotr's childhood demeanor from his closest brother, Modest, claim that he was particularly susceptible to bursting into tears when upset. The young Tchaikovsky described his mother as "a...