Tchaikovsky: The Seasons, Op. 37a
12 months, free to read, hear and print, in the composer's own order.
Open the sheet music libraryIn 1876 the St Petersburg magazine Nouvellist printed a new piano piece by Tchaikovsky in each monthly issue, twelve in all, each headed by a few lines of Russian poetry about that month. They were written for amateurs to play at home, and they became some of his best loved music: a fireside dream for January, a carnival for February, a gondola song for June, a sleigh ride for November.
They are here month by month. Most are within reach of a good intermediate player; June's Barcarolle and October's Autumn Song are the ones everyone wants to learn first, and every piece plays back so you can hear it before you start.
About the pieces
The Seasons Op. 37a January By the Fireside
A magazine commissioned Tchaikovsky to write one piece a month through 1876, printing each in its issue for that month. He found the deadlines tiresome and asked his servant to remind him when each was due.
The Seasons Op. 37a February Carnival
February from the twelve months Tchaikovsky wrote for a St Petersburg magazine through 1876, one printed each month.
March: Song of the Lark, Op. 37a No. 3
March is the Song of the Lark, a short, wistful piece in G minor. The verse at its head pictures fields of flowers and larks singing in the spring sky, and the right hand imitates birdsong with little ornaments over a quiet chordal accompaniment.
April: Snowdrop, Op. 37a No. 4
April is the Snowdrop, the first flower to push through the last snow. Tchaikovsky's B-flat major melody is full of hope and gentle movement, with a slightly darker middle section before the opening returns.
May: Starlit Nights, Op. 37a No. 5
May is about the white nights of the Russian north, when the sun hardly sets. A dreamy, rocking Andantino in G major frames a quicker, playful middle section, and the piece ends as quietly as it began.
June: Barcarolle, Op. 37a No. 6
June is the most famous of Tchaikovsky's Seasons, a barcarolle, the boat song of the Venetian gondoliers, rocking gently in G minor. The verse at its head invites us down to the shore where the waves will kiss our feet.
July: Song of the Reaper, Op. 37a No. 7
July is the Song of the Reaper, a sturdy E-flat major tune for the men cutting hay in the fields. Its swinging rhythm and folk-song melody move between the hands, with a quieter, more tender middle passage.
August: Harvest, Op. 37a No. 8
August is the Harvest, a fast, busy scherzo in B minor with the whole village at work in the fields. Driving figures in both hands frame a broad, singing middle section in D major before the bustle returns.
September: The Hunt, Op. 37a No. 9
September is the Hunt, a bright G major piece full of horn calls and galloping rhythms as the hunters ride out with their hounds. The dotted rhythms and repeated chords give it a constant feeling of movement.
The Seasons October Op. 37 bis No. 10
A St Petersburg magazine commissioned one short piece a month through 1876 and printed each in the issue for that month. Tchaikovsky found the deadlines a nuisance and asked his servant to remind him when each was due.
November: Troika, Op. 37a No. 11
November is a troika ride, a sleigh pulled by three horses across the snow, after a poem by Nekrasov that tells you not to look sadly down the road but to hurry after the troika. The bright E major tune is passed between the hands, a livelier middle section brings in the jingle of the ride, and the sleigh fades into the distance at the end.
December-Christmas Opus 37 No. 12
December, the last of the twelve monthly pieces a magazine commissioned from Tchaikovsky through 1876, subtitled Christmas.