The 1812 Overture: A Look at Tchaikovsky's Famous Composition

Wikipedia sources say: Tchaikovsky's 1812 overture was written to commemorate Russia's defeat against Napoleonic forces advancing towards Moscow in that given year. The name of the overture is: "Ouverture Solennelle, L'Annee 1812 op 49." (In the 19th century, the names of compositions were usually given in French; the French were considered to be the most cultured amongst all the Europeans, and French was the language of choice for art.)

This piece has made the top 10 of classical compositions in the USA for years; the USA uses this piece to celebrate the 4th of July (independence day), even if the echoes from "La Marseillaise" might sound irrelevant. With the 1812 Overture, Romeo and Juliet, and The Nutcracker under his belt, Tchaikovsky has blown every other classical composer out of the water for good....

For a piece that has few equals in popularity, it might surprise people to know that Tchaikovsky thought very little of it. In fact, historians say: Tchaikovsky wrote a letter to Nadezhda von Meck telling her just how silly he felt this piece really was. Tchaikovsky praised his "Serenade for Strings" but trashed the overture, both compositions were written at around the same time.

Tchaikovsky begun the overture in late 1880, and finished it in six weeks. The "Cathedral of Christ the Savior" commissioned by Tsar Alexander I to commemorate Russia's defeat of France was nearing its completion. It was Nikolay Rubenstein (Tchaikovsky's friend) who suggested a festival piece to be performed in front of the cathedral. The piece finally had its first performance in 1882.

Historians have made note of the fact that Tchaikovsky never heard the overture performed the way it is today. Although Tchaikovsky calls for cannons and enormous orchestra forces; it is said Tchaikovsky never heard the work with his chosen orchestration. Tchaikovsky conducted many performances of the work throughout Europe and the USA.

Tchaikovsky's fame as a composer is unrivaled! In fact, Stalin tried to put Tchaikovsky out of business during his dictatorship but failed. Tchaikovsky's constant use of the hymn: "God Save the Tsar" (heard in the finale and throughout of the overture) which he uses in many of his musical compositions led Stalin to refer to his music as "Bourgeois," and as a result banned much of his music during his regime.

The 1812 overture has become one of the most famous classical compositions (romantic actually) ever written. Even people who don't care for classical music have heard parts of this piece in one form or another.