Eric Hsu 1/10/12 Shapoval Marche Slave The Marche Slave in B-flat minor, Op.

31 is a piece composed by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. The composition itself has much background involved in its making. In the year 1876, the Ottoman Empire was at war with Serbia. Russia, however, allied with Serbia and offered various forms of aid to the country, particularly to Serbian war veterans; most significantly, the Russian Musical Society formed a concert with an orchestral piece composed by Tchaikovsky. That piece was Marche Slave, referred to by Tchaikovsky himself as his Serbo-Russian March. The piece was debuted in Moscow on November 17, 1876, conducted by Nikolai Rubenstein. The orchestration first begins with a march-like theme introduced by the cellos and basses, sparking the dark somber tone of oppression experienced by the Serbs. The piece transitions later into the relative major key, describing how Russians were eager and glad to help the Serbs. Two Serbian folk songs are used in Marche Slave, familiarly manipulated into the piece with a rustic dance. The popular God Save the Tsar tune is blazed throughout Marche Slave, which incites Russian nationalism. The piece ends with a fabulous coda, calling upon the triumph of Slavs over tyrannical rule. Tchaikovskys habit of taking bits and pieces from various pieces is evident in his Marche Slave, with tunes from 1812 Overture and various Slavic traditional dances. In addition, the Marche speaks Russian Nationalism, which, according to legend, has had audiences stand up on their seats applauding to the grandiose work of art.