Running head: COMPARE-AND-CONTRAST THE PLAYING STYLES OF TWO RUSSIAN CELLISTS PLAYING

Compare-and-contrast the playing styles of two Russian cellists playing the variations rococo
Author Name
Institution
COMPARE-AND-CONTRAST THE PLAYING STYLES OF TWO RUSSIAN CELLISTS PLAYING THE
VARIATIONS ROCOCO

Introduction

The first time the Variation in the orchestral version was performed was 18th November 1877 in

Moscow, and the performance was done under the baton of Nikolay Rubinstein. Fitzenhagen and

Tchaikovsky had different Variations on a Rocco that they put to suit their context together.

According to Fitzenhagen, who sang his melody with the rhythm of the gavotte, defined Rocco

as a feeling where an individual believed of carefree of his well-being. The person would only

think of him or herself. Tchaikovsky noted that Rococo was a pure style that was introduced at

the time of Haydn and Mozart, and they had changed with time due to the coloristic excesses of

romantic composers (Istomin, 2016). Tchaikovsky made the first performance in 1877 and

Fitzenhagen made his first performance later after two years during a festival in Wiesbaden

outside Russia.

Fitzenhagen entered the music industry in 1879 two years after Tchaikovsky had made his

performance in Russia. He entered the industry just as the first publishing supervisor, and a

performer of the Variation. Fitzenhagen at the year preferred to make the work of Tchaikovsky

instead of his work. This act was questioned by many scholars who argued that this move was

not the right one. The performance of the Fitzenhagen version of the Variations has never

changed as since then it has been continuously being done by the cellists. This has brought a

contention among various musicians who believed that the edition of Fitzenhagen was a

misrepresentation of the intention of the initial composer, who was Tchaikovsky. The

composition of Tchaikovsky was that of Variations on a Rococo Theme and not Variations in the

Rococo style as was being performed by Fitzenhagen. The idea made the composer so emotional

with Fitzenhagen, therefore causing a problem between the two artists.

COMPARE-AND-CONTRAST THE PLAYING STYLES OF TWO RUSSIAN CELLISTS PLAYING THE
VARIATIONS ROCOCO

Fitzenhagen and Tchaikovsky had different Variations on a Rocco that they put to suit their

context. According to Fitzenhagen, who sang his melody with the rhythm of the gavotte, defined

Rocco as a feeling where an individual where one carefree of his well-being. Tchaikovsky noted

that Rococo was a pure style that was introduced at the time of Haydn and Mozart, and they had

changed with time due to the coloristic excesses of romantic composers. According to many

scholars, the composition of Tchaikovsky was that of Variations on a Rococo Theme and not

Variations in the Rococo style. He believed that Rococo culture was not actual for the Russian

culture. The statement was contradicted by himself when he stated that the architectural and

decorative Rococo style was the most popular in Russia and Europe during that time

(Tsagaanchuluun, 2014).

Tchaikovsky was so upset by the drastic modification of the Variation that was done by the

Fitzenhagen. So many scholars reacted to the action that was taken by Fitzenhagen to make

changes to the original document. He changed the way the music was to be played. The tones

and melody of the music were generally changed greatly only to suit the interest of Fitzenhagen.

There was a problem with the place where the original piano and the cello part were. The piano

and cello parts that were used from 1876 and the year 1889 were the mission. The materials had

been taken by Fitzenhagen. This idea intensified the rift between the two artists.

Four contemporary manuscripts were already in the market due to the mistakes that were done

by the partner of the original composer. The piano and the cello part, which were the original and

the primary source. These were the documents made by Tchaikovsky. The full orchestral score,

the clean copies of piano parts, and the two were part of Violoncelle-Solo. The latter manuscripts

were written by Fitzenhagen. The first of the four manuscripts were considered by money

scholars as a rough copy. The documents are today kept in Moscow at the Russian National
COMPARE-AND-CONTRAST THE PLAYING STYLES OF TWO RUSSIAN CELLISTS PLAYING THE
VARIATIONS ROCOCO

Museum of Music. The documents are used to teach various students of music in Russia and

some parts of the world. The documents are what brought a lot of challenges between the two

artists as the original composer believed that his idea of music was used by another person. The

materials by the Violoncelle-Solo are one of the most valuable documents that can be performed

practically (Kim, 2020). The document was a handwritten copy of the piano parts.

The version of the Fitzenhagen also omitted two final measures in Variation IV and the first

thirty-five measures in Variation VIII. The omission was seen to be a whole Variation VII

because the Coda is believed to start on the thirty sex measure. They also deliberately omitted all

these sections of the Variations. He was omitted because of redundancy and lack of bravura.

Some scholars believed that the Cadenza was probably composed with the help of Fitzenhagen.

The omission changed the work of the original composer. The idea changed the relationship

between Tchaikovsky and Fitzenhagen.

COMPARE-AND-CONTRAST THE PLAYING STYLES OF TWO RUSSIAN CELLISTS PLAYING THE
VARIATIONS ROCOCO

References
Istomin, S. (2016). THE HISTORY OF TCHAIKOVSKY’S VARIATIONS ON A ROCOCO THEME AND THE
COLLABORATION WITH FITZENHAGEN. Music & Practice, Volume 4.

Kim, J. (2020). A Comparison of Original and Performer's Editions: Frédéric Chopin's Introduction and
Polonaise Brillante, Op. 3 Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky's Concerto in B-Flat Major, G. 482. Electronic
Theses, Treatises and Dissertations , 13-69.

Tsagaanchuluun, B. (2014). Variations on a Rococo theme. Skriftlig reflektion inom självständigt,

konstnärligt arbe, 20-57.