The Portrayal of Nationalism in Tchaikovsky’s 1812 Overture
By Erin Grady
MHST 322
Mr. McGuire
April 7, 2004
Tchaikovsky didn’t think very highly of his 1812 Overture. In a letter to his patron,
Mme. Von Meck, he describes it as having “no great artistic value.” (Tchaikovsky, 390)
In a later letter attempting to have the piece played, he states “it is not of any great value,
and I shall not be at all surprised or hurt if you consider the style of music unsuitable to a
symphony concert.” (ibid, 405) For a piece that Tchaikovsky apparently couldn’t have
cared less about, the 1812 Overture is certainly a work full of clever iconography. This
paper will show that within the 1812 Overture Tchaikovsky was able to create a
compelling narrative structure conforming Propp’s narrative archetype (pp. 25-65). It
will examine his use of thematic material, orchestration, and depiction of a battlefield in
achieving this result. Finally, we will see how this narrative structure contributes to the
larger goal of the work: to create a strong nationalistic feeling within the composition and
in its listeners.
The Program
The 1812 Overture was commissioned by Nicholas Rubinstein in 1880. Since it was
meant to be a work which would be performed at an outdoor ceremony for the
consecration of the Temple of Christ in Moscow, Tchaikovsky selected to commemorate
an historical event which would arouse feelings of patriotism in those at the ceremony.
Tchaikovsky used as his programmatic fodder the events which took place around
Moscow in the year 1812. In September of that year, Moscow was invaded by French
troops under Napoleon’s command. The French had been tearing through the greater part
of Europe at this time, and had yet to suffer any substantial defeat. On September 7,
there was a huge battle in the town of Borodino, near Moscow. There were a great many
casualties (up to 80,000), and the result of the battle was unclear. The Russian troops
withdrew from the battle, and the French were allowed to take the city. No sooner had
they won this battle, however, but the city caught fire and was completely destroyed,
possibly the work of the ‘defeated’ Russians. Thus began the famous retreat of
Napoleon’s troops across Russia, where they were eventually overcome by the harsh
winter, famine, and Russian insurgents (McClure).
Although this victory for the Russians was in reality passive, Tchaikovsky creates an
intense battle scene in his Overture, with the Russians emerging as the clear victors. This
is not wholly inaccurate, however, as the French retreat from the city was the beginning
of the ultimate French defeat. Thus, the victory began a chain of important and positive
events for Russia as well as the rest of Europe.
The Orchestration Techniques
To make his program more explicitly mirror real life, Tchaikovsky uses multiple
orchestration techniques to musically depict a powerful battle scene. His instrumentation
is especially pivotal in this process. The snare drum serves as a synecdoche, with the
drummer leading the entire strength of the Russian forces into battle. Once the battle
actually begins, the percussion section is used to conjure up further ideas of battle. The
bass drum and cymbals represent the major sources of artillery, gunfire and clashing of
weapons, with cannons making cameo appearances, coming in to deliver the most
devastating blows. More common instrumental stereotypes are exploited as well, with
the strings often representing the hero and the militaristic brass representing the powerful
villain.
The brass choir is also important to the end of the piece. The Overture was originally
to be for choir and orchestra, but Tchaikovsky substituted a brass choir for a human one.
This served the dual purpose of allowing the orchestral timbre to carry in the open-air
space in which the premiere was planned, as well as giving special warmth to the
restatement of the Russian hymn associated with love for country.
The Thematic Composition and Narrative Structure
Tchaikovsky drew upon recognizable nationalistic melodies for his thematic material
in the 1812 Overture. On the side of the Russians, he uses the well-known Russian hymn
God Preserve Thy People, several Russian folk songs, and the Imperial Hymn, which was
at the time Russia’s national anthem. The French troops were represented by their
national anthem, the Marseillaise (McClure). In choosing such themes, Tchaikovsky
clearly established the characters and their actions in his narrative. The following
paragraphs will describe the functions the different themes serve within the framework of
Propp’s Morphology of the Folktale (pp. 25-65)
The first 118 measures constitute the introduction of the hero, his task, and the setting.
The piece opens with cello and viola soli playing a Largo version of God Preserve Thy
People (A). This theme determines the setting and hero – a strongly patriotic Russia,
whose people love their country and are willing to fight to protect what is good about it.
An oboe solo begins a turbulent transition from this solemn hymn to an urgent
development section driven largely by the trombones and tuba. The Russian troops are
preparing to meet the French in battle to defend their city. The first statement of the
Imperial Hymn (B) represents Russia accepting its role as a hero. It is here that the snare
drum makes its first appearance, as the Russian troops draw even closer to battle, and
remember the Tsar, who is the one honored in the Imperial Hymn (Köchel). The anthem
doesn’t get very far, however, before it is reduced to its first five notes embarking on a
slow diminuendo. Another transitional section begins, representing the hero’s departure
from home. It, too, drives forward towards battle, with runs in the strings being accented
by eighth notes played, often on offbeats, by the winds.
The first round of narrative action begins in measure 119. The villain of the narrative
is introduced, as the Marseillaise (C) makes its debut and the French troops appear near
Moscow. It continues amid the same kind of turbulence put forth in the second
transitional section as the troops move closer, only to be suddenly replaced in measure
163 by a serene, even pastoral sounding Russian folk melody (D). This, too, is reduced
and hushed, and transforms in to a second folk melody, this time modal and dance-like
(E). D and E together represent the hero’s journey as the piece reflects upon various
aspects of Russia, with D representing the land itself, and E standing for the Russian
people.
This nostalgia cannot so easily delay the attack of the French forces, who return with a
restatement of theme C and introduce the second round of conflict. They have now
reached striking distance, as this time the battle is not only depicted through the music’s
turbulent nature, but is more explicitly represented by the pounding of the bass drum and
the crashing of the cymbals. The Marseillaise exultantly reasserts itself, and the strings
seem to reel and spiral downwards into their very lowest register. It seems that the
Russian forces have been hit hard, and this perhaps is the point at which they withdraw
from the battle. As before D somehow emerges from the chaos, again followed by E.
The thematic climax of the narrative begins in measure 306 as C reasserts itself once
more in the brass, but this time is immediately combated by theme E in the strings. The
Russian troops have found agency through pride in their country, specifically in the
Russian people. The two themes continue to collide, with more and more overlap and
increasingly faster note values. The battle reaches its zenith at measure 328, where the
Marseillaise is played fortissimo, but is still penetrated by the Russian cannons in the
percussion section. Finally, the Russians have achieved victory and the French begin
their retreat, musically stated by eleven and a half measures’ worth of descending runs in
the strings and winds.
The narrative begins its conclusion in measure 358. The Russian victory is sounded
throughout Moscow as the hero returns home, with a brass choir triumphantly restating
theme A, church bells ringing in the background. Final shades of C are hinted at in
measure 377, but the French are vanquished for good as B comes back with an Allegro
vivace “and stay out!” gesture, replete with cannons. This jubilant final theme restores
Russia to its status as an independent nation, and again conjures up images of the tsar.
The final element in a folk tale, the ascention of the hero to the throne, is conveyed
through this theme.
The different thematic elements of the 1812 Overture are summarized in the chart
below. Each presentation of the theme is accompanied by an explanation of what it
represents in the narrative, and how this fits into Propp’s morphology.
Theme
Measure #
Narrative Description
God Preserve Thy People, Russian hymn,
low string soli
A
1
Transition
36
Oboe and low brass lead the way to battle
B
77
Imperial Hymn, Russian national anthem,
with snare drum
Transition
96
Rhythmic turbulence leads to battle
C
119
Marseillaise, French national anthem
D
163
Pastoral Russian folk melody
E
211
Dance-like Russian folk melody
C
224
Marseillaise with battle sounds
D
277
Pastoral Russian folk melody
E
299
Dance-like Russian folk melody
C vs. E
306
French and Russian themes overlap
C
328
Marseillaise overpowered by cannons
Descent
335
A
358
The French retreat!
God Preserve Thy People in brass choir,
with celebratory church bells
B
380
Fast statement of Imperial Hymn with
cannons added for good measure
Propp
Introduction
of the hero
Action is
necessitated
Hero accepts
role and
moves toward
conflict
Hero leaves
home
Introduction
of Villain
Hero goes on
a journey
(nostalgic)
Hero vs.
Villain
Second
journey, hero
receives
agency (pride
in country)
Hero vs.
Villain II
The hero is
victorious!
The hero
returns home
The hero
ascends the
throne
The Nationalistic Result
Tchaikovsky reaches his goal of associating feelings of nationalism with his 1812
Overture in a number of ways. Most obviously, the program itself has strong historical
ties with patriotism for the Russian people, and the easily recognizable themes are
strongly associated with the countries involved in the program.
More importantly, in following a narrative format audiences have become familiar
with through countless folktales, Tchaikovsky was able to create a piece which brought
with it strong nationalistic fervor. According to Propp, “all fairy tales are of one type in
regard to their structure (p. 23).” This conclusion was based on studying hundreds of
folk tales across many cultures. Thus, if one composition fits the archetype of a folk tale,
it will be connected to all other folk tales.
Following this assumption that the folk-tale archetype is cross-cultural, any culture
which is familiar with its own tales of patriotism should be able to recognize and
appreciate tales outside of their own culture’s history. Indeed, the nationalism present in
the 1812 Overture was recognized and celebrated even outside of Russia. Tchaikovsky’s
brother Modest tells us that, after a concert in Prague featuring the 1812 Overture,
Tchaikovsky was treated with celebrity unlike any he had ever seen in his lifetime – his
warm welcome was meant as a cry of camaraderie between the Czechs and the Russians
(p. 552). In this way Tchaikovsky became a symbol of Russia, much as in the case of
Verdi and the unification of Italy. Furthermore, the folktale archetype employed in the
1812 Overture is so successful in evoking feelings of patriotism that is has been able to
transcend its specific program and iconography, becoming a staple of American patriotic
literature – rising to popularity during the height of the Cold War, no less. This very
powerful piece, while perhaps not liked very much at first by its composer, remains an
excellent example of the use of narrative structure to convey feelings of nationalism in an
instrumental work.
I affirm that I have adhered to the Honor Code in this Assignment.
Bibliography
Köchel, Jürgen. “1812 Overture.” Liner notes. Weiner Philharmoniker and Christoph von
Dohnanyi. 425 792-2 London, 1991.
McClure, John, producer. “1812 Overture.” Liner notes. Leonard Bernstein Conducts the
New York Philharmonic. MYK 36723 CBS Records Masterworks, 1985.
Propp, Vladimir. Morphology of the Folktale. Lawrence Scott, trans. Austin: University
of Texas Press, 1968.
Tchaikovsky, Modeste. The Life & Letters of Peter Ilich Tchaikovsky. Rosa Newmarch,
ed. New York: Vienna House, 1973.