ALBUM DLA MŁODZIEŻY PIOTRA CZAJKOWSKIEGO – SCENY Z ŻYCIA DZIECKA?

One hundred and thirty years since its creation, Children’s Album, Op. 39 by Pyotr Tchaikovsky has been re-examined taking into account the composer’s manuscript and the piece’s long-term pianistic performing tradition. Recent musicological research suggests that the Album was written as a cyclic form, in which the constituent miniatures are inter-linked by common thematic material and tonal relations and share the same philosophic narrative. The article reviews possible motives behind composing the musical piece for children and the Tchaikovsky’s dramatic circumstances at the time that might have influ-enced its final form. The melodies and texts of the original songs exploited by the com-poser as well as tales and games for children introduced in the miniatures are presented. The author discusses technical aspects of mimicking instruments such as balalaika and bar-rel organ on the piano. Practical guidance on working with the Children’s Album from the point of view of a performer and a teacher is proposed.