Iosif Kotek - Revision history

Brett: Text replacement - "proof-read" to "proofread"

2024-08-23T08:55:27Z

Text replacement - "proof-read" to "proofread"

← Older revision		Revision as of 10:55, 23 August 2024
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	In the end, Tchaikovsky did not dare to visit [[Davos]] a second time, and a week later he learnt of the death of his friend, first from a telegram and then from a letter of 28 December 1884/9 January 1885 from [[Nadezhda von Meck]], then staying in [[Vienna]], who wrote laconically: "You probably already know, my dear friend, that Kotek passed away: we read it here in a German newspaper" <ref name="note33"/>.		In the end, Tchaikovsky did not dare to visit [[Davos]] a second time, and a week later he learnt of the death of his friend, first from a telegram and then from a letter of 28 December 1884/9 January 1885 from [[Nadezhda von Meck]], then staying in [[Vienna]], who wrote laconically: "You probably already know, my dear friend, that Kotek passed away: we read it here in a German newspaper" <ref name="note33"/>.

	Tchaikovsky answered her on the first day of the New Year. "On the very morning of Christmas Eve, I received a telegram about Kotek's death", he told her. "Besides the shock and deep sorrow that this news brought me, there also fell to me the painful duty of notifying the unhappy parents of the loss of their most beloved eldest son, who was already becoming a source of material support as well for the poor family." He went on: "All this would have made a crushing impression on me if it had not happened that, because of pressing need and a lack of good ~~proof-readers~~, I was forced to do within a few days the ~~proof-reading~~ of my new suite myself. ... I was angry, indignant, ... grew utterly exhausted, but, on the other hand, had no time constantly to think and grieve about Kotek's death" <ref name="note34"/>. This oddly restrained reaction did not prevent Tchaikovsky from noting in his diary a year and a half later: "Kotek's letters. Tears" <ref name="note35"/>.		Tchaikovsky answered her on the first day of the New Year. "On the very morning of Christmas Eve, I received a telegram about Kotek's death", he told her. "Besides the shock and deep sorrow that this news brought me, there also fell to me the painful duty of notifying the unhappy parents of the loss of their most beloved eldest son, who was already becoming a source of material support as well for the poor family." He went on: "All this would have made a crushing impression on me if it had not happened that, because of pressing need and a lack of good proofreaders, I was forced to do within a few days the proofreading of my new suite myself. ... I was angry, indignant, ... grew utterly exhausted, but, on the other hand, had no time constantly to think and grieve about Kotek's death" <ref name="note34"/>. This oddly restrained reaction did not prevent Tchaikovsky from noting in his diary a year and a half later: "Kotek's letters. Tears" <ref name="note35"/>.

	[[Nadezhda von Meck]] made no further mention of Kotek's death beyond her one dry remark, and she offered no expression of condolence. Fashioning for herself an opinion of him as a flippant and philandering young man, she had driven Kotek from her retinue and deprived him of even the most meagre support despite Tchaikovsky's repeated attempts at mediation. After his death, she refused Tchaikovsky's request that she help find employment for Kotek's brother-in-law, then in desperate straits. Infinitely obliging and gracious to her friend in all else, on the matter of Kotek — who had, after all, been the immediate initiator of her acquaintance with Tchaikovsky — she remained stubbornly deaf to his pleas. Her obduracy suggests even some unconscious jealousy. Out of all the persons whom she knew in Tchaikovsky's circle, only Kotek had enjoyed the composer's particular benevolence, and until his own estrangement from Kotek in 1881, Tchaikovsky had never tired of emphasizing his fondness for the young man.		[[Nadezhda von Meck]] made no further mention of Kotek's death beyond her one dry remark, and she offered no expression of condolence. Fashioning for herself an opinion of him as a flippant and philandering young man, she had driven Kotek from her retinue and deprived him of even the most meagre support despite Tchaikovsky's repeated attempts at mediation. After his death, she refused Tchaikovsky's request that she help find employment for Kotek's brother-in-law, then in desperate straits. Infinitely obliging and gracious to her friend in all else, on the matter of Kotek — who had, after all, been the immediate initiator of her acquaintance with Tchaikovsky — she remained stubbornly deaf to his pleas. Her obduracy suggests even some unconscious jealousy. Out of all the persons whom she knew in Tchaikovsky's circle, only Kotek had enjoyed the composer's particular benevolence, and until his own estrangement from Kotek in 1881, Tchaikovsky had never tired of emphasizing his fondness for the young man.

Brett: /* Dedications */

2023-09-10T19:13:30Z

Dedications

← Older revision		Revision as of 21:13, 10 September 2023
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	''{{right\|Alexander Poznansky}}''		''{{right\|Alexander Poznansky}}''
	==Dedications==		==Dedications==
	Tchaikovsky's ''[[Valse-Scherzo, Op. 34\|Valse-Scherzo]]'' for violin and orchestra, Op. 34, was dedicated ~~to Iosif~~ Kotek.		Tchaikovsky's ''[[Valse-Scherzo, Op. 34\|Valse-Scherzo]]'' for violin and orchestra, Op. 34, was dedicated "à Monsieur Joseph Kotek".

	==Correspondence with Tchaikovsky==		==Correspondence with Tchaikovsky==

Brett at 19:02, 16 August 2023

2023-08-16T19:02:03Z

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	{{picture\|file=Photo031.jpg\|caption='''Iosif Kotek''' (1855-1885)<br/>With Tchaikovsky (right) in 1877}}		{{picture\|file=Photo031.jpg\|caption='''Iosif Kotek''' (1855-1885)<br/>With Tchaikovsky (right) in 1877}}
	Russian violinist, and friend of the composer (b. 25 October/6 November 1855 in Kamenets-Podolsk, Ukraine; d. 4 January 1885 {{NS}} in [[Davos]]), born '''''Iosif Iosifovich Kotek''''' (Иосиф Иосифович Котек), also known as '''''Eduard Josef Kotek''''' or '''''Joseph Kotek'''''.		Russian violinist, and friend of the composer (b. 25 October/6 November 1855 in Kamenets-Podolsk, Ukraine; d. 4 January 1885 {{NS}} in [[Davos]]), born '''''Iosif Iosifovich Kotek''''' (Иосиф Иосифович Котек), also known as '''''Eduard Josef Kotek''''' or '''''Joseph Kotek'''''.
	~~__TOC__~~
	==Tchaikovsky and Kotek==		==Tchaikovsky and Kotek==
	The son of a Czech father and a Russian mother, Kotek enrolled in the [[Moscow]] Conservatory in 1871 and graduated in 1876, where he had studied violin under [[Ferdinand Laub]] and [[Jan Hřímalý]], and music theory/composition under Tchaikovsky. In 1875, he had organized a string quartet with [[Stanisław Barcewicz]], [[Andrey Arends]] and [[Anatoly Brandukov]]. Tchaikovsky had praised their first performance. On [[Nikolay Rubinstein]]'s recommendation he was engaged by [[Nadezhda von Meck]] as her resident violinist. In 1877, Tchaikovsky dedicated his ''[[Valse-Scherzo, Op. 34\|Valse-Scherzo]]'' for violin and orchestra to Kotek, who was also allowed to orchestrate the piece.		The son of a Czech father and a Russian mother, Kotek enrolled in the [[Moscow]] Conservatory in 1871 and graduated in 1876, where he had studied violin under [[Ferdinand Laub]] and [[Jan Hřímalý]], and music theory/composition under Tchaikovsky. In 1875, he had organized a string quartet with [[Stanisław Barcewicz]], [[Andrey Arends]] and [[Anatoly Brandukov]]. Tchaikovsky had praised their first performance. On [[Nikolay Rubinstein]]'s recommendation he was engaged by [[Nadezhda von Meck]] as her resident violinist. In 1877, Tchaikovsky dedicated his ''[[Valse-Scherzo, Op. 34\|Valse-Scherzo]]'' for violin and orchestra to Kotek, who was also allowed to orchestrate the piece.
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	* '''[[Letter 2120]]''' – 29 September/10 October 1882, from [[Kamenka]]		* '''[[Letter 2120]]''' – 29 September/10 October 1882, from [[Kamenka]]

	~~150~~ letters from Kotek to Tchaikovsky, dating from 1877 to 1884, are preserved in the {{RUS-KLč}} at [[Klin]].		158 letters from Kotek to Tchaikovsky, dating from 1877 to 1884, are preserved in the {{RUS-KLč}} at [[Klin]] (a{{sup\|4}}, Nos. 1817–1821 and 1823–1975).

	==Bibliography==		==Bibliography==
	* {{bib\|1959/79}} (1959)		* {{bib\|1959/79}} (1959)
	* {{bib\|1986/12}} (1986)		* {{bib\|1986/12}} (1986)

			==External Links==
			* [[wikipedia:Iosif_Kotek\|Wikipedia]]
			* {{viaf\|52474708}}

	==Notes and References==		==Notes and References==
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	[[Category:Students (of Tchaikovsky)\|Kotek, Iosif]]		[[Category:Students (of Tchaikovsky)\|Kotek, Iosif]]
	[[Category:Violinists\|Kotek, Iosif]]		[[Category:Violinists\|Kotek, Iosif]]
			__NOTOC__

Brett: Text replacement - "Klin House-Museum Archive" to "{{RUS-KLč}} at Klin"

2023-08-08T07:58:11Z

Text replacement - "Klin House-Museum Archive" to "{{RUS-KLč}} at Klin"

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	* '''[[Letter 2120]]''' – 29 September/10 October 1882, from [[Kamenka]]		* '''[[Letter 2120]]''' – 29 September/10 October 1882, from [[Kamenka]]

	150 letters from Kotek to Tchaikovsky, dating from 1877 to 1884, are preserved in the [[Klin]] ~~House-Museum Archive~~.		150 letters from Kotek to Tchaikovsky, dating from 1877 to 1884, are preserved in the {{RUS-KLč}} at [[Klin]].

	==Bibliography==		==Bibliography==

Brett: Text replacement - "Hänflein" to "Haenflein"

2023-03-08T18:03:57Z

Text replacement - "Hänflein" to "Haenflein"

← Older revision		Revision as of 20:03, 8 March 2023
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	<ref name="note35">Diary entry for 27 July/8 August 1886.</ref>		<ref name="note35">Diary entry for 27 July/8 August 1886.</ref>
	<ref name="note36">See [[Letter 2641]] to [[Yevgeniya Zhukovskaya]], 8/20 January 1885; [[Letter 2643a]] to [[Yuliya Chistyakova-Mikhalevskaya]], 9/21 January 1885; [[Letter 3673a]] to [[Vyacheslav Kotek]], 21 September/3 October 1888.</ref>		<ref name="note36">See [[Letter 2641]] to [[Yevgeniya Zhukovskaya]], 8/20 January 1885; [[Letter 2643a]] to [[Yuliya Chistyakova-Mikhalevskaya]], 9/21 January 1885; [[Letter 3673a]] to [[Vyacheslav Kotek]], 21 September/3 October 1888.</ref>
	<ref name="note37">Although the composer and everyone involved in this [[Vienna]] performance seem to have believed this was the concerto's premiere, they were apparently unaware that it had already been performed in [[Hannover]] on 1/13 March 1880, by the concertmaster of the city's Hofkapelle, Georg ~~Hänflein~~, conducted by Ernst Frank.</ref>		<ref name="note37">Although the composer and everyone involved in this [[Vienna]] performance seem to have believed this was the concerto's premiere, they were apparently unaware that it had already been performed in [[Hannover]] on 1/13 March 1880, by the concertmaster of the city's Hofkapelle, Georg Haenflein, conducted by Ernst Frank.</ref>
	</references>		</references>
	[[Category:People\|Kotek, Iosif]]		[[Category:People\|Kotek, Iosif]]

Tony: /* Notes and References */ Text replacement - "Hopfkapelle" to "Hofkapelle"

2022-12-08T20:09:21Z

Notes and References: Text replacement - "Hopfkapelle" to "Hofkapelle"

← Older revision		Revision as of 22:09, 8 December 2022
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	<ref name="note35">Diary entry for 27 July/8 August 1886.</ref>		<ref name="note35">Diary entry for 27 July/8 August 1886.</ref>
	<ref name="note36">See [[Letter 2641]] to [[Yevgeniya Zhukovskaya]], 8/20 January 1885; [[Letter 2643a]] to [[Yuliya Chistyakova-Mikhalevskaya]], 9/21 January 1885; [[Letter 3673a]] to [[Vyacheslav Kotek]], 21 September/3 October 1888.</ref>		<ref name="note36">See [[Letter 2641]] to [[Yevgeniya Zhukovskaya]], 8/20 January 1885; [[Letter 2643a]] to [[Yuliya Chistyakova-Mikhalevskaya]], 9/21 January 1885; [[Letter 3673a]] to [[Vyacheslav Kotek]], 21 September/3 October 1888.</ref>
	<ref name="note37">Although the composer and everyone involved in this [[Vienna]] performance seem to have believed this was the concerto's premiere, they were apparently unaware that it had already been performed in [[Hannover]] on 1/13 March 1880, by the concertmaster of the city's ~~Hopfkapelle~~, Georg Hänflein, conducted by Ernst Frank.</ref>		<ref name="note37">Although the composer and everyone involved in this [[Vienna]] performance seem to have believed this was the concerto's premiere, they were apparently unaware that it had already been performed in [[Hannover]] on 1/13 March 1880, by the concertmaster of the city's Hofkapelle, Georg Hänflein, conducted by Ernst Frank.</ref>
	</references>		</references>
	[[Category:People\|Kotek, Iosif]]		[[Category:People\|Kotek, Iosif]]

Tony: /* Tchaikovsky and Kotek */

2022-12-08T20:06:33Z

Tchaikovsky and Kotek

← Older revision		Revision as of 22:06, 8 December 2022
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	Recollections of his visit to [[Davos]] that winter to see the dying Kotek and of the snow-capped Alpine peaks, as well as the inner torments of [[Byron]]'s hero, especially those linked to the death of Astarte, gradually rose before his mind's eye. The labour was difficult and exhausting, but he slowly found himself consumed by the new work. Indeed, so engrossed did he become in his new creation, and such an unexpected affinity did he find in the sombre figure of the proud, God-abandoned sufferer that he noted with wry humour that he himself had "turned for a time into a sort of Manfred" <ref name="note31"/>.		Recollections of his visit to [[Davos]] that winter to see the dying Kotek and of the snow-capped Alpine peaks, as well as the inner torments of [[Byron]]'s hero, especially those linked to the death of Astarte, gradually rose before his mind's eye. The labour was difficult and exhausting, but he slowly found himself consumed by the new work. Indeed, so engrossed did he become in his new creation, and such an unexpected affinity did he find in the sombre figure of the proud, God-abandoned sufferer that he noted with wry humour that he himself had "turned for a time into a sort of Manfred" <ref name="note31"/>.

	Kotek's condition continued to decline. Awaiting Tchaikovsky's arrival in Moscow was word from a Russian lady also living in [[Davos]] that Kotek had fallen ill with pneumonia and that it was essential that some relative come to look after him. There was little hope. "I need not tell you what a painful effect this news had on me," he wrote to [[Nadezhda von Meck]] on 18 December. "The awareness of my inability to give him any real assistance, the thought that he may perhaps be dying alone, surrounded by strangers — all this depresses me." Knowing that no one else could go, Tchaikovsky wondered whether he should go himself. "Perhaps I should, but I feel that I simply would not have enough courage to make this long journey again in order to watch the death throes of someone, still so young, on whom everything had just begun to smile, and who wants so much to live! I have sent a telegram and am waiting for news about the course of his illness" <ref name="note32"/>.		Kotek's condition continued to decline. Awaiting Tchaikovsky's arrival in Moscow was word from a Russian lady also living in [[Davos]] that Kotek had fallen ill with pneumonia and that it was essential that some relative come to look after him. There was little hope. "I need not tell you what a painful effect this news had on me", he wrote to [[Nadezhda von Meck]] on 18 December. "The awareness of my inability to give him any real assistance, the thought that he may perhaps be dying alone, surrounded by strangers — all this depresses me." Knowing that no one else could go, Tchaikovsky wondered whether he should go himself. "Perhaps I should, but I feel that I simply would not have enough courage to make this long journey again in order to watch the death throes of someone, still so young, on whom everything had just begun to smile, and who wants so much to live! I have sent a telegram and am waiting for news about the course of his illness" <ref name="note32"/>.

	In the end, Tchaikovsky did not dare to visit [[Davos]] a second time, and a week later he learnt of the death of his friend, first from a telegram and then from a letter of 28 December 1884/9 January 1885 from [[Nadezhda von Meck]], then staying in [[Vienna]], who wrote laconically: "You probably already know, my dear friend, that Kotek passed away: we read it here in a German newspaper" <ref name="note33"/>.		In the end, Tchaikovsky did not dare to visit [[Davos]] a second time, and a week later he learnt of the death of his friend, first from a telegram and then from a letter of 28 December 1884/9 January 1885 from [[Nadezhda von Meck]], then staying in [[Vienna]], who wrote laconically: "You probably already know, my dear friend, that Kotek passed away: we read it here in a German newspaper" <ref name="note33"/>.
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	[[Nadezhda von Meck]] made no further mention of Kotek's death beyond her one dry remark, and she offered no expression of condolence. Fashioning for herself an opinion of him as a flippant and philandering young man, she had driven Kotek from her retinue and deprived him of even the most meagre support despite Tchaikovsky's repeated attempts at mediation. After his death, she refused Tchaikovsky's request that she help find employment for Kotek's brother-in-law, then in desperate straits. Infinitely obliging and gracious to her friend in all else, on the matter of Kotek — who had, after all, been the immediate initiator of her acquaintance with Tchaikovsky — she remained stubbornly deaf to his pleas. Her obduracy suggests even some unconscious jealousy. Out of all the persons whom she knew in Tchaikovsky's circle, only Kotek had enjoyed the composer's particular benevolence, and until his own estrangement from Kotek in 1881, Tchaikovsky had never tired of emphasizing his fondness for the young man.		[[Nadezhda von Meck]] made no further mention of Kotek's death beyond her one dry remark, and she offered no expression of condolence. Fashioning for herself an opinion of him as a flippant and philandering young man, she had driven Kotek from her retinue and deprived him of even the most meagre support despite Tchaikovsky's repeated attempts at mediation. After his death, she refused Tchaikovsky's request that she help find employment for Kotek's brother-in-law, then in desperate straits. Infinitely obliging and gracious to her friend in all else, on the matter of Kotek — who had, after all, been the immediate initiator of her acquaintance with Tchaikovsky — she remained stubbornly deaf to his pleas. Her obduracy suggests even some unconscious jealousy. Out of all the persons whom she knew in Tchaikovsky's circle, only Kotek had enjoyed the composer's particular benevolence, and until his own estrangement from Kotek in 1881, Tchaikovsky had never tired of emphasizing his fondness for the young man.

	After Kotek's death the composer wrote letters of condolence to his sisters [[Yevgeniya Zhukovskaya\|Yevgeniya]] and [[Yuliya Chistyakova-Mikhalevskaya\|Yuliya]], and his brother [[Vyacheslav Kotek\|Vyacheslav]] <ref name="note36"/>.		After Kotek's death, the composer wrote letters of condolence to his sisters [[Yevgeniya Zhukovskaya\|Yevgeniya]] and [[Yuliya Chistyakova-Mikhalevskaya\|Yuliya]], and his brother [[Vyacheslav Kotek\|Vyacheslav]] <ref name="note36"/>.
	''{{right\|Alexander Poznansky}}''		''{{right\|Alexander Poznansky}}''
	==Dedications==		==Dedications==

Tony: /* Tchaikovsky and Kotek */ Text replacement - "alpine" to "Alpine"

2022-12-08T19:57:22Z

Tchaikovsky and Kotek: Text replacement - "alpine" to "Alpine"

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	The initial idea to write a [[Violin Concerto]] belonged to Iosif Kotek, which was expressed in one of his letters to Tchaikovsky earlier that year. This time Kotek had brought a lot of sheet music with him, and Tchaikovsky would often make music with him in the evenings, playing four-handed piano arrangements or accompanying the young violinist on the piano. One of the first pieces they played through was the famous ''Symphonie espagnole'' for violin and orchestra by the French composer [[Édouard Lalo]]. Tchaikovsky liked the work and it probably served as the inspiration for his own composition in this genre, the [[Violin Concerto]] in D major, op. 35. Tchaikovsky became so engrossed in his idea for writing a violin concerto that for the time being he set everything else aside. "All morning I have been working on the violin concerto which I began yesterday", he informed [[Anatoly]] on 6/18 March. "I want to make use of the opportunity provided by Kotek being here. This will be a new and difficult project for me, but also an interesting one" <ref name="note22"/>. From the composer's letters it is clear that despite the novelty of the form, he made unexpectedly swift progress on the concerto.		The initial idea to write a [[Violin Concerto]] belonged to Iosif Kotek, which was expressed in one of his letters to Tchaikovsky earlier that year. This time Kotek had brought a lot of sheet music with him, and Tchaikovsky would often make music with him in the evenings, playing four-handed piano arrangements or accompanying the young violinist on the piano. One of the first pieces they played through was the famous ''Symphonie espagnole'' for violin and orchestra by the French composer [[Édouard Lalo]]. Tchaikovsky liked the work and it probably served as the inspiration for his own composition in this genre, the [[Violin Concerto]] in D major, op. 35. Tchaikovsky became so engrossed in his idea for writing a violin concerto that for the time being he set everything else aside. "All morning I have been working on the violin concerto which I began yesterday", he informed [[Anatoly]] on 6/18 March. "I want to make use of the opportunity provided by Kotek being here. This will be a new and difficult project for me, but also an interesting one" <ref name="note22"/>. From the composer's letters it is clear that despite the novelty of the form, he made unexpectedly swift progress on the concerto.

	Within five days he had already finished the first movement, and a few days later, on 14/26 March, he was able to inform [[Nadezhda von Meck]] that he had "reached the finale" and that the concerto "will soon be ready" <ref name="note23"/>. In a little more than two weeks the sketches for the work were completed. After playing through with Kotek what he had written he was satisfied with the first movement and the finale, but decided to write a new Andante as the second movement. By the end of the month, with Kotek's help, the entire concerto was orchestrated and the young violinist was soon delighting Tchaikovsky and [[Modest]] with his playing of the new work. The composer even considered dedicating the concerto to his former pupil, but decided against it for fear that it might cause gossip. After some hesitation he opted in the end to dedicate the new work to the Hungarian violinist [[Leopold Auer]], a professor at the St. Petersburg Conservatory whose fame he hoped would help ensure its success. It was with this dedication that the concerto was published by [[Jurgenson]], but the scheduled first performance of the work by [[Auer]] in St. Petersburg on 10 March 1879 did not take place, because the famous violinist declared that the piece was too difficult and refused to play it. Tchaikovsky withdrew the original dedication and in the next edition of the concerto rededicated it to [[Adolph Brodsky]], who had successfully performed the work in [[Vienna]] on 22 November/4 December 1881 (although it had already been performed in [[Hannover]] the previous year) <ref name="note37"/>.		Within five days he had already finished the first movement, and a few days later, on 14/26 March, he was able to inform [[Nadezhda von Meck]] that he had "reached the finale" and that the concerto "will soon be ready" <ref name="note23"/>. In a little more than two weeks the sketches for the work were completed. After playing through with Kotek what he had written, he was satisfied with the first movement and the finale, but decided to write a new Andante as the second movement. By the end of the month, with Kotek's help, the entire concerto was orchestrated and the young violinist was soon delighting Tchaikovsky and [[Modest]] with his playing of the new work. The composer even considered dedicating the concerto to his former pupil, but decided against it for fear that it might cause gossip. After some hesitation he opted in the end to dedicate the new work to the Hungarian violinist [[Leopold Auer]], a professor at the St. Petersburg Conservatory whose fame he hoped would help ensure its success. It was with this dedication that the concerto was published by [[Jurgenson]], but the scheduled first performance of the work by [[Auer]] in St. Petersburg on 10 March 1879 did not take place, because the famous violinist declared that the piece was too difficult and refused to play it. Tchaikovsky withdrew the original dedication and in the next edition of the concerto rededicated it to [[Adolph Brodsky]], who had successfully performed the work in [[Vienna]] on 22 November/4 December 1881 (although it had already been performed in [[Hannover]] the previous year) <ref name="note37"/>.

	Kotek's unexpected reluctance to perform the concerto in [[Saint Petersburg]] two weeks earlier led to cooling off in his relations with Tchaikovsky. When he was in [[Berlin]] in 1883, Tchaikovsky played with the idea of visiting Kotek, but decided against it, dreading the explanations, the mutual reproaches, and "the false note, which, alas, will always sound in my relations with him" <ref name="note24"/>.		Kotek's unexpected reluctance to perform the concerto in [[Saint Petersburg]] two weeks earlier led to cooling off in his relations with Tchaikovsky. When he was in [[Berlin]] in 1883, Tchaikovsky played with the idea of visiting Kotek, but decided against it, dreading the explanations, the mutual reproaches, and "the false note, which, alas, will always sound in my relations with him" <ref name="note24"/>.

	In 1882 Kotek moved permanently to [[Berlin]] to continue study with Joseph Joachim, where he became a violin teacher at the ''Hochschule für Musik''. However, in 1884 his health deteriorated due to tuberculosis. On hearing of his grave condition, Tchaikovsky travelled to see his old friend at [[Davos]], Switzerland in autumn of 1884. After [[Saint Petersburg]], Tchaikovsky had intended to travel to Moscow, but his plans were changed when news came to him that Iosif Kotek lay dying of tuberculosis in Switzerland. "I go abroad, and not to Moscow," Tchaikovsky wrote to [[Nadezhda von Meck]] on 28 October. His former pupil, he explained, had implored him to come to see him.		In 1882, Kotek moved permanently to [[Berlin]] to continue study with Joseph Joachim, where he became a violin teacher at the ''Hochschule für Musik''. However, in 1884 his health deteriorated due to tuberculosis. On hearing of his grave condition, Tchaikovsky travelled to see his old friend at [[Davos]], Switzerland in autumn of 1884. After [[Saint Petersburg]], Tchaikovsky had intended to travel to Moscow, but his plans were changed when news came to him that Iosif Kotek lay dying of tuberculosis in Switzerland. "I go abroad, and not to Moscow", Tchaikovsky wrote to [[Nadezhda von Meck]] on 28 October. His former pupil, he explained, had implored him to come to see him.
	{{quote\|I had wanted to visit him on the way to Italy, in January, but the other day I learned that he is very ill, and, fearing not to find him still alive, I want to go directly there, so as afterwards not to be tormented by remorse for having failed to honour the wish of a dying man. Poor Kotek! Back in the summer I received a letter from him saying that he had consumption but that he hoped to recover completely since the illness had been arrested in time. I believed this, but it has turned out that, like all consumptives, he considers himself out of danger though death is close at hand. The other day, I saw a musician from here who had met Kotek in the Tyrol during the summer, and only from her did I find out the real truth. And at the same time a letter arrived from the poor invalid, who is living in utter solitude and begs me as a favour to come. I want and I have to go, though it is also very painful <ref name="note25"/>.}}		{{quote\|I had wanted to visit him on the way to Italy, in January, but the other day I learned that he is very ill, and, fearing not to find him still alive, I want to go directly there, so as afterwards not to be tormented by remorse for having failed to honour the wish of a dying man. Poor Kotek! Back in the summer I received a letter from him saying that he had consumption but that he hoped to recover completely since the illness had been arrested in time. I believed this, but it has turned out that, like all consumptives, he considers himself out of danger though death is close at hand. The other day, I saw a musician from here who had met Kotek in the Tyrol during the summer, and only from her did I find out the real truth. And at the same time a letter arrived from the poor invalid, who is living in utter solitude and begs me as a favour to come. I want and I have to go, though it is also very painful <ref name="note25"/>.}}

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	{{quote\|My joy was boundless when it turned out that he had put on a lot of weight and had a splendid complexion; he appeared to be quite healthy," Tchaikovsky noted. "But it was only the semblance of good health. When he started talking, I saw that his chest was greatly damaged. Instead of a voice there was a kind of unpleasant wheezing, and also a constant cough of the most irritating kind. All the same, he chatted just as before, that is, non-stop, so I constantly had to urge him to quiet down and get some rest... He can walk all right but getting up costs him a great deal of effort... I feel terribly sorry for him <ref name="note27"/>.}}		{{quote\|My joy was boundless when it turned out that he had put on a lot of weight and had a splendid complexion; he appeared to be quite healthy," Tchaikovsky noted. "But it was only the semblance of good health. When he started talking, I saw that his chest was greatly damaged. Instead of a voice there was a kind of unpleasant wheezing, and also a constant cough of the most irritating kind. All the same, he chatted just as before, that is, non-stop, so I constantly had to urge him to quiet down and get some rest... He can walk all right but getting up costs him a great deal of effort... I feel terribly sorry for him <ref name="note27"/>.}}

	After spending just six days in [[Davos]], during which he and Kotek went to the theatre and visited some society friends, Tchaikovsky parted from the invalid. "I set off from [[Davos]] with a sense that I had acted splendidly in visiting poor Kotek," he wrote to [[Modest]] from [[Zurich]] on 18/30 November:		After spending just six days in [[Davos]], during which he and Kotek went to the theatre and visited some society friends, Tchaikovsky parted from the invalid. "I set off from [[Davos]] with a sense that I had acted splendidly in visiting poor Kotek", he wrote to [[Modest]] from [[Zurich]] on 18/30 November:
	{{quote\|You cannot imagine how happy and cheerful he became. As for his health, the first impression was deceptive; his condition is very serious and during this week there were three terrible days when he just couldn't stop coughing (in the most nasty fashion) and utterly lost that horrible wheezing which has replaced his voice... I did everything I could for him: I visited his doctor secretly and asked for him to be sent to the Riviera if he should find [[Davos]] unsuitable; I gave Kotek some additional funds and in general rendered him moral and material aid and left [[Davos]] knowing that I had fulfilled the duty of friendship <ref name="note28"/>.}}		{{quote\|You cannot imagine how happy and cheerful he became. As for his health, the first impression was deceptive; his condition is very serious and during this week there were three terrible days when he just couldn't stop coughing (in the most nasty fashion) and utterly lost that horrible wheezing which has replaced his voice... I did everything I could for him: I visited his doctor secretly and asked for him to be sent to the Riviera if he should find [[Davos]] unsuitable; I gave Kotek some additional funds and in general rendered him moral and material aid and left [[Davos]] knowing that I had fulfilled the duty of friendship <ref name="note28"/>.}}

	During his brief stay in [[Davos]], Tchaikovsky had written to [[Balakirev]]: "I have read through ''Manfred'' and thought about it a lot, but have not yet started to plan the themes and form. Indeed, I am not going to rush this, though I do give you a firm promise that if I stay alive, I shall have written the symphony no later than by the summer" <ref name="note29"/>. While making his way down from the ~~alpine~~ resort into the lowlands, "first in a cart," and then "in a normal stage-coach, with a compartment all to myself," Tchaikovsky "took great pleasure in the wild landscape of this mountain road" <ref name="note30"/>. The powerful emotional shock from this meeting with his hopelessly ill friend, the promise he had given [[Balakirev]], and the demonic nature of the alpine peaks had begun to merge into sounds and melodies which were quite vague as yet but unrelentingly demanded to be given shape.		During his brief stay in [[Davos]], Tchaikovsky had written to [[Balakirev]]: "I have read through ''Manfred'' and thought about it a lot, but have not yet started to plan the themes and form. Indeed, I am not going to rush this, though I do give you a firm promise that if I stay alive, I shall have written the symphony no later than by the summer" <ref name="note29"/>. While making his way down from the Alpine resort into the lowlands, "first in a cart", and then "in a normal stage-coach, with a compartment all to myself", Tchaikovsky "took great pleasure in the wild landscape of this mountain road" <ref name="note30"/>. The powerful emotional shock from this meeting with his hopelessly ill friend, the promise he had given [[Balakirev]], and the demonic nature of the alpine peaks had begun to merge into sounds and melodies which were quite vague as yet but unrelentingly demanded to be given shape.

	Recollections of his visit to [[Davos]] that winter to see the dying Kotek and of the snow-capped Alpine peaks, as well as the inner torments of [[Byron]]'s hero, especially those linked to the death of Astarte, gradually rose before his mind's eye. The labour was difficult and exhausting, but he slowly found himself consumed by the new work. Indeed, so engrossed did he become in his new creation and such an unexpected affinity did he find in the sombre figure of the proud, God-abandoned sufferer that he noted with wry humour that he himself had "turned for a time into a sort of Manfred" <ref name="note31"/>.		Recollections of his visit to [[Davos]] that winter to see the dying Kotek and of the snow-capped Alpine peaks, as well as the inner torments of [[Byron]]'s hero, especially those linked to the death of Astarte, gradually rose before his mind's eye. The labour was difficult and exhausting, but he slowly found himself consumed by the new work. Indeed, so engrossed did he become in his new creation, and such an unexpected affinity did he find in the sombre figure of the proud, God-abandoned sufferer that he noted with wry humour that he himself had "turned for a time into a sort of Manfred" <ref name="note31"/>.

	Kotek's condition continued to decline. Awaiting Tchaikovsky's arrival in Moscow was word from a Russian lady also living in [[Davos]] that Kotek had fallen ill with pneumonia and that it was essential that some relative come to look after him. There was little hope. "I need not tell you what a painful effect this news had on me," he wrote to [[Nadezhda von Meck]] on 18 December. "The awareness of my inability to give him any real assistance, the thought that he may perhaps be dying alone, surrounded by strangers — all this depresses me." Knowing that no one else could go, Tchaikovsky wondered whether he should go himself. "Perhaps I should, but I feel that I simply would not have enough courage to make this long journey again in order to watch the death throes of someone, still so young, on whom everything had just begun to smile, and who wants so much to live! I have sent a telegram and am waiting for news about the course of his illness" <ref name="note32"/>.		Kotek's condition continued to decline. Awaiting Tchaikovsky's arrival in Moscow was word from a Russian lady also living in [[Davos]] that Kotek had fallen ill with pneumonia and that it was essential that some relative come to look after him. There was little hope. "I need not tell you what a painful effect this news had on me," he wrote to [[Nadezhda von Meck]] on 18 December. "The awareness of my inability to give him any real assistance, the thought that he may perhaps be dying alone, surrounded by strangers — all this depresses me." Knowing that no one else could go, Tchaikovsky wondered whether he should go himself. "Perhaps I should, but I feel that I simply would not have enough courage to make this long journey again in order to watch the death throes of someone, still so young, on whom everything had just begun to smile, and who wants so much to live! I have sent a telegram and am waiting for news about the course of his illness" <ref name="note32"/>.

Tony: /* Tchaikovsky and Kotek */

2022-12-08T19:37:24Z

Tchaikovsky and Kotek

← Older revision		Revision as of 21:37, 8 December 2022
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	{{quote\|If you are going to reproach me for having turned to [[Nadezhda von Meck]] [for money], then this is what I'd say to you: what about you, then?!!' I didn't like this phrase at all, nor the following one either: 'And so I am staying put in [[Berlin]] and will live on the 250 francs that I shall receive from that same person who gives you 1,500 francs.' That phrase somehow sounds strange, as if it were meant as a reproach! It's as if he wanted to say: that's a bit too much for you, isn't it?! On the whole, I really do not know whether he is right in deciding to remain abroad. I shall have to send for him and talk with him at length. It is so difficult now for me to give him advice. He asks me whether he should stay in [[Berlin]] to study with [Joseph] Joachim. Even if I felt that he should not, can I tell him so? Surely he would then answer that I say this because I begrudge him the money? <ref name="note11"/>}}		{{quote\|If you are going to reproach me for having turned to [[Nadezhda von Meck]] [for money], then this is what I'd say to you: what about you, then?!!' I didn't like this phrase at all, nor the following one either: 'And so I am staying put in [[Berlin]] and will live on the 250 francs that I shall receive from that same person who gives you 1,500 francs.' That phrase somehow sounds strange, as if it were meant as a reproach! It's as if he wanted to say: that's a bit too much for you, isn't it?! On the whole, I really do not know whether he is right in deciding to remain abroad. I shall have to send for him and talk with him at length. It is so difficult now for me to give him advice. He asks me whether he should stay in [[Berlin]] to study with [Joseph] Joachim. Even if I felt that he should not, can I tell him so? Surely he would then answer that I say this because I begrudge him the money? <ref name="note11"/>}}

	Normally the composer would meet up with Kotek abroad, where the latter spent most of his time after graduating from the [[Moscow]] Conservatory. In Tchaikovsky's references to these meetings we frequently come across notes of frustration and irritation, so characteristic of his liability to sudden changes of mood, but these passages are immediately followed by manifestations of repentance and eulogies for the young man. In the general emotional balance of their relationship sympathy and attachment clearly prevailed. "Kotik has come over from [[Berlin]] to join us", he wrote to [[Modest]], "and the only reason I am not again madly in love is his disfigured finger. What a lovely, naive, sincere, tender, kind creature! He is a charming creature in the full sense of the word! He would only need to wear a glove on his sick finger all the time, and I would go crazy with love for him" <ref name="note12"/>. "After seeing you off," he told [[Anatoly]], "Kotik and I went home on foot. He was so sad, spoke with such an ailing voice that I felt awkward about leaving him alone for the whole day." And further on in this letter: "I sincerely and agonizingly repent that I expressed to you misgivings about Kotek's financial circumstances. Yesterday I tried to behave in such a way as to spare him any painful feeling of being financially dependent on me. What a lovely and kind being this Kotik is!" <ref name="note13"/>. "I have sent Kotik a remittance for 300 marks, but it will hardly last him very long," he wrote to [[Anatoly]] a few days later, adding: "But then, dear Kotik is writing me letters every day" <ref name="note14"/>. And in another letter to [[Anatoly]] early in January 1878: "I have received a letter from Kotek in which he informs me that he has decided to stay in Berlin and enrol in Joachim's school. As for the question of money, he has made up his mind to write to [[Nadezhda von Meck]] and ask her to send him the hundred rubles she had granted to his sisters, since they do not need it now: one is ill, and the other is not musically gifted. He is very afraid that I shall get angry. I reassured him that this was not the case. Judging by certain of [[Nadezhda Filaretovna]]'s hints about musicians whose parents were musicians, I have reason to believe that she will reluctantly grant his request, though God knows. She did not reply anything to my request for her opinion of Kotek" <ref name="note15"/>.		Normally the composer would meet up with Kotek abroad, where the latter spent most of his time after graduating from the [[Moscow]] Conservatory. In Tchaikovsky's references to these meetings we frequently come across notes of frustration and irritation, so characteristic of his liability to sudden changes of mood, but these passages are immediately followed by manifestations of repentance and eulogies for the young man. In the general emotional balance of their relationship, sympathy and attachment clearly prevailed. "Kotik has come over from [[Berlin]] to join us", he wrote to [[Modest]], "and the only reason I am not again madly in love is his disfigured finger. What a lovely, naive, sincere, tender, kind creature! He is a charming creature in the full sense of the word! He would only need to wear a glove on his sick finger all the time, and I would go crazy with love for him" <ref name="note12"/>. "After seeing you off", he told [[Anatoly]], "Kotik and I went home on foot. He was so sad, spoke with such an ailing voice that I felt awkward about leaving him alone for the whole day." And further on in this letter: "I sincerely and agonizingly repent that I expressed to you misgivings about Kotek's financial circumstances. Yesterday I tried to behave in such a way as to spare him any painful feeling of being financially dependent on me. What a lovely and kind being this Kotik is!" <ref name="note13"/>. "I have sent Kotik a remittance for 300 marks, but it will hardly last him very long", he wrote to [[Anatoly]] a few days later, adding: "But then, dear Kotik is writing me letters every day" <ref name="note14"/>. And in another letter to [[Anatoly]] early in January 1878: "I have received a letter from Kotek in which he informs me that he has decided to stay in Berlin and enrol in Joachim's school. As for the question of money, he has made up his mind to write to [[Nadezhda von Meck]] and ask her to send him the hundred rubles she had granted to his sisters, since they do not need it now: one is ill, and the other is not musically gifted. He is very afraid that I shall get angry. I reassured him that this was not the case. Judging by certain of [[Nadezhda Filaretovna]]'s hints about musicians whose parents were musicians, I have reason to believe that she will reluctantly grant his request, though God knows. She did not reply anything to my request for her opinion of Kotek" <ref name="note15"/>.

	Kotek, joined Tchaikovsky's party in early March 1878. "He has put on weight and grown a beard," the composer noted ruefully in his letter to [[Anatoly]] <ref name="note16"/>. Writing to him again on 6/18 March, Tchaikovsky implicitly compared the young violinist's financial dependence on him and others to his own dependence on [[Nadezhda von Meck]]: "Kotek often causes me to reflect. I am very fond of him, but differently now to how it was before. Moreover, in my heart of hearts I am not exactly angry at him, yet I find it somehow unpleasant that he is growing accustomed to living on other people's money. But I shall never dare to say this openly to him... On the other hand, I am moved by his love for me and value immensely his kind heart, his simplicity and naïveté. In short, various feelings with regard to him are struggling within me, as a result of which I am very affectionate, but no longer as before. He notices this and tells me so; this angers me because I cannot tell him the whole truth, nor do I wish to upset him. In short, there are moments when I am angry at myself and angry at him and the result of all this has been the sulks. Afterwards I feel ashamed of myself and I become exaggeratedly tender. But do not pay attention to this, and do not think that he is a burden to me. In the first place, I enjoy making music with him; in the second, he is essential for my violin concerto; in the third, I love him very, very much. He has the kindest and most tender of hearts, and his character is extremely comforting and pleasant" <ref name="note17"/>.		Kotek joined Tchaikovsky's party in early March 1878. "He has put on weight and grown a beard", the composer noted ruefully in his letter to [[Anatoly]] <ref name="note16"/>. Writing to him again on 6/18 March, Tchaikovsky implicitly compared the young violinist's financial dependence on him and others to his own dependence on [[Nadezhda von Meck]]: "Kotek often causes me to reflect. I am very fond of him, but differently now to how it was before. Moreover, in my heart of hearts I am not exactly angry at him, yet I find it somehow unpleasant that he is growing accustomed to living on other people's money. But I shall never dare to say this openly to him... On the other hand, I am moved by his love for me and value immensely his kind heart, his simplicity and naïveté. In short, various feelings with regard to him are struggling within me, as a result of which I am very affectionate, but no longer as before. He notices this and tells me so; this angers me because I cannot tell him the whole truth, nor do I wish to upset him. In short, there are moments when I am angry at myself and angry at him and the result of all this has been the sulks. Afterwards I feel ashamed of myself and I become exaggeratedly tender. But do not pay attention to this, and do not think that he is a burden to me. In the first place, I enjoy making music with him; in the second, he is essential for my violin concerto; in the third, I love him very, very much. He has the kindest and most tender of hearts, and his character is extremely comforting and pleasant" <ref name="note17"/>.

	Here are a few more passages concerning the young violinist from other letters to [[Anatoly]] later that year:		Here are a few more passages concerning the young violinist from other letters to [[Anatoly]] later that year:
	* "Kotek is gloomy and taciturn all day long. My conscience is clear. I like him very much and am very affectionate with him, but he just can't bear the thought that I no longer want him. Anyway, he is a very nice person" <ref name="note18"/>.		* "Kotek is gloomy and taciturn all day long. My conscience is clear. I like him very much and am very affectionate with him, but he just can't bear the thought that I no longer want him. Anyway, he is a very nice person" <ref name="note18"/>.
	* "I have received a desperate letter from Kotek. I don't know why my letters take so long to reach him. Because he hasn't been receiving any from me, he imagines that I hate him, despise him etc. He has enrolled in Joachim's school <ref name="note18A"/>. It is clear from everything he writes that he is depressed" <ref name="note19"/>.		* "I have received a desperate letter from Kotek. I don't know why my letters take so long to reach him. Because he hasn't been receiving any from me, he imagines that I hate him, despise him, etc. He has enrolled in Joachim's school <ref name="note18A"/>. It is clear from everything he writes that he is depressed" <ref name="note19"/>.
	* "Yesterday I received a huge letter from Kotek; he has finally received my letters and calmed down, so the tone of his letter is cheerful. It seems that he is starting to like the school, his new comrades, the attention he gets from Joachim, and so on. He flatly refuses [the offer of] money (I wouldn't have been able to send it to him now anyway). On the whole, this letter gave me great pleasure" <ref name="note20"/>.		* "Yesterday I received a huge letter from Kotek; he has finally received my letters and calmed down, so the tone of his letter is cheerful. It seems that he is starting to like the school, his new comrades, the attention he gets from Joachim, and so on. He flatly refuses [the offer of] money (I wouldn't have been able to send it to him now anyway). On the whole, this letter gave me great pleasure" <ref name="note20"/>.
	* "Yesterday I received a long, sweet letter from Kotik. He is living in a country house near [[Berlin]] and is very satisfied. What a nice and dear creature this Kotik is!" <ref name="note21"/>.		* "Yesterday I received a long, sweet letter from Kotik. He is living in a country house near [[Berlin]] and is very satisfied. What a nice and dear creature this Kotik is!" <ref name="note21"/>.
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	So relaxed and light-hearted had Tchaikovsky grown in the company of his brother and friends in [[Clarens]] in the early spring of 1878 that one day, in a particularly good mood, he decided to "revive the past" as he had not done since his impromptu ballet with [[Saint-Saëns]] in 1875 and, as he wrote to [[Anatoly]], "performed a grand ''pas de deux'' with [[Modest]] that was favoured with the loud approval of the spectators, that is, Kotek and [[Nikolay Konradi\|Kolya]]" <ref name="note21A"/>.		So relaxed and light-hearted had Tchaikovsky grown in the company of his brother and friends in [[Clarens]] in the early spring of 1878 that one day, in a particularly good mood, he decided to "revive the past" as he had not done since his impromptu ballet with [[Saint-Saëns]] in 1875 and, as he wrote to [[Anatoly]], "performed a grand ''pas de deux'' with [[Modest]] that was favoured with the loud approval of the spectators, that is, Kotek and [[Nikolay Konradi\|Kolya]]" <ref name="note21A"/>.

	The initial idea to write [[Violin Concerto]] belonged to Iosif Kotek, which was expressed in one of his letters to Tchaikovsky earlier that year. This time Kotek had brought a lot of sheet music with him, and Tchaikovsky would often make music with him in the evenings, playing four-handed piano arrangements or accompanying the young violinist on the piano. One of the first pieces they played through was the famous ''Symphonie espagnole'' for violin and orchestra by the French composer [[Édouard Lalo]]. Tchaikovsky liked the work and it probably served as the inspiration for his own composition in this genre, the [[Violin Concerto]] in D major, op. 35. Tchaikovsky became so engrossed in his idea for writing a violin concerto that for the time being he set everything else aside. "All morning I have been working on the violin concerto which I began yesterday," he informed [[Anatoly]] on 6/18 March. "I want to make use of the opportunity provided by Kotek being here. This will be a new and difficult project for me, but also an interesting one" <ref name="note22"/>. From the composer's letters it is clear that despite the novelty of the form, he made unexpectedly swift progress on the concerto.		The initial idea to write a [[Violin Concerto]] belonged to Iosif Kotek, which was expressed in one of his letters to Tchaikovsky earlier that year. This time Kotek had brought a lot of sheet music with him, and Tchaikovsky would often make music with him in the evenings, playing four-handed piano arrangements or accompanying the young violinist on the piano. One of the first pieces they played through was the famous ''Symphonie espagnole'' for violin and orchestra by the French composer [[Édouard Lalo]]. Tchaikovsky liked the work and it probably served as the inspiration for his own composition in this genre, the [[Violin Concerto]] in D major, op. 35. Tchaikovsky became so engrossed in his idea for writing a violin concerto that for the time being he set everything else aside. "All morning I have been working on the violin concerto which I began yesterday", he informed [[Anatoly]] on 6/18 March. "I want to make use of the opportunity provided by Kotek being here. This will be a new and difficult project for me, but also an interesting one" <ref name="note22"/>. From the composer's letters it is clear that despite the novelty of the form, he made unexpectedly swift progress on the concerto.

	Within five days he had already finished the first movement, and a few days later, on 14/26 March, he was able to inform [[Nadezhda von Meck]] that he had "reached the finale" and that the concerto "will soon be ready" <ref name="note23"/>. In a little more than two weeks the sketches for the work were completed. After playing through with Kotek what he had written he was satisfied with the first movement and the finale, but decided to write a new Andante as the second movement. By the end of the month, with Kotek's help, the entire concerto was orchestrated and the young violinist was soon delighting Tchaikovsky and [[Modest]] with his playing of the new work. The composer even considered dedicating the concerto to his former pupil, but decided against it for fear that it might cause gossip. After some hesitation he opted in the end to dedicate the new work to the Hungarian violinist [[Leopold Auer]], a professor at the St. Petersburg Conservatory whose fame he hoped would help ensure its success. It was with this dedication that the concerto was published by [[Jurgenson]], but the scheduled first performance of the work by [[Auer]] in St. Petersburg on 10 March 1879 did not take place, because the famous violinist declared that the piece was too difficult and refused to play it. Tchaikovsky withdrew the original dedication and in the next edition of the concerto rededicated it to [[Adolph Brodsky]], who had successfully performed the work in [[Vienna]] on 22 November/4 December 1881 (although it had already been performed in [[Hannover]] the previous year) <ref name="note37"/>.		Within five days he had already finished the first movement, and a few days later, on 14/26 March, he was able to inform [[Nadezhda von Meck]] that he had "reached the finale" and that the concerto "will soon be ready" <ref name="note23"/>. In a little more than two weeks the sketches for the work were completed. After playing through with Kotek what he had written he was satisfied with the first movement and the finale, but decided to write a new Andante as the second movement. By the end of the month, with Kotek's help, the entire concerto was orchestrated and the young violinist was soon delighting Tchaikovsky and [[Modest]] with his playing of the new work. The composer even considered dedicating the concerto to his former pupil, but decided against it for fear that it might cause gossip. After some hesitation he opted in the end to dedicate the new work to the Hungarian violinist [[Leopold Auer]], a professor at the St. Petersburg Conservatory whose fame he hoped would help ensure its success. It was with this dedication that the concerto was published by [[Jurgenson]], but the scheduled first performance of the work by [[Auer]] in St. Petersburg on 10 March 1879 did not take place, because the famous violinist declared that the piece was too difficult and refused to play it. Tchaikovsky withdrew the original dedication and in the next edition of the concerto rededicated it to [[Adolph Brodsky]], who had successfully performed the work in [[Vienna]] on 22 November/4 December 1881 (although it had already been performed in [[Hannover]] the previous year) <ref name="note37"/>.

Tony: Text replacement - "have" to "had" for clarity of meaning

2022-12-08T17:31:27Z

Text replacement - "have" to "had" for clarity of meaning

← Older revision		Revision as of 19:31, 8 December 2022
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	__TOC__		__TOC__
	==Tchaikovsky and Kotek==		==Tchaikovsky and Kotek==
	The son of a Czech father and a Russian mother, Kotek enrolled in the [[Moscow]] Conservatory in 1871 and graduated in 1876, where he had studied violin under [[Ferdinand Laub]] and [[Jan Hřímalý]] and music theory/composition under Tchaikovsky. In 1875 he had organized string quartet with [[Stanisław Barcewicz]], [[Andrey Arends]] and [[Anatoly Brandukov]]. Tchaikovsky ~~have~~ praised their first performance. On [[Nikolay Rubinstein]]'s recommendation he was engaged by [[Nadezhda von Meck]] as her resident violinist. In 1877 Tchaikovsky dedicated his ''[[Valse-Scherzo, Op. 34\|Valse-Scherzo]]'' for violin and orchestra to Kotek, who was also allowed to orchestrate the piece.		The son of a Czech father and a Russian mother, Kotek enrolled in the [[Moscow]] Conservatory in 1871 and graduated in 1876, where he had studied violin under [[Ferdinand Laub]] and [[Jan Hřímalý]], and music theory/composition under Tchaikovsky. In 1875, he had organized a string quartet with [[Stanisław Barcewicz]], [[Andrey Arends]] and [[Anatoly Brandukov]]. Tchaikovsky had praised their first performance. On [[Nikolay Rubinstein]]'s recommendation he was engaged by [[Nadezhda von Meck]] as her resident violinist. In 1877, Tchaikovsky dedicated his ''[[Valse-Scherzo, Op. 34\|Valse-Scherzo]]'' for violin and orchestra to Kotek, who was also allowed to orchestrate the piece.

	Tchaikovsky's private correspondence from around this time show that he was infatuated with Kotek. This was a "passion" which, he admitted in a letter to [[Modest]] on 19/31 January 1877, assailed him "with unimaginable force":		Tchaikovsky's private correspondence from around this time show that he was infatuated with Kotek. This was a "passion" which, he admitted in a letter to [[Modest]] on 19/31 January 1877, assailed him "with unimaginable force":
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	{{quote\|You ask about my love? It is once again subdued almost to the point of absolute calm. And do you know why? You alone can understand this. Because two or three times I saw his injured finger in all of its ugliness! But without that I would be in love to the point of madness, which returns anew each time I'm able to forget somewhat about his crippled finger. I don't know whether this finger is for the better or worse? Sometimes it seems to me that Providence, so blind and unjust in the choice of its protégés, deigns to take care of me. Indeed, sometimes I start to think that some coincidences are ''not mere accidents''... Who knows, maybe this is the beginning of a religiousness that, if it ever takes hold of me, will do so completely; that is, with Lenten oil, cotton-wool from the Iveron icon, etc.. I'm sending you a photograph of myself and Kotek together. It was taken at the very peak of my recent passion." <ref name="note2"/>}}		{{quote\|You ask about my love? It is once again subdued almost to the point of absolute calm. And do you know why? You alone can understand this. Because two or three times I saw his injured finger in all of its ugliness! But without that I would be in love to the point of madness, which returns anew each time I'm able to forget somewhat about his crippled finger. I don't know whether this finger is for the better or worse? Sometimes it seems to me that Providence, so blind and unjust in the choice of its protégés, deigns to take care of me. Indeed, sometimes I start to think that some coincidences are ''not mere accidents''... Who knows, maybe this is the beginning of a religiousness that, if it ever takes hold of me, will do so completely; that is, with Lenten oil, cotton-wool from the Iveron icon, etc.. I'm sending you a photograph of myself and Kotek together. It was taken at the very peak of my recent passion." <ref name="note2"/>}}

	Nevertheless, Kotek acted as a witness at Tchaikovsky's marriage to [[Antonina Milyukova]] in Moscow on 6/18 July 1877. When, predictably, the marriage quickly failed, the composer retreated abroad with his brothers, and he met Kotek in [[Vienna]] in November 1877, whose sympathetic role during the composer's matrimonial tribulations had greatly increased their mutual attachment. Since it was, moreover, Kotek, who had helped fan [[Nadezhda von Meck]]'s original interest in the composer, it was only natural that Tchaikovsky celebrated the young violinist's arrival in his letter to her of 23 November/5 December: "Our mutual friend Kotek is also here now, and seeing him was very pleasant for me. I have had many proofs of his most sincere friendship towards me, and last year we became very close. It seems to me there is a great deal of good in him, and he has a very, very kind heart. He was the first to teach me to love you, when I did not yet dream that someday I should call you my friend." <ref name="note3"/>.		Nevertheless, Kotek acted as a witness at Tchaikovsky's marriage to [[Antonina Milyukova]] in Moscow on 6/18 July 1877. When, predictably, the marriage quickly failed, the composer retreated abroad with his brothers, and he met Kotek in [[Vienna]] in November 1877, whose sympathetic role during the composer's matrimonial tribulations had greatly increased their mutual attachment. Since it was, moreover, Kotek who had helped fan [[Nadezhda von Meck]]'s original interest in the composer, it was only natural that Tchaikovsky celebrated the young violinist's arrival in his letter to her of 23 November/5 December: "Our mutual friend Kotek is also here now, and seeing him was very pleasant for me. I have had many proofs of his most sincere friendship towards me, and last year we became very close. It seems to me there is a great deal of good in him, and he has a very, very kind heart. He was the first to teach me to love you, when I did not yet dream that someday I should call you my friend." <ref name="note3"/>.

	By this time, however, relations between Kotek and [[Nadezhda von Meck]] had markedly cooled. To his credit, Tchaikovsky strove to repair the situation: "Kotek was planning to leave for [[Berlin]] this evening but he is feeling unwell, and I do not want to leave him on his own," he wrote to [[Nadezhda von Meck]]. "He has shown me so much boundless friendship that I cannot but repay him with the same. It would be very pleasant for me to expatiate in a letter to you sometime on this kind, lovely, and talented boy, but I confess that I am restrained by the fear of touching upon a subject of conversation perhaps unpleasant to you. Even now I do not know clearly what he is guilty of towards you, but from certain signs I conclude that apparently he does feel guilty. Meanwhile, I have grown very attached to him, and the thought that he may have done something to annoy you simply oppresses me. As for his attitude towards you, suffice it to say that even before I made your acquaintance, I already felt the warmest sympathy towards you as a result of everything he had told me about you. He has a very good heart and much sincerity. It is this sincerity, which often reaches a point where it becomes naivety, that I like most about him" <ref name="note4"/>.		By this time, however, relations between Kotek and [[Nadezhda von Meck]] had markedly cooled. To his credit, Tchaikovsky strove to repair the situation: "Kotek was planning to leave for [[Berlin]] this evening but he is feeling unwell, and I do not want to leave him on his own", he wrote to [[Nadezhda von Meck]]. "He has shown me so much boundless friendship that I cannot but repay him with the same. It would be very pleasant for me to expatiate in a letter to you sometime on this kind, lovely, and talented boy, but I confess that I am restrained by the fear of touching upon a subject of conversation perhaps unpleasant to you. Even now I do not know clearly what he is guilty of towards you, but from certain signs I conclude that apparently he does feel guilty. Meanwhile, I have grown very attached to him, and the thought that he may have done something to annoy you simply oppresses me. As for his attitude towards you, suffice it to say that even before I made your acquaintance, I already felt the warmest sympathy towards you as a result of everything he had told me about you. He has a very good heart and much sincerity. It is this sincerity, which often reaches a point where it becomes naivety, that I like most about him" <ref name="note4"/>.

	The intercession was not successful. [[Nadezhda von Meck]] did not even react to this part of the letter. The cause behind Kotek's fall from grace had been his amorous adventures at the "court" of his patroness. In the composer's correspondence, we find several references to the younger man's philandering, which at times irritated even Tchaikovsky, who tended to be quite tolerant in such matters: "after performances [at the opera-house] Kotek goes running after whores, while I sit down at the Café in the open air" <ref name="note5"/>; "what angers me particularly is this fondness for women, so utterly unprecedented in him" <ref name="note6"/>; "he has become a desperate womanizer, and nothing but this subject interests him" <ref name="note7"/>.		The intercession was not successful. [[Nadezhda von Meck]] did not even react to this part of the letter. The cause behind Kotek's fall from grace had been his amorous adventures at the "court" of his patroness. In the composer's correspondence, we find several references to the younger man's philandering, which at times irritated even Tchaikovsky, who tended to be quite tolerant in such matters: "after performances [at the opera-house] Kotek goes running after whores, while I sit down at the Café in the open air" <ref name="note5"/>; "what angers me particularly is this fondness for women, so utterly unprecedented in him" <ref name="note6"/>; "he has become a desperate womanizer, and nothing but this subject interests him" <ref name="note7"/>.