December: 'Peace on Earth'

 Tchaikovsky's December 'Christmas' is a brilliant waltz, 'Peace on Earth,' composed during the war with the Soviet Union, vividly expresses the sorrow of wartime. It is a requiem for the war dead, imbued with profound tranquility.

 The opening obscures the tonality, with the prelude sustaining an A note in the bass. Solemn sounds, reminiscent of a funeral procession for the fallen, unfold steadily, each note subtly changing its expression.

 Measures 3-19 are depicted with chords in the middle register. The inner voices subtly shift with solemnity. In the transitional passage, the music gradually ascends, briefly shimmering with light before receding to pianissimo. From measures 12-22, it becomes teneramente, depicting a faint glimmer of hope in the high register. Although it modulates to G major, it immediately shifts to G minor, continuing with a delicate, sorrowful, and quiet melody. The coda concludes with solemn chords, imbued with a prayer for peace.