The Seasons, with the diverse character of its individual pieces and titles evoking Russian life, continues to delight the ears and imaginations of people worldwide, making it the most popular collection among Tchaikovsky's solo piano works.

This collection was composed between late 1875 and May of the following year, at the request of Nikolai Bernard, who edited the musical monthly journal Nuvellist in Saint Petersburg. Nuvellist was a magazine for amateurs, primarily featuring sheet music for songs and short piano pieces intended for performance in salons and homes. It offered works by Western composers such as Beethoven, Liszt, and Chopin, as well as pieces by native Russian composers like Glinka, Dargomyzhsky, and Anton Rubinstein, for public enjoyment. Tchaikovsky was approaching his tenth year as a professor at the Moscow Conservatory and had already become (to borrow the magazine's phrase) “a renowned Russian composer.” It was to him that Bernard proposed creating accessible pieces for the public. Although Tchaikovsky was in the midst of composing Swan Lake on commission from the Bolshoi Theatre, he readily accepted the request. He quickly completed “January” and “February” and sent them to Bernard, eventually finishing and sending the remaining seven pieces, from “June” to “December,” by the end of May 1876 at the latest. Subsequently, the pieces corresponding to each month were published in issues 1 through 12 of Nuvellist in 1876. The title The Seasons, by which the collection is known today, was first given when all the pieces were published together at the end of 1876.

As is well known, each piece in The Seasons is accompanied by a title that reflects 19th-century Russian life and nature associated with the events of each month, as well as a fragment of Russian poetry as an epigraph. The selection of these texts was, in fact, not made by Tchaikovsky. The titles had already been specified by Bernard at the time of the commission, leaving no room for the composer to choose. Nevertheless, Tchaikovsky wrote in his reply to the request, “I will adhere to all the titles you have given,” suggesting that he had no intention of changing them in the first place. Furthermore, the epigraph poems were selected by Bernard at the time of publication in the magazine, to match Tchaikovsky's completed pieces that had been sent to him. This means that the landscape and psychological descriptions found in these poems were not in Tchaikovsky's mind during the composition process. It is unclear to what extent Tchaikovsky was involved, or not involved, in the selection of these poems, but he seems to have at least given his implicit consent.

Considering the process of “Bernard's titles → Tchaikovsky's composition → Bernard's selection of poems,” it cannot be said that the accompanying poems necessarily directly represent the content of Tchaikovsky's music. However, these poems do not lose their significance or hinder interpretation. They can be read as clues to how contemporaries interpreted Tchaikovsky's music, and it is also possible to discern in them the general view of The Seasons and the interpretations of individual pieces that have been widely accepted to this day, including by Tchaikovsky himself.

January: By the Hearth

And the dimness of night envelops

A peaceful, tranquil corner.

In the fireplace, the embers are dying,

And soon the candle will burn out.

The epigraph is from The Dreamer (1815) by the great poet Alexander Pushkin, known as the father of modern Russian language, depicting a scene of dying embers in the tranquility of night.

The piece is in compound ternary form. The main section is in A major. The theme, lacking a bass note on the first beat, conveys a sense of simplicity and a touch of loneliness. While it draws a gently sustained arch through dynamics and melodic range, it is also notable that the melody is constructed from two- and three-note slurs. The middle section modulates to E minor, characterized by descending figures that suggest falling into a fleeting sleep, and improvisatory runs that evoke awakening or a dreamscape. In the run passages, although the tonic is absent, there are gestures that seem to modulate to the distant key of A-flat major, enhancing the fantastical atmosphere. Following the recapitulation of the main section, the coda quietly concludes the piece with the softest dynamics and high notes.

The piece is predominantly structured around soft dynamics, with the volume never exceeding mf even at its climax. It demands delicate expression at p, pp, and even ppp.

February: Maslenitsa

Soon comes the lively Maslenitsa,

And the grand feast comes alive.

The epigraph is taken from Vyazemsky's Foreign Carnival (1853).

The title “Maslenitsa” refers to a Russian folk ritual celebrating the arrival of spring, held during the week immediately preceding Great Lent. It has long been intimately connected with Russian life. In homes, blini (a traditional dish similar to crepes) are baked, traditional foods are served, and young people celebrate boisterously. Outdoors, the streets become lively with people enjoying themselves, with fairs, sideshows, peep shows, and even fistfights becoming highlights of the town during this period.

The piece is in compound ternary form with a shortened recapitulation. The main section is entirely filled with the cheerfulness and joy of the festival. The bustling opening chords are thought to imitate a sideshow accordion. The middle section in F major, though somewhat calmer, is full of humor in its use of chromaticism and passages that seem to be in the middle voice.

March: Song of the Lark

Flowers rustle in the fields,

Light sparkles in the sky.

The songs of spring larks

Fill the endless heavens.

The epigraph is a quotation from “Flowers rustle in the fields...” from Apollon Maykov's poetry collection In the Fields (1857). It is a bright description of nature in early spring.

The main theme's melody in G minor progresses with the right and left hands responding to each other. The melody of the middle section possesses a faint brightness in B-flat major but quickly returns to G minor. Both melodies feature ornaments and staccato, matching the image of a chirping lark.

The short piece is generally filled with melancholy, and its mood diverges from the epigraph's image, which joyfully celebrates the arrival of spring. Regarding this discrepancy, musicologist Fumiko Ichiyanagi, for example, interprets it in line with the Russian sense of the seasons, stating, “...it likens the nature of early spring, a mixture of sorrow and hope, to the image of a lark soaring in a dull, low sky...” (Narodo, Russian Folklore Society (eds.), Russian Seasonal Customs, p. 118). March is a subtle transitional period from winter to spring, where snowy days gradually decrease, and the thick river ice formed during winter begins to melt. To borrow Ichiyanagi's words, “nature awakens hesitantly.”

April: Snowdrop

Sky-blue, pure

Snowdrop flower,

Alongside it, transparent

Faint lingering snow.

The last tear

For passing sorrow,

And the first dream

For happiness soon to come...

The epigraph quotes the entire poem “Spring” from Apollon Maykov's poetry collection In the Fields (1857).

Although written in 6/8 time, interestingly, if each measure is divided into two, it sounds like an elegant waltz. Despite being in a major key, the writing, which often lacks accompaniment on the strong beat (similar to “January”), suggests hesitation or incompleteness. The salon-like melody, rich in appoggiaturas, is initially presented in the uppermost voice but often shifts to inner voices. The somewhat longer middle section is written in D minor and features a light upper voice, though tinged with melancholy. As described above, both the main and middle sections exhibit an ambivalent character, lacking a unified personality. Furthermore, the dynamic markings are generally biased towards soft sounds, conveying little sense of strength or resolve. Like “March,” this piece evokes the faint brightness of early spring, when winter has not yet fully receded.

May: White Nights

Wonderful night! All-encompassing peace!

Let us thank this northern homeland!

From the kingdom of ice, from the kingdom of blizzards and snow,

Comes such a fresh and clear May of our homeland.

The epigraph is from Afanasy Fet's Still a May Night (1857).

Summer in Petersburg is the season of white nights. In the northern capital of the empire, with its high latitude, the sun barely sets, and bright hours continue even late into the night.

However, even in Petersburg, May does not bring white nights. It remains a mystery why Bernard specified such a title for the May piece. Considering that the epigraph (which also has no relation to white nights) begins with the exclamation “What a wonderful night!”, it might be suggested that the term “white nights” should evoke not the unsetting sun, but rather the brightness liberated from winter (see also Ichiyanagi's opinion on page 120 of the aforementioned book).

At the beginning of the main section, which is in ternary form, the G major arpeggios played softly have an ambitious structure in that the hemiola, usually found in the middle of a piece, makes the meter irregular (hemiola refers to dividing two measures of a triple-meter piece into 2+2+2 beats instead of the usual 3+3). Furthermore, the overall bar structure is not symmetrical, and the dynamics in the main section remain at p and pp, giving a somewhat fragile and unstable impression. The middle section is in 2/4 time, a fast tempo marked Allegro giocoso, where a simple melody with a descending figure soars over an accompaniment of broken chords.

June: Barcarolle

Standing on the shore, the lapping waves

Will kiss our feet.

The stars, with mysterious melancholy,

Will cast their light upon us.

The epigraph is from “Song” (1845) by Pleshcheyev (also spelled Plescheev). The first-person plural “we,” judging from the subsequent development of the poem, likely refers to young lovers.

With a gentle, wave-like accompaniment based on the G minor tonic chord as an introduction, a melody based on stepwise motion, a characteristic of Tchaikovsky's style, is played (other examples can be found in the final movement of Symphony No. 4, the Pas de Deux from The Nutcracker, and the second and third movements of the Serenade for Strings, among others). Barcarolles are generally composed in compound meters such as 6/8 or 9/8, but interestingly, Tchaikovsky chose 4/4 time.

In the short middle section, the music shifts to the parallel major and gradually increases in tempo, reaching a climax in 3/4 time under the instruction “giocoso” (with cheerfulness). However, this cheerfulness does not last long; it is interrupted by brilliant arpeggios in the high register, leading back to the recapitulation of the main section. Publisher Bernard may have found the twinkling of stars in the sound of these arpeggios and selected the epigraph accordingly.

July: Song of the Harvester

Are you ready, my shoulders!

Rise up, my arms!

Blow upon my face,

Midday wind!

The epigraph is from “The Harvester” (1836) by Aleksey Koltsov, known for his poetry on rural landscapes and peasant labor.

Here, Tchaikovsky objectively captures the folk life of a summer village. This refers to the ritualistic task of collectively mowing grass in the fields to make hay for livestock, a season preceding harvest time.

Does the simple main melody, with its emphasized downbeats, not evoke the scene of people swinging their scythes with force, singing work songs as they advance? The contrasting minor-key middle section is almost like the arduous outdoor work in the hot July sun and a sudden gust of wind blowing through it—would such an interpretation be too far-fetched?

August: The Harvest (Scherzo)

From house to house, people

Prepare for the harvest,

Begin to reap

The ripened rye.

Bundles of rye

Are piled high,

And wagons everywhere

Creak music all night long.

The epigraph is from Koltsov's “The Harvest” (1835).

The subtitle “Scherzo” in parentheses in the title was added by Tchaikovsky himself, not by the publisher Bernard.

While “July” depicted fieldwork before the harvest, this piece portrays the harvest itself.

It depicts the bustling scene of the harvest with a variety of sounds. The key of B minor, the Vivace tempo marking, and the detailed articulation evoke a sense of urgency. Each voice played on the piano sounds as if an orchestral instrument has been assigned to it. The middle section in D major might represent a brief respite or a moment of rest in the quiet of the night.

September: The Hunt

It's time, it's time! The horn sounds!

The hunting men

Are already on horseback at dawn,

And the leashed hounds leap.

The epigraph is from Pushkin's Count Nulin (1825).

The sharp dotted notes and triplets in the G major theme's phrases, along with the two-voice chords in the left-hand accompaniment, are clearly imitations of hunting horns, traditionally found in Western classical music (and also present in the epigraph poem). From this, Tchaikovsky expands his ideas, developing the theme while retaining the rhythmic motive but using a wide pianistic range. In the E minor middle section, the atmosphere shifts dramatically, forming a contrast with the main section, yet it is interesting that the triplets and dotted notes are maintained.

October: Autumn Song

Autumn. The poor garden is covered with fallen leaves,

Yellowed leaves dance and fall in the wind...

The epigraph is from Aleksey Tolstoy's “Autumn. The poor garden is covered with fallen leaves” (1858).

The D minor theme truly showcases Tchaikovsky's prowess as a melodist. Over gentle harmonies, a melancholic melody is sung tenderly. The middle section is in F major, but it retains the faint darkness of the main theme. The dynamics are structured around soft sounds, requiring delicate expression. The culmination of this is likely the piece's concluding section. Amidst the undulating upper voice, sounding at pp, it finally reaches pppp (!) at the end of a morendo, fading away.

November: Troika

Do not grieve, gazing at the distant road,

Do not follow the troika.

Banish the sad premonition

Within your heart.

The epigraph is from Nekrasov's Troika (1846).

A troika is a traditional Russian sleigh or carriage drawn by three horses abreast.

In the main section in E major, a simple, pastoral melody is played, transforming into a resonant atmosphere through the accompaniment figure, and then moving into the G major middle section. The leaping figures in both hands, accompanied by ornamentation, might represent the sound of the sleigh horses' hooves. The theme, recapitulated with staccato in the high register, sounds as if the driver is singing while driving the sleigh.

December: Svyatki (Waltz)

On an Epiphany eve one year,

The maidens were telling fortunes.

Taking off one shoe,

They threw it outside the gate.

The epigraph is from Zhukovsky's Svetlana (1813).

Similar to “Scherzo” in August, the subtitle in parentheses was added by Tchaikovsky himself.

“Svyatki” is an unfamiliar term, but it refers to a festive period in the Russian calendar, lasting twelve days from Christmas to the eve of Epiphany (December 25th to January 6th). The quoted poem describes the fortune-telling rituals performed by village maidens specifically during this period.

However, what Tchaikovsky depicts in the music is not the simple round dance of these village girls, but rather sounds like a stylized, refined waltz of the city.

The main section in E-flat major is characterized by a principal melody that gently ascends and then descends through sequences, possessing a light cheerfulness. The trio modulates to E major, featuring a calm section with a gentle descending figure exchange between the outer voices, interspersed with a lively section beginning at f. The short coda, while building up to f momentarily, concludes gracefully at p with moderation.

(The translations of the poems were kindly provided by Fumiko Ichiyanagi, published in Russian Seasonal Customs, edited by Narodo, Russian Folklore Society. Deep gratitude is expressed here. Russian Seasonal Customs is a book that compiles information on the climate, people's lives, and folklore culture of Russia, which Tchaikovsky lived in and loved. It is a helpful resource for interpreting Russian music, which often incorporates uniquely Russian elements and sometimes requires a certain level of background knowledge for understanding.)