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Fine unread condition maroon linen boards with gold spine lettering contained in a fine condition price-clipped photographic dust jacket. Includes List of Other Books by David Brown; Author Dedication; List of Illustrations; Preface to Volume III; Main Literary Source For Volume III; Index of Works and Index of Persons. Illustrated with a section of black-and-white photographic plates and musical notations throughout the volume. "The third volume of what is, unquestionably, proving to be the definitive study of Tchaikovsky covers the years in which he was struggling to recover from the devastating experience of his marriage to Antonina Milyukova. During those years this hypersensitive and emotionally ravaged man retreated into an existence as solitary as he could make it, supported only by his intimate family and his closest friends. Much of the time he withdrew to his sister Sasha's home in the Ukraine, or to one of the country estates of his strange benefactress, Nadezhda von Meck, who like himself preferred at all times to avoid a meeting, and would provide him with a timetable of her comings and goings, to guard against the danger of an accidental encounter. Or he would depart from Russia on restless and rootless wanderings in Germany, France, Italy; and would write to his brother Modest, "What a delight to be able to take a walk without being afraid of meeting people I know." Yet precisely for these reasons, Dr. Brown observes, it is during this period that Tchaikovsky is perhaps at his most exposed: it's in his responses to ordinary situations that we can most clearly see Tchaikovsky's idiosyncrasies and rapidly changing moods, his likes and dislikes, his common sense which could rise to wisdom, his kindness and compassion, his improvidence, pettiness, prejudices, his perceptiveness and blindness, his open-handed generosity and calculating deviousness, his gentle but constant envy of those whose sexual nature permitted them the experience of normal family life. Musically, these were the years of The Maid of Orleans and Mazepa, the second piano concerto, the three orchestral suites, the piano trio, the Italian Capriccio and the Manfred symphony. They were also the years when, almost in spite of himself, he achieved fame: when the Tsar publicly declared his enthusiasm for Tchaikovsky's music, Russian society began to lionise him, Eugene Onegin was revived to packed houses, and only a few of the critics (notably Cui) continued to carp. Once again a most valuable feature of this critical biography is Dr. Brown's detailed exposition and analysis of each of the new compositions. An on the human side the book is wholly absorbing, with the recurring intrusions of Tchaikovsky's wife, who keeps changing her mind about a divorce; and the wayward niece, Tanya, to whom he provides sympathetic help when a foolish liaison leaves her pregnant; and his deep concern for his friend Kotek, dying of tuberculosis in Davos; and the revelations in his diary of his passion for his nephew Bob; and a great deal more. Once again, too, Dr. Brown has been able to draw upon the fullest text ever published of some of Tchaikovsky's particularly revealing letters, suppressed before publication in the Soviet Union but recently smuggled out of Russia." - from the inner front and rear jacket flaps. ABOUT THE AUTHOR: David Brown is unusual in that he specialises both in English Tudor music and nineteenth century Russian music. He is at present Professor of Musicology at Southampton University. He has published books on Weelkes, Wilbye and Glinka, has contributed to the new edition of Grove's Dictionary and to all the main British musical journals, and broadcasts frequently. The first two volumes of Tchaikovsky won for David Brown the British Academy's Derek Allen Prize in 1983. - from the inner rear jacket flap.
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