Marche Slave

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The Marche Slave in B-flat minor, Op. 31 (published as Slavonic March) or SerboRussian March (Serbian Cyrillic: ????????? ???? / ??????-????? ????, Slovenski m
arsh / Srpsko-ruski marsh, Russian: ?????????? ???? / ???????-??????? ????, Slavy
anskiy marsh / Serbsko-russkiy marsh) or Slavic March is an orchestral Tone poem
by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky published on October 1876. The title "Marche Slave"
, by which the piece is generally recognized in the West, is French, the languag
e of culture in Tsarist Russia.
Contents [hide]
1 Background
2 Instrumentation
3 Notable recordings
4 Legacy
5 See also
6 References
6.1 Sources
7 External links
Background[edit]
In June 1876, Serbia and the Ottoman Empire were engaged in the Serbo-Turkish Wa
r (1876 78). Russia openly supported Serbia. The Russian Musical Society commissio
ned an orchestral piece from Tchaikovsky for a concert in aid of the Red Cross S
ociety, and ultimately for the benefit of wounded Serbian veterans.[1][2] Many R
ussians sympathized with their fellow Slavs and Orthodox Christians and sent vol
unteer soldiers and aid to assist Serbia.
Tchaikovsky referred to the piece as his "Serbo-Russian March" while writing it.
It was premiered in Moscow on November 17 [O.S. November 5] 1876, conducted by
Nikolai Rubinstein.
The march is highly programmatic in its form and organization. The first section
describes the oppression of the Serbs by the Turkish. It uses two Serbian folk
songs, "Sunce jarko, ne sija jednako" (Bright sun, you do not shine equally),[3][
4] "Rado ide Srbin u vojnike" (Gladly does the Serb become a soldier),[5] giving
way to the second section in the relative major key, which describes the Russia
ns rallying to help the Serbs. This is based on a simple melody with the charact
er of a rustic dance which is passed around the orchestra until finally it gives
way to a solemn statement of the Russian national anthem "God Save the Tsar". T
he third section of the piece is a repeat of Tchaikovsky's furious orchestral cl
imax, reiterating the Serbian cry for help. The final section describes the Russ
ian volunteers marching to assist the Serbs. It uses a Russian tune, this time i
n the tonic major key and includes another blazing rendition of "God Save the Ts
ar" prophesying the triumph of the Slavonic people over tyranny. The overture fi
nishes with a virtuoso coda for the full orchestra.
The piece shares a few refrains with the 1812 Overture, with which it is frequen
tly paired in performance.
Instrumentation[edit]
The march is scored for two flutes, two piccolos, two oboes, two clarinets in B
flat, two bassoons, four horns in F, two cornets in B flat, two trumpets in B fl
at, three trombones (two tenor, one bass), tuba, three timpani, snare drum, cymb
als, bass drum, tamtam, and strings.
Notable recordings[edit]

Sir Adrian Boult conducting the London Philharmonic Orchestra

Antal Dorti conducting the Detroit Symphony Orchestra
Charles Dutoit conducting the Montreal Symphony Orchestra
Herbert von Karajan conducting the Berlin Philharmonic
Bernard Haitink conducting the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra of Amsterdam
Fritz Reiner conducting the Chicago Symphony Orchestra
Leonard Slatkin conducting the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra
Leopold Stokowski conducting the London Symphony Orchestra
Neeme Jrvi conducting the Gothenburg Symphony
Leonard Bernstein conducting the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra
Eugene Ormandy conducting the Philadelphia Orchestra