Peter Ilich Chaikovskii (1840-1893), Russian composer of orchestra music, ballet and opera scores.

For the dedication ceremony for the Church of Christ the Savior in Moscow, Chaikovsky wrote the 1812 Overture. The music was to set the tone for the celebrations around the new Church, which was erected with public donations in thanksgiving for and commemoration of the Russian victory over Napoleon in the War of 1812.

In the section below you will find links to mp3 audio files containing parts of the overture, together with some commentary on what musically is going on in the passage. Preview the different themes of the work before listening to the whole of the overture (which runs approximately 16 minutes). You should be able to play these files with the QuickTime player, with Windows MediaPlayer or other media players.

The piece opens with the somber tones of a Russian Church chant, recalling that the declaration of war was announced at Church services in Russia and then immediately followed by a solemn chant for Russian success in the war. This announcement and public reaction was captured in fiction in Leo Tolstoi's War and Peace.

There follows a theme of marching of armies, carried out by the horns.

Another theme used in the early part of the overture is the initial notes of the French national anthem The Marseillaise which begins "Allons enfants de la patrie, le jour de gloire est arrivé!" The French anthem reflects the early French victories in the war, including the capture of Moscow in September 1812.

This is followed by a Russian folk dance theme, which commemorates the national unity that developed in beating back Napoleon. While Napoleon could be more daring in battle, the Russians had patience and the people on their side to wait out the invador and wear down his enthusiasm.

The French retreat from Moscow began in late October 1812. Caught in the Russian winter for which they were ill-prepared and hounded by local resistance and guerrilla warfare, the French Army suffers great losses. This is reflected in the dizzying spirals of a diminuendo.

The firing of cannons reflects the Russian military advances in forcing the French further toward the borders.

With the military conflict over, we return to a solemn Church chant to give thanks for the victory and the liberation of Russia from French occupation.

Below the triumphant cannons and the horns, we hear the strains of the victorious Russian national anthem beginnning with the words: "God, save the Tsar!". The Russian anthem makes an important counterpoint to the French anthem that was heard earlier.

Now that you are familiar with some of the individual themes that come up in the work, listen to the whole recording. (Note: This file is almost 4MB in size; it will take a while to download over a modem connection.)

These selections are taken from a recording of the 1812 Overture, opus 49, conducted by Antal Dorati, recorded by the Detroit Symphony Orchestra and the National Symphony Orchestra, Washington, DC, produced by London records, 1975, 1978.

Page composed by William Comer
Last updated March 9, 2001