Anam- The Up-bow Down-low

Episode 7, 2020: Tchaikovsky’s Serenade for strings Wednesday 29 July 2020 This week ANAM Music Librarian, Phil Lambert, talks about one of the most popular String Serenades by Pyotr Tchaikovsky. The story begins in 1868 when the master composer was putting together an anthology of Russian folk songs for piano duets. The arrangements are short and have simple harmonies. In September of 1880, Tchaikovsky was working on a commission to commemorate the victory of Russia over Napoleon, his famous 1812 Overture. Around the same time, he began jotting down ideas for another piece, convinced that a Serenade for a large string orchestra would permit him to create lush texture without having to take on the intellectual weight of a symphony. His Serenade for Strings was completed in November 1880. Its most interesting quality is how the simple Russian folk songs he composed 12 years prior came together with the rest of the composition to give the finale a very rustic romp. Tchaikovsky’s Serenade for strings is easi