The 1812 Overture (full title: Festival Overture "The Year 1812" in E flat major, Op. 49; French: Ouverture solennelle 1812) is an orchestral overture by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, commemorating the unsuccessful French invasion into Russia, and the subsequent withdrawal that devastated Napoleon's Grande Armée, an event that marked 1812 as the major turning point of the Napoleonic Wars. The work is best known for the sequence of cannon fire, which is sometimes performed, especially at outside festivals, using one or more real cannons. When performed indoors, orchestras may use computer generated cannon sounds or huge barrel drums. Although the composition has no historical connection with the US-UK War of 1812, in the United States it is often performed alongside other patriotic music; it is a staple at Fourth of July celebrations. This work is one of fewer than ten works that use guns and cannons in their score, and is one of the few that call for a carillon. Opus, from the Latin word opus meaning work, is usually used in the sense of a work of art. In this sense the plural of opus, opera, is used to refer to the genre of music drama. ... For the song titled Orchestra, see The Servant (band). ... Overture (French ouverture, meaning opening) in music is the instrumental introduction to a dramatic, choral or, occasionally, instrumental composition. ... “Tchaikovsky” redirects here. ... Kazan Cathedral in St Petersburg and the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour in Moscow were built to commemorate the Russian victory against Napoleon. ... For other uses, see Napoleon (disambiguation). ... La Grande Armée (in English, the Big or Grand Army) is the French military term for the main force in a military campaign. ... Combatants Austria[1] Portugal Prussia[1] Russia[2] Sicily  Spain[3]  Sweden United Kingdom[4] French Empire Holland Italy Naples [5] Duchy of Warsaw Bavaria[6] Saxony[7] Denmark-Norway [8] Commanders Archduke Charles Prince Schwarzenberg Karl Mack von Leiberich João Francisco de Saldanha Oliveira e Daun Gebhard von... For other uses, see Cannon (disambiguation). ... Orchestra at City Hall (Edmonton). ... This article is about the machine. ... Motto: (Out Of Many, One) (traditional) In God We Trust (1956 to date) Anthem: The Star-Spangled Banner Capital Washington D.C. Largest city New York City None at federal level (English de facto) Government Federal constitutional republic  - President George Walker Bush (R)  - Vice President Dick Cheney (R) Independence from... This article is about the U.S. – U.K. war. ... In the United States, Independence Day (commonly known as the “Fourth of July,” “July Fourth”, the “Glorious Fourth”, or simply the “Fourth”) is a federal holiday commemorating the adoption of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, declaring independence from the Kingdom of Great Britain. ... For the University of Regina student newspaper, see The Carillon. ...

The Overture debuted in the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour in Moscow on August 20, 1882, a church that was destroyed by Stalin in the 1930s. View of the cathedral and the Great Stone Bridge in 1905. ... For other uses, see Moscow (disambiguation). ... is the 232nd day of the year (233rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1882 (MDCCCLXXXII) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Friday of the 12-day slower Julian calendar). ...

Historical background

The Battle of Borodino

Main article: Battle of Borodino

On September 7, 1812, 120 km (75 miles) west of Moscow at Borodino, Napoleon’s forces met those of General Kutuzov in the only concerted stand made by Russia against the seemingly invincible French army. The Battle of Borodino saw casualties estimated as high as 100,000 and produced victory for neither side. It did, however, break the back of the French invasion. Combatants First French Empire Russian Empire Commanders Napoleon I Mikhail Kutuzov Strength 82,400 infantry 26,700 cavalry 14,900 artillery troops with 587 guns[1] 72,000 infantry 17,300 cavalry 14,500 artillery troops with 637 guns[2] Casualties ~6,600 killed ~21,400 wounded [3] ~43,000... is the 250th day of the year (251st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... For the overture by Tchaikovsky, see 1812 Overture; For the wars, see War of 1812 (USA - United Kingdom) or Patriotic War of 1812 (France - Russia) For the Siberia Airlines plane crashed over the Black Sea on October 4, 2001, see Siberia Airlines Flight 1812 1812 was a leap year starting... Mikhail Kutuzov Prince Mikhail Illarionovich Golenishchev-Kutuzov (Russian: ) (September 16, 1745 – April 28, 1813 (n. ...

With resources depleted and supply lines overextended, Napoleon’s crippled forces moved into Moscow, which was surrendered without resistance. Expecting capitulation from the displaced Tsar Alexander I, the French instead found themselves in a barren and desolate city razed completely to the ground by the retreating Russian Army. Aleksandr Pavlovich Romanov or Tsar Alexander I (The Blessed), (Russian: Александр I Павлович) (December 23, 1777–December 1, 1825), Emperor of Russia (reigned March 23, 1801–December 1, 1825), King of Poland (reigned 1815–1825), son of the Grand Duke Paul Petrovich, afterwards Paul I, and Maria Fedorovna, daughter of the Duke...

Deprived of winter quarters, Napoleon found it necessary to retreat. Beginning on October 19 and lasting well into December, the French army faced several overwhelming obstacles on its long retreat out of Russia: Famine, frigid temperatures, and Russian forces barring the way out of the country. Abandoned by Napoleon in December, the largest army ever assembled melted away to one-tenth its original size by the time it reached Poland.

Commission of the overture

In 1880 the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour, commissioned by Tsar Alexander II to commemorate the French defeat, was nearing completion in Moscow; the 25th anniversary of the coronation of Alexander II would be at hand in 1881; and the 1882 Moscow Arts and Industry Exhibition was in the planning stage. View of the cathedral and the Great Stone Bridge in 1905. ... Alexander (Aleksandr) II Nikolaevich (Russian: Александр II Николаевич) (Moscow, 29 April 1818 – 13 March 1881 in St. ...

In the spring of 1880, Tchaikovsky's friend and mentor Nikolay Rubinstein suggested that a grand commemorative piece should be composed for use in related festivities. The work was commissioned by what we would call today the Red Cross. Tchaikovsky began work on the project on October 12, 1880, and finished it six weeks later. Plans were for the piece to be performed in the square before the cathedral, with a brass band to reinforce the orchestra, the bells of the cathedral and all the others in downtown Moscow playing Zvons on cue, and live cannonfire in accompaniment, fired from an electric switch panel in order to achieve the precision demanded by the musical score in which each shot was specifically written. Nikolai Rubinstein Born Nikolai Grigoryevich Rubinstein (2 June 1835–23 March 1881) was a Russian pianist and composer. ... is the 285th day of the year (286th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1880 (MDCCCLXXX) was a leap year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a leap year starting on Tuesday of the 12-day slower Julian calendar). ...

Meanwhile, Tchaikovsky complained to his patron Nadezhda von Meck that he was "not a concocter of festival pieces," and that the Overture would be "showy and noisy, but [without] artistic merit, because I wrote it without warmth and without love," adding himself to the legion of artists who from time to time have castigated their own work. It is the work that would have made Tschaikovsky Estate exceptionally wealthy because it is one of the most performed and recorded works from his catalog. Nadezhda von Meck. ...

No 1881 performance took place. The plan may have been too ambitious, but in any case Alexander II was assassinated in March of that year, deflating much of the reason behind the project. In 1882, at the Arts and Industry Exhibition, the Overture was performed indoors with conventional orchestration. The cathedral was completed in 1883. This is an incomplete list of persons that were assassinated for political and other reasons, and who have individual entries. ...

In 1931 the cathedral, with golden domes up to 30 stories high and 65 tons of bells, was stripped and blown up. Reconstruction of the cathedral, on its original site, began in 1994 and was completed in December of 1999.

Instrumentation

The 1812 Overture is scored for an orchestra made up of piccolo, 2 flutes, 2 oboes, cor anglais, 2 clarinets in B flat, 2 bassoons, 4 horns in F, 2 cornets in B flat, 2 trumpets in E flat, 3 trombones, tuba, timpani, triangle, tambourine, snare drum, cymbals, bass drum, carillon (sometimes played on tubular bells), cannon (sometimes either recorded cannons, or played on either a bass drum or tam-tam in indoor performances), strings, and an optional brass band. In some indoor performances, the optional brass band part must be played on an organ. The piccolo is a small flute. ... ♠ This article is about the family of musical instruments. ... The oboe is a double reed musical instrument of the woodwind family. ... The cor anglais, or English horn, is a double reed woodwind musical instrument in the woodwind family. ... Two soprano clarinets: a B♭ clarinet (left, with capped mouthpiece) and an A clarinet (right, with no mouthpiece). ... The bassoon is a woodwind instrument in the double reed family that typically plays music written in the bass and tenor registers and occasionally even higher. ... The horn (popularly known also as the French horn) is a brass instrument decended from the natural horn that consists of tubing wrapped into a coiled form. ... B♭ cornet The cornet is a brass instrument that closely resembles the trumpet. ... The trumpet is a musical instrument in the brass family. ... The trombone is a musical instrument in the brass family. ... For other uses, see Tuba (disambiguation). ... A timpanist in the United States Air Forces in Europe Band. ... An old-fashioned triangle, with wand (beater) Angelika Kauffmann: LAllegra, 1779 The triangle is an idiophone type of musical instrument in the percussion family. ... “Buben” redirects here. ... The snare drum or side drum is a tubular drum made of wood or metal with skins, or heads, stretched over the top and bottom openings, and with a set of snares (cords) stretched across the bottom head. ... For the Japanese rock band, see Cymbals (band). ... A bass drum is a large drum that produces a note of low definite or indefinite pitch. ... For the University of Regina student newspaper, see The Carillon. ... Tubular bells (also known as chimes) are musical instruments in the percussion family. ... For other uses, see Cannon (disambiguation). ... A gong is any one of a wide variety of metal percussion instruments. ... The baroque organ in Roskilde Cathedral, Copenhagen The pipe organ is a musical instrument that produces sound by admitting pressurized air (referred to as wind) through a series of pipes. ...

Musical structure

Sixteen cannon shots are written into the score of the Overture. Beginning with the plaintive hymn "God Preserve Thy People", which was the old Czarist Russian National Anthem, the piece moves through a mixture of pastoral and militant themes portraying the increasing distress of the Russian people at the hands of the invading French. At the turning point of the invasion—the Battle of Borodino—the score calls for five Russian cannon shots confronting a boastfully repetitive fragment of the Marseillaise. A descending string passage represents the subsequent attrition of the French forces, followed by victory bells and a triumphant repetition of "God Preserve Thy People" as Moscow burns to deny winter quarters to the French. A musical chase scene appears, out of which emerges the anthem "God Save the Tsar!," thundering with eleven more precisely scored shots. This article is about the anthem La Marseillaise. A sculpture popularly called La Marseillaise is part of the sculptural program of the Arc de Triomphe. ... Wikisource has original text related to this article: God Save the Tsar!, in Russian God Save the Tsar! (Russian: Боже, Царя храни!) was the national anthem of the late Russian Empire. ...

Performance practice

Logistics of safety and precision in placement of the shots require either well-drilled military crews using modern cannon, or else the use of sixteen pieces of muzzle-loading artillery, since any reloading schemes to attain the sixteen shots or even a semblance of them in the two minute time span involved makes safety and precision impossible with 1800s artillery. Time lag alone precludes implementation of cues for the shots for 1812-era field pieces.

Did Tchaikovsky ever hear the piece as written?

Musicologists questioned across the last third of a century have given no indication that the composer ever heard the Overture performed in authentic accordance with the 1880 plan. It is reported that he asked permission to perform the piece as planned in Berlin, but was denied that permission. Performances he conducted on U.S. and European tours were apparently done with simulated or at best inexact shots, if with shots at all, a custom universal until recent years. This article is about the capital of Germany. ...

Antal Dorati and Erich Kunzel are the first conductors to have encouraged exact fidelity of the shots to the written score in live performances, beginning in New York and Connecticut as part of Dorati's recording and Kunzel in Cincinnati in 1967 with assistance from J. Paul Barnett, of South Bend, Indiana.^[1] Of these the Dorati is the better and more faithful performance which has been recorded for posteriory on Mercury Records. Dorati uses an actual Carillon called for in the score and they are rung about as close to a zvon then known. The art of Zvon ringing was almost lost due to the Russian Revolution and the atheistic beliefs of the communists. The Dorati recording also uses actual period French Cannon for the 1812 period which belong to West Point US Military College. Antal Dor ti (April 9, 1906 - November 13, 1988) was a conductor and composer. ... Erich Kunzel (also known as Erich Kunzel Jr. ... Cincinnati, Ohio viewed from the SW, across the Ohio River from Kentucky. ...

Recording history

• A 1927 Cleveland recording contains dozens of bass drum "shots" at random in the final moments of the piece.

• A Royal Opera Orchestra recording of about the same time contains no shots at all. Various more recent recordings feature modern or antique artillery firing in approximation of the score, and other improvisations and horrible bell sounds from tubular chimes to fake bell sounds which do no ZVON ringing.

• Antal Dorati’s landmark 1954 Mercury Records recording with the Minneapolis Symphony Orchestra (recorded in mono in 1954 and in stereo in 1958), partially recorded at West Point, and using the Yale University's Harkness Carillon (then a mere chime) in Hartford, Connecticut, uses a period French single muzzleloading cannon shot dubbed in 16 times as written, and was such an advancement in authenticity that on the first edition of the recording, one side played the Overture and the other side played a narrative by Deems Taylor about how the feat was accomplished. The stereophonic version was recorded on April 5, 1958 using the bells of the Laura Spelman Rockefeller Memorial Carillon,at the Riverside Church. On this Mercury Living Presence Stereo recording the spoken commentary was also given by Deems Taylor and was coupled with Tchaikovsky's "Capriccio Italien".

• Later recordings have been variously done by similar means. The Black Dyke Mills Brass Band have also recorded a brass band arrangement of the piece. This recording includes the cannon shots as originally written. In 1990, in a worldwide celebration of the 150th anniversary of Tchaikovsky’s birth, the Overture was recorded in the city of his youth by the St. Petersburg Philharmonic using 16 muzzleloading cannons fired live as written in the 1880 score. That recording was done within earshot of the composer’s grave.

Antal Dor ti (April 9, 1906 - November 13, 1988) was a conductor and composer. ... The Minnesota Orchestra is an American orchestra. ... Deems Taylor (born Joseph Taylor) (1885 - 1966) was a U.S. composer and music critic. ... The St. ...

Performance venues

• The Boston Pops Orchestra plays the Overture annually on Independence Day for "Pops Goes The Fourth." It is one of the best-attended July 4th celebrations in the country and it takes place on the Charles River Esplanade at the Hatch Shell. The performance is accompanied by real cannons from the Massachusetts National Guard and by fireworks over Boston Harbor/Charles River.
• The National Symphony Orchestra plays the Overture as part of the finale to the A Capitol Fourth concert on the Capitol lawn in Washington, D.C. each Independence Day. However, recent performances have featured only the climax of the overture, not the entire fifteen minute piece.
• The United States Army Band "Pershing's Own" performs the 1812 Overture at the National Sylvan Theater, Washington, DC, USA, every August. The performance is highlighted with real cannon of the 3rd United States Infantry Regiment (The Old Guard)] Presidential Salute Battery.
• Utah Symphony Orchestra's Deer Valley Music Festival in Park City, Utah: Every August the Overture is performed outdoors at the Deer Valley Resort's Amphitheater with real cannons.
• The 1812 Overture is played each January by the Sydney Symphony to conclude the popular Symphony in the Domain concert, with the bells of St Mary's Cathedral, Sydney tolling in the background. It is also played annually by the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra at the Santos Limited 'Symphony Under the Stars' concert.
• The 1812 Overture is played each year by the Royal Military College Band — at Duntroon in Canberra, Australia - complete with real artillery and fireworks.
• "1812 at the Fort", an outdoor performance of the 1812 Overture, is performed annually during summer at Fort Henry in Kingston, Ontario. The performance is the joint effort of the Kingston Symphony and the Fort Henry Guard, with the Fort Henry Guard firing a variety of rifles and artillery during the performance.
• The 1812 Overture is played annually at the conclusion of the outdoor Pops concert held at Weber State University in Ogden, Utah, usually held on the second to last Sunday before the 24th of July (Pioneer Day). The piece is followed immediately by fireworks.
• The 1812 Overture is played annually at the conclusion of the outdoor Honor America Days celebration mid-july in Rome, NY. The event is performed by the Syracuse Symphony Orchestra and held on the lawn of the original Fort Stanwix National Monument.

The Boston Pops Orchestra was founded in 1885 as a subsection of the Boston Symphony Orchestra. ... The Charles River from the Boston side, facing Cambridge and the main campus of Harvard University. ... The Boston Pops performing at the Hatch Shell on July 4, 2005 The Hatch Shell is an outdoor concert venue adjacent to the Charles River Esplanade near downtown Boston. ... A Capitol Fourth is a free annual concert performed on the west lawn of the United States Capitol Building in Washington, D.C., in celebration of the Fourth of July. ... The United States Capitol is the capitol building that serves as the location for the United States Congress, the legislative branch of the U.S. federal government. ... For other uses, see Washington, D.C. (disambiguation). ... The United States Army is the largest and oldest branch of the armed forces of the United States. ... It has been suggested that this article be split into multiple articles. ... The National Sylvan Theater, more commonly simply “The Sylvan Theater”, is a sylvan theater on the grounds of the Washington Monument, National Mall, Washington, DC, USA. The Sylvan Theater is located within the northwest corner of the 15th Street and Independence Avenue intersection, about 400 ft (120 m) southeast of... Aerial photo (looking NW) of the Washington Monument and the White House in Washington, DC. Washington, D.C., officially the District of Columbia (also known as D.C.; Washington; the Nations Capital; the District; and, historically, the Federal City) is the capital city and administrative district of the United... The 3rd US Infantry Regiment is a unit of the United States Army. ... The Utah Symphony Orchestra is a symphony orchestra located in Salt Lake City, Utah. ... Park City, Utah Main Street during a parade Looking down Main Street Park City is a city located in Summit County, Utah, United States. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... The Sydney Symphony is a symphony orchestra based in Sydney, Australia. ... Symphony in the Domain Symphony in the Domain (formerly known as Symphony Under The Stars) is the second and most popular of three, open air concerts that are held in The Domain, Sydney as part of the Sydney Festival. ... St Mary’s Cathedral is the seat of the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Sydney, currently Cardinal Archbishop George Pell. ... The Adelaide Symphony Orchestra was founded as a 17 player radio ensemble in 1936, in Adelaide, South Australia. ... Santos Ltd. ... Fort Henry, Ontario, is a National Historic Site of Canada. ... Murney Tower, Kingston The Fort Henry Guard performing an historical demonstration The Prince George Hotel. ... The Fort Henry Guard (FHG) is a military re-enactment organization based at Fort Henry, a national historic site in Kingston, Ontario, Canada. ... Weber State University is a public university located in the city of Ogden in Weber County, Utah, USA. There is also a Davis County satellite campus located in Layton. ... Ogden sign over Washington Boulevard at the Ogden River; toward downtown Ogden is the county seat of Weber County,GR6 Utah, United States. ... This article is about the U.S. state. ... Pioneer Day (also called the Day of Deliverance[1]) is a holiday celebrated on July 24 in the U.S. state of Utah, with some celebrations in regions of surrounding states originally settled by Mormon pioneers. ... Fort Stanwix was a colonial fort erected in 1758 by British General John Stanwix, at the location of present-day Rome, New York. ...

The overture referenced or used in other works

Trivia sections are discouraged under Wikipedia guidelines. The article could be improved by integrating relevant items into other sections and removing inappropriate items. (September 2007)

Tchaikovsky's 1812 is often alluded to in other artistic creations, especially where conflict is an important theme. Examples include: Image File history File links Broom_icon. ...

• A fragment of 1812 appears in the score by Andre Previn for Every Good Boy Deserves Favour (1977), a play for actors and orchestra by Tom Stoppard. The play is set in a Russian mental hospital where dissidents are consigned during the Soviet era. In this context the French themes such as "La Marsellaise" symbolize independence of spirit.
• In the film Dead Poets Society (1989) the patriotic cannon tune is whistled by a free-thinking teacher as he strolls the grounds of a tradition-bound school.

1812 has also been the subject of humour: Andr Previn (born April 6, 1929) is a prominent pianist, orchestral conductor, and composer. ... Every Good Boy Deserves Favour is a stage play by Tom Stoppard. ... Sir Tom Stoppard, OM, CBE (born as Tomáš Straussler on July 3, 1937)[1] is an Academy Award winning British playwright of more than 24 plays. ... “CCCP” redirects here. ... This article is about the anthem La Marseillaise. A sculpture popularly called La Marseillaise is part of the sculptural program of the Arc de Triomphe. ... Dead Poets Society is an Academy Award winning 1989 film, directed by Peter Weir. ...

• Peter Schikele pokes fun at the incongruous association of 1812 with American patriotic celebrations in Overture 1712 for "really big orchestra." The piece, ostensibly written by P. D. Q. Bach in the colonial era, echoes Tchaikovsky gesture for gesture while basing every melody on "Yankee Doodle."
• It was mentioned in the comic strip Calvin & Hobbes; when Hobboes mentions the role of cannons in 1812's performace, Calvin exclaims, "And they play this in music halls?! And I thought classical music was boring!"

1812 was also in the 2006 movie, V for Vendetta as the tune buildings were blown up to, and also was incorperated into the soundtrack of the film itself. Peter Schickele – full name Johann Peter Schickele, but never used -- (b. ... 1712 Overture and Other Musical Assaults was released in 1989 by Telarc Records. ... P. D. Q. Bach is a fictional composer invented by musical satirist Professor Peter Schickele. ... Yankee Doodle is a well-known American song, often sung patriotically today . ... Calvin and Hobbes is a comic strip written and illustrated by Bill Watterson, following the humorous antics of Calvin, an imaginative six-year-old boy, and Hobbes, his energetic and sardonic – albeit stuffed – tiger. ... V for Vendetta is a 2006 action-thriller film set in London, England in a near-future dystopian society. ...

References

1. ^ Tchaikovsky: 1812 Overture: The New Recording. Telarc International.

External links

• Article from 2003 Pittsburgh Post-Gazette on how “1812” has become a piece of patriotic Americana
• Russian national anthem “God Save the Tsar” in Tchaikovsky’s music — contains several audio recordings of the 1812 Overture.
• 1812 Overture (measure 349 to end) sheet music