Russian folk songs emerged in Russian classical music during mid-nineteenth century as a part of the Russian nationalist movement. Composers of the nationalist movement would transcribe peasant songs and create numerous anthologies, intending to create a uniquely Russian sound and display Russian pride. When the nationalist composers became aware of the emerging Pyotr Tchaikovsky, tensions flared, for he, unlike the nationalists, was a western trained composer. However, like the nationalists, he used Russian folk songs in his music, but he transformed their meaning entirely by composing them in different keys, preparing them with his own material, or associating them with personal programs. My research primarily focuses on Tchaikovsky’s 4th, and 6th symphonies and his unique approach to incorporating folk songs for personal expression. As a part of my methodology, I have studied traditional types and meanings of folk songs, and have performed and studied anthologized Russian folk songs. I will show how Tchaikovsky’s symphonies transform these folk songs as a way to serve an incredibly personal program for his music. It is his personalization of these songs that, in a sense, creates a deeper connection with not just the Russian people, but people all over the world.

Russian Folk Songs: Transcending Nationalism and Creating Personal Identity