Many people may remember when on July 4, 1974, The Boston Pops Orchestra, under the direction of Arthur Fiedler, gave Americans a rousing rendition of Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s 1812 Overture, complete with the grand finale, choreographic by Fiedler himself; fireworks, cannons, and a steeple bell choir.
Of course, when Tchaikovsky composed his overture, he called for cannons to be used. But Fiedler’s decision to use the 1812 Overture was an effort to increase ticket sales. His decision turned into a yearly event, with all the bells and whistles that went with the performance.
And the idea that the overture was written to represent our victory over England in the War of 1812 is totally without merit. The orchestral piece was actually written to commemorate Russia’s defeat of Napoleon at Moscow.
The overture begins with a Russian Orthodox hymn and includes the Russian National Anthem, God Save the Czar. Later in the overture, the French National Anthem, La Marseillaise, is quite literally, blown to smithereens.
Tchaikovsky writes the 1812 Overture
In 1880, the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour, commissioned by Tsar Alexander II, was nearing completion in Moscow. The cathedral was being built to commemorate Russia’s victory against Napoleon’s invading Grande Armée in 1812.
Looking ahead, in 1881, there were plans being made for the 25th anniversary of the coronation of Alexander II, and in 1882, there was the Moscow Arts and Industry Exhibition to look forward to. Tchaikovsky’s friend and mentor Nikolai Rubinstein, suggested he compose some sort of grand commemorative piece to go with the related activities.
Tchaikovsky began working on the piece of music on October 12, 1880, and completed it in six weeks. The overture was supposed to be played in the square in front of the cathedral, with a brass band to accompany the orchestra, and the bells of all the churches in Moscow playing “zvons” (pealing) on cue, along with live cannon fire, also on cue.
Needless to say, the overture wasn’t performed. It didn’t get played until 1882, at the Arts and Industry Exhibition, and the overture was played indoors with just a conventional orchestra. The cathedral was finally completed on May 26, 1883.
Tchaikovsky was his own worst critic
It might surprise readers to find out Tchaikovsky hated the piece he had written. His assessment of it as “very loud and noisy and completely without artistic merit, obviously written without warmth or love,” was written by the great composer himself.
The popularity of the overture frustrated Tchaikovsky, seeming to tell him the world cared more for a noisy spectacle more than symphonies, concertos and chamber music. As the 1812 Overture continued to gain in popularity, he became convinced the world misunderstood his creativity. But suffice to say that maybe Tchaikovsky was wrong about his wonderfully enduring work, because it is just as well loved today as it was when it was finally played for the first time in 1882.