# Help me solve a Mystery!



## Huilunsoittaja (Apr 6, 2010)

The Mystery of the melody below.









What can you tell of this melody by Arensky? What is the key, and the pitches? What is written in Russian there? I've spent already a long time looking at a bunch of his music trying to find this melody, and I came up blank last night. If you can see some detail I don't, it'll give me help.

Thanks!


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## Kopachris (May 31, 2010)

It's in 5/8 time. I think I see six flats, but it ends on Db, so you might try Db major as well. This is what I was able to get out of it, 90% sure on the pitches and rhythms:


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## Huilunsoittaja (Apr 6, 2010)

Another picture to compare:









5/8? That's bizarre! It could be the dotted rhythms are just too blurry to make out and it's 6/8. But that's really hard to tell for sure.

Update: I haven't found anything like this melody on all the vocal sheet music uploads on IMSLP. I even looked through a whole opera, and there was none like it. I feel I've hit a dead end for now. I'm sad.


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## Ravndal (Jun 8, 2012)

Wikipedia says that he was a big fan of Tchaikovsky. Maybe you need to look in to some of tchaikovsky's work?


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## Klavierspieler (Jul 16, 2011)

I did an IMSLP Melody search and came up with nothing. I didn't do any variations, though.


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## Huilunsoittaja (Apr 6, 2010)

I found another more readable picture!










Please please PLEASE someone who can read Russian please just translate the first few words on the top line, that's all I need to know to determine the exact piece by Arensky.


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## Chrythes (Oct 13, 2011)

In the fifth section of the words the - нымф means nymph, but I have no idea about the continuation and I couldn't find something like that in the score. Are you certain that it's a piece by Arensky?


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## Ravndal (Jun 8, 2012)

why is all the "b"'s at the same line?? i think all of this is pretty random


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## Huilunsoittaja (Apr 6, 2010)

Chrythes said:


> In the fifth section of the words the - нымф means nymph, but I have no idea about the continuation and I couldn't find something like that in the score. Are you certain that it's a piece by Arensky?


Why else would it be on his gravestone?

Unless...

There is something more to this mystery...


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## Huilunsoittaja (Apr 6, 2010)

http://www.recmusic.org/lieder/get_text.html?TextId=22587&Transliterate=1

If any part of this poem can be put into the stone image, it's a fit, please help if you can find the exact phrase. Arensky DID write a song based of this poem.


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## Guest (Nov 6, 2012)

I only read this forum but as the OP seems so desperate I'll make an exception... 
Тhe words are "Как дорожу я прекрасным мгновеньем". Sorry, no nymphs involved. 
Google suggests that this might be a Russian romance written by a guy named Alexander Gurilev or Guriliov.


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## Ravndal (Jun 8, 2012)

i youtubed the sentence.

came up with this


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## Huilunsoittaja (Apr 6, 2010)

borisvian13 said:


> I only read this forum but as the OP seems so desperate I'll make an exception...
> Тhe words are "Как дорожу я прекрасным мгновеньем". Sorry, no nymphs involved.
> Google suggests that this might be a Russian romance written by a guy named Alexander Gurilev or Guriliov.


BINGO!

Searching up that phrase, I found that it's a song for voice and piano by Arensky, his Op. 6 No. 3. It's never been recorded, and it's not even on IMSLP.  So, my quest has come to a halt for now, but that's definitely a step in the right direction.

Thank you so much @borisvian!


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## Ravndal (Jun 8, 2012)

Never recorded? That is weird.


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## Huilunsoittaja (Apr 6, 2010)

It must be a very obscure work then. And yet, it lives on in stone. That piece must have had some sentimental value to him to want it on his tombstone, unless it was someone else's idea.


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