# Tchaikovsky's program symphony



## Kopachris (May 31, 2010)

Some have called the sixth symphony a "musical suicide note." I believe this may be fairly accurate. If this is the case, then here is my interpretation of what Master Tchaikovsky may have had in mind as he wrote the Pathétique.

The first movement relates the subject's view of his own life. The view is definitely dismal. The subject is finally giving in to fate after a long chase (see Tchaikovsky's own program notes for the fourth symphony, mvt. 1) and is crying out in anguish at the cards dealt him. There were a few tender moments, but they were always touched with sadness and irony and quickly descended into despair. The final bars are a grimace of sad, exhausted resignation. The subject is weary of fate, the world, and his life.

The second movement is then the subject's view of the world in general. Life is a dance which the subject sees as undancable, and therefore ironic (the movement is a waltz rendered undancable due to its being in 5/4 time). People put on new faces to hide themselves as they dance at masquerade parties and ignore fate as long as they can, because it's impossible to dance _with_ fate. The movement speaks of conscious ignorance and decadence.

In the third movement, the subject has seen a way to outwit fate--suicide. The subject joyously reflects on the idea of escaping fate once and for all by taking his own life--the idea is glorious to him. He plans to do it not to escape life and life's troubles, but to escape the problems which fate has not given him the power to fix.

The final chord of the third movement (G-B-D) and the initial chord of the final movement (G#-D-F#-B) depict the moment of suicide as seen by the subject and those around him, respectively. While the subject sees a glorious G major chord, the chord is altered to include _diabolus in musica_ (the tritone)--instead of a glorious victory, the subject's loved ones see an act of evil or perhaps something pitiful. The movement is spent in lamentation for the poor, pitiful soul that took his own life.

This is my own idea; does anyone else have some ideas?


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