Symphony No. 2 in c minor, Op. 17

Quick Facts

• Composed in 1872; revised in 1879-80
• Premiered in Moscow with the Russian Musical Society conducted by Nikolay Rubenstein
• Dedicated to the Moscow Section of the Imperial Russian Musical Society¹
• Note on “Little Russian” nickname:
  • Tchaikovsky’s second symphony was given the (unofficial) nickname “Little Russian” by a Russian critic due to the composer’s use of several Ukrainian folksongs. At the time, Ukraine was colloquially called “Little Russia.” However, both then and now, this nickname is demeaning to Ukrainians.
• Fun fact – Symphony No. 2 is Tchaikovsky’s shortest symphony.

About the Piece

• In a letter to his brother in 1872, Tchaikovsky wrote of the work, ” I think this is my best creation, in terms of perfection of form — a quality which I’ve hitherto failed to achieve.”
  • Interestingly, just a few years in 1879, the composer revisited the symphony and made fundamental revisions to the work: “I should turn this immature and mediocre symphony into a good one.” Ah, the passage of time!
• Shortly after completing the symphony, Tchaikovsky arranged it for piano duet.²
• Tchaikovsky was very fond of Ukraine and spent much time there. He frequently spent summers at his sister’s estate near Kamenka. It was during one of those visits that Tchaikovsky began work on Symphony No. 2, which uses several regional folk songs.
• Use of Ukrainian and Russian folk songs:
  • The first movement’s opening theme is a variant of the Ukrainian folk song, “Down by Mother Volga.”
  • In the second movement, Tchaikovsky uses the Russian folk song, “Keep on Spinning, My Spinner.”
  • The third movement doesn’t explicitly use material from a folk song, though the central section achieves a folk-like sound.
  • The main theme of the finale is the Ukrainian folk song, “The Crane.”³

1. “Symphony No.2, Op.17 (Tchaikovsky, Pyotr),” IMSLP, accessed February 9, 2024, https://imslp.org/wiki/Symphony_No.2,Op.17(Tchaikovsky,_Pyotr).
2. “Symphony No. 2,” Tchaikovsky Research (2023), accessed February 9, 2024, https://en.tchaikovsky-research.net/pages/Symphony_No._2.
3. Harlow Robinson, “Symphony No. 2, Little Russian,” Boston Symphony Orchestra, accessed February 9, 2024, https://www.bso.org/works/symphony-no-2-little-russian.