Discussing the Ethnicity of Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture through the Professional Lens of Musicology

Abstract

The scope of my dissertation is: the sections of the 1812 Overture that are characterized by Russian folk music; the connection between the Russo-French War of 1812 and the 1812 Overture; and the composer Tchaikovsky's inspiration and compositional process for writing the 1812 Overture. The purpose of the research is: to discuss the embodiment of Russian musical style in the 1812 Overture through the knowledge and understanding of folk music. In the process of writing the article, the first step is to listen to the audio of the 1812 Overture, watch the video of the 1812 Overture, and find out the characteristic passages of Russian music and the use of characteristic instruments in the video of the 1812 Overture, and combine them with the same passages in the score of the 1812 Overture. Next, collect literature on the 1812 Overture, Tchaikovsky, Russian folk music, and definitions of folk music. And begin to organize the framework of the thesis and categories the literature. Finally write the paper, revise the final draft and submit the course paper. The result is a discussion and critical response to the reasons for the controversy of the Russian national music of the composer Tchaikovsky by the people of Russia itself by analyzing the national character of the 1812 Overture. The conclusion is that the 1812 Overture is a strong confirmation of the composer Tchaikovsky's expertise in using not only Western European symphonic music, but also Russian musical styles in his musical compositions.