When Napleon was Blownapart...for lack of a better pun (grade please)

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xobhy_tchaikovsky-overture-1812_music



In 1880 Tsar Alexander asked Tchaikovsky to write a piece celebrating the Russian victory at the 1812 Battle of Borodino, the turning point of the Napoleonic invasion of Russia. Just six weeks after the commission, the 1812 Overture was born. One of Tchaikovsky's best works, he gracefully captures the emotion of the war and the pride of Russia's decisive victory over Napoleon's army.

I think the reason I like this piece so much is that it tells a story. The piece starts with a sweet and hopeful melody in the strings, like the hope felt by the Russian soldiers, preparing themselves to defend against the French advance on Moscow, the melody slowly builds and then is abruptly brought to a new developing theme. A very worried tone in the oboe at 2:28 (later imitated by other voices) swirls all over, like the fear of the Russian army during their frantic preparations. Next comes the march section (4:10), the sound of the snare gives it that classic wartime touch and the image of the two armies lining up. It becomes frantic and powerful once again (5:05), signifying that the battle has started, intertwining melodies like the two colliding forces. La Marseillaise (the French National Anthem)sporadically pops up in the brass but is engulfed by the growing power of the string section. A false sense of peace is brought up about half-way through the score; it appears as though there might be a Russian victory very soon. But once again, the snare is being played with the flute, the French are counter-attacking, it's time to get back into formation and the dramatic music comes back with La Marseillaise popping up some more. It builds more and more and it seems as though the Russians are falling to the French, hope for the Russians may be lost. However, around 13:30 in the video, the finale's glorious melody appears, with bells, a heroic theme and the blasting canon that brings this piece its fame signifying a truly grand triumph for the Russians.

Tchaikovsky wrote this piece out of pride for his country (although I'm sure money offered from the tsar probably offered some significant persuasion). It took him only six weeks to write it and he was afraid that because it took so little time to compose it would be a terrible song, lacking passion. However, this piece had quite the contrary effect. He wrote this song for the Russian people to celebrate their victory over the French Army nearly 70 years prior. Through his music, Tchaikovsky shows the admiration for national identity that so many of the Russians had. This piece shows the patriotic aspect of war that is often prevalent after a victory. After triumph for any society, the country or empire undergoes an acute sense of nationalism, this is true of the empires of ancient times (think Grecian golden age after the Persian Wars) and continues to be true in modern society, like the US after both World Wars.

Knowing the story behind this song makes a completely different listening experience. You can feel the fear of the soldiers, and yet you can also feel the pride of the Russians decades after the battle. The Russians had become victorious at this war, and a piece likes this brings them all together. This piece shows the celebratory side of war, after all, the main objective of war is victory. It contrasts from how war is usually depicted as hell; instead it is bright and festive. This piece embodies the emotions of both those fighting in the war, and the generations afterwards celebrating through extensive story telling with music.