Analyzing the Technical Characteristics and Style Interpretation of Tchaikovsky's Dumka

Abstract

Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky is recognised worldwide as the greatest Russian composer in the history of modern music. Tchaikovsky is known for his realistic approach to composition, combining realistic themes with poetic music and combining folk music with romantic music, forming his own distinctive musical style. Among his many piano works, Dumka, which belongs to the later stages of composition, tends to be profoundly tragic and is a piano piece with a strong Russian national flavour, Tchaikovsky's contradictory psychological character being reflected in the slow and sad mood of the work and in the fast and passionate dance scenes. The composition of "Dumka" basically follows the musical structure of the classical Russian folk song in three parts. Tchaikovsky made it the title music while also using a large number of rhythmic patterns from Russian folk dance music, reflecting his love for his country and his people. This paper will discuss the work through an analysis of its technical features and stylistic interpretation.