Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (25 April/7 May 1840 – 25 October/6 November 1893), often anglicized as Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky, was a Russian composer of the late-Romantic period, some of whose works are among the most popular music in the classical repertoire. He was the first Russian composer whose music made a lasting impression internationally, bolstered by his appearances as a guest conductor in Europe and the United States. Tchaikovsky was honored in 1884, by Emperor Alexander III, and awarded a lifetime pension.

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Children's Album, Op. 39 (1878)
Dedication: Vladimir Davydov (1871-1906)

1. Morning Prayer (Утренная молитва)
Andante (0:00)
2. Winter Morning (Зимнее утро)
Allegro (0:54)
3. Playing Hobby-Horses (Игра в лошадки)
Presto (1:46)
4. Mama (Мама)
Moderato (2:16)
5. March of the Wooden Soldiers (Марш деревянных солдатиков)
Moderato (3:18)
6. The Sick Doll (Болезнь куклы)
Moderato (4:03)
7. The Doll's Funeral (Похороны куклы)
Adagio (5:00)
8. Waltz (Вальс)
Allegro assai (6:04)
9. The New Doll (Новая кукла)
Allegro (7:04)
10. Mazurka (Мазурка)
Allegro non troppo (Tempo di mazurka) (7:33)
11. Russian Song (Русская песня)
Allegro (8:27)
12. The Harmonica Player (Мужик на гармонике играет)
Adagio (9:07)
13. Kamarinskaya (Камаринская)
Vivace (10:05)
14. Polka (Полька)
Moderato. Tempo di Polka (10:34)
15. Italian Song (Итальянская песенка)
Moderato assai (11:02)
16. Old French Song (Старинная французская песенка)
Molto moderato (11:36)
17. German Song (Немецкая песенка)
Molto moderato (12:33)
18. Neapolitan Song (Неаполитанская песенка)
Andante (13:05)
19. Nanny's Story (Нянина сказка)
Moderato (13:55)
20. The Old Witch (Баба-Яга)
Presto (14:30)
21. Sweet Dreams (Сладкая греза)
Moderato (15:06)
22. Lark Song (Песня жаворонка) Die Lerche - The Lark - L’alouette
Moderato (16:49)
23. The Organ-Grinder Sings (Шарманщик поет)
Andante (17:34)
24. In Church (В церкви)
Moderato (18:02)

Michael Ponti, piano

The sequence of numbers differs in Tchaikovsky's autograph score, where they appear in the following order: 1, 2, 4, 3, 5, 9, 6, 7, 8, 14, 10, 11, 12, 13, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 24, and 23.

Composition
In a letter of 30 April/12 May 1878 to Nadezhda von Meck, the composer wrote: "A while ago I thought that it would not be a bad idea to make a small contribution to the stock of children's musical literature, which is very modest. I want to create a series of little individual pieces just for children, and with an attractive title, like Schumann's".

Some months before this letter was written, while staying in Florence on 14/26 February, Tchaikovsky told Pyotr Jurgenson that he wanted "to write a number of easy pieces, like Kinderstück". Evidently, the idea of creating a collection of pieces for young people had not been abandoned by the composer, and after his return to Kamenka in April he decided to begin composition. In the aforementioned letter to Nadezhda von Meck, he informed her: "Tomorrow I shall start work on my collection of miniatures for children".

On 1/13 May the composer wrote to Anatoly Tchaikovsky: "I'm working well and have done rather a lot". On 4/16 May the sketches for all 24 pieces were ready. Shortly afterwards, Tchaikovsky accepted an invitation from Nadezhda von Meck to stay at her Brailov estate until the end of May/beginning of June, before spending a few days in Moscow; from there he went to spend five days with his friend Nikolay Kondratyev at Nizy, and in mid/late June he called at Kiev, before returning to Verbovka. In the days following his arrival, he began to put the finishing touches to all the pieces written in April and May. The fair copy of the Children's Album was begun, it seems, on 13/25 July.

By 20 July/1 August the copying out was completed, and on 21 July/2 August the composer told Nadezhda von Meck that he was working on the Liturgy of Saint John Chrysostom.

Several pieces from the cycle make use of authentic folk tunes. The Russian Song (No. 11) is based on the theme of the folksong 'O my poor head' (Голова ль ты моя головушка), which Tchaikovsky had previously arranged as No. 2 of Fifty Russian Folksongs. In Kamarinskaya (No. 12), the composer makes use of the popular Russian folk tune of the same name. Italian folk melodies appear in the Neapolitan Song (No. 18) (Le femmene so nfà! by Teodoro Cottrau)—which also occurs in the ballet Swan Lake—and in the Italian Song (No. 15). Yet another Italian tune forms the basis for the piece The Organ Grinder Sings (No. 23); this same tune is used in the middle section of the piece Rêverie interrompue—No. 12 of the Twelve Pieces, Op. 40. The theme of the Old French Song (No. 16) was used again in the Minstrels' song from Act II of the opera The Maid of Orleans.

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