Legend (Tchaikovsky)

Legend (Russian: Легенда, "Legenda"), Op. 54, No. 5 (also known as The Crown of Roses in some English-language sources) is a composition by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. Originally written in 1883 as a song for solo voice and piano, it was subsequently arranged by Tchaikovsky for solo voice and orchestra (1884), and then for unaccompanied choir (1889).
Words.
The words are based on the poem "Roses and Thorns" by American poet Richard Henry Stoddard, originally published in "Graham's Magazine" of May 1856. Stoddard's poem was translated into Russian by the poet Aleksey Pleshcheyev and published in the Russian journal "Sem'ia i shkola" ("Family and School") in 1877. Pleshcheyev described the origin of the poem only as "translated from the English", without crediting Stoddard, the nature of whose contribution was thus lost. The poem was included in Pleshcheyev's anthology "Snowdrop" (Подснeжник; 1878), where it was found by Tchaikovsky.
When "Legend" is sung by English-speaking choirs, the words used are usually those of Geoffrey Dearmer, who translated Pleschcheyev's Russian text back into English for the "English Carol Book" (1913). Dearmer himself was only 20 years old when he wrote the words. While Pleshcheyev's Russian lyrics are a near-literal translation of Stoddard, and also copy the original rhyming scheme ABCB, Dearmer uses considerable poetic licence and a new rhyming scheme of AABB.
Music.
The song is in the key of E minor, but the lack of any accidentals in the melody gives it a modal character. The original form of the song has a brief piano introduction and coda. This is retained in the orchestral arrangement. In the choral arrangement, the introduction is eliminated, and the piano coda is replaced by a choral coda featuring extremely low basses.
The melody of the original version is shown below:
<score %vorbis="1"%>
\new Staff «
 \time 2/4
 \key e \minor
 \relative c"
 \autoBeamOff
 | e4 e8 d8 |
 g,4. a8 |
 b4 b4 |
 e,4 r8 b'8 |
 e4 d4 |
 g,4. a8 |
 b4 b4 |
 e,2 |
\break
 e4 e8 fis8 |
 g4. fis8 |
 e4 d4 |
 e2 |
 e4 e8 fis8 |
 g4. fis8 |
 e4 d4 |
 e4 r8 b'8|
\break
 | e4 d4 |
 g,4. a8 |
 b4 b4 |
 e,4 r8 b'8 |
 e4 d4 |
 g,4. a8 |
 b4 b4 |
 e,2 |
\break
 r8 e8 e8 fis8 |
 g4. fis8 |
 e4 d4 |
 e2 |
 e4 e8 fis8 |
 g4. fis8 |
 e4 d4 |
 e2 |
\break
 g,4. a8 |
 b4 b4 |
 e,4 r8 b'8 |
 e4 d4 |
 g,4. a8 |
 b4 b4 |
 e,2 |
\break
 e4 e8 fis8 |
 g4. fis8 |
 e4 d4 |
 e2~|
 e8 e8 e8 fis8 |
 g4 r8 fis8 |
 e4 d4 |
 e2|
\break
 fis4 fis8 fis8 |
 g4. g8 |
 a4. a8 | 
 b4. b8 | 
 d4 c4 | 
 b4 e,4 | 
 g4. fis8 |
 e2 |
 \break
 fis4 fis8 fis8 |
 g4. g8 |
 a4. a8 | 
 b4. b8 | 
 d4 c4 | 
 b4. e,8 | 
 g4. fis8 |
 e2 |
 \bar "|."
\addlyrics {
\set stanza = #"1. "
 Был у Хри -- ста мла -- ден -- ца сад
 И мно -- го роз взра -- стил он внем;
 Он три -- жды вдень их по -- ли -- вал,
 Чтоб сплесть ве -- нок се -- бе по -- том.
\set stanza = #"2. "
 Ког -- да же ро -- зы ра -- сцве -- ли,
Де -- тей ев -- рей -- ских со -- звал он;
О -- ни сор -- ва -- ли по цвет -- ку,
И сад был весь о -- пу -- сто -- шен
\set stanza = #"3. "
„Как ты спле -- тешь те -- перь ве -- нок?
Втво -- ем са -- ду нет бо -- льше роз!“
„Вы по -- за -- бы -- ли, что ши -- пы
Ос -- та -- лись мне“, ска -- зал Хрис -- тос.
\set stanza = #"4. "
И из ши -- пов о -- ни спле -- ли
Ве -- нок ко -- лю -- чий для не -- го,
И ка -- пли кро -- ви вме -- сто роз
Че -- ло у -- кра -- си -- ли е -- го.
»
</score>
The relative major (G major) is prominent in Tchaikovsky's harmonization, as the following fragment, (from the choral arrangement) illustrates:
<score %vorbis="1"%>
\new Staff «
 \time 2/4
 \key e \minor
 \relative c'
 \new Voice = "sopranos" {
 \autoBeamOff
 \voiceOne
 r8 e8 e8 fis8 | g4. fis8 | e4 d4 | e2 
 \new Voice = "altos" {
 \autoBeamOff
 \voiceTwo
 r8 b8 b8 d'8 | d'4. d'8 | b4 b4 | b2
\addlyrics {
 Он три -- жды вдень их по -- ли -- вал,
»
\new Staff «
 \clef "bass"
 \time 2/4
 \key e \minor
 \relative c
 \new Voice = "tenors" {
 \autoBeamOff
 \voiceOne
 r8 g'8 g8 a8 | b4. a8 | g4 g4 | g2 
 \new Voice = "basses" {
 \autoBeamOff
 \voiceTwo
 r8 e8 e8 d8 | g,4. d8 | e4 g4 | e2
 »
</score>
Performance and publication history.
The original version of the music, for solo voice and piano, was published as part of Tchaikovsky's "Songs for Children", Op. 54, in 1884.
The orchestra arrangement was made for tenor Dmitri Usatov, who premiered it in April 1884 at the Bolshoi Theatre.
The choral arrangement was premiered by the Chorus of the Imperial Opera under the direction of Fyodor Becker in March 1889. Both the orchestral and choral arrangements were published in 1890.
The choral arrangement was subsequently performed under Tchaikovsky's direction at one of the official opening concerts of Carnegie Hall in May 1891. According to the "New York Times" review, it "made a great hit", with the composer being "called out twice after it with great enthusiasm". An English translation, "When Jesus Christ was yet a child", was made by Geoffrey Dearmer and published in "The English Carol Book" in 1913.
Legacy.
The song was the basis of Anton Arensky's Variations on a Theme by Tchaikovsky, Op. 35a (1894), for string orchestra.