Guide to the Practical Study of Harmony

by Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky

Written during Tchaikovsky’s years as professor at the renowned Moscow Conservatory, this volume presents a clear and thorough introduction to the study of harmony. The great Russian composer expounded upon his views of music while he was in the full flower of his creative powers, offering students a chance to learn the discipline’s fundamentals from one of its great masters.
Out of print for decades and exceedingly rare in its original edition, Tchaikovsky’s Guide to the Practical Study of Harmony possesses an intrinsic historical interest, yet remains as useful and instructive today as it was a century ago. A complete course in writing music, this excellent manual features numerous examples and exercises. It functions equally well as a classroom text, an adjunct to private instruction, or as a guide to individual musicians.

Genres: Music

160 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 1983

About the author

Pyotr Il'yich Tchaikovsky (Russian: Петр Ильич Чайковский) was a Russian composer of the Romantic era. While not part of the nationalistic music group known as "The Five", Tchaikovsky wrote music which was distinctly Russian: plangent, introspective, with modally-inflected melody and harmony.

Tchaikovsky considered himself a professional composer. He felt his professionalism in combining skill and high standards in his musical works separated him from his colleagues in "The Five." He shared several of their ideals, including an emphasis on national character in music. His aim, however, was linking those ideals with a professional standard high enough to satisfy European criteria. His professionalism also fueled his desire to reach a broad public, not just nationally but internationally, which he would eventually do.

Reviews

[Lucy · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was very interesting to read a book by one of the masters, one specifically meant for instruction. As a professional musician myself, I found that most of the concepts he introduced were familiar to me, but the terms and notation he used differ from ours. Due to the evolution of musical styles since this book was written, his advice (while interesting and correct) is not always practical for the modern musician delving into genres outside of classical. I found this book most interesting as an insight into how Music Theory used to be taught. It also includes many exercises for practice. I would not recommend using this book to actually learn music theory. Enjoy it as a word from Tchaikovsky, but seek out a theory class for legitimate training.

[Josh N. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dense and slow as any other russian literature, it still offers a good look at tchaikovsky's approach to music, music itself and despite the likely translation hindrances, russian composition. Not for the faint of heart, and definitely wouldnt recommend as a starting point, but v. much an interesting addition if you like the melodic approach of the 19th century russian composers (which i v. much do)

[Samuel Darko · Rating 4 out of 5]

understood like half but still helped my musical thinking, I think

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

Vastly exceeded expectation. I would never rank Tchaikovsky among my favorite composers; nor can I think of a single moment in his music where the harmony is the element of genius: he writes great tunes, he orchestrates well, and he has a wonderful sense of dramatic timing. But this book is fantastic. Emphasizing voice-leading over root motion, Tchaikovsky very quickly gets students to the point where they can roam around very freely within tonal space; this is truly a composer’s text. The pacing is very brisk, and the exercises get very difficult very quickly: many in the second half–which contains some counterpoint instruction–are downright brutal. For those with limited time and not overly concerned with taking a “historical” approach to the subject (the book teaches late-nineteenth-century tonality period), “Guide to the Practical Study of Harmony” is highly recommended. Dover would do well to clean up the _many_ errors and adapt the text (not an involved task) for American college students.

[Richard Pohl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting volume, though sometimes a bit inconsistent... especially some authors comments on voice leading found insightful. Anyway, it is less systhematic and thorough than Korsakov's guide...

[Kier O'Neil · Rating 5 out of 5]

I didn't even know that Tchaikovsky did a book on harmony.
Anyone who listens to his music knows that he has remarkably colorful music and this is a glimpse into his theory of how great music is created.
Must-read of classical musicians.

[David Khouri · Rating 4 out of 5]

Do my best to avoid "false" fifths. Tchaikovsky wasn't even that good anyway.

"Once you free your mind about a concept of
Harmony and of music being "correct"
You can do whatever you want
So, nobody told me what to do
And there was no preconception of what to do"
- Giorgio

Drum Solo.