List of compositions by Alexander Borodin

Alexander Borodin

This list of compositions by Alexander Borodin is sorted by genre.

Operas

Title Start End Libretto Notes
The Tsar's Bride 1867 1868 sketches, lost
Bogatyri 1878 Viktor Krylov Opera farce in 5 Scenes, based on music by Rossini, Meyerbeer, Offenbach, Serov, Verdi, etc., orchestrated by E. Merten
Prince Igor 1869 1887 Borodin, after "The Lay of Prince Igor" Unfinished opera with a prologue and 4 acts. Orch. Rimsky-Korsakov and Glazunov 1887/88. First performance, St. Petersburg 1890
Mlada, Act 4 1872 1872 Viktor Krylov Part of unperformed collaborative ballet-opera-spectacle by Cui (Act 1), Mussorgsky and Rimsky-Korsakov (Acts 2 and 3), and Borodin (Act 4), with ballet music by Minkus. Borodin used material from his unfinished Prince Igor as the basis for Act 4. Finale orchestrated by Rimsky-Korsakov as a concert piece (1892)

Orchestral works

Title Start End Notes
Symphony No. 1 in E-flat 1862 1867 First published 1875 (arr. piano 4 hands by the composer); 1882 (full score)
Symphony No. 2 in B minor 1869 1876 first pub. 1878 (arr. piano 4 hands by the composer); Borodin's orchestration slightly revised by Rimsky-Korsakov and Glazunov for publication of 1887 full score.[1]
In the Steppes of Central Asia 1880 1880 first pub. 1882 (arr. piano 4 hands by the composer); 1882 (full score)
Symphony No. 3 in A minor 1886 1887 first two movements only, completed and orchestrated by Glazunov.

Chamber music

Title Start End Notes
Piano Trio 1850 1860 3 movements only, last movement is lost
Quartet for flute, oboe, viola, and cello 1852 1856 based on music by Joseph Haydn
String Trio in G major for 2 violins and cello 1852 ? 1856 ? only first 2 movements completed
String Trio in G minor for 2 violins and cello 1855 1855 One movement (Andantino) only. Based on the Russian folk-song "Чем тебя я огорчила" (Chem tebya ya ogorchila) "What did I do to upset you"
String Quintet in F minor for 2 violins, viola and 2 cellos 1859 1860 coda of finale completed by O.A. Yevlachov (1960)
String Sextet in D minor 1860 1861 only two movements survive
Sonata in B minor for cello and piano 1860 1860 Based on the Fugue from J. S. Bach's Violin Sonata no. 1 in G minor BWV 1001
Piano Trio in D major 1860 1861 for violin, cello and piano
Piano Quintet in C minor 1862 1862 for string quartet and piano
String Quartet No. 1 in A 1874 1879
String Quartet No. 2 in D 1881 1881
Scherzo for String Quartet 1882 1882 from Mitrofan Belyayev's collection "Fridays". Also used by Glazunov in his completion of Borodin's 3rd Symphony
Serenata alla spagnola for String Quartet 1886 1886 From the collective quartet "B-La-F" with Rimsky-Korsakov, Glazunov and Lyadov

Works for piano

Title Hands Start End Notes
Petite Suite 2 c1870 1885 1. At the Convent 2. Intermezzo 3. Mazurka I 4. Mazurka II 5. Rêverie 6. Serénade 7. Nocturne. Orchestrated by Glazunov, including the A-flat Scherzo (below) as part of the last movement
Scherzo in A-flat 2 1885 Arr. 4 hands by Théodore Jadoul, the dedicatee. Included in the last movement of Glazunov's orchestration of the Petite Suite (above).
Paraphrases on Chopsticks 3 1874 1878 Polka, Funeral March, Requiem (with words) and Mazurka; in a collection of pieces by Borodin, Cui, Lyadov and Rimsky-Korsakov. 2nd edition includes pieces by Liszt and Nikolai Shcherbachov
Hélène-Polka in D minor 4 1843 1861 written in 1843 when the composer was 9 years old, revised and transcribed for 4 hands by the composer in 1861.[2]
Allegretto in D-flat 4 1861 Arrangement of the 3rd movement of the String Quintet
Scherzo in E major 4 1861
Tarantella in D major 4 1862

Solo songs

Title Russian Transliteration Original Text Start End Notes
Why did you grow pale early Что ты рано, зоренька Shto ty rano, zaren'ka Sergey Solovyov 1852 1855
The beautiful girl does not love me Разлюбила красна девица Razlyubila krasna devitsa A. Vinogradov 1853 1855 for voice, cello and piano
Listen to my song, my friends Слушайте, подруженьки, песенку мою Slushaite, podruzhen'ki, pesenku moyu Iven Kruse 1853 1855 for voice, cello and piano
Thou lovely fisher-girl Красавица рыбачка! Krasavitsa rybachka Heinrich Heine 1854 1855 for voice, cello and piano. Ger. original: "Du schönes Fischermädchen"
The Sleeping Princess Спящая княжна Spyashchaya knyazhna Borodin 1867 1867 also orch. Rimsky-Korsakov
My songs are full of poison Отравой полны мои песни Otravoy polny moyi pyesni Heine 1868 1868 Ger. original "Vergiftet sind meine Lieder"
The Sea Princess Морская царевна Morskaya Tsar'yevna Borodin 1868 1868
Song of the Dark Woods (Old song) Песня темного леса (Старая песня) Pesnya tyomnovo lesa Borodin 1868 1868 also arr. Glazunov for two-part male chorus and orch. (1873)
The False Note Фальшивая нота Fal'shivaya nota Borodin 1868 1868
The Sea Mope Mor'ye Borodin 1870 1870 orch. by the composer (1884) and also by Rimsky-Korsakov (1896)
From my tears Из слез моих Iz slyoz moyikh Heine 1870 1870 Ger. original: "Aus meinen Tränen"
For the shores of your far homeland Для берегов отчизны дальной Dlya beregov otchizny dal'noy Pushkin 1881 1881 Published 1888. Also orchestrated by Glazunov (1912)
To the people at home У людей-то в дому U lyudey-to v domu Nekrasov 1881 1881
Arabian melody Арабская мелодия Arabskaya Melodiya Borodin 1881 1881
Pride Спесь Spjes' A. K. Tolstoy 1884 1885
The Magic Garden Чудный сад Chudnyy sad Georges Collin 1885 1885 Fr. original "Septain"

Other vocal works

Title Date Notes
Serenade of Four Knights for One Lady comic quartet for male voices and piano 1870
God save Kyril! God save Methodius! for unaccompanied men's chorus 1885 unfinished, completed by Pavel Lamm

Transcriptions for piano 4 hands

Title Date Notes
Allegretto in D-flat 1861 arrangement of the 3rd movement of the String Quintet
Symphony No. 1 1875
Symphony No. 2 1878
In the Steppes of Central Asia 1882
String Quartet No. 1 1887

Lost works

Title Date Notes
Concerto in D for flute and piano 1847
String Trio for 2 violins and cello 1847 on a theme from Meyerbeer's Robert le Diable
Le Courant – etude for piano 1849
Fantasy on a theme by Hummel 1849
Fugues – for piano 1851/52
Scherzo in B minor for piano 1852
Fugue for piano 1862

References

  1. ^ "Symphony No.2 (Borodin, Aleksandr)". IMSLP. Retrieved 2012-01-11.
  2. ^ "Borodin; Helene Polka, arranged for orchestra by Mark Starr". Noteworthy Musical Editions. Retrieved 2012-03-18.