The paper substantiates the assumption that the theme of the waltz at the Larins’ ball from the first scene of the second act of the opera “Eugene Onegin” by Pyotr Tchaikovsky is a quotation from a popular Bavarian song (Bierlied) of the 19th century “Guten Morgen, Herr Fischer”. The likelihood of such borrowing, in addition to purely musical similarities, is justified by the circumstances of the composer’s life (in particular, his visit to Bayreuth a few months before he started to on “Eugene Onegin”). On the basis of newspaper publications and sheet music editions of the second half of the 19th century, the paper reviews the historical context of the song and shows that it was widespread in Bavaria during this period. On the other hand, the use of borrowed material, and often without any connection with the nature and content of the original source, is typical of Tchaikovsky’s creative method, which is confirmed by numerous examples from his works. While the supposed borrowing in “Eugene Onegin” can be proven only indirectly in the absence of musical sketches and statements by the composer himself, the whole set of arguments presented in the paper testifies in favour of the stated hypothesis. Thus, a new, previously unremarked feature of such a well-known work as the opera “Eugene Onegin” is revealed.
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