First published in September 1893 by Petr Jurgenson, the opus 72 was mostly written in 1893 (making this a very late work - immediately after the 6th Symphony), although musicologists feel confident that some of the material was from earlier sketches.
Each of the 18 has a separate dedication (thus fulfilling numerous dedication pledges to people), but the pieces were composed at the same time, written to "earn some money", as Tchaikovsky wrote to his brother Modest in February of that year. He also told his brother a few months later that he had written the 18 pieces in 15 days!
This work has also been catalogued as number 151 in "The Tchaikovsky Handbook, vol. 1 (2002)", by Alexander Poznansky & Brett Langston. That catalog ("TH" for short) is the main system of numbering used on the site http://www.tchaikovsky-research.net, which is the main source for these notes.
| 1 | Impromptu | 5:16 | Kautsch, S.. |
| 2 | Berceuse | 6:17 | Kautsch, S. |
| 3 | Tendres Reproches | 2:33 | Kautsch, S. |
| 5 | Meditation | 4:55 | Kautsch, S.. |
| 6 | Mazurque pour Danser | 3:47 | Kautsch, S. |
| 8 | Dialogue | 2:50 | Kautsch, S. |
| 9 | Un Poco di Schumann | 2:04 | Kautsch, S. |
| 11 | Valse Bluette | 2:58 | Robson, J. |
| 12 | L'Espiegle | 1:57 | Kautsch, S. |
| 13 | Echo Rustique | 2:37 | Kautsch, S. |
| 14 | Chant Elegiaque | 6:41 | Kautsch, S. |
| 15 | Un Poco di Chopin | 3:05 | Kautsch, S. |
| 16 | Valse a Cinq Temps | 2:08 | Kautsch, S. |
| 17 | Passé Lontain | 4:30 | Kautsch, S. |
