Despite his overall misgivings about composing music for exhibitions, Tchaikovsky composed what was to become one of his most popular works between September and November of 1880. The commission was for an Arts and Industry Exhibition to be given in the summer of 1881 to commemorate the Russian victory over the Napoleonic forces in 1812. Because of the murder of Tsar Alexander II in 1881, the exhibition was delayed to the next year and the premiere took place on August 20, 1882 with the orchestra and band conductor by Ippolit Altani. Despite the composer's expressions of disappointment with the work, numerous performances took place starting withing a year of its publication.

For this edition Tchaikovsky's manuscript was used as the principal source to correct the changes that have been inserted over the decades in the different publications. The manuscript itself contains errors including many missing accidentals. Where there are sixteenth notes with accidentals much of it is hard to read. Most of the missing accidentals have been supplied by those found doubled in other instruments and were fixed without comment. The brass band parts follow the composer's manuscript and first edition rather than the odd additions which seem to have been inserted into the Schmeling edition issued by Breitkopf und Hartel early in the last century.