P. I. Tchaikovsky

(1840 – 1893)

Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky is an outstanding Russian composer and musician of the 19^th century. He was born on May 7, 1840 in Votkinsk. Tchaikovsky played piano since the age of 5, he also enjoyed his mother's playing and singing. P. I. Tchaikovsky got an excellent education. He graduated from the St. Petersburg School of Law in 1859 and then worked for 3 years at the Justice Department. But he did not give up music and soon he left his work, devoting himself entirely to music. In 1862-1865 he studied music under Anton Rubinstein at the St. Petersburg Conservatory. In 1866-1878 he was a professor of theory and harmony at the Moscow Conservatory. At that time he met Franz Liszt and Hector Berlioz, who visited Russia with concert tours. During that period Tchaikovsky wrote his first ballet 'The Swan Lake', opera 'Eugene Onegin', four Symphonies, and the brilliant Piano Concerto No1.

He taught music and continued writing his wonderful compositions.

Many of his works are part of of classical music of the Romantic era, including the opera Eugene Onegin, the ballet Swan Lake, the overtures Romeo and Juliet.

During his work at the Conservatoire he wrote three symphonies, the Symphonic poem “Romeo and Juliet” after Shakespeare, “Francheska da Ramini” after Dante, the ballet “Swan Lake”, three quartets, the First Piano Concerto, many romances, piano pieces and other works. Many of his works are part of of classical music of the Romantic era, including the opera Eugene Onegin, the ballet Swan Lake.

In 1877 he began to write the opera “Eugene Onegin” and the Forth Symphony. But he had to interrupt his work because of his illness. In the same year his brother took him abroad. Tchaikovsky settled together with his brother, Modest, in a quiet village of Clarens on Lake Geneva in Switzerland and lived there in 1877-1878. There he wrote his very popular Violin Concerto in D. He also completed his Symphony No.4, which was inspired by Russian folk songs.

P. I. Tchaikovsky travelled a lot. He visited Britain twice. During his second visit he was presented the honorary degree of Doctor of Music at Cambridge University.

Tchaikovsky played an important role in the artistic development of Sergei Rachmaninoff. They met in 1886, when Rachmaninov was only 13 years old, and studied the music of Tchaikovsky under the tutelage of their mutual friend, composer Aleksandr Zverev. Later Tchaikovsky was involved in popularization of Rachmaninov's graduation work, opera 'Aleko'. Upon Tchaikovsky's promotion Rachmaninov's opera "Aleko" was included in the repertory and performed at the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow.

His music won recognition both in Russia and abroad. He composed 10 operas, among them “The Queen of Spades”, “Eugene Onegin”, “Iolanta”, “Masepa” and others, three beautiful ballets: “The Swan Lake”, “The Sleepy Beauty”, and “The Nutcracker”, many romances, six symphonies, seven symphonic poems, among them “Tempest”, “Romeo and Juliet”, “Hamlet” and so on. All of them entered the golden fund of Russian music.

Tchaikovsky’s last composition was the Sixth “Pathetic” Symphony, written in 1893. It was performed for the first time in Petersburg under his direction. He died on November 6, 1893 in Petersburg.

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