Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky 7 May 1840 – 6 November 1893 often anglicised as Peter Ilyich Tchaikovskyanglicised Russian composer whose works included symphonies, concertos, operas, ballets, chamber music, and a choral setting of the Russian Orthodox Divine Liturgy. symphoniesconcertosoperasballets chamber musicDivine Liturgy

First Russian He was the first Russian composer whose music made a lasting impression internationally Tchaikovsky was honored in 1884 by Emperor Alexander III, and awarded a lifetime pension in the late 1880s.Emperor Alexander III He entered the nascent Saint Petersburg Conservatory, from which he graduated in 1865.Saint Petersburg Conservatory The formal Western-oriented teaching he received there set him apart from composers of the contemporary nationalist movement embodied by the Russian composers of The Five nationalistThe

New Style He forged a personal but unmistakably Russian style—a task that did not prove easy. Despite his many popular successes, Tchaikovsky's life was punctuated by personal crises and depression.depression Contributory factors included his leaving his mother for boarding school, his mother's early death, as well as that of his close friend and colleague Nikolai Rubinstein, and the collapse of the one enduring relationship of his adult life, his 13-year association with the wealthy widow Nadezhda von Meck. boarding schoolNikolai RubinsteinNadezhda von Meck

Controversial His homosexuality, which he kept private, has traditionally also been considered a major factor, though some musicologists now downplay its importance.homosexuality His sudden death at the age of 53 is generally ascribed to cholera; there is an ongoing debate as to whether it was accidental or self-inflicted. choleraself-inflicted While his music has remained popular among audiences, critical opinions were initially mixed.. Tchaikovsky's music was dismissed as "lacking in elevated thought," according to longtime New York Times music critic Harold C. Schonberg, and its formal workings were derided as deficient for not following Western principles stringently.New York TimesHarold C. Schonberg

Life/ Childhood/ Family Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky was born in Votkinsk, a small town in Vyatka Governorate (present-day Udmurtia) in the Russian Empire.VotkinskVyatka GovernorateUdmurtia Russian Empire His family had a long line of military service. His father, Ilya Petrovich Tchaikovsky, was an engineer who served as a lieutenant colonel in the Department of Mines. Both of Tchaikovsky's parents were trained in the arts, including music. Tchaikovsky had four brothers (Nikolai, Ippolit, and twins Anatoly and Modest), a sister, Alexandra and a half-sister Zinaida from his father's first marriageModest

Early Music Training Tchaikovsky took piano lessons from the age of five. He could read music as adeptly as his teacher within three years. The family decided in 1850 to send Tchaikovsky to the Imperial School of Jurisprudence in Saint Petersburg. Imperial School of Jurisprudence Because of the growing uncertainty of his father's income, both parents may have wanted Tchaikovsky to become independent as soon as possible. Since both parents had graduated from institutes in Saint Petersburg, they decided to educate him as they had themselves been educated.

Emerging composer Childhood trauma and school years Tchaikovsky's separation from his mother to attend boarding school caused an emotional trauma that tormented him throughout his life. Her death from cholera in 1854 further devastated him. He mourned his mother's loss for the rest of his life and called it "the crucial event" that ultimately shapedcholera The loss also prompted Tchaikovsky to make his first serious attempt at composition, a waltz in her memory.waltz Tchaikovsky's father, who also contracted cholera at this time but fully recovered.

Music became a unifier. Fond of works by Rossini, Bellini, Verdi and Mozart, he would improvise for his friends at the school's harmonium on themes they had sung during choir practice.RossiniBelliniVerdiMozartharmonium Tchaikovsky also continued his piano studies. In 1855, Tchaikovsky's father funded private lessons for his son. Tchaikovsky was told to finish his course and then try for a post in the Ministry of Justice. Even though he gave this practical advice, his father remained receptive about a career in music for Tchaikovsky. No public education system in music existed at the time in Russia.

Conservatory and Anton Rubinstein In 1861, Tchaikovsky attended classes in music theory taught by Nikolai Zaremba in Saint Petersburg. These classes were organized by the Russian Musical Society (RMS), founded in 1859 by the Grand Duchess Elena Pavlovna (a German-born aunt of Tsar Alexander II) and her protégé, pianist and composer Anton Rubinstein.music theoryNikolai ZarembaRussian Musical SocietyGrand Duchess Elena PavlovnaTsarAlexander IIAnton Rubinstein The aim of the RMS was to foster native talent, in accordance with Alexander II's stated intent. Tchaikovsky enrolled at the Conservatory as part of its premiere class but held on to his Ministry post until the following year wanting to make sure his course lay in music. From 1862 to 1865 he studied harmony and counterpoint with Zaremba. Rubinstein, director and founder of the Conservatory, taught instrumentation and composition.harmonycounterpoint

Conservatory Tchaikovsky benefited from his Conservatory studies in two ways. First, it transformed him into a musical professional and gave him tools that helped him thrive as a composer. Second, his in-depth exposure to European principles and forms for organizing musical material gave Tchaikovsky the sense that his art belonged to world culture and was not exclusively Russian or Western. This mindset became important in his reconciling Russian and European influences in his compositional style and showed that both these aspects of Russian culture were actually "intertwined and mutually dependent".It also became a starting point for other Russian composers to build their own individual styles.

Anton and Nikolai Rubinstein While Rubinstein was impressed by Tchaikovsky's musical talent on the whole, he was less pleased with the more progressive tendencies of some of Tchaikovsky's student work. Nor did he change his opinion as Tchaikovsky's reputation grew in the years following his graduation. He and Zaremba clashed with Tchaikovsky when he submitted his First Symphony for performance by the RMS in Saint Petersburg.First Symphony Rubinstein and Zaremba refused to consider the work unless substantial changes were made. Tchaikovsky complied but they still refused to perform the symphony. Tchaikovsky, distressed that he had been treated as though he were still their student, withdrew the symphony. It was given its first complete performance, minus the changes Rubinstein and Zaremba had requested, in Moscow in February 1868.

Relationship with The Five In 1856, critic Vladimir Stasov and an 18-year-old pianist, Mily Balakirev, met and agreed upon a nationalist agenda for Russian music.Vladimir Stasov Mily Balakirevnationalist They espoused a music that would incorporate elements from folk music. Moreover, they saw Western-style conservatories as unnecessary and antipathetic to fostering native talent. César Cui, an army officer who specialized in the science of fortifications, and Modest Mussorgsky, a Preobrazhensky Lifeguard officer, came in Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov, a naval cadet, followed in 1861 and Alexander Borodin, a chemist, in César CuiModest MussorgskyPreobrazhensky LifeguardNikolai Rimsky-KorsakovAlexander Borodin

Folk War Like Balakirev, they were not professionally trained in composition but possessed varying degrees of musical proficiency. Together, the five composers became known as the moguchaya kuchka, translated into English as the Mighty Handful or The Five. [57]The Five [57] Balakirev and Stassov's efforts fueled a debate. Rubinstein's criticism of amateur efforts in musical composition and his pro-Western outlook and training fanned the flames further. His founding a professional institute where predominantly foreign professors taught alien musical practices heated the controversy to boiling point. Balakirev attacked Rubinstein for his musical conservatism and his belief in professional music training.

War Wages On Mussorgsky jumped on the bandwagon. Tchaikovsky and his fellow conservatory students were caught in the middle, well-aware of the argument but directed by Rubinstein to remain silent and focus on their own artistry. Nevertheless, as Rubinstein's pupil, Tchaikovsky became a target for The Five's scrutiny and was criticized for not following their precepts. Cui, who championed the nationalist cause as a music critic for the next half-century, wrote a blistering review of a cantata Tchaikovsky had composed as his graduation thesis.cantata The review devastated the composer.

In 1867, Rubinstein resigned as conductor of the RMS orchestra and was replaced by Balakirev. Balakirev, whose influence over the other composers in The Five had meanwhile waned, may have sensed the potential for a new disciple in Tchaikovsky. He replied "with complete frankness" that he considered Tchaikovsky "a fully fledged artist". These letters set the tone for their relationship over the next two years. In 1869, they worked together on what became Tchaikovsky's first recognized masterpiece, the fantasy- overture Romeo and Juliet, a work which The Five wholeheartedly embraced.Romeo and Juliet ]

The group also welcomed his Second Symphony, subtitled the Little Russian.Second Symphony In its original form, Tchaikovsky allowed the unique characteristics of Russian folk song to dictate the symphonic form of its outer movements, rather than Western rules of composition. While ambivalent about much of The Five's music, Tchaikovsky remained on friendly terms with most of its members. Despite his collaboration with Balakirev, Tchaikovsky made considerable efforts to ensure his musical independence from the group as well as from the conservative faction at the Saint Petersburg Conservatory.

Growing fame; budding opera composer Tchaikovsky's successes during his first years as a composer were infrequent, won with tremendous effort. Several factors helped bolster Tchaikovsky's music. One was having several first-rate artists willing to perform it. Another was a new attitude becoming prevalent among Russian audiences. Previously, they had been satisfied with flashy virtuoso performances of technically demanding but musically lightweight compositions. They gradually began listening with increasing appreciation of the music itself.

Tchaikovsky's works were performed frequently, with few delays between their composition and first performances; Tchaikovsky began to compose operas. His first, The Voyevoda, based on a play by Alexander Ostrovsky, was premiered in 1869.The VoyevodaAlexander Ostrovsky The composer became dissatisfied with it and, having re- used parts of it in later works, destroyed the manuscript. Undina followed in Only excerpts were performed and it, too, was destroyed. Undina The first Tchaikovsky opera to survive intact, The Oprichnik, premiered in 1874The Oprichnik

Opera and Ballet Tchaikovsky decided to write the next libretto himself, modelling his dramatic technique on that of Eugène Scribe.Eugène Scribe Cui wrote a "characteristically savage press attack" on the opera. Mussorgsky, writing to Vladimir Stasov, disapproved of the opera as pandering to the public.Vladimir Stasov Other works of this period include the Variations on a Rococo Theme for cello and orchestra, the Second and Fourth Symphonies, the ballet Swan Lake and the opera Eugene Onegin.Variations on a Rococo Themecello Fourth SymphoniesSwan Lake Eugene Onegin

Emotional life and Sexuality Discussion of Tchaikovsky's personal life, especially his sexuality, has perhaps been the most extensive of any composer in the 19th century and certainly of any Russian composer of his time. It has also at times caused considerable confusion, from Soviet efforts to expunge all references to same-sex attraction and portray him as a heterosexual, to efforts at armchair analysis by Western biographers. A current tendency is to discuss Tchaikovsky's personal life candidly.Soviet

Bachelor ? Tchaikovsky lived as a bachelor most of his life. In 1877, at the age of 37, he wedded a former student, Antonina Miliukova.Antonina Miliukova The marriage was a disaster. Mismatched psychologically and sexually, the couple lived together for only two and a half months before Tchaikovsky left. Overwrought emotionally and suffering from an acute writer's block, Tchaikovsky's family remained supportive of him during this crisis and throughout his life. He was also aided by Nadezhda von Meck, the widow of a railway magnate who had begun contact with him not long before the marriage. As well as an important friend and emotional support, she also became his patroness for the next 13 years, which allowed him to focus exclusively on composition.writer's blockNadezhda von Meck Tchaikovsky had clear homosexual tendencies; some of the composer's closest relationships were with men. He sought out the company of other same-sex attracted men in his circle for extended periods, "associating openly and establishing professional connections with them."Relevant portions of his brother Modest's autobiography, where he tells of the composer's sexual orientation, have been published, as have letters previously suppressed by Soviet censors in which Tchaikovsky openly writes of it.

Unsuccessful Marriage In 1868, Tchaikovsky met Belgian soprano Désirée Artôt, then touring Russia with an Italian opera company. ] Artôt was "one of the most lustrous opera stars of her day," with a "beguiling voice".Désirée Artôt ] The composer's friend, music critic Hermann Laroche, called her "dramatic singing personified, an opera goddess fusing numerous gifts which would normally be shared among several different artists.“Hermann Laroche Tchaikovsky and Artôt became infatuated and engaged to be married. Even so, Artôt told Tchaikovsky that she would not give up the stage or settle in Russia.

Jilted Nikolai Rubinstein, fearful that living in a famous singer's shadow would stifle Tchaikovsky's creativity, warned against the union. However, on September 15, 1869, without any communication with Tchaikovsky, Artôt married a Spanish baritone in her company, Mariano Padilla y Ramos. Over the affair, it has been suggested that he coded Désirée's name into the Piano Concerto No. 1 in B-flat minor and the tone-poem Fatum.Piano Concerto No. 1 in B-flat minorFatum They met on a handful of later occasions and, in October 1888, he wrote Six French Songs, Op. 65, for her, in response to her request for a single song. Tchaikovsky later claimed she was the only woman he ever loved

Years of Wandering Tchaikovsky remained abroad for a year after the disintegration of his marriage, during which he completed Eugene Onegin, orchestrated the Fourth Symphony and composed the Violin Concerto.Violin Concerto He returned to the Moscow Conservatory in the autumn of 1879 but only as a temporary move. He informed Nikolai Rubinstein on the day of his arrival that he would stay no longer than December. Once his professorship had ended officially, he traveled incessantly throughout Europe and rural Russia. Assured of a regular income from von Meck, he lived mainly alone, did not stay long anywhere and avoided social contact whenever possible.

Foreign Rep and 1812 Overture Tchaikovsky's foreign reputation grew rapidly. In 1880, the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour neared completion in Moscow; the 25th anniversary of the coronation of Alexander II in 1881 was imminent; and the 1882 Moscow Arts and Industry Exhibition was in the planning stage.Cathedral of Christ the SaviourAlexander II Nikolai Rubinstein suggested a grand commemorative piece for association with these related festivities. Tchaikovsky began the project in October 1880, finishing it within six weeks. He wrote that the resulting work, the 1812 Overture, would be "very loud and noisy, but I wrote it with no warm feeling of love, and therefore there will probably be no artistic merits in it.”1812 Overture

Most Memorable Work? He warned conductor Eduard Nápravník that "I shan't be at all surprised and offended if you find that it is in a style unsuitable for symphony concerts.“Eduard Nápravník Nevertheless, this work has become for many "the piece by Tchaikovsky they know best."

Death of Rubinstein On 23 March 1881, Nikolai Rubinstein died in Paris.Paris Tchaikovsky, holidaying in Rome, went immediately to attend the funeral. He arrived in Paris too late for the ceremony but was in the cortege which accompanied Rubinstein's coffin by train to Russia.Rome In December, he started work on his Piano Trio in A minor, "dedicated to the memory of a great artist.“Piano Trio in A minor The trio was first performed privately at the Moscow Conservatory on the first anniversary of Rubinstein's death. The piece became extremely popular during the composer's lifetime and became Tchaikovsky's own elegy when played at memorial concerts in Moscow and St. Petersburg in November 1893.

Return to Russia Tsar Alexander III TsarAlexander III Now 44 years old, in 1884 Tchaikovsky began to shed his unsociability and restlessness. In March of that year, Tsar Alexander III conferred upon him the Order of St. Vladimir (fourth class), which carried with it hereditary nobility and won Tchaikovsky a personal audience with the Tsar.Tsar Alexander IIIOrder of St. Vladimirhereditary nobility This was a visible seal of official approval which advanced Tchaikovsky's social standing. This advance may have been cemented in the composer's mind by the great success of his Orchestral Suite No. 3 at its January 1885 premiere in Saint Petersburg, under von Bülow's direction, at which the press was unanimously favorable.Orchestral Suite No. 3

Finally accepted in Mother Russia Tchaikovsky wrote to von Meck: "I have never seen such a triumph. I saw the whole audience was moved, and grateful to me. These moments are the finest adornments of an artist's life. Thanks to these it is worth living and laboring.". In 1885 the Tsar requested a new production of Eugene Onegin to be staged at the Bolshoi Kamenny Theatre in Saint Petersburg. (Its only other production had been by students from the Conservatory.) By having the opera staged there and not at the Mariinsky Theatre, he served notice that Tchaikovsky's music was replacing Italian opera as the official imperial art.Eugene OneginBolshoi Kamenny TheatreMariinsky TheatreItalian opera

Despite his disdain for public life, Tchaikovsky now participated in it both as a consequence of his increasing celebrity and because he felt it his duty to promote Russian music. He helped support his former pupil Sergei Taneyev, who was now director of Moscow Conservatory, by attending student examinations and negotiating the sometimes sensitive relations among various members of the staff.Sergei Taneyev

RMS Director Tchaikovsky also served as director of the Moscow branch of the Russian Musical Society during the season. In this post, he invited many international celebrities to conduct, including Johannes Brahms, Antonín Dvořák and Jules Massenet, although not all of them accepted.Johannes BrahmsAntonín Dvořák Jules Massenet Tchaikovsky also promoted Russian music as a conductor. In January 1887 he substituted at the Bolshoi Theater in Moscow at short notice for performances of his opera CherevichkiBolshoi Theater Cherevichki

Global Acclaim In 1888 Tchaikovsky led the premiere of his Fifth Symphony in Saint Petersburg, repeating the work a week later with the first performance of his tone poem Hamlet.Fifth SymphonyHamlet Although critics proved hostile, both works were received with extreme enthusiasm by audiences and Tchaikovsky, undeterred, continued to conduct the symphony in Russia and Europe. Conducting brought him to America in 1891, where he led the New York Music Society's orchestra in his Festival Coronation March at the inaugural concert of Carnegie Hall.New York Music Society'sorchestra Carnegie Hall

Death On 28 October 1893 Tchaikovsky conducted the premiere of his Sixth Symphony, the Pathétique In Saint Petersburg.Sixth Symphony Nine days later, Tchaikovsky died there, aged 53. He was interred in Tikhvin Cemetery at the Alexander Nevsky Monastery, near the graves of fellow-composers Alexander Borodin, Mikhail Glinka, and Modest Mussorgsky; later, Rimsky-Korsakov and Balakirev were also buried nearby.Tikhvin CemeteryAlexander Nevsky MonasteryAlexander BorodinMikhail GlinkaModest Mussorgsky While Tchaikovsky's death has traditionally been attributed to cholera, most probably contracted through drinking contaminated water several days earlier, some have theorized that his death was a suicide.cholera

Cause of Death in Question Opinion has been summarized as follows: "The polemics over [Tchaikovsky's] death have reached an impasse... Rumor attached to the famous die hard... As for illness, problems of evidence offer little hope of satisfactory resolution: the state of diagnosis; the confusion of witnesses; disregard of long- term effects of smoking and alcohol. We do not know how Tchaikovsky died. We may never find out....."

His Music Tchaikovsky wrote many works which are popular with the classical music public, including his Romeo and Juliet, the 1812 Overture, his three ballets (The Nutcracker, Swan Lake, The Sleeping Beauty) and Marche Slave.Romeo and Juliet1812 OvertureThe NutcrackerSwan LakeThe Sleeping Beauty Marche Slave These, along with his First Piano Concerto and his Violin Concerto, the last three of his six numbered symphonies and his operas The Queen of Spades and Eugene Onegin, are among his most familiar works.First Piano Concerto Violin Concerto symphoniesThe Queen of Spades Eugene Onegin Almost as popular are the Manfred Symphony, Francesca da Rimini, the Capriccio Italien and the Serenade for Strings.Manfred Symphony Francesca da RiminiCapriccio Italien Serenade for Strings

Wide Creative Range Tchaikovsky displayed an unusually wide stylistic and emotional range, from salon works of innocuous charm to symphonies of tremendous depth, power and grandeur.salon works Some of his works, such as the Variations on a Rococo Theme, employ a poised "Classical" form reminiscent of 18th-century composers such as Mozart (the composer whose work was his favorite).Variations on a Rococo ThemeMozart Other compositions, such as his Little Russian symphony and his opera Vakula the Smith, flirt with musical practices more akin to those of the Five, especially in their use of folk song.Little Russian symphonyVakula the Smith Other works, such as the last three symphonies, employ a personal musical idiom that facilitated intense emotional expression.

Legacy Tchaikovsky was a pioneer in several ways. "Thanks in large part to Nadezhda von Meck", Wiley writes, "he became the first full-time professional Russian composer". This, Wiley adds, allowed him the time and freedom to consolidate the Western compositional practices he had learned at the Saint Petersburg Conservatory with Russian folk song and other native musical elements to fulfill his own expressive goals and forge an original, deeply personal style. He made an impact not only in absolute works such as the symphony but also in program music and, as Wiley phrases it, "transformed Liszt's and Berlioz's achievements... into matters of Shakespearean elevation and psychological import."