Pjotr Iljitsj Tsjaikovski

Russian composer

Photo by: Nikolai Kuznetsov · Public Domain · Wikimedia Commons

Born:May 7, 1840

Died:October 25, 1893

Age at death:53

Manner of death:Natural Causes

Cause of death:Cholera

Zodiac Sign:Taurus

Children:0

Born in:Votkinsk, Russia

Residence:Europe

Buried in:Russia

Languages:French, German, Russian

Pianist Choregrapher Music Educator Translator Librettist Conductor Autobiographer University Teacher Composer Diarist Music Critic

Signature

Links

Wikipedia IMDb

Famous For

Notable Work

Swan LakeThe NutcrackerEugene Onegin1812 OvertureThe Queen of Spades

Books

The NutcrackerEugenij Oněgin: lyrické scényEugenij Oněgin: lyrické scényQueen of Spades : [programme] : an opera in three actsCân y tywysog Gremin : Eugene Onegin

Songs & Albums

P. Tchaikovsky. Complete Works on Records

Awards

Order of St. VladimirOrder of St. Vladimir, 4th class

Pjotr Iljitsj Tsjaikovski

Russian composer

Biography

Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky ( chy-KOF-skee; 7 May 1840 – 6 November 1893) was a Russian composer of the Romantic period. He was the first Russian composer whose music made a lasting impression internationally. Tchaikovsky wrote some of the most popular concert and theatrical music in the classical repertoire, including the 1812 Overture, his First Piano Concerto, the Violin Concerto, the Romeo and Juliet Overture-Fantasy, several symphonies, the opera Eugene Onegin, and the ballets Swan Lake, The Sleeping Beauty and The Nutcracker. Although musically precocious, Tchaikovsky was educated for a career as a civil servant as there was little opportunity for a musical career in Russia at the time and no institutional music education system. When an opportunity for such an education arose, he entered the nascent Saint Petersburg Conservatory, from which he graduated in 1865. The formal Western-oriented teaching Tchaikovsky received there set him apart from composers of the contemporary nationalist movement embodied by the Russian composers of The Five, with whom his professional relationship was mixed. Despite his many popular successes, Tchaikovsky's life was punctuated by personal crises and depression. Contributory factors included his early separation from his mother for boarding school followed by her early death, the death of his close friend and colleague Nikolai Rubinstein, his failed marriage to Antonina Miliukova, and the collapse of his 13-year association with the wealthy patroness Nadezhda von Meck. Tchaikovsky's homosexuality, which he kept private, has traditionally also been considered a major factor, though some scholars have downplayed its importance. His dedication of his Sixth Symphony to his nephew Vladimir Davydov and the feelings he expressed about Davydov in letters to others have been cited as evidence for romantic love between the two. Tchaikovsky's sudden death at the age of 53 is generally ascribed to cholera, but there is an ongoing debate as to whether cholera was indeed the cause and whether the death was intentional. While his music has remained popular among audiences, critical opinions were initially mixed. Some Russians did not feel it sufficiently represented native musical values and expressed suspicion that Europeans accepted the music for its Western elements. In an apparent reinforcement of that claim, some Europeans lauded Tchaikovsky for offering music more substantive than exoticism and said he transcended the stereotypes of Russian classical music. Others dismissed Tchaikovsky's music as deficient because it did not stringently follow Western principles.

This biography uses content from the Wikipedia article “Pjotr Iljitsj Tsjaikovski”, available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License.

Quotes

“What I need is to believe in myself again— for my faith has been greatly undermined; it seems to me my role is over.”

— Letter to a nephew (9 February 1893) Just prior to composing his "Pathetique" Symphony (No. 6)

“I played over the music of that scoundrel Brahms. What a giftless bastard! It annoys me that this self-inflated mediocrity is hailed as a genius.”

— Diary entry for October 9, 1886, quoted in Nicolas Slonimsky, Lexicon of Musical Invective (1953), p. 73.

“After the last notes of Gotterdammerung I felt as though I had been let out of prison.”

— Quoted in Hans Gal, The Musician's World (1965)

Quotes sourced from the Wikiquote article "Pjotr Iljitsj Tsjaikovski", available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License.

Photos

Pjotr I. Tschaikowski

Identificatie Titel(s): Portret van Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky Objecttype: fotomechanische afdruk albumblad Objectnummer: RP-F-F00667-AE Opschriften / Merken: naam, recto, afgedrukt: ‘Peter von Tschaikowski’ Omschrijving: Deze foto maakt deel uit van een album. Vervaardiging Vervaardiger: vervaardiger: Paul Klemann (vermeld op object) Datering: ca. 1875 - ca. 1890 Materiaal en Techniek Materiaal: karton fotodrager Techniek: heliogravure Afmetingen: passe-partout: hoogte 134 mm × breedte 96 mm Onderwerp Wat: portrait of composer, historical persons, adult man Wie: Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky Verwerving en rechten: Verwerving: overdracht van beheer 1994 Copyright: Publiek domein

The first page of Tchaikovsky's Diary "No. 6", June 1887, now preserved in the Tchaikovsky House-Museum Archive at Klin

Letter of gratitude addressed to Lamara Grigoryevna Chkonia from the workers of the city of Votkinsk ("Трудящиеся г. Воткинска"), the birthplace of Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, thanking her for her participation in the traditional music festival dedicated to the birthday of the great composer. The letter reads: "A deep bow to you for your incomparable talent from the residents of the city of Votkinsk — the birthplace of P.I. Tchaikovsky. We thank you for your participation in the traditional music festival dedicated to the birthday of the great composer. Your voice conquered the hearts of the listeners, and we parted from you with a deep hope for a new meeting. With all our hearts we wish you inexhaustible inspiration, joy and happiness." Dated May 1987. This document is a companion piece to the diploma awarded to Lamara Chkonia by the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the Udmurt ASSR for the same event — the music festival dedicated to the 147th anniversary of Tchaikovsky's birth, also dated May 1987. Together they confirm her participation in the Tchaikovsky festival in Votkinsk. Photographed and archived by her granddaughter as part of a family legacy preservation project, 2024.

Diploma awarded to Lamara Chkonia (Чкония Ламара Григорьевна), People's Artist of the USSR, for active participation in the music festival dedicated to the 147th anniversary of the birth of P.I. Tchaikovsky, and for her great contribution to the aesthetic education of the workers of Udmurtia. Tchaikovsky was born on 7 May 1840 in Votkinsk, Udmurt ASSR, making this region a natural home for his commemorative festivals. Signed by: Secretary of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the Udmurt ASSR, T. Ilyinykh, and Chairman of the Republican Organizing Committee, A. Silorova. Year: 1987. Photographed and archived by her granddaughter as part of a family legacy preservation project, 2024.