Today is the birthday of Tchaikovsky, one of the most influential composers of the Romantic period in music history. The work above and his portrait on the musical reference works / birthday calendars below, are made by me, Frieke.
Tchaikovsky, whose full name is Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, was born on May 7, 1840, in Votkinsk, Russia, and died on November 6, 1893, in St. Petersburg. Tchaikovsky is known for his ballet music and passionate musical style with melodic splendor and technical challenges. His early childhood was characterized by a strong bond with his family; his father, Ilya Petrovich, was a mining engineer. The mixed French-Russian descent of Tchaikovsky's mother, Aleksandra, and the German descent of his governess had a significant influence on his upbringing: by the age of six, he could read both French and German. He also received piano lessons from the same governess, who soon discovered his extraordinary musical talent. Tchaikovsky had an older brother, Nicholas, a younger sister, Sasha, and in 1850, he gained two younger brothers, twins Anatoly and Modest. He took care of the twins when his mother died of cholera in 1854. Modest later published a biography of Tchaikovsky.
Before Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky attended the conservatory, he studied at the Imperial School of Jurisprudence in St. Petersburg. This school offered an education in law and was a prestigious institution in imperial Russia. Additionally, he took private piano lessons. After completing his legal education, Tchaikovsky studied at the St. Petersburg Conservatory in 1862, a leading music institution in Russia. At the conservatory, he received composition lessons from the renowned Russian composer Anton Rubinstein, one of the most influential music educators of that time.
After his studies at the St. Petersburg Conservatory, Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky began to seriously develop his career as a composer, pianist, and conductor. His first job after the conservatory was as a music theory teacher at the new conservatory department in Moscow, founded by the Russian philanthropist and patron Nikolai Rubinstein, the brother of his former teacher Anton Rubinstein. Later, in 1866, Tchaikovsky was appointed professor of harmony at the conservatory in Moscow, where he taught and began producing his own compositions. During this period, he composed some of his most beloved works, including his first piano concerto and his first symfony.
In 1876, a wealthy admirer, Countess Nadezhda Filaretovna von Meck, offered Tchaikovsky the opportunity to dedicate his life entirely to composing. For years, they maintained a close correspondence, but Tchaikovsky never wanted to meet her. In 1890, for unclear reasons, the countess ceased her financial support. An unproven theory is that she could not reconcile with his sexual orientation. Tchaikovsky traveled extensively, was acclaimed everywhere, but was an introverted, lonely person. From the emotional tone of his style, it can be concluded that all of Tchaikovsky's music is autobiographical because despite great successes, Tchaikovsky's life was marked by personal crises. This was attributed to various factors, including the early separation from his mother when he was sent to boarding school at a young age, his homosexual orientation, the death of his good friend and colleague Nikolai Rubinstein, and his decision to marry, which proved disastrous and plunged him into a deep personal crisis. However, the passionate letters from his wife inspired him to compose his successful opera Evgenij Onegin .
One of Tchaikovsky's most famous works is his ballet Swan Lake (1876), which remains one of the most beloved and performed ballets in the world to this day. His ballet The Nutcracker (1892) also enjoys worldwide popularity, especially during the Christmas season. In addition to his ballets, Tchaikovsky composed symphonies, including his sixth and final symphony, known as the Pathétique. This symphony is notable for its intense emotional charge and tragic tone, and it remains one of his most praised works. Tchaikovsky's music was influenced by both Russian folk music and European musical traditions. He was masterful in creating emotional tension and telling stories through music. In addition to his musical accomplishments, he was also a respected conductor.
Tchaikovsky's unexpected death on November 6, 1893, in St. Petersburg, just nine days after the premiere of his extremely somber final symphony, was initially considered a suicide. It is now assumed that he died of cholera, which, according to his brother Modest, he contracted after drinking untreated water. He died at the age of 53, at the height of his fame, and was buried in the Tikhvin Cemetery in St. Petersburg.
His work remains among the most beloved music of the great composers.
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