Pyotr (Peter) Ilyich Tchaikovsky was a Russian composer from the Romantic period whose works included ballets, operas, and symphonies with a few concertos (Poznansky). Like many stars of today, not only was his work scrutinized under the public eye but so also was his private life. As he struggled to bring fame to his name through his music, he later would struggle to hide his sexual affairs, which may have played a part in his death.
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky was born May 7, 1840, in Kamsko-votkinsk, Russia. He was born to Ilya Petrovich Tchaikovsky and Alexandra Andreyevna d 'Assier and was the second child of six. From an early age Pyotr Tchaikovsky could remember complex melodies, but could not study music because of his governess,
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He was then offered lodging and support for five years if he agreed to serve as a professor at the Moscow Conservatory (Harmon). He worked there until he decided to resign due to rumors of his sexuality. He was able to do so because of his benefactress, Madame von Meck. Because Madame von Meck was such a wealthy investor, Tchaikovsky was able to devote himself to composition and travel freely, but only under the condition that they never meet (Taruskin). He wrote his 4th symphony dedicated to Von Meck, which he was able to conduct without fear. Before, he feared that he would lose his head while conducting and would often use his left hand to hold his head in place. His first official commission was for writing the overture for the marriage of Tsarevich Alexander and Princess Dagmar of Denmark. This was the kick-start to Tchaikovsky 's career. (Harmon) Tchaikovsky began composing music while he was still a student under Rubinstein. His first piece was "the Anastasia Valse". His first official opera was completed in 1864, called, "The Storm", which was admittedly torn to shreds by his professor. Tchaikovsky 's symphonies have "no trace of development, but a succession of repetitions and a sequence of climatic runs” (Harmon). The symphonies are also described as "purely romantic", (Abraham). Tchaikovsky stated that he stuck to the outline, but manipulated the details freely and that it was difficult for him to grasp the form of symphony. He
Shostakovich’s compositions were literally a matter of life or death. Under Soviet rule, composers whose work was not seen as towing the party line could be liquidated, a fate met by many of his colleagues. One of these cases was a Jewish friend of his, actor Solomon Mikhoels, and he feared the same would happen to him. Despite his need for perfection, Shostakovich was known to write at an astonishing speed, and his Festive Overture was no exception. One of his most popular pieces, Festive Overture was written for a concert in November 1954 for the 37th anniversary of the Russian Revolution. The story behind its creation is quite astonishing; Shostakovich was visited in his apartment one day in autumn 1954 by
At the age of nine, Stravinsky started practicing Piano (Siohan, 13). Igor began being introduced to the music scene around the age nine; he was finally allowed to attend his parents music parties (Siohan 13). When his father starred in Glinka’s Ruslan and Ludmila, young Igor visits the set behind stage (Siohan, 14). Igor is in awe of Glinka’s light transparent orchestration which is vivid through the texture of his sound (Siohan 14). Stravinsky went through studying law, not letting it get in the way of his main focus music; he graduated in 1905 then married his cousin Catherine Nossenko (Siohan, 20). Igor, “enjoyed wrestling with mysterious of counterpoint” (Siohoan 15), which explains why he created such a bond with his teacher Rimsky-Korsakov. He later established many other compositions with and without Rimsky-korsakov such as The Rite of Spring and Symphony B flat minor (opus I), 1907 (Siohan, 20).
Not even a year later Tchaikovsky wrote his first opera the Voyevada. He later used this piece in his next opera the Oprichnik, which won some success at St. Petersburg in 1874. It was then that a critic named Balakirev requested that he write a work on Romeo and Juliet, which would later be known as the Fantasy Overture. This specific work was rewritten many times until it met the requirements of Balakirev. This romantic piece is a symphony where each theme stood for a character in the drama. It is these expressive themes that make his first works well defined.
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky was born April 25, 1840, in Votkinsk, Russia. Tchaikovsky was the second of six born children. He started composing when he was four years old. When he was in his teens his mother died. It was at this point that his dad realized that his son had a talent in music. So he sent him off to St. Petersburg Conservatory. After graduating from there he moved to Moscow to teach music theory at the Russian Musical Society. He did not really like teaching, however, he developed a relationship with Nikolay Rubinstein and this is where he started composing symphonies. In his mid-years of his life, he traveled Europe showing off all his beautiful pieces of music. He even traveled to the U.S. to attend the opening of Carnegie Hall. He ended his life living near Moscow and composed music until the day he died. He is the most popular Russian composer of
His first major work upon returning to America was "Symphony for Organ and Orchestra" which he wrote just for the few performances of Nadia Boulanger; the first one in Carnegie Hall in 1925 and another in Boston. As the twenties roared on, Copland began to show how his musical career would truly follow the ever-changing style of America.
This “program music” included many odd instruments like the harp, oboe, and tuba. In another composition, Tchaikovsky used actual cannons (1812 Overture). He went on to compose many outstanding pieces. Collectively, Tchaikovsky had composed 169 pieces, including symphonies, operas, ballets, concertos, cantatas, and songs. His most famed and easily recognizable works include Swan Lake, The Sleeping Beauty, and the Nutcracker.
Tchaikovsky’s personal life, and especially his sexuality, have been discussed to an extent that is very uncommon for most composers of his time. Although he achieved much success, he also suffered through much trauma. He often fell into depressive episodes, and worked through many trials, such as his mother’s death, his own suppressed homosexuality, and the loss of his good friend and sponsor Nadezhda von Meck.
He ended up writing a waltz in memory of his loss. After that, he started communicating with Nadezhda von Meck who was a rich woman who had lost her husband. She would send Tchaikovsky money in her letters so he could focus more on composing, even though he wasn’t making a regular income through the job. After 14 years and hundreds of letters, Nadezhda was no longer able to support him, so the friendship ended. As for romantic relationships, there is some controversy. Many people say that Tchaikovsky was gay, as he wrote many letters where he mentioned his sexuality and the difficulty dealing with it in the society of that time period. Even though Tchaikovsky was gay, he ended up marrying a woman, Antonina Miliukova, in hope that he would be accepted by society. Before they even got married, he told her that he was not even attracted to her, he just wanted to have a friendship.Not surprisingly, the relationship ended tragically after a few months. He continued writing music and in 1876 his first ballet, Swan Lake, premiered and it was not a huge hit, as the dancers were not that
Stravinsky's family was very artistic as his mother was a pianist and his father was an opera singer. Stravinsky often went to his father’s rehearsals. This is why he focused on music and took piano lessons at a young age. Although his parents saw his talents, they didn’t like the thought of him becoming a musician. Thus, they persuaded him to become lawyer and Stravinski agreed, however, after his father's death, he focused on music more. His work, “The Firebird” was composed after Sergei Diaghilev told Stravinsky to compose a ballet piece. The piece, “The Firebird” used dissonants and so did some of this other works such as The Rite of Spring. Some of his other famous pieces are Petrushka. Stravinsky's first wife,Catherine died in 1939 and so Stravinski moved to the United States to marry Vera de Bosset, a painter. He later couldn’t adjust to New York and moved to Los Angeles. After his move, he became hollywood famous and composed a lot of new songs. In 1969, Stravinsky moved once again to the New York, However, his health deteriorated and died on April 6, 1971 from a heart
Tchaikovsky’s Romeo and Juliet Fantasy Overture was the first piece of music performed by the McGill Symphony Orchestra. The work premiered on the16th of March 1870, but was only finalized 10 years late on the 10th of September 1880 (Elliott). Tchaikovsky was a romantic composer and wrote his Fantasy Overture as a symphonic poem in sonata form in the romantic era.
In 1875, he wrote Piano Concerto #1 and became very famous. By this time, he was Russia’s most famous composer. In the year 1876 he premiered Swan Lake. This is where he met one of Russia’s most famous writers, Leo
Tchaikovsky=s first masterpiece was composed from 1869-1870. It was a symphonic fantasy based on Shakespeare=s Romeo and Juliet. ARomeo and Juliet@ was the first of Tchaikovsky=s works in which his superbly
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, who was later also known as Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky, was born in 1840 in Russia. He was the first Russian who got an international fame due to his music in the classical repertoire. Regarding our essay, we have chosen the song which is originally composed by Tchaikovsky and then later in 1895, Ivanov along with Petipa revised the Swan Lake.
The general plan of Tchaikovsky’s symphonies includes a very 'pessimistic' first movement, a sad, peaceful second movement, an allegro movement (often in dance form) and a fourth movement full of vigor. His 6th symphony, the Pathetique, is an exception. The themes are broad, decorative, and striking. The orchestration is rich - but without any attempt at spectacular effects. The last movement is slow and mournful, and recent research reveals the reason. The Pathetique was only partly finished when news spread of a homosexual 'encounter' Tchaikovsky had with a fellow student. Some believe that the composer finished the symphony as a farewell to life. The scoring is for the standard symphonic orchestra with winds, brass, strings, timpani, and other percussion instruments. It was premiered in St. Petersburg with Tchaikovsky himself leading the orchestra.
She was the widow of a wealthy railroad tycoon and a great admirer of his work. She provided him with a monthly allowance allowing him to focus solely on his work as a composer. The two never met in person but they did write each other and exchanged their views on many different subjects (Poznansky, “Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky”). With this newfound freedom he was able to travel throughout Europe and America. This freedom allowed him to find the creativity he needed for his music (Wright,