Transcript Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky

Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky
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1840-1893
The Tchaikovsky Family
The Tchaikovsky Family Tree
Tchaikovsky’s Life
Born on May 7, 1840 in Votkinsk, Russia
He had four brothers and one sister
His father Ilya had three wives
He first studied law in his youth, and became a law clerk in
St. Petersburg
In his twenties, he rebelled and began to study music at the
conservatory in St. Petersburg
He was a big fan of Mozart
He studied composition with Anton Rubinstein
In 1866 he moved to Moscow to begin teaching at
the new conservatory there
He was horrible when he began composing
He married Antonina Ivanovana Milyukoff on
July 6, 1877
The marriage was a disaster - it lasted a month
He had a benefactor named Nadezhda von
Meck - she loved his music
He came to New York in 1891 and
conducted his works at Carnegie Hall
He experienced a great deal of fame in the
last 10 years of his life
On November 6, 1893, Tchaikovsky
died from drinking a glass of unfiltered
water from which he got cholera
He is buried in St. Petersburg
Famous Compositions
Swan Lake
Sleeping Beauty
The Nutcracker
Romeo & Juliet
1812 Overture
Symphony No. 2
Symphony No. 6 “Pathetique”
Piano Concerto No. 1
His Musical Mark
He was the master of the ballet
His melodies are very haunting
He used a great deal of folk music in his symphonic works
His music is known for being both too beautiful and too
depressing
Tchaikovsky’s life was filled with turmoil and so was his
music
Tchaikovsky’s Manuscripts
There are very few surviving manuscripts
written by Tchaikovsky. He was very
critical of his own work, and very often
burned his scores.
And now…
Swan Lake
Describe how the music, ballet & story fit together