Pyotr Iliych Tchaikovsky: The Greatest Russian Composer of All Time
Pyotr Illyich Tchaikovsky (7 May 1840 - 6 November 1893) was a Russian composer of the Romantic period. He was also the first Russian composer to become well known internationally with music that would make a lasting impression for nearly a century succeeding his death. His most famous works are that of the most popular concert and theatrical music in the current classical repertoire: The Nutcracker. His other famous pieces include 1812 Overture, Violin Concerto in D Major and the Romeo and Juliet Overture-Fantasy.
To Be a Civil Servant or Not to Be
Tchaikovsky had a talent for music at a young age, but as there was little opportunity for a musical career in Russia at the time, he was educated for a career as a civil servant. He even took up a respectable position in the Ministry of Justice, however, continued to pursue his interest in music by attending lectures at the newly founded Russian Musical Society. Luckily, an opportunity arose at the Saint Petersburg Conservatory, where he graduated in 1865 at the age of twenty-five.
What set him apart from the composers of his time was the fact that he received the formal Western-oriented teaching, starkly different from the music of the nationalist movement embodied by the rest of the Russian composers. Tchaikovsky, unsurprisingly, struggled with incorporating both elements of the Russian music he had grown up with and the Western Conservatory training he had received. He was at the border of two different worlds and had trouble being accepted and approved by either. Nor Western audiences or Russian audiences expressed interest in his music. His style either lacked structure and discipline or patriotic and nationalist elements. Being sensitive in character, this predicament took a toll on Tchaikovsky’s confidence and would continue to haunt him for the rest of his career.
A Promising Start to a Prominent Career
After graduating, Tchaikovsky moved to Moscow to teach music theory at the Russian Musical Society due to a friendship he developed earlier with the director, Nikolay Rubinstein. Within five years he produced his first symphony, Symphony No. 1 in G Minor and his first opera, The Voyevoda. His repertoire would only grow from here: In 1869 he completed Romeo and Juliet, an overture inspired by the dramatic structure of Shakespeare’s play. It became the first of Tchaikovsky’s compositions to enter the standard international classical repertoire, a great achievement. In March 1871 his String Quartet No. 1 premiered at Moscow’s Hall of Nobility. In April of 1872 he finished another opera, The Oprichnik which was first performed at the Mariinsky Theatre in St. Petersburg in April 1874. Towards the end of that same year, Tchaikovsky wrote his Piano Concerto No. 1 in B-flat Minor which garnered immediate praise and attention. The concerto premiered in Boston in October 1875 with Hans von Bülow as the soloist. During the summer of 1975, Tchaikovsky composed a piece which gained almost immediate acclaim in Russia, his Symphony No. 3 in D Major.
A Turn of Events
In 1877, Tchaikovsky received a considerable fortune when wealthy patron, Nadezhda Von Meck, provided him with emotional and financial support. This included an annual income of 6000 roubles which in turn gave him the confidence boost to quit his job with the Conservatory and became Russia's first full-time professional composer. Tchaikovsky and Von Meck exchanged 1 200 correspondences touching on deeply personal subjects over the course of 13 years. They only met in person once, by accident; the awkward exchange made it so that they never spoke a word to each other again. It was a mutual decision given Tchaikovsky’s reticent nature and Von Meck’s discomfort with meeting artists whom she patroned.
In early 1878 he finished several of his most famous compositions including: the opera Eugene Onegin, the Symphony No. 4 in F Minor, and the Violin Concerto in D Major. Over the course of a decade he produced his opera, Mazepa, based on Aleksandr Pushkin’s Poltava. He also composed The Enchantress, Manfred and Symphony No. 5 in E Minor. His other notable achievements were his Serenade for Strings in C Major, Opus 48, Capriccio Italien and the 1812 Overture. Interestingly, the 1812 Overture was actually commissioned to commemorate Russia's defense against Napoleon's armies in 1812. Tchaikovsky even employed real cannons and arranged for bells to ring from neighbouring churches during the first performance.
Final Years
In the initial months of 1885, weary of his travels, Tchaikovsky settled in a leased countryside residence near Klin, situated outside Moscow. Establishing a regular daily schedule, he engaged in activities such as reading, strolling in the woods, composing during mornings and afternoons, and participating in piano duets with friends in the evenings. It wasn't until the premiere of his opera Cherevichki in January 1887 that he conquered his long-standing fear of conducting. Subsequently, in late December, he commenced his inaugural European concert tour as a conductor, visiting cities like Leipzig, Berlin, Prague, Hamburg, Paris, and London, where he garnered considerable success. A second tour followed in 1889.
Between October 1888 and August 1889, he dedicated his efforts to composing his second ballet, The Sleeping Beauty. During the winter of 1890, while sojourning in Florence, he focused on his third Pushkin opera, The Queen of Spades, completing it in a remarkable 44 days; it is widely regarded as one of his masterpieces. Later in the same year, Tchaikovsky received distressing news from Nadezhda von Meck, stating her imminent financial ruin and the discontinuation of his allowance. This development marked the end of their correspondence, a circumstance that caused Tchaikovsky considerable distress.
During the spring of 1891, Tchaikovsky received an invitation to visit the United States for the inauguration of Carnegie Hall in New York City. Conducting before enthusiastic audiences in New York, Baltimore, and Philadelphia, he left a lasting impression. Upon his return to Russia, he finalized his last two stage compositions—the one-act opera Iolanta (1891) and the two-act ballet Nutcracker (1892). In February 1893, he commenced work on his Symphony No. 6 in B Minor (Pathétique), ultimately becoming one of his most celebrated masterpieces. This symphony was dedicated to his nephew Vladimir (Bob) Davydov, who, in Tchaikovsky's later years, became a significant focus of his intense affection.
Tchaikovsky's global recognition was further solidified by successful tours in Europe and America, culminating in June 1893 with the conferral of an honorary doctorate from the University of Cambridge. On October 16, Tchaikovsky conducted the premiere of his new symphony in St. Petersburg. Despite a mixed audience reaction, the composer remained steadfast in his belief that the symphony ranked among his best works. However, on October 21, he fell seriously ill and was diagnosed with cholera, an epidemic spreading through St. Petersburg. Despite extensive medical efforts, he succumbed to complications from the disease four days later.
In the wake of his death, wild rumors circulated about possible suicide, perpetuated by some biographers in the late 20th century. However, there is no documentary evidence to support these allegations, and Tchaikovsky's demise was officially attributed to complications arising from cholera.
