Piotr Ilych Tchaikovskiy
(1840-1893) by Dylan Chiu
Piotr was born in Votkinsk, Russia on the foothills of the Ural Mountains. Ilya his father was a magistrate and very powerful. His mother was a cold unloving women but Piotr adored her anyways. A duchess named Fanny was hired to assist in his education. She was the first person to notice PIotr obsession with music even if she tried to stifle it. In 1848 the family moved to St. Petersburg. However Piotr was destroyed when his mother left him at the boarding school and it was one of the most traumatic events of his life. Only 2 years later she died which was a terrible loss for Piotr. Afterwards he was commisioned by a musical magazine called Nuvellist to compose 12 compositions one for each month. This became extremely tedious and boring. Later one he became freinds with Madame Nadezhda von Meck who sponsored him and allowed Tchaikovskiy to continue composing music. He died in 1893 in St. Petersburg, Russia.
This is a map of St. Petersburg, Russia where he lived for most of his life and where he died. It was made only a few years after his death so this is exactly what Tchaikovskiy would have seen while he was living. This is also where he composed most of his music.
This is a picture of the house in Votkinsk, Russia where Tchaikovskiy was born.
Lang Lang plays Tchaikovsky : Piano Concerto No. 1 in B-flat minor, Opus 23 [HD]
This is Tchaikovskiy's Piano concerto No. 1. It is scored for two flutes, two oboes, two clarinets, two bassons, four horns, two trumpets, three trombones, a timpani, solo piano, and strings. It was originally dedicated to Nikolai Rubenstein but after being shown the piece Nikolai said that it was extremely difficult to play and composed unevenly. After that Piotr dedicated the piece to Hans con Bulow who performed it for the first time in Boston in 1875.
Other Known Compositions
Some of Tchaikovskiy's other compositions were
- The Nutcracker
- Swan Lake
- 1812 Overture
- Romeo and Juliet
Personal Life
Piotr first fell in love with opera singer Desiree Artot. He composed Romance in F and dedicated it to her however without any warning she went off to marry a Spanish baritone. This added to the list of other heartbreaks he had endured. The way his friendship ended with Madame Nadezhda von Meck was rather odd as well. She sent Piotr a letter stating that she was bankrupt and could no longer sponsor him however soon after he learned that her financial problems had been easily resolved and she was no where near bankrupt.
Citations
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky.. Photograph. Encyclopædia Britannica ImageQuest. Web. 16 Dec 2015.
http://quest.eb.com/search/113_910944/1/113_910944/cite
http://quest.eb.com/search/113_910944/1/113_910944/cite
Map Of St. Petersburg, Russia, 1899. Photo. Encyclopædia Britannica ImageQuest. Web. 16 Dec 2015.
http://quest.eb.com/search/300_649342/1/300_649342/cite
"Lang Lang Plays Tchaikovsky : Piano Concerto No. 1 in B-flat Minor, Opus 23 [HD]." YouTube. YouTube, 13 Sept. 2014. Web. 19 Dec. 2015. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_W1_shm7vdE>.
TCHAIKOVSKY - House at Votkinsk where he was born.. Photograph. Encyclopædia Britannica ImageQuest. Web. 21 Dec 2015.
http://quest.eb.com/search/113_916439/1/113_916439/cite