Piotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky was born to a reasonably well-off family on May 7th 1840 in Votkinsk Russia. The young Tchaikovsky was considered to be precocious and was already accomplished in the languages of German and French by the age of just 6. He began piano lessons at the age of 5 and showed a natural aptitude saying that music playing in his head kept him awake at night. Tchaikovsky lost his mother to cholera when he was 14 and never got over the loss.
Tchaikovsky's parents initially supported the furthering of his musical talents, however not realizing the extent of his ability it was eventually decided that he would be better off studying for a more stable career in the civil service. He was sent to the School of Jurisprudence at the age of 10 and did not study music seriously for quite some time while attending the school. After his graduation in 1859 he returned to the study of music and began taking lessons at the St Petersburg Conservatory. In 1863 he resigned from his job with the civil service so that he could study music full time.
Freed from his job in the civil service Tchaikovsky was once again able to return to the full time study of music. He enrolled at the St Petersburg Conservatory and was mentored by Anton Rubenstein the director and founder of the Conservatory. Tchaikovsky learned instrumentation and composition under Rubenstein and graduated with flying colors from the conservatory in 1865.
Tchaikovsky began to complete several notable compositions between 1865 and 1892 and on October 25th 1875 his third symphony premiered in Boston. His works were notable for their melodic qualities and Tchaikovsky is considered to be the master composer for classical ballet. During this time he composed some of his most well loved works - Swan Lake, Sleeping Beauty and The Nutcracker. As his reputation as a composer began to grow in Europe he entered into an ill-fated marriage that only lasted for 9 weeks.
Tchaikovsky never got over the loss of his mother and suffered much emotional turmoil throughout his life. Although his private life was troubled he continued to enjoy great success professionally and travelled to many places. In 1891 he toured America conducting his works but conducting was never something he felt comfortable doing. Pathetique, Tchaikovsky's 6th Symphony received its premiere in October 1893 but was initially met with a lukewarm reception. Eventually the piece received much greater acclaim.
It is widely believed the Tchaikovsky died of Cholera after drinking contaminated water. He died just a week after the premiere of the Sixth Symphony, Pathetique, in November 1893 and never knew that it would later be considered to be one of his and indeed one of the greatest musical works of all time. - 40730
Tchaikovsky's parents initially supported the furthering of his musical talents, however not realizing the extent of his ability it was eventually decided that he would be better off studying for a more stable career in the civil service. He was sent to the School of Jurisprudence at the age of 10 and did not study music seriously for quite some time while attending the school. After his graduation in 1859 he returned to the study of music and began taking lessons at the St Petersburg Conservatory. In 1863 he resigned from his job with the civil service so that he could study music full time.
Freed from his job in the civil service Tchaikovsky was once again able to return to the full time study of music. He enrolled at the St Petersburg Conservatory and was mentored by Anton Rubenstein the director and founder of the Conservatory. Tchaikovsky learned instrumentation and composition under Rubenstein and graduated with flying colors from the conservatory in 1865.
Tchaikovsky began to complete several notable compositions between 1865 and 1892 and on October 25th 1875 his third symphony premiered in Boston. His works were notable for their melodic qualities and Tchaikovsky is considered to be the master composer for classical ballet. During this time he composed some of his most well loved works - Swan Lake, Sleeping Beauty and The Nutcracker. As his reputation as a composer began to grow in Europe he entered into an ill-fated marriage that only lasted for 9 weeks.
Tchaikovsky never got over the loss of his mother and suffered much emotional turmoil throughout his life. Although his private life was troubled he continued to enjoy great success professionally and travelled to many places. In 1891 he toured America conducting his works but conducting was never something he felt comfortable doing. Pathetique, Tchaikovsky's 6th Symphony received its premiere in October 1893 but was initially met with a lukewarm reception. Eventually the piece received much greater acclaim.
It is widely believed the Tchaikovsky died of Cholera after drinking contaminated water. He died just a week after the premiere of the Sixth Symphony, Pathetique, in November 1893 and never knew that it would later be considered to be one of his and indeed one of the greatest musical works of all time. - 40730
No comments:
Post a Comment