FREE ESSAY ON PYOTR ILYICH TCHAIKOVSKY

PYOTR ILYICH TCHAIKOVSKY

Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky is in my opinion one of the greatest classical music
composers of all time. He also had one of the most interesting lives I have ever read 
about. Although he suffered through a large enormity of emotional problems and 
nervous breakdowns, along with having to deal with harsh instances of love and death, 
his music reflects these emotions in a very beautiful way. 
Tchaikovsky (also spelled Chaikovsky or Tschaikovsky, and often referred to as 
Peter), was born on May seventh, 1840 in Votkinsk, Russia. His father, Ilya Petrovitch 
Tchaikvosky, was the superintendent of government owned mines, giving his family an 
upper-class standing in Russia, and Tchaikovsky had a French governess (mostly because
his mother was half-French). Although he was musically talented at a young age, his
parents were unsupportive as he was kind of anxious and excitable, and they thought music
would do him even more harm mentally. But even before age 10, he had already begun
composing music. 
Because of a transfer in his father's job in about 1850, the family was moved to 
Moscow and then to St. Petersburg, where Tchaikovsky was sent to the prepatory School of
Jurisprudence, which was all male. He lived somewhat happily until his mother's death
four years later. He had loved her very much, almost abnormally, and was deeply 
disturbed by it, with his father's uncaring manner intensifying the matter even worse. To

help alleviate some of the pain involved, Tchaikovsky composed a short waltz for piano,
with thoughts of composing an opera as well. Underlying homosexual desires also burdened
him during this time, while attending an all-male school didn't help it any. For the rest
of these school years, the only musical education he got was random piano, singing, and
harmony lessons, along with several opera attendances, which have been said to have
"lasting influences on his musical taste."
In 1859, Tchaikovsky was hired as a clerk in the Ministry of Justices, while still
holding fast his growing interest in music, resulting in his enrollment in the St.
Petersburg 
Conservatory of music in 1862. Peculiarly, he is told to have chewed on pieces of paper 
from official documents unconciously, until he had eaten them all! Fortunately he quit
this job a year later to set aside all his time to study music. His first shot at an
orchestral 
score in 1864 appalled his music teacher, but impressed the teacher's brother, Nicholas 
Rubinstien enough so he was offered a job as a professor of composition in the newly 
founded Conservatory of Music in Moscow. This overture was based on a play called The
Storm, and expressed the roots of his musical character. 
For the first time of many, Tchaikovsky overworked himself in composing a symphony for
Winter Daydreams in 1866, resulting in a mental breakdown. He then went on to write Romeo
and Juliet fantasy-overture in 1869 based on a suggestion from the leader of a popular
Russian music organization. The early to mid seventies proved to be about the lowest time
in Tchaikovsky's life. He wrote the nationalist comic opera Vakula the Smith, which was
said to prove his natural charisma. He also composed Piano Concerto in B Flat Minor in
1876 to dedicate to Rubinstein, but Hans vo Bulow won the dedication after Rubinstien's
harsh criticism towards it. 
Tchaikovsky's romantic life was very unsuccessful. He tried his luck with the woman, all
along hiding his homosexuality. His correspondence with Nadezhda Filaretovna von Meck,
begun in a friendly manner in 1876, was perhaps his only decent relationship he had with
a woman. The first was an affair with Desiree Argot, followed by another nervous
breakdown, partly due to his frustration in finishing Symphony Number Four in F Minor in
1877, and the Eugene Onegin, an opera based on a poem by Aleksandr Pushkin that he wrote
in 1877-1878. About that time, Antonina Milyukova, a former student of his, threatened to
commit suicide unless he married her, so he did so only because of how compassionately he
felt about the heroine of the Eugene Onegin opera (Tatyana), whom he relates to
Milyukova. After a futile attempt at suicide, Tchaikovsky finally divorced her, although
she persisted him for some time. Afterwards, he accidentally fell in love with his
nephew, which brought so much guilt upon him that he began heavily drinking and avoiding
the family. 
Finally a turning point in his life come about when Madame von Meck (a rich widow)
offered him proceeds in agreement that he quits his professurship and dedicates himself
to writing music because of her admiration for his work. Their letter writing reveals
that this was an intimate yet healthy relationship for Tchaikovsky, and he wrote most of
his music of that time because of her and dedicated a previously written symphony to her
as well. Since they never met and as a result allowed more of a friendship-based
relationship, his homosexuality didn't seem to affect it. 
He began writing rapidly in the late seventies and early eighties, working often in
Europe, including Clarens, Switzerland. Included in these productions were Suite Number
One in D Minor, the Maid of Orleans, Violin Concerto in D Major, Serenade for Strings in
C Major, 1812 Overture, and Manfred Symphony. In 1879 Eugene Onegin was performed in
Moscow, much to his surprise, and became very popular in St. Petersburg. In 1881
Rubinstein died, and Tchaikovsky dedicated his Tio to him in his memory. These were some
of his better achievements at the time and overall in his composing life. 
His work from this time until the end of his life included much traveling around the
world. In 1885 he moved to a country house near Klin, and began traveling more in Russia.
Tchaikovsky also began conducting, first at St. Petersburg in 1887, and went on a foreign
tour to Hamburg, Berlin, Prague, Paris, and London, with much success, and probably being
the summit of his later career. He also finished his Fifth Symphony in E Minor. The
Sleeping Beauty (his favorite ballet), the Queen of Spades and much of his older work
proved very successful. Yet he had another nervous breakdown, and his deep emotional
problems showed in his work. This was probably caused by the death of his sister and his
split with Madame von Meck in 1990, in which he never forgave her. 
From 1891 to 1893 he toured throughout the United States and England. In 1893 he received
an honorary degree of doctor of music, along with Boito, Brush, Saint-Saens and Grieg
after returning to a country home in Kiln. The Nutcracker ballet music that he wrote in
1892 was very successful (although it was written rather quickly and rashly), but didn't
suppress any tension from his difficulties with von Meck. His last work, Symphony Number
Six in B Minor, Tchaikovsky had worked especially hard on and considered his greatest of
all, yet it was not very well received. 
The end of Tchaikovsky's life came later on October 28th 1893, when he committed suicide
(we think) of which causes we are unsure of. Some say it had something to do with his
romantic relationship with a man in the royal family, others blame it on his futile last
symphony. In any event, he died of cholera disease, which was killing many people in St.
Petersburg at that time. It is said that although he somewhat drifted away from Russian
nationalism, his work at the least has without a doubt a Russian edge to it. He is now
regarded as a master composer of the classic ballet, with his last few works being the
most famous. Tchaikovsky may have been influenced more by his emotions than any other
composer ever, but they were brought out in his work with such splendor that we regard
him as one of the most brilliant of all time. 
Bibliography
Internet:
1. Daniel Gregory Mason for the New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians,
.............http://www.geocities.com/Vienna/5648/CCalend.htm
2. Unknown Author, http://tchaikovsky.miesto.sk/
3. Robert Sherrane, Cataloging librarian, The Juilliard School, New York
.............http://www.ipl.org/exhibit/mushist/rom/tchaikovsky.htm