"Music possesses much richer means of expression, and it is a more subtle medium for translating the 1,000 shifting moments of the feelings of the soul."
— Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (April 1840 – October 1893) is one of the most popular Russian composers of all time. He was the leading example of Russian Romanticism with French, Italian, and German musical traditions.
Tchaikovsky was the second of six children. He showed an interest in music from early childhood. At four years old, he made his first attempt at a musical composition and wrote a song with his younger sister. At the age of five, he began taking piano lessons with a local tutor.
Because music education was not available in Russia at that time, Tchaikovsky’s parents did not consider that path for him. Instead, they prepared him for civil service, and he ended up attending law school. However, when he was 14, his mother died, and soon after, Tchaikovsky’s father recognized his son’s musical talent.
Tchaikovsky was first exposed to Italian music at the age of 17, which influenced his musical taste throughout his life. In 1861, he visited Germany, France, and England. Also within that year, he began attending music classes at the newly founded Russian Musical Society and resigned from the Ministry of Justice. He spent three years at the St. Petersburg Conservatory and began composing his first orchestral pieces.
Over the next many years, Tchaikovsky traveled throughout Europe and composed extensively. In 1891, he traveled to the United States for the inauguration of Carnegie Hall in New York City.
During his remarkable life, he composed 7 symphonies, 11 operas, 3 ballets (including The Nutcracker and Swan Lake), 11 overtures (including the 1812 Overture), and hundreds of other celebrated orchestral works. His music has great appeal for its beauty and ability to evoke profound emotional responses. Tchaikovsky died from cholera at 53 years old.
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