Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky

Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky {{Audio|Ru-Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky.ogg|listen}} ({{lang-ru|???? ?????? ???????????}}, Pëtr Il'i? ?ajkovskij, sometimes transliterated as Piotr, Anglicised as Peter Ilich), (May 7, 1840 – November 6, 1893 (N.S.); April 25, 1840 – October 25, 1893 (O.S.)) was a Russian composer of the Romantic era. Although not a member of the group of nationalistic composers usually known in English-speaking countries as The Five, his music has come to be known and loved for its distinctly Russian character as well as its rich harmonies and stirring melodies. His works, however, were much more western than his Russian contemporaries as he effectively used both nationalistic folk melodies and international elements.

Musical Works

Ballets

Tchaikovsky is perhaps most well known for his ballets, although it was only in his last years, with his last two ballets, that his contemporaries came to really appreciate his qualities as ballet music composer.

Related Topics:
Ballet - Ballet music

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• (1875–1876): Swan Lake, Op. 20. Tchaikovsky's first ballet, it was first performed (with some omissions) at the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow in 1877.
• (1888–1889): Sleeping Beauty, Op. 66. This work Tchaikovsky considered to be one of his best. Its first performance was in 1890 at the Mariinsky Theatre in Saint Petersburg.
• (1891–1892): The Nutcracker, Op. 71. Tchaikovsky himself was less satisfied with this, his last ballet.

Operas

Tchaikovsky wrote ten operas, including:

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• (1877–1888): Eugene Onegin, Op. 24
• (1881): The Maid of Orleans
• (1884): Mazeppa
• (1890): The Queen of Spades, Op. 68
• (1892): Iolanthe

Symphonies

Tchaikovsky's earlier symphonies are generally happy works of

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nationalistic character, while the later symphonies dwell on fate,

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turmoil and, particularly in the Sixth, despair. Despite this, the last three of his numbered symphonies (the fourth, fifth and sixth) are widely held as masterpieces of the symphonic form and are frequently performed.

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• (1866): No. 1 in G minor, Op. 13, Winter Daydreams
• (1872): No. 2 in C minor, Op. 17, Little Russian
• (1875): No. 3 in D major, Op. 29, Polish
• (1877–1878): No. 4 in F minor, Op. 36
• (1885): Manfred Symphony, B minor, Op. 58. Based on Manfred.
• (1888): No. 5 in E minor, Op. 64
• (1893): No. 6 in B minor, Op. 74, Pathétique

He also wrote four orchestral suites between the 4th and 5th symphonies. He originally intended to call one or more of these "symphony" but was persuaded to alter the title. The four suites are nonetheless symphonic in character, and often-neglected masterpieces of orchestral writing.

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Concerti

• (1874–1875): Of his three concertos for piano, it is No.1 in B flat minor, Op. 23, which is best known and most highly regarded, and one of the most popular piano concertos ever written. It was initially rejected by its dedicatee, the pianist Nikolai Grigoryevich Rubinstein, as poorly composed and unplayable, and subsequently premiered by Hans von Bülow (who was delighted to find such a piece to play) in Boston in 1875. Van Cliburn, an American, won the first International Tchaikovsky Competition with this piece and stunned Russian citizens ? because this contest was meant to celebrate Russians and being Russian.
• (1878): His Violin Concerto in D major, Op. 35, was composed in less than a month during March and April 1878, but its first performance was delayed until 1881 because Leopold Auer, the violinist to whom Tchaikovsky had intended to dedicate the work, refused to perform it. This violin concerto is widely held as one of the greatest concertos for the instrument and is frequently performed today.
• (1889): The so-called "Third Piano Concerto in E flat major", Op. 75, has a curious history. It was commenced after the 5th symphony, and was intended to be his next symphony, ie. his 6th. However he abandoned work on this score and instead directed his efforts towards what we now know as the Sixth Symphony, which is a completely different work (the 'Pathétique'). After Tchaikovsky's death, the composer Sergei Taneyev re-worked the abandoned symphony, added a piano part, and published it as "Third Piano Concerto by Tchaikovsky". However, a more accurate title would be "An unfinished symphony by Tchaikovsky, realised for piano and orchestra by Taneyev". The unfinished symphony was also completed by the Soviet composer Semyon Bogatyrev and published as "Symphony No 7 in E flat major".

Other works

For orchestra

• (1869, rev, 1870, 1880): Romeo and Juliet Fantasy Overture This piece contains one of the world's most famous melodies. The tremendously famous love theme in the middle of this long symphonic poem has been used countless times in commercials and movies, frequently as a spoof to traditional love scenes.
• (1876): Marche Slave, Op. 31. This piece is another well-known Tchaikovsky piece and is often played in conjunction with the 1812 Overture. This work uses the Czarist National Anthem (as does the 1812), which is peculiar as that theme is Russian, rather than Slavic. This piece is mostly in a minor key and is yet another very recognisable piece, commonly referenced in cartoons, commercials and the media. The piece is much in the style of a capriccio.
• (1876): Francesca da Rimini, Op. 32
• (1880): Capriccio Italien, Op. 45. This piece is a traditional caprice or capriccio (in Italian) in an Italian style. Tchaikovsky stayed in Italy in the late 1870s to early 1880s and throughout the various festivals he heard many themes, some of which were played by trumpets, samples of which can be heard in this caprice. It has a lighter character than many of his works, even "bouncy" in places, and is often performed today in addition to the 1812 Overture.
• (1880): 1812 Overture, Op. 49. This piece was written by Tchaikovsky to commemorate the Russian victory over Napoleon in the Napoleonic Wars. It is known for its traditional Russian themes (such as the old Czarist National Anthem) as well as its famously triumphant and bombastic coda at the end which uses cannons (16 shots, to be exact) and a chorus of church bells. Despite its popularity, Tchaikovsky wrote that he "did not have heart in it".

For choir, songs, chamber music, and for solo piano

• (1871) String Quartet No. 1 in D major, Op. 11
• (1876) 'Variations on a Rococo theme' for cello and orchestra, Op. 33.
• (1876) Piano suite The Seasons, Op. 37a
• (1882) Piano trio in a minor, Op. 50
• (1886) Dumka, Russian rustic scene in C minor for piano, Op. 59
• (1890) String sextet Souvenir de Florence, Op. 70

For a complete list of works by opus number, see http://w3.rz-berlin.mpg.de/cmp/tchaikovsky_works.html. For more detail on dates of composition, see http://www.geocities.com/Vienna/5648/DCalend.htm.

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