Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky 1840-1893 Copyright © 2005 - Frankel Consulting Services, Inc.

The Tchaikovsky Family

The Tchaikovsky Family Tree

Tchaikovsky’s Life Born on May 7, 1840 in Votkinsk, Russia He had four brothers and one sister His father Ilya had three wives He first studied law in his youth, and became a law clerk in St. Petersburg In his twenties, he rebelled and began to study music at the conservatory in St. Petersburg

The marriage was a disaster - it lasted a month He was a big fan of Mozart He studied composition with Anton Rubinstein In 1866 he moved to Moscow to begin teaching at the new conservatory there He was horrible when he began composing He married Antonina Ivanovana Milyukoff on July 6, 1877 The marriage was a disaster - it lasted a month He had a benefactor named Nadezhda von Meck - she loved his music

He came to New York in 1891 and conducted his works at Carnegie Hall He experienced a great deal of fame in the last 10 years of his life On November 6, 1893, Tchaikovsky died from drinking a glass of unfiltered water from which he got cholera He is buried in St. Petersburg

Famous Compositions Swan Lake Sleeping Beauty The Nutcracker Romeo & Juliet 1812 Overture Symphony No. 2 Symphony No. 6 “Pathetique” Piano Concerto No. 1

His Musical Mark He was the master of the ballet His melodies are very haunting He used a great deal of folk music in his symphonic works His music is known for being both too beautiful and too depressing Tchaikovsky’s life was filled with turmoil and so was his music

Tchaikovsky’s Manuscripts

There are very few surviving manuscripts written by Tchaikovsky There are very few surviving manuscripts written by Tchaikovsky. He was very critical of his own work, and very often burned his scores.

Describe how the music, ballet & story fit together And now… Swan Lake Describe how the music, ballet & story fit together