Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky: biography, facts, video

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Tchaikovsky: biography

On a spring day on May 7 (April 25, old style), 1840, the future luminary of Russian classical and church music, Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, was born in the quiet district town of Votkinsk.

The genus of Cossacks Chaeks came from the gentry. The surname was “ennobled” by the composer’s grandfather, Pyotr Fedorovich. From 1770 to 1774 he participated in the war with the Turks, and in 1784 he was granted a nobleman’s status. In 1776 he married Anastasia Possokhova.

In this friendly family, with the best traditions of the patriarchal way of life, eleven smart children were growing up.

Ilya is the penultimate in this noisy gang. He grew up, graduated from college and got a job in the Department of Mining. In 1833 he married Sasha Assier, daughter of the customs officer Andrei Assier, who came to Russia to teach Russian children foreign languages.

He stayed here for a long time and subsequently became a loyal subject of the Russian Empire. In 1837, Ilya and his family moved to the Urals, since he was appointed director of one of the large steel plants.

Childhood and youth

The family was large and friendly. Peter was the second child. In addition to him, there are four more brothers and a sister. Everyone in the family loves folk and classical music. They play the piano and sing.

And one day Petya heard “Don Juan” by Amadeus Mozart, the music stunned him. For several days he walked brooding and silent. Nobody could understand what was the matter. The impression was so strong that the chords of this wonderful opera constantly sounded in the boy’s head.

He admired music from an early age. Every day I listened to the songs of my mother and the melodious tunes of the inhabitants of the village. There he was imbued with the beauty of Russian nature and folk tunes. But the family was soon forced to change their place of residence twice – in 1849 to Alapaevsk. In 1850 they moved to the capital St. Petersburg.

The teenager was sent to his relatives in Europe, because it was possible to enter the school of jurisprudence, where his parents wanted him to be, only from the age of twelve. Peter was very upset about the separation from his family.

But studying the laws of ancient Greece and ancient Rome, he continues to get carried away with music. He does not miss a single lesson of this elective, which only a few boys attend.

Tchaikovsky plays well on the piano and loves improvisation. He devotes even more time to music lessons and takes lessons from Luigi Piccioli, and then from Rudolf Kündinger.

At the age of nineteen, Peter graduated from an educational institution and entered the service of the Ministry of Justice. The work did not bring moral satisfaction and weighed him down. The young man was irresistibly drawn to art.

Theaters are his favorite places, where he admires the operas “Ivan Susanin” by Mikhail Ivanovich Glinka and “Don Juan” by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. 1862 became very important for the composer.

Saint Petersburg – Moscow

Peter went to St. Petersburg to enter the conservatory. There he stubbornly and with extraordinary interest studied the art of composing with the great masters – Anton Rubinstein and Nikolai Zaremba. At the insistence of the first, young Peter still left the service and completely decided to connect his life with music and moved to Moscow.

Life in Moscow began in 1865 after graduating from the conservatory. He got the opportunity to teach while having the status of a professor. Pyotr Ilyich significantly expands the circle of acquaintances, introducing outstanding people into it, and enthusiastically composes new works.

Since 1868, his statements have appeared in print as a criticism in favor of talented composers: N.I. Rimsky-Korsakov, Edvard Grieg, M. Balakirev.

He maintains an acquaintance with the members of The Mighty Handful. Although they sometimes had disputes due to the difference of views, there was always a sincere friendship between them.

Mily Balakirev advises Tchaikovsky to write an overture based on Romeo and Juliet, while critic V. Stasov suggests the idea of ​​the Tempest symphony. In 1869, having already received fame and recognition, the musician meets the delightful Desiree Artaud.

He devotes his works to her. Makes an offer. But almost on the eve of the wedding, the bride suddenly changes her mind and marries the Spaniard Mariano Padillo Ramos.

The composer’s masterpieces

70s nineteenth century – an important stage in the search for the young composer. He is more and more interested in the history of Russia, the life of an ordinary person. True masterpieces appear: the opera “The Oprichnik”, the ballet “Swan Lake”, symphonies – works that glorified Russia and entered the treasury of world classics.

1877 badly affected the condition of the musician. Pyotr Ilyich had an unsuccessful marriage, which severely crippled him. Overworked days cause overwork and mental crisis. Only a trip to rest, where his friends sent him, worried about the health of their friend, could get out of severe depression.

The composer listens to the advice, quits and leaves for Europe. He is greatly supported by Nadezhda von Meck, for many years they corresponded. In gratitude, the musician dedicated the Fourth Symphony to this fan and patron of the arts.

Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky travels a lot, conducting the orchestra, and meets famous composers, including Saint-Saens, Grieg, Brahms and Massenet. The most significant year for the composer was 1893. In Great Britain, he received his Ph.D. in music from the University of Cambridge.

Many works appeared from the pen of the composer in the last years of his short life. Among them are the ballets The Sleeping Beauty and The Nutcracker, the most popular and brilliant symphonies No. 1 and No. 4. The operas Iolanta, Mazepa, The Queen of Spades, and The Enchantress are no less famous today.

However, many of Tchaikovsky’s works are becoming more and more tragic. And this is due to the events taking place in the Russian Empire – when free speech was stifled and destroyed.

He wrote to his brother about the test of “civil grief”. But even among such tragic works there are bright and cheerful ones.

last years of life

Tchaikovsky continues to work hard and with inspiration while living in Klin. In 1891 the composer travels to the United States of America to conduct on the most prestigious stages where his works will be performed.

The success was overwhelming. Pyotr Ilyich was honored to conduct at the opening ceremony of the famous Carnegie Hall in New York.

In November 1892 Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky was elected a Corresponding Member of the Paris Academy of Fine Arts. In June 1893 – Honorary Doctor of the University of Cambridge.

Cause of death

On November 1, 1893, completely healthy, Pyotr Ilyich dined at an elite St. Petersburg restaurant. During dinner, he asked for a glass of cold water. This glass of unboiled water played its fatal role. The fact is that at this time in the city there was an unfavorable epidemiological situation due to cholera.

On the morning of November 2, Tchaikovsky became ill. The doctor who was called to the patient diagnosed cholera. The disease was difficult. On November 6 (October 25, old style), 1893, the great composer passed away.

The burial took place in the Alexander Nevsky Lavra (Tikhvin cemetery in St. Petersburg) with a large gathering of ardent admirers of the composer’s work.

P.I. Tchaikovsky and Taganrog

I live in Taganrog and am proud that Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky has been to the city. His younger brother, Ippolit Ilyich, a naval officer, lived here. The composer came to visit his brother three times. It was in 1886, 1888, 1890.

The mansion of Ippolit Ilyich is located not far from the sea, by a stone staircase. Grecheskaya Street, 56. The house has survived to this day.

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