Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky

Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, also known as Peter I. Tchaikovsky, was a well known Russian composer who wrote classical pieces of music. Tchaikovsky was born in Kamsko-Votkinsk, Vyatka, Russia on May 7, 1840, to Alexandra and Ilya. Pyotr’s father, Ilya, was a mine inspector and metal works manager while Alexandra, Tchaikovsky’s mother, played music which is probably what influenced Pyotr to have such a passion for music. He was the second child out of six living children. When he was five, Tchaikovsky took piano lessons and he was generally extremely fascinated with music. He also, later on in his life, joined a choir.
Despite the interest he had in music, his parents wanted him to work as a civil service worker. His mother died when Tchaikovsky was only 14 years of age. After this incident, Pyotr went to a boarding school and later on got a career as a bureau clerk for four years. When he was about 21, Tchaikovsky took music lessons. Later on, he enrolled at St. Petersburg Conservatory. This made him one of the first composition students there. Tchaikovsky went on to become a professor of harmony in Moscow. Peter Tchaikovsky composed music for symphonies, concertos, songs, operas, cantatas, and ballets. …show more content…
He would be considered a part of the traditional Romanticism period of history. His most memorable pieces are Swan Lake and The Nutcracker as well as The Sleeping Beauty .He made such a huge contribution as a well known Russian classical composer. He wrote several memorable pieces, as mentioned before, that are still very well known and famous today. Peter Tchaikovsky’s music is very whimsical and potent. It is very light and soothing to listen to and it also makes you want to dance or move in some way. He had very rich tones and harmonious music. Taking, for example, The Nutcracker Suite, Op 71a, we can see that it opens with something similar to a fast paced waltz. Then, it continues on to indulgent harmonies tones, some parts staccato and others just flowing with beautiful harmony. Hearing each part played by a different class of instruments, can bring such energy and beautiful melody that is astounding. It is easy to understand why ballerinas dance to this song especially. It is neither overwhelming nor is it too light to make an impact. The Nutcracker also has such amazing rhythm throughout the song, and it makes it so easy to follow and enjoy the song as well. This song is well known and famous to this day because it was used in the Disney movie Fantasia. Peter Tchaikovsky died on November 6, 1893 in St. Petersburg. Even though Tchaikovsky was known to drink bottled water, he had gotten cholera, which was common for people in his time to contract, especially if they did not drink bottled water. He died a day after discovering that he had it. Although this is what is typically told about Tchaikovsky’s death, others believe that he poisoned himself with arsenic. This can be true because Tchaikovsky was a very depressed person and he attempted to commit suicide once before. Peter Tchaikovsky was depressed because he had to suppress that fact that he was a homosexual. In order to cover up the fact that he was a homosexual, he married a woman named Antonina Milyukova. Their marriage was not only unsuccessful but it was also a disaster, generally speaking. During this time, while he was married to Antonina Milyukova, he had a