Was tchaikovsky married

10 facts about tchaikovsky
Tchaikovsky death
Tchaikovsky siblings

•

Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky

Biography

Born on May 7, 1840, in Votkinsk in the Vyatka district of Russia, Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky was the son of a successful engineer. Pyotr and his brothers and sister received a sound education from their French governess. His parents sometimes took him to concerts, and after one such evening he complained that he could not fall asleep because of the music stuck in his head. He was devoted to his mother, and at age four he and his sister composed a song for her. Her death when he was fourteen was a huge blow to him.

Tchaikovsky attended law school in St. Petersburg, Russia, and, while studying law and government, he took music lessons, including some composing, from Gabriel Lomakin. Tchaikovsky graduated at the age of nineteen and took a job as a bureau clerk. He worked hard, but he hated the job; by this time he was totally absorbed by music. He soon met the Rubinstein brothers, Anton (1829–1894) and Nikolai (1835–1881), both of whom were composers. Anton was a pianist second only to Franz Liszt (1811–1886) in technical brilliance and fame. In

•

Tchaikovsky: the great Russian Romantic who channelled a turbulent life into heart-rending music

It's one of the great tragedies of classical music. On 6 November 1893, a mere nine days after the premiere of his intense, emotional Sixth Symphony (the 'Pathétique'), the composer Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky died. The official cause of death? Cholera, contracted from drinking some unboiled (and therefore unsafe) water in a neighbourhood restaurant.

It didn't take long, however, before the rumours began to circulate. Had Tchaikovsky drunk the water on purpose? Was he in a depressed or a suicidal state? Perhaps, some whispered, he had even been strong-armed into taking his own life as some form of punishment for his homosexuality?

And what of that symphony? Some three weeks after its premiere, the Sixth Symphony got another performance. This time, poignantly, it was at the memorial concert for the man who had brought this beautiful, emotionally charged work into the world. Now, in the light of its composer's death, listeners were hearing in the Pathétique ‘a sort of swan song, a prese

•

Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky

(1840-1893)

Who Was Tchaikovsky?

Composer Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky's work was first publicly performed in 1865. In 1868, his First Symphony was well-received. In 1874, he established himself with Piano Concerto No.1 in B-flat Minor. Tchaikovsky resigned from the Moscow Conservatory in 1878 and spent the rest of his career composing yet more prolifically. Tchaikovsky is most celebrated for his ballets, specifically Swan Lake, The Sleeping Beauty and The Nutcracker. He died in St. Petersburg on November 6, 1893.

Early Life

Russian composer Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky was born on May 7, 1840, in Kamsko-Votkinsk, Vyatka, Russia. He was the second eldest of his parents' six surviving offspring. Tchaikovsky's father, Ilya, worked as a mine inspector and metal works manager.

When he was just five years old, Tchaikovsky began taking piano lessons. Although he displayed an early passion for music, his parents hoped that he would grow up to work in the civil service. At the age of 10, Tchaikovsky began attending the Imperial School of Jurisprudence,