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Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky

2007 Schools Wikipedia Selection. Related subjects: Performers and composers

   Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
   Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky

   Pyotr (Peter) Ilyich Tchaikovsky (Russian: Пётр Ильич Чайкoвский, Pëtr
   Il’ič Čajkovskij; listen ) ( 7 May [ O.S. 25 April] 1840 – 6 November [
   O.S. 25 October] 1893), was a Russian composer of the Romantic era.

   Although not a member of the group of Russian 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 for its
   rich harmonies and stirring melodies. His works, however, were much
   more western than those of his Russian contemporaries as he effectively
   used international elements in addition to national folk melodies.

Early life

   Tchaikovsky as a legal student
   Tchaikovsky as a legal student

   Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky was born on May 7, 1840 (by the Gregorian
   calendar; this was April 25 by the Julian calendar) in Votkinsk, a
   small town in present-day Udmurtia (at the time the Vyatka Guberniya
   under Imperial Russia). He was the son of Ilya Petrovich Tchaikovsky, a
   mining engineer in the government mines, and the second of his three
   wives, Alexandra Andreyevna Assier, a Russian woman of French ancestry.
   He was the older brother (by some ten years) of the dramatist,
   librettist, and translator Modest Ilyich Tchaikovsky.

   Pyotr began piano lessons at the age of five, and in a few months he
   was already proficient at Friedrich Kalkbrenner's composition Le Fou.
   In 1850, his father was appointed director of the St Petersburg
   Technological Institute. There, the young Tchaikovsky obtained an
   excellent general education at the School of Jurisprudence, and
   furthered his instruction on the piano with the director of the music
   library.

   Also during this time, he made the acquaintance of the Italian master
   Luigi Piccioli, who influenced the young man away from German music,
   and encouraged the love of Rossini, Bellini, and Donizetti. His father
   indulged Tchaikovsky's interest in music by funding studies with
   Rudolph Kündinger, a well-known piano teacher from Nuremberg. Under
   Kündinger, Tchaikovsky's aversion to German music was overcome, and a
   lifelong affinity with the music of Mozart was seeded. When his mother
   died of cholera in 1854, the 14-year-old composed a waltz in her
   memory.

   Tchaikovsky left school in 1858 and received employment as an
   under-secretary in the Ministry of Justice, where he soon joined the
   Ministry's choral group. In 1861, he befriended a fellow civil servant
   who had studied with Nikolai Zaremba, who urged him to resign his
   position and pursue his studies further. Not ready to give up
   employment, Tchaikovsky agreed to begin lessons in musical theory with
   Zaremba.

   The following year, when Zaremba joined the faculty of the new St
   Petersburg Conservatory, Tchaikovsky followed his teacher and enrolled,
   but still did not give up his post at the ministry, until his father
   consented to support him. From 1862 to 1865, Tchaikovsky studied
   harmony, counterpoint and the fugue with Zaremba, and instrumentation
   and composition under the director and founder of the Conservatory,
   Anton Rubinstein, who was both impressed by and envious of
   Tchaikovsky's talent.

Musical career

   Tchaikovsky as professor of composition
   Tchaikovsky as professor of composition

   After graduating, Tchaikovsky was approached by Anton Rubinstein's
   younger brother Nikolai to become professor of harmony, composition,
   and the history of music. Tchaikovsky gladly accepted the position, as
   his father had retired and lost his property. The next ten years were
   spent teaching and composing. Teaching was taxing, and in 1877 he
   suffered a breakdown. After a year off, he attempted to return to
   teaching, but retired his post soon after. He spent some time in
   Switzerland, but eventually took residence with his sister, who had an
   estate just outside Kiev.

   Tchaikovsky took to orchestral conducting after filling in at a
   performance in Moscow of his opera The Enchantress (Russian: Чародейка)
   (1885-7). Overcoming a life-long stage fright, his confidence gradually
   increased to the extent that he regularly took to conducting his
   pieces.

   Tchaikovsky toured the United States in 1891 conducting performances of
   his works. On May 5, he conducted the New York Music Society's
   orchestra in a performance of Marche Solennelle on the opening night of
   Carnegie Hall. There were performances of his Third Suite on May 7, and
   the a cappella choruses Pater Noster and Legend on May 8. The U.S. tour
   also included performances of his First Piano Concerto and Serenade for
   Strings.

   Just nine days after the first performance of his Sixth Symphony,
   Pathétique, in 1893, in St Petersburg, Tchaikovsky died (see section
   below). Some musicologists (e.g., Milton Cross, David Ewen) believe
   that he consciously wrote his Sixth Symphony as his own Requiem. In the
   development section of the first movement, the rapidly progressing
   evolution of the transformed first theme suddenly "shifts into neutral"
   in the strings, and a rather quiet, harmonized chorale emerges in the
   trombones. The trombone theme bears no relation to the music that
   either preceded or followed it. It appears to be a musical "non
   sequitur" — but it is from the Russian Orthodox Mass for the Dead, in
   which it is sung to the words: "And may his soul rest with the souls of
   all the saints."

   His music included some of the most renowned pieces of the romantic
   period. Many of his works were inspired by events in his life.

Personal life

   Tchaikovsky in 1874
   Tchaikovsky in 1874

   Tchaikovsky's homosexuality, as well as its importance to his life and
   music, has long been recognized, though any proof of it was suppressed
   during the Soviet era. Although some historians continue to view him as
   heterosexual, others — such as Rictor Norton and Alexander Poznansky —
   conclude that some of Tchaikovsky's closest relationships were
   homosexual (citing his servant Aleksei Sofronov and his nephew,
   Vladimir "Bob" Davydov). Evidence that Tchaikovsky was homosexual is
   drawn from his letters and diaries, as well as the letters of his
   brother, Modest, who was also homosexual.

   One of Tchaikovsky's conservatory students, Antonina Miliukova, began
   writing him passionate letters around the time that he had made up his
   mind to "marry whoever will have me." He did not even remember her from
   his classes, but her letters were very persistent. Tchaikovsky hastily
   married her on July 18, 1877.

   Within days, while still on their honeymoon, Tchaikovsky deeply
   regretted his decision. By the time the couple returned to Moscow on
   July 26, he was a state of near-collapse. Two weeks after the wedding
   the composer supposedly attempted suicide by wading waist-high into the
   freezing Moscow River, certain he would contract a fatal case of
   pneumonia. His robust physical constitution defeated that plan, and his
   mental state grew even worse.

   Tchaikovsky fled to St Petersburg, his mind verging on a nervous
   breakdown. Once there, after a violent outburst, Tchaikovsky lapsed
   into a two-day coma. A mental specialist recommended Tchaikovsky make
   no attempt to renew his marriage, nor try to see his wife again. The
   composer never returned to his wife but did send her a regular
   allowance through the years. They remained legally married until his
   death.

   As Tchaikovsky biographer Anthony Holden points out, the debacle with
   Antonina forced Tchaikovsky to face the truth concerning his sexuality.
   For the rest of his life, he would never consider matrimony as a
   camoflauge or escape from his homosexuality. Neither woud he delude
   himself of being as capable of loving women as for men. He admitted, as
   he wrote to his brother Anatoly, there was "nothing more futile than
   wanting to be anything other than what I am by nature."

   Far more influential than Antonina in Tchaikovsky's life was a wealthy
   widow, Nadezhda von Meck, with whom he exchanged over 1,200 letters
   between 1877 and 1890. At her insistence they never met; they did
   encounter each other on two occasions, purely by chance, but did not
   converse. As well as financial support in the amount of 6,000 rubles a
   year, she expressed interest in his musical career and admiration for
   his music. However, after 13 years she ended the relationship
   unexpectedly, claiming bankruptcy.

Tchaikovsky's death

   Tchaikovsky's tomb at the Alexander Nevsky Monastery
   Tchaikovsky's tomb at the Alexander Nevsky Monastery

   Nine days after the premiere of the Sixth Symphony, Tchaikovsky died on
   6 November 1893.

   Most biographers of Tchaikovsky's life have considered his death to
   have been caused by cholera, most probably contracted through drinking
   contaminated water several days earlier. In recent decades, however,
   various theories have been advanced by some sources that his death was
   a suicide. According to one version of the theory, this represented a
   sentence imposed by a "court of honour" of Tchaikovsky's fellow-alumni
   of the St. Petersburg School of Jurisprudence, in censure of the
   composer's homosexuality.

   In her never-published book Tchaikovsky Day by Day, the Russian
   musicologist Aleksandra Orlova argued for suicide based on oral
   evidence and various circumstantial events surrounding his death (such
   as discrepancies over death dates, and handling of Tchaikovsky's body),
   suggesting that Tchaikovsky poisoned himself with arsenic. Orlova cites
   no documentary reference for these claims, however, relying on oral
   commentary. Tchaikovsky biographer Anthony Holden goes into detail over
   the various trials Orlova and her husband suffered at the hands of
   Soviet censors, since the subjects of Tchaikovsky's death and his
   homosexuality were both considered forbiden for discussion officially.

   Other well-respected studies of the composer have challenged Orlova's
   claims in detail, and concluded that the composer's death was due to
   natural causes. Holden mentions one other theory—that drinking unboiled
   water may not have been the only way Tchaikovsky could have contracted
   cholera. Referencing cholera specialist Dr. Valentin Pokovsky, Holden
   mentions the "faecal-oral route"—that Tchaikovsky could have possibly
   have contracted cholera from less than hygenic sexual practices with
   male prostitutes in St. Petersburg. This theory was advanced separately
   in The Times of London by its then-veteran medical specialist, Dr.
   Thomas Stuttaford.

   Holden admits that while there is no further evidence to support this
   theory, if it had been true, Tchikovsky and Modest would have both gone
   to great pains to conceal the truth. By mutual agreement, they could
   have staged the drinking of the glass of unboiled water for the sake of
   family, friends, admirers and posterity. In the case of an almost
   sacred national figure, as Holden claims Tchaikovsky was by the end of
   his career, the doctors involved with Tchaikovsky's case might have
   permitted their medical consciences to go along with such a deception.

   This mutual agreement with Modest and the doctors could have just as
   easily proved true regarding the "court of honour" theory, though
   Holden points out there is one final irony to that thesis. Had Tsar
   Alexander III received a letter of complaint about Tchaikovsky's
   indiscretions, he probably would have consigned it to the nearest
   waste-paper basket. Tchaikovsky was the Tsar's favorite composer, and
   the monarch was well aware of the homosexuality said to be rife amid
   his own courtiers and close relatives, some of those relatives
   ensconced in high public positions. As the Tsar is supposed to have
   said upon hearing upon the composer's death, "We have many dukes and
   barons, but only one Tchaikovsky."

   Holden maintains, though, that this final point actually strengthens
   the theory that Tchaikovsky committed suicide, because it underlines
   what Holden calls "the fundamental assumption" that Tchaikovsky would
   have preferred death to public exposure of his sexual nature, whatever
   the consequences.

   Without strong evidence for any of these cases, it is possible that no
   definite conclusion may be drawn and that the true nature of the
   composer's end may remain in dispute amongst researchers.

   The English composer Michael Finnissy composed a short opera, Shameful
   Vice, about Tchaikovsky's last days and death.

The Funeral

   When Alexander III received news of Tchaikovsky's death, he volunteered
   to pay the costs of the composer's funeral himself and directed the
   Directorate of the Imperial Theatres to organize the event. Poznansky
   observes this action shows the exceptional regard with which the Tsar
   regarded the composer. Only twice before had a Russian monarch shown
   such favour toward a fallen artistic or scholarly figure. Nicholas I
   had written a letter to the dying Alexander Pushkin following the
   poet's fatal duel. Nicholas also came personally to pay his final
   respects to historian Nikolay Karamzin on the eve of his burial.
   Tchaikovsky's burial in Saint Petersburg.
   Tchaikovsky's burial in Saint Petersburg.

   The outpouring of grief over Tchaikovsky's death, and the resulting
   interest in his funeral, was extremely great. Tchaikovsky's funeral
   took place on 9 November, 1893 in Saint Petersburg. Participation in
   the funeral procession was by special ticket only. This ticket included
   entrance to Kazan Cathedral, where the funeral was to take place, and
   access to the cemetery of Alexander Nevsky Monastery. Kazan Cathedral
   holds 6,000 people. Sixty thousand people—10 times the cathedral's
   capacity—applied for tickets. In addition, Poznansky writes that on the
   day of the funeral, "[i]t seemed that all the inhabitants of St.
   Petersburg had come out on to the streets to pay their last respects.
   The whole of Nevsky Prospect was packed with people.

   What those people saw as they lined the streets was equally great.
   Behind entire rows of wreaths marched the clergy, wearing white
   cassocks. Behind them was the coffin, on a hearse pulled by three pairs
   of horses. Tchaikovsky's family followed the hearse. After them, in
   order of importance, came the representatives of various institutions.

   After a short liturgy the coffin was placed on a hearse to be taken to
   Kazan Cathedral, following a special route that took the procession
   past the Mariinsky Theatre. Grand Duke Konstantin and other members of
   the imperial family arrived at the cathedral in time for the main
   religious service, which lasted until 5 o'clock in the afternoon.

   Particularly absent from Tchaikovsky's funeral was his former
   patroness, Nadezhda von Meck, though she sent a very expensive wreath.
   She was already gravely ill and moved with great difficulty. When Anna
   Davydova-von Meck was later asked how her mother-in-law had endured the
   news of the composer's death, Anna replied, "She did not endure it,"
   adding that von Meck soon felt much worse. Madame von Meck died three
   months after Tchaikovsky, in Nice.

   He was interred in Tikhvin Cemetery at the Alexander Nevsky Monastery.
   His grave is located near those of fellow-composers Alexander Borodin
   and Modest Mussorgsky.

   A curious and, in retrospect, potentially ironic event concluded the
   day of the funeral - Tchaikovsky's brother Modest's comedy Prejudices
   premiered in Saint Petersburg. Tchaikovsky had delayed his return to
   his home in Klin in anticipation of this event. The premiere had been
   delayed due to the composer's death and was rescheduled for two days
   later, which turned out to be the day of the funeral. Modest decided
   against a second postponement, presumably feeling the need for some
   distraction. Reviews were negative, a reviewer from the St Petersburg
   Register writing, "On Thursday, the day of P.I. Tchaikovsky's burial,
   M.I. Tchaikovsky was buried at the Aleksandrinsky Theatre."

Musical works

Ballets

   Tchaikovsky is 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 finer qualities as ballet music composer.
     * Swan Lake, Op. 20, ( 1875– 1876): Tchaikovsky's first ballet, it
       was first performed (with some omissions) at the Bolshoi Theatre in
       Moscow in 1877. It was not until 1895, in a revival by Marius
       Petipa and Lev Ivanov that the ballet was presented in the
       definitive version it is still danced in today (the music for this
       revival was much revised by the composer Riccardo Drigo in a
       version still used by most ballet companies today).
     * Sleeping Beauty, Op. 66, ( 1888– 1889): This work Tchaikovsky
       considered to be one of his best. Commissioned by the director of
       the Imperial Theatres, Ivan Vsevolozhsky, its first performance was
       in January, 1890 at the Mariinsky Theatre in St Petersburg.

   Original cast of Tchaikovsky's ballet, The Sleeping Beauty, St
   Petersburg, 1890
   Original cast of Tchaikovsky's ballet, The Sleeping Beauty, St
   Petersburg, 1890
     * The Nutcracker, Op. 71, ( 1891– 1892): Tchaikovsky himself was less
       satisfied with this, his last ballet. Though he accepted the
       commission (again granted by Ivan Vsevolozhsky), he did not
       particularly want to write it (though he did write to a friend
       while composing the ballet: "I am daily becoming more and more
       attuned to my task.") This ballet premiered on a double-bill with
       his last opera, Iolanta. Among other things, the score of
       Nutcracker is noted for its use of the celesta, an instrument that
       the composer had already employed in his much lesser known
       symphonic poem The Voyevoda (premiered 1891).^  Although well-known
       in Nutcracker as the featured solo instrument in the "Dance of the
       Sugar Plum Fairy" from Act II, it is employed elsewhere in the same
       act.
          + Note: This was the only ballet from which Tchaikovsky himself
            derived a suite (the "suites" from the other ballets were
            devised by other hands). The Nutcracker Suite is often
            mistaken for the ballet itself, but it consists of only eight
            selections from the score, and intended for concert
            performance.

Operas

   Tchaikovsky completed ten operas, although one of these is mostly lost
   and another exists in two significantly different versions. In the West
   his most famous are Eugene Onegin and The Queen of Spades.
     * Voyevoda (Воевода – The Voivode, Op. 3, 1867 – 1868)

                Full score destroyed by composer, but posthumously
                reconstructed from sketches and orchestral parts

     * Undina (Ундина or Undine, 1869)

                Not completed. Only a march sequence from this opera saw
                the light of day, as the second movement of his Symphony
                #2 in C Minor and a few other segments are occasionally
                heard as concert pieces. Interestingly, while Tchaikovsky
                revised the Second symphony twice in his lifetime, he did
                not alter the second movement (taken from the Undina
                material) during either revision. The rest of the score of
                Undina was destroyed by the composer.

     * The Oprichnik (Опричник), 1870– 1872

                Premiere April 24 [OS April 12], 1874, St Petersburg

     * Vakula the Smith (Кузнец Вакула or Kuznets Vakula), Op. 14, 1874;

                Revised later as Cherevichki, premiere December 6 [OS
                November 24], 1876, St Petersburg

     * Eugene Onegin (Евгений Онегин or Yevgeny Onegin), Op. 24, 1877–
       1878

                Premiere March 29 [OS March 17] 1879 at the Moscow
                Conservatory

     * The Maid of Orleans (Орлеанская дева or Orleanskaya deva), 1878–
       1879

                Premiere February 25 [OS February 13], 1881, St Petersburg

     * Mazepa (or Mazeppa) (Мазепа), 1881– 1883

                Premiere February 15 [OS February 3] 1884, Moscow

     * Cherevichki (Черевички; revision of Vakula the Smith) 1885

                Premiere January 31 [OS January 19], 1887, Moscow)

     * The Enchantress (or The Sorceress, Чародейка or Charodeyka), 1885–
       1887

                Premiere November 1 [OS October 20] 1887, St Petersburg

     * The Queen of Spades (Пиковая дама or Pikovaya dama), Op. 68, 1890

                Premiere December 19 [OS December 7] 1890, St Petersburg

     * Iolanta (Иоланта or Iolanthe), Op. 69, 1891

                First performance: Maryinsky Theatre, St Petersburg, 1892.
                Originally performed on a double-bill with The Nutcracker

   (Note: A "Chorus of Insects" was composed for the projected opera
   Mandragora [Мандрагора] of 1870).

Symphonies

   Tchaikovsky's earlier symphonies are generally optimistic works of
   nationalistic character, while the later symphonies are more intensely
   dramatic, particularly the Sixth, generally interpreted as a
   declaration of despair. The last three of his numbered symphonies (the
   fourth, fifth and sixth) are recognized as highly original examples of
   symphonic form and are frequently performed.
     * No. 1 in G minor, Op. 13, Winter Daydreams ( 1866)
     * No. 2 in C minor, Op. 17, Little Russian ( 1872)
     * No. 3 in D major, Op. 29, Polish ( 1875)
     * No. 4 in F minor, Op. 36 ( 1877– 1878)
     * Manfred Symphony, B minor, Op. 58; inspired by Byron's poem
       Manfred; Tchaikovsky labelled this work "a symphonic poem in four
       movements" ( 1885)
     * No. 5 in E minor, Op. 64 ( 1888)
     * No. 6 in B minor, Op. 74, Pathétique ( 1893)
     * Symphony in E flat (unfinished). This work, abandoned by
       Tchaikovsky in 1892, was reused in part for the Third Piano
       Concerto and Andante and Finale for piano and orchestra. A
       reconstruction of the original symphony from the sketches and
       various reworkings was accomplished during 1951–1955 by the Soviet
       composer Semyon Bogatyrev, who brought the symphony into finished,
       fully orchestrated form and issued the score as Tchaikovsky's
       "Symphony No 7 in E-flat major."

Orchestral suites

   Tchaikovsky also wrote four orchestral suites in the ten years between
   the 4th and 5th symphonies. He originally intended to designate one or
   more of these as a "symphony" but was persuaded to alter the title. The
   four suites are nonetheless symphonic in character, and, compared to
   the last three symphonies, are undeservedly neglected.
     * Suite No. 1 in D minor, Op. 43 (1878-1879)
     * Suite No. 2 in C major, Op. 53 (1883)
     * Suite No. 3 in G major, Op. 55 (1884)
     * Suite No. 4 in G major, "Mozartiana", Op. 61 (1887). This consists
       of four orchestrations of piano pieces by (or in one case, based
       on) Mozart:

          + Little Gigue in G, K.574
          + Minuet in D, K.355
          + the Franz Liszt piano transcription of the chorus Ave verum
            corpus, K.618. (In 1862 Liszt wrote a piano transcription
            combining Gregorio Allegri's Miserere and Mozart's Ave verum
            corpus, published as "À la Chapelle Sixtine" (S.461).
            Tchaikovsky orchestrated only the part of this work that had
            been based on Mozart.)
          + Variations on a theme of Gluck, K.455. (The theme was the aria
            "Unser dummer Pöbel meint", from his opera " La Rencontre
            imprévue, or Les Pèlerins de la Mecque").

   In addition to the above suites, Tchaikovsky made a short sketch for a
   Suite in 1889 or 1890, which was not subsequently developed.

   Tchaikovsky himself arranged the suite from the ballet The Nutcracker.
   He also considered making suites from his two other ballets, Swan Lake
   and The Sleeping Beauty. He ended up not doing so, but after his death,
   others compiled and published suites from these ballets.

Concerti and concert pieces

     * Piano Concerto No. 1 in B-flat minor, Op. 23( 1874– 1875): Of his
       three piano concerti, it 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
       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, Massachusetts on 25 October 1875. Rubinstein
       later admitted his error of judgement, and included the work in his
       own repertoire.
     * Serenade Melancolique, Op.26, for Violin and Orchestra
     * Variations on a Rococo theme Op.33 for violoncello and orchestra, (
       1876), The piece was written between December 1876 and March 1877,
       for and with the help of the German cellist Wilhelm Fitzenhagen (a
       professor at the Moscow Conservatory). The dedicatee revised and
       reordered it somewhat in 1878, but the composer allowed the changes
       to stand. It was well received at its first performances and
       Fitzenhagen himself took the piece with him on a tour of Europe.
       Though not really a concerto, it was the closest Tchaikovsky ever
       came to writing a full concerto for cello.
     * Valse-Scherzo, Op.34, for Violin and Orchestra
     * Violin Concerto in D major, Op. 35, ( 1878), 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: he stated that it was unplayable. Instead it was first
       performed by the relatively unknown Austrian violinist Adolf
       Brodsky, who received the work by chance. This violin concerto is
       one of the most popular concertos for the instrument and is
       frequently performed today.
     * Piano Concerto No. 2, Op. 44, (1879), is an eloquent, less
       extroverted piece with a violin and cello added as soloists in the
       second movement.
     * Concert Fantasia in G, Op.56, for piano and orchestra
     * Pezzo capriccioso, Op.62, (1888), for Cello and Orchestra
     * Piano Concerto No. 3, Op. 75 posth. ( 1892): Commenced after the
       Symphony No. 5, what became the Third Piano Concerto and Andante
       and Finale for piano and orchestra was intended initially to be the
       composer's next (i.e., sixth) symphony.
     * Andante and Finale, Op. 79 posth. ( 1895): After Tchaikovsky's
       death, the composer Sergei Taneyev completed and orchestrated the
       Andante and Finale from Tchaikovsky's piano arrangement of these
       two movements, publishing them as Op. 79.
     * Concertstuck. for Flute and Strings, TH 247 op. posth. ( 1893): the
       piece, after having been lost for 106 years, was found and
       reconstructed by James Strauss in 1999 in S. Petersburg.
     * Cello Concerto ( 1893): Completed by Yuriy Leonovich and Brett
       Langston in 2006.

Other works

For orchestra

   The 1812 overture complete with cannon fire was performed at the 2005
   Classical Spectacular
   The 1812 overture complete with cannon fire was performed at the 2005
   Classical Spectacular
     * Romeo and Juliet Fantasy Overture, ( 1869 revised 1870, 1880). This
       piece contains one of the world's most famous melodies. The "love
       theme" has been used countless times in commercials and movies,
       frequently as a spoof to traditional love scenes.
     * Festival Overture on the Danish national anthem, Op. 15, ( 1866).
     * The Tempest, Symphonic Fantasia after Shakespeare, Op. 18, ( 1873)
     * Slavonic March/Marche Slave, Op. 31, ( 1876). This piece is another
       well-known Tchaikovsky piece and is often played in conjunction
       with the 1812 Overture. This work uses the Tsarist National Anthem.
       It 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.
     * Francesca da Rimini, Op. 32, ( 1876). This piece has been described
       as "pure melodrama" similar to stretches of Verdi operas; some
       passages are similar to sword-fight clashes in Romeo and Juliet.
     * Capriccio Italien, Op. 45, ( 1880). 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. The title used in English-speaking countries is a
       linguistic hybrid: it contains an Italian word ("Capriccio") and a
       French word ("Italien"). A fully Italian version would be Capriccio
       Italiano; a fully French version would be Caprice Italien.
     * Serenade in C for String Orchestra, Op. 48, ( 1880). The first
       movement, In the form of a sonatina, was an homage to Mozart. The
       second movement is a Waltz, followed by an Elegy and a spirited
       Russian finale, Tema Russo. In his score, Tchaikovsky supposedly
       wrote, "The larger the string orchestra, the better will the
       composer's desires be fulfilled."
     * 1812 Overture, Op. 49, ( 1880). This piece was reluctantly 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 Tsarist National Anthem) as well as its famously
       triumphant and bombastic coda at the end which uses 16 cannon shots
       and a chorus of church bells. Despite its popularity, Tchaikovsky
       wrote that he "did not have his heart in it".
     * Coronation March, Op. 50, ( 1883). The mayor of Moscow commissioned
       this piece for performance in May 1883 at the coronation of Tsar
       Alexander III. Tchaikovsky's arrangement for solo piano and E. L.
       Langer's arrangement for piano duet were published in the same
       year.
     * Concert Overture The Storm, Op. 76, ( 1860).
     * Fate, Op. 77, ( 1868).
     * The Voyevoda, Op. 78, ( 1891).

For voices and orchestra

     * The Snow Maiden ( 1873), incidental music for Alexander Ostrovsky's
       play of the same name. Ostrovsky adapted and dramatized a popular
       Russian fairy tale, and the score that Tchaikovsky wrote for it was
       always one of his own favorite works. It contains much vocal music,
       but it is not a cantata, nor an opera.

     * Hamlet ( 1891), incidental music for Shakespeare's play. The score
       uses music borrowed from Tchaikovsky's overture of the same name,
       as well as from his Symphony No. 3, and from The Snow Maiden, in
       addition to original music that he wrote specifically for a stage
       production of Hamlet. The two vocal selections are a song that
       Ophelia sings in the throes of her madness, and a song for the
       First Gravedigger to sing as he goes about his work.

Solo and chamber music

     * String Quartet in B-Flat Major, Op.Posth. ( 1865)
     * String Quartet No. 1 in D major, Op. 11 ( 1871)
     * String Quartet No. 2 in F major, Op. 22 ( 1874)
     * String Quartet No. 3 in E-Flat minor, Op. 30 ( 1875)
     * The Seasons, Op. 37a ( 1876)
     * Piano Sonata in G Major, Op.37 ( 1878)
     * Souvenir d'un lieu cher for violin and piano, Op. 42 (Meditation,
       Scherzo and Melody) (1878)
     * Russian Vesper Service, Op. 52 ( 1881)
     * Piano Trio in A minor, Op. 50 ( 1882)
     * Dumka, Russian rustic scene in C minor for piano, Op. 59 ( 1886)
     * String Sextet Souvenir de Florence, Op. 70 ( 1890)
     * 18 Piano Pieces, Op.72 ( 1892). This also exists in a Cello
       Concerto arrangement by Gaspar Cassadó.

   For a complete list of works by opus number, see . For more detail on
   dates of composition, see .
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