How are you?
This week's lecture is “Pyotr
Tchaikovsky”, the 17th topic of “Classical
Music”, which is a summary of the contents of “102. Classical Music: 17. Pyotr Tchaikovsky”
introduced on September 9th, 2017.
Pyotr Tchaikovsky, born
on May 7, 1840 and died on November 6, 1893, was a Russian composer of the
Romantic era.
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| Tchaikovsky's birthplace, Votkinsk |
He was gifted musically from an early age, but at the time Russia had a poor musical education environment, with few opportunities for a musical career and no public musical education system. However, when the Saint Petersburg Conservatory was established and the opportunity for such an education arose, he entered there.
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| The Saint Petersburg Conservatory (1913) |
The Western-oriented music education he received at the conservatory set him
apart from the Russian nationalist music embodied by the Russian composers of
The Five.
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| The Five (composers), Mily Balakirev (top), César Cui (upper left), Modest Mussorgsky (upper right), Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov (lower left), Alexander Borodin (lower right) |
He achieved great
public success in his musical career, but he was suffered from depression due
to factors including the early death of his mother after his early separation
from his mother for boarding school, the death of his close friend and colleague
Nikolai Rubinstein, and the collapse of the relationship with the wealthy widow
Nadezhda von Meck, who was his patron even though they never met. Also, his
homosexuality is considered another major factor, although some musicologists
now downplay its importance.
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| Nadezhda von Meck |
In October 1893,
Tchaikovsky died at the age of 53, nine days after conducting the premiere of
his Sixth Symphony, the Pathétique in Saint Petersburg. He was buried in the
cemetery at the Alexander Nevsky Monastery, near the tombs of his fellow composers
Alexander Borodin, Mikhail Glinka, and Modest Mussorgsky, and after his death
Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov and Mily Balakirev were also buried nearby.
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| Pyotr Tchaikovsky grave in Tikhvin Cemetery |
Although Tchaikovsky's
sudden death has traditionally been attributed to cholera, the debate over the
cause of his death continues to this day, including a claim that his death was
a suicide.
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| Statue of Tchaikovsky, Simferopol, Crimea |
Tchaikovsky’s
compositions such as Swan Lake, The Nutcracker and The Sleeping Beauty are now
regarded as the best of classical ballet music.
Thank you.
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