Composer Biography: Pyotr Ilych Tchaikovsky

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

Composer Biography: Pyotr Ilych Tchaikovsky CLIBURN KIDS COMPOSER BIOGRAPHY PYOTR ILYICH TCHAIKOVSKY BORN: May 7, 1840 ERA/STYLE: Romantic DIED: November 6, 1893 HOMETOWN: Votkinsk, Russia Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky was born in Russia in 1840. He started to study music at the age of 5 and soon revealed his amazing musical talents. Although his parents loved music, they did not expect him to have a musical career. They wanted him to become a lawyer. Tchaikovsky graduated from law school when he was 19 and went to work for the government. When he was 22 he decided to enter the St. Petersburg Conservatory where he began to study music seriously. In 1866, Tchaikovsky moved permanently to Moscow where he accepted a teaching position at the Moscow Conservatory. It was there that his first symphonies and other shorter works were created. In addition to composing and teaching, he also wrote about music and was a music critic for a Moscow paper. A wealthy widow, Mrs. Nadezhda von Meck, was especially taken with Tchaikovsky’s music. She paid him large sums of money to concentrate on composing, and he resigned from the Moscow Conservatory in October 1878. He worked for Mrs. Nadezhda von Meck for 13 years. One of his most popular works, the Fourth Symphony, was dedicated to her. Tchaikovsky also became a great conductor. After a concert tour of Europe, he visited the United States, where he conducted at the dedication of Carnegie Hall in New York City. After a successful concert tour of six American cities, he returned home to Russia to compose his famous ballet, The Nutcracker. Many of Tchaikovsky’s works are the most popular classical pieces of today, including the opera Eugene Onegin; the ballets Swan Lake, The Nutcracker, and The Sleeping Beauty; the overtures Romeo and Juliet and 1812 Overture; and his First and Sixth Symphonies. © 2021 The Cliburn.
Recommended publications
  • The Transformation of Pushkin's Eugene Onegin Into Tchaikovsky's Opera
    THE TRANSFORMATION OF PUSHKIN'S EUGENE ONEGIN INTO TCHAIKOVSKY'S OPERA Molly C. Doran A Thesis Submitted to the Graduate College of Bowling Green State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of MASTER OF MUSIC August 2012 Committee: Eftychia Papanikolaou, Advisor Megan Rancier © 2012 Molly Doran All Rights Reserved iii ABSTRACT Eftychia Papanikolaou, Advisor Since receiving its first performance in 1879, Pyotr Il’yich Tchaikovsky’s fifth opera, Eugene Onegin (1877-1878), has garnered much attention from both music scholars and prominent figures in Russian literature. Despite its largely enthusiastic reception in musical circles, it almost immediately became the target of negative criticism by Russian authors who viewed the opera as a trivial and overly romanticized embarrassment to Pushkin’s novel. Criticism of the opera often revolves around the fact that the novel’s most significant feature—its self-conscious narrator—does not exist in the opera, thus completely changing one of the story’s defining attributes. Scholarship in defense of the opera began to appear in abundance during the 1990s with the work of Alexander Poznansky, Caryl Emerson, Byron Nelson, and Richard Taruskin. These authors have all sought to demonstrate that the opera stands as more than a work of overly personalized emotionalism. In my thesis I review the relationship between the novel and the opera in greater depth by explaining what distinguishes the two works from each other, but also by looking further into the argument that Tchaikovsky’s music represents the novel well by cleverly incorporating ironic elements as a means of capturing the literary narrator’s sardonic voice.
    [Show full text]
  • The Schooltime Performance Series Nutcracker
    teacher resource guide schooltime performance series the nutcracker National Ballet Theatre of Odessa about the meet the cultural A short history on ballet and promoting performance composer connections diversity in the dance form Prepare to be dazzled and enchanted by The Nutcracker, a Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (1840–1893) was an important Russian timeless and beloved ballet performance that is perfect for children composer who is famous for his romantic, melodic and emotional Ballet’s roots In the 20th century, ballet continued to evolve with the emergence of of all ages and adults who have grown up watching it during the musical works that are still popular and performed to this day. He Ballet has its roots in Italian Renaissance court pageantry. During notable figures, such as Vaslav Nijinsky, a male ballet dancer virtuoso winter holiday season. is known for his masterful, enchanting compositions for classical weddings, female dancers would dress in lavish gowns that reached their who could dance en pointe, a rare skill among male dancers, and George Balanchine, a giant in ballet choreography in America. The Nutcracker, held all over the world, varies from one production ballet, such as The Nutcracker, Swan Lake and The Sleeping Beauty. ankles and dance before a crowd of aristocrats, wealthy merchants, and company to another with different names for the protagonists, Growing up, he was clearly musically gifted; Tchaikovsky politically-connected financiers, such as the Medici family of Florence. Today, ballet has morphed to include many different elements, besides traditional and classical. Contemporary ballet is based on choreography, and even new musical additions in some versions.
    [Show full text]
  • Download This Composer Profile Here
    Composer Profile: Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture was Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky composed to commemorate the Battle was born on May 7, of Borodino, fought in September 1812, F Tchaikovsky called his own work “very 1840, in Vyatka, Russia. loud and noisy and completely without THE A 4 1 artistic merit, obviously written without Tchaikovsky died in St. CTS warmth or love”. Petersburg on First performed in 1877, Swan Lake November 6, 1893. was Tchaikovsky’s first ballet score. 2 Considering its success today, it's Tchaikovsky is most celebrated hard to believe that it wasn’t an for his ballets, specifically Swan immediate hit – but the story of Lake, The Sleeping Beauty and Odette, a princess turned into a The Nutcracker. 5 swan by an evil sorcerer's curse, was 3 an initial box office failure. Notable pieces: To support his early musical 1812 Overture career, Tchaikovsky took work as a music critic. Among the The Nutcracker Ballet targets of his critical ire were Swan Lake Schumann, who he thought Piano Concerto No. 1 was a poor orchestrator, and Symphony No. 5 Brahms. “Inspiration is a guest that does not willingly visit the lazy.” –Tchaikovsky Tchaikovsky was a composer I'mPy oOtrne! during the Romantic period Tchaikovsky Tchaikovsky trained for, and became a civil servant in Russia. At Because of the unique time the time, a musical profession period in which he didn’t convey the sort of social composed, and his unique status that was acceptable to his ability to merge Western family’s respected position. Music music concepts with instructors and chamber musicians traditional Russian ones, it were looked down upon, so in 1859 was difficult for him to he embarked on his public service Throughout his career he receive unanimous praise.
    [Show full text]
  • My Musical Lineage Since the 1600S
    Paris Smaragdis My musical lineage Richard Boulanger since the 1600s Barry Vercoe Names in bold are people you should recognize from music history class if you were not asleep. Malcolm Peyton Hugo Norden Joji Yuasa Alan Black Bernard Rands Jack Jarrett Roger Reynolds Irving Fine Edward Cone Edward Steuerman Wolfgang Fortner Felix Winternitz Sebastian Matthews Howard Thatcher Hugo Kontschak Michael Czajkowski Pierre Boulez Luciano Berio Bruno Maderna Boris Blacher Erich Peter Tibor Kozma Bernhard Heiden Aaron Copland Walter Piston Ross Lee Finney Jr Leo Sowerby Bernard Wagenaar René Leibowitz Vincent Persichetti Andrée Vaurabourg Olivier Messiaen Giulio Cesare Paribeni Giorgio Federico Ghedini Luigi Dallapiccola Hermann Scherchen Alessandro Bustini Antonio Guarnieri Gian Francesco Malipiero Friedrich Ernst Koch Paul Hindemith Sergei Koussevitzky Circa 20th century Leopold Wolfsohn Rubin Goldmark Archibald Davinson Clifford Heilman Edward Ballantine George Enescu Harris Shaw Edward Burlingame Hill Roger Sessions Nadia Boulanger Johan Wagenaar Maurice Ravel Anton Webern Paul Dukas Alban Berg Fritz Reiner Darius Milhaud Olga Samaroff Marcel Dupré Ernesto Consolo Vito Frazzi Marco Enrico Bossi Antonio Smareglia Arnold Mendelssohn Bernhard Sekles Maurice Emmanuel Antonín Dvořák Arthur Nikisch Robert Fuchs Sigismond Bachrich Jules Massenet Margaret Ruthven Lang Frederick Field Bullard George Elbridge Whiting Horatio Parker Ernest Bloch Raissa Myshetskaya Paul Vidal Gabriel Fauré André Gédalge Arnold Schoenberg Théodore Dubois Béla Bartók Vincent
    [Show full text]
  • Adapting Piano Music for Ballet: Tchaikovsky's Children's Album, Op
    Adapting Piano Music for Ballet: Tchaikovsky's Children's Album, Op. 39 Item Type text; Electronic Dissertation Authors Stavrianou, Eleni Persefoni Citation Stavrianou, Eleni Persefoni. (2021). Adapting Piano Music for Ballet: Tchaikovsky's Children's Album, Op. 39 (Doctoral dissertation, University of Arizona, Tucson, USA). Publisher The University of Arizona. Rights Copyright © is held by the author. Digital access to this material is made possible by the University Libraries, University of Arizona. Further transmission, reproduction, presentation (such as public display or performance) of protected items is prohibited except with permission of the author. Download date 06/10/2021 04:39:03 Item License http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/ Link to Item http://hdl.handle.net/10150/660266 ADAPTING PIANO MUSIC FOR BALLET: TCHAIKOVSKY’S CHILDREN’S ALBUM, OP. 39 by Eleni Persefoni Stavrianou ____________________________________ Copyright © Eleni Persefoni Stavrianou 2021 A DMA Critical Essay Submitted to the Faculty of the FRED FOX SCHOOL OF MUSIC In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements For the Degree of DOCTOR OF MUSICAL ARTS In the Graduate College THE UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA 2021 2 THE UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA GRADUATE COLLEGE As members of the Doctor of Musical Arts Creative Project and Lecture-Recital Committee, we certify that we have read the Critical Essay prepared by: titled: and recommend that it be accepted as fulfilling the Critical Essay requirement for the Degree of Doctor of Musical Arts. _________________________________________________________________ Date: ____________ _________________________________________________________________ Date: ____________ _________________________________________________________________ Date: ____________ submission of the final copies of the essay to the Graduate College. I hereby certify that I have read this Critical Essay prepared under my direction and recommend that it be accepted as fulfilling the Critical Essay requirement.
    [Show full text]
  • A SEASON of Dance Has Always Been About Togetherness
    THE SEASON TICKET HOLDER ADVANTAGE — SPECIAL PERKS, JUST FOR YOU JULIE KENT, ARTISTIC DIRECTOR 2020/21 A SEASON OF Dance has always been about togetherness. Now more than ever, we cannot“ wait to share our art with you. – Julie Kent A SEASON OF BEAUTY DELIGHT WONDER NEXTsteps A NIGHT OF RATMANSKY New works by Silas Farley, Dana Genshaft, Fresh, forward works by Alexei Ratmansky and Stanton Welch MARCH 3 – 7, 2021 SEPTEMBER 30 – OCTOBER 4, 2020 The Kennedy Center, Eisenhower Theater The Harman Center for the Arts, Shakespeare Theatre The Washington Ballet is thrilled to present an evening of works The Washington Ballet continues to champion the by Alexei Ratmansky, American Ballet Theatre’s prolific artist-in- advancement and evolution of dance in the 21st century. residence. Known for his musicality, energy, and classicism, the NEXTsteps, The Washington Ballet’s 2020/21 season opener, renowned choreographer is defining what classical ballet looks brings fresh, new ballets created on TWB dancers to the like in the 21st century. In addition to the 17 ballets he’s created nation’s capital. With works by emerging and acclaimed for ABT, Ratmansky has choreographed genre-defining ballets choreographers Silas Farley, dancer and choreographer for the Mariinsky Ballet, the Royal Danish Ballet, the Royal with the New York City Ballet; Dana Genshaft, former San Swedish Ballet, Dutch National Ballet, New York City Ballet, Francisco Ballet soloist and returning TWB choreographer; San Francisco Ballet, The Australian Ballet and more, as well as and Stanton Welch, Artistic Director of the Houston Ballet, for ballet greats Nina Ananiashvili, Diana Vishneva, and Mikhail energy and inspiration will abound from the studio, to the Baryshnikov.
    [Show full text]
  • Tournament 33 Round #5
    Tournament 33 Round 5 Tossups 1. In one novel by this author, Prince Nekhlyudov visits a prison after the maid Maslova is wrongly convicted of murder. In one of his stories, the servant Gerasim helps the title bureaucrat come to terms with his impending death. This author of Resurrection and The (*) Death of Ivan Ilyich wrote a novel that begins, “Happy families are all alike.” In that novel, the title character loses status after having an affair with Vronsky before throwing herself in front of a train. For 10 points, name this Russian author of Anna Karenina. ANSWER: Leo Tolstoy [or Lev Nikolayevich Tolstoy] 015-13-75-05101 2. One law derived by this scientist states that the time derivative of temperature is equal to the negative of a constant k times the temperature difference between an object, or substance, and the ambient temperature; that is his law of cooling. A constant used in another law due to this scientist is equal to (*) 6.67 times ten to the minus eleven and is symbolized big G. Both this scientist and Gottfried Leibniz are credited with discovering calculus. For 10 points, identify this discoverer of a universal law of gravitation. ANSWER: Sir Isaac Newton 066-13-75-05102 3. One of this man’s writings imagines a white horse and a darker, wilder horse pulling the chariot of the soul. He also described a man suing his father, who is asked whether the love of the gods causes or merely recognizes piety. This philosopher argued for banning art because imitations are too far removed from the ideal (*) Forms.
    [Show full text]
  • Rachmaninoff and Tchaikovsky
    APRIL 2020 RACHMANINOFF AND TCHAIKOVSKY APRIL 17 – 19, 2020 MASTERWORKS #7: Two Russian composers, teacher and pupil, both legends in the world of classical music and revered by their countrymen, shared something else in common: periods of severe and crippling depression. Dr. Richard Kogan, a Juilliard-trained pianist, lonely 14-year old into despair.x He mourned the loss graduate of Harvard College and Medical School, of his mother for the rest of his life and called it the and a Clinical Professor of Psychology on the faculty most “crucial event” he’d ever experienced.xi With of the Weill Cornell Medical Center in New York City, his mother’s death, a young Tchaikovsky became has concluded that a disproportionate number of the parent figure for his younger twin brothers, the great composers of classical music suffered from Anatoly and Modest.xii Despite the family’s wish that mental illness.i In his years as a student, Dr. Kogan Tchaikovsky have a career in the Ministry of Justice, pursued both music and pre-medical studies. His the young man was drawn to music. When the St. roommate at Harvard was famed cellist Yo-Yo Ma, Petersburg Conservatory opened its doors in 1862, and, with violinist Lynn Chang, they performed as a Tchaikovsky was among its first students.xiii From that trio.ii With a choice between music and medicine, point forward, his musical path was clear, and his Dr. Kogan chose medicine, but, in so doing, noted work as a composer earned him a teaching position the close relationship between the two fields.iii In at the Moscow Conservatory.
    [Show full text]
  • Concert Program
    Chapel Hill Philharmonia Donald L. Oehler, Music Director 7:30 p.m. Sunday, May 3, 2015 Hill Hall – University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Fanfare for Jerry Hulka Garth Molyneux Chapel Hill Philharmonia Horns Overture from Egmont, Op. 84 Ludwig van Beethoven Piano Concerto No. 1 in E Minor, Op. 11 Frédéric Chopin Allegro maestoso Jane Zhao, piano Intermission Symphony No. 6 in B minor, Op. 74 Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky Pathétique Adagio – Allegro non troppo Allegro con grazia Allegro molto vivace Finale: Adagio lamentoso – Andante Please join us for a reception in the rotunda after the concert Kindly remember to turn off mobile devices Pathétique The Romantic era idealized heroes. The works on tonight’s Chapel Hill Philharmonia program comprise three dis- tinct takes on heroism—the martyrdom of a leader to the cause of freedom, the creativity of an artist in the face of an incurable illness, and the passionate suffering of an individual descending into silence. Fanfare for Jerry Hulka Jaroslav Hulka, M.D., passed away on November 24, 2014, at age 84. A founding member of the CHP and long time principal French horn player, Jerry also served the orchestra as a board member and president. He is survived by his wife Barbara Sorenson Hulka, a UNC-Chapel Hill professor emerita and former CHP concertmaster. The couple met as undergraduates when both were section princi- pals in the Harvard/Radcliffe Orchestra. The Hulkas have donated generously to the CHP and to classical music programs at UNC- Chapel Hill and throughout the Triangle. In his “day job” Jerry was a well-respected academic and obstetrics/gynecology specialist, recognized as a wise physician, mentor, and innovator.
    [Show full text]
  • SWAN LAKE Dear Educators in the Winter Show of Oregon Ballet Theatre’S Student Performance Series (SPS) Students Will Be Treated to an Excerpt from Swan Lake
    STUDENT PERFORMANCE SERIES STUDY GUIDE / Feburary 21, 2013 / Keller Auditorium / Noon - 1:00 pm, doors open at 11:30am SWAN LAKE Dear Educators In the winter show of Oregon Ballet Theatre’s Student Performance Series (SPS) students will be treated to an excerpt from Swan Lake. It is a quintessential ballet based on a heart-wrenching fable of true love heroically won and tragically Photo by Joni Kabana by Photo squandered. With virtuoso solos and an achingly beautiful score, it is emblematic of the opulent grandeur of the greatest of all 19th-Century story ballets. This study guide is designed to help teachers prepare students for their trip to the theatre where they will see Swan Lake Act III. In this Study Guide we will: • Provide the entire synopsis for Christopher Stowell’sSwan Lake, consider some of the stories that inspired the ballet, Principal Dancer Yuka Iino and Guest Artist Ruben Martin in Christopher and touch on its history Stowell’s Swan Lake. Photo by Blaine Truitt Covert. • Look closely at Act III • Learn some facts about the music for Swan Lake • Consider the way great dances are passed on to future generations and compare that to how students come to know other great works of art or literature • Describe some ballet vocabulary, steps and choreographic elements seen in Swan Lake • Include internet links to articles and video that will enhance learning At the theatre: • While seating takes place, the audience will enjoy a “behind the scenes” look at the scenic transformation of the stage • Oregon Ballet Theatre will perform Act III from Christopher Stowell’s Swan Lake where Odile’s evil double tricks the Prince into breaking his vow of love for the Swan Queen.
    [Show full text]
  • Chicago Symphony Orchestra Riccardo Muti Zell Music Director
    PROGRAM ONE HUNDRED TWENTY-FOURTH SEASON Chicago Symphony Orchestra Riccardo Muti Zell Music Director Pierre Boulez Helen Regenstein Conductor Emeritus Yo-Yo Ma Judson and Joyce Green Creative Consultant Global Sponsor of the CSO Thursday, October 2, 2014, at 8:00 Friday, October 3, 2014, at 1:30 Saturday, October 4, 2014, at 8:30 Riccardo Muti Conductor Christopher Martin Trumpet Panufnik Concerto in modo antico (In one movement) CHRISTOPHER MARTIN First Chicago Symphony Orchestra performances Performed in honor of the centennial of Panufnik’s birth Stravinsky Suite from The Firebird Introduction and Dance of the Firebird Dance of the Princesses Infernal Dance of King Kashchei Berceuse— Finale INTERMISSION Tchaikovsky Symphony No. 3 in D Major, Op. 29 (Polish) Introduction and Allegro—Moderato assai (Tempo marcia funebre) Alla tedesca: Allegro moderato e semplice Andante elegiaco Scherzo: Allegro vivo Finale: Allegro con fuoco (Tempo di polacca) The performance of Panufnik’s Concerto in modo antico is generously supported by the Adam Mickiewicz Institute as part of the Polska Music program. This program is partially supported by grants from the Illinois Arts Council, a state agency, and the National Endowment for the Arts. COMMENTS by Phillip Huscher Andrzej Panufnik Born September 24, 1914, Warsaw, Poland. Died October 27, 1991, London, England. Concerto in modo antico This music grew out of opus 1.” After graduation from the conserva- Andrzej Panufnik’s tory in 1936, Panufnik continued his studies in response to the rebirth of Vienna—he was eager to hear the works of the Warsaw, his birthplace, Second Viennese School there, but found to his which had been devas- dismay that not one work by Schoenberg, Berg, tated during the uprising or Webern was played during his first year in at the end of the Second the city—and then in Paris and London.
    [Show full text]
  • Tchaikovsky.Pdf
    Tchaikovsky CD 1 1 Orchestrion It wasn’t unusual, in the middle of the 19th century, to hear sounds like that coming from the drawing rooms of comfortable, middle-class families. The Orchestrion, one of the first and grandest of mass-produced mechanical music-makers, was one of the precursors of the 20th century gramophone. It brought music into homes where otherwise it might never have been heard, except through the stumbling fingers of children, enduring, or in some cases actually enjoying, their obligatory half-hour of practice time. In most families the Orchestrion was a source of pleasure. But in one Russian household, it seems to have been rather more. It afforded a small boy named Piotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky some of his earliest glimpses into a world, and a language, which was to become (in more senses then one), his lifeline. One evening his French governess, Fanny Dürbach, went into the nursery and found the tiny child sitting up in bed, crying. ‘What’s the matter?’ she asked – and his answer surprised her. ‘This music’ he wailed, ‘this music!’ She listened. The house was quiet. ‘No. It’s here,’ cried the boy – he pointed to his head. ‘It’s here, and I can’t make it go away. It won’t leave me.’ And of course it never did. ‘His sensitivity knew no bounds and so one had to deal with him very carefully. Every little trifle could upset or wound him. He was a child of glass. As for reproofs and admonitions (with him there could be no question of punishments), what would have been water off a duck’s back to other children affected him deeply, and if the degree of severity was increased only the slightest, it would upset him alarmingly.’ Despite his outwardly happy appearance, peace of mind is something Tchaikovsky rarely knew, from childhood to his dying day.
    [Show full text]