Carolyn and I have appreciated the work of Russian composer Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, who is best known for his emotionally expressive and richly orchestrated compositions, including some of the most iconic works in classical music — such as The Nutcracker, Sleeping Beauty, and Swan Lake.

Tchaikovsky composed renowned symphonies, operas, and concertos. His music blends Western European forms with Russian folk elements, making him one of music history’s most beloved and influential composers.

Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky was born in Votkinsk, which is in the Udmurt Republic of Russia, in 1840. He grew up in a loving, middle-class family. His father was an engineer who held a government position overseeing mining operations in various regions of Russia. His mother came from a family of French and Russian descent and was primarily a homemaker.

While neither parent was directly involved in music, both supported and recognized their son’s early talent, particularly his mother, who influenced his love for music by playing the piano at home. Tchaikovsky developed a deep attachment to his mother, whose influence profoundly shaped his emotional life.

From an early age, Tchaikovsky showed a strong emotional sensitivity and a rich imagination and was known to be shy and somewhat introverted. He was described as a thoughtful and intelligent child with a vivid inner world, and he had a deep connection to music. He began taking formal piano lessons when he was around four or five years old. Tchaikovsky displayed an extraordinary gift for music and quickly demonstrated exceptional skill.

In 1848, Tchaikovsky’s family moved to Moscow and then to St. Petersburg due to his father’s job. In 1850, when Tchaikovsky was ten, he was sent to the Imperial School of Jurisprudence in St. Petersburg, a prestigious school that trained boys for civil service. This period marked the beginning of his formal education away from home, which was emotionally difficult for him, especially due to his separation from his mother.

While Tchaikovsky continued his education, preparing for a civil service career, his passion for music persisted, though it was not his main focus. In 1854, his mother died of cholera, and this deeply affected him. Despite his grief, he completed his studies and graduated in 1859.

After graduating, Tchaikovsky briefly worked in the Ministry of Justice but soon realized his deep dissatisfaction with the legal profession. In 1862, he enrolled at the newly established St. Petersburg Conservatory, where he studied music under prominent composers. During this period, Tchaikovsky refined his musical skills, composing his earliest works, and by 1865, he graduated from the conservatory, marking the beginning of his full-time dedication to composing.

In 1866, Tchaikovsky moved to Moscow to become a professor at the Moscow Conservatory. During this time, he composed some of his first major works, including his First Symphony and Romeo and Juliet, which started to gain him recognition. Tchaikovsky struggled with bouts of depression and personal turmoil, but his creativity thrived, culminating in the composition of his Opera The Oprichnik in 1870, and the successful premiere of his Second Symphony in 1872.

In 1874, Tchaikovsky’s opera Vakula the Smith premiered. A year later his Piano Concerto No. 1 was first performed, and this became one of his most famous works. During this period, Tchaikovsky composed some of his greatest works, including his Fourth Symphony in 1877, and the opera Eugene Onegin two years later.

This period in Tchaikovsky’s life was also marked by personal turmoil, due to an emotionally painful, short-lived marriage that led to an emotional breakdown. Tchaikovsky found solace in a relationship with his benefactor, Nadezhda von Meck, who supported him financially and emotionally, allowing him to focus entirely on composing.

During this tumultuous period, when Tchaikovsky was deeply unhappy and overwhelmed by the emotional strain, he reportedly walked into the icy waters of the Moscow River in an attempt to catch a life-threatening illness, hoping to escape his troubles. However, he quickly abandoned the idea, returning home soaked but unharmed. This episode reflects the intense emotional struggles Tchaikovsky faced during his life, especially around the time of his ill-fated marriage, which contributed to his creative output, including the composition of his Fourth Symphony.

Tchaikovsky had a complex and often conflicted spiritual perspective. Although raised in the Russian Orthodox Church, his relationship with religion was marked by doubt and inner turmoil. He struggled with feelings of guilt and existential questions, particularly regarding his sexuality and the nature of human suffering, which often influenced the emotional depth of his music.

Despite these conflicts, Tchaikovsky found solace in the beauty of nature, art, and music, which he sometimes saw as expressions of the divine. His compositions, filled with emotional intensity, reflect his spiritual quest, capturing both the anguish and transcendence of the human experience.

In 1880, Tchaikovsky composed the 1812 Overture, one of his most popular and enduring works, as well as the Serenade for Strings. By this time, Tchaikovsky was an internationally recognized composer, and in 1884, he received the Order of St. Vladimir from Tsar Alexander III, which elevated his social status. During this period, Tchaikovsky continued composing major works, including his Manfred Symphony in 1885, while also conducting his music in Russia and abroad.

In 1887, Tchaikovsky began conducting his works across Europe, further elevating his reputation. During this period, he composed some of his most acclaimed operas and ballets, including The Queen of Spades and The Sleeping Beauty in 1890. In 1891, Tchaikovsky embarked on a successful tour of the United States, conducting at the opening of Carnegie Hall. His productivity remained high, and he continued to receive widespread acclaim.

In the last year of his life, Tchaikovsky composed one of his most famous and deeply emotional works, the Symphony No. 6 in B minor, Pathétique.” The symphony premiered just nine days before his sudden death. Though initially met with mixed reviews, it later became one of his most celebrated compositions. Tchaikovsky died in 1893, at the age of 53, in Saint Petersburg, under mysterious circumstances — officially from cholera, though some speculate it may have been suicide.

Tchaikovsky’s legacy is one of profound influence and emotional depth in classical music. He is celebrated for his ability to blend Western European musical traditions with Russian folk elements, creating works that are both technically masterful and deeply expressive. His ballets, symphonies, concertos, and operas remain some of the most beloved and frequently performed pieces in the classical repertoire. Tchaikovsky’s music has resonated with audiences for its emotional power, vivid orchestration, and universal appeal, securing his place as one of the greatest composers in history.

Some of the quotes that Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky is known for include:

Truly there would be reason to go mad were it not for music.

Don’t think that I imagine I’ll become a great artist. It’s simply that I want to do that to which I am drawn. Whether I shall be a famous composer or an impoverished teacher, I shall still think I have done the right thing, and I shall have no painful right to grumble at Fate or at people.

Inspiration is a guest that does not willingly visit the lazy.

Do not believe those who try to persuade you that composition is only a cold exercise of the intellect. The only music capable of moving and touching us is that which flows from the depths of a composer’s soul when he is stirred by inspiration.

Life is beautiful in spite of everything! There are many thorns, but the roses are there too.

Music is indeed the most beautiful of all Heaven’s gifts to humanity wandering in the darkness. Alone it calms, enlightens, and stills our souls. It is not the straw to which the drowning man clings; but a true friend, refuge, and comforter, for whose sake life is worth living.

The creative process is like music which takes root with extraordinary force and rapidity.

It is already a great thing if the main ideas and general outline of a work come without any racking of brains, as the result of that supernatural and inexplicable force we call inspiration.

by David Jay Brown