Tchaikovsky is perhaps the most performed composer in the whole world. His music sounds in every corner of the planet. Tchaikovsky is not just a talented composer, he is a genius whose personality successfully combined divine talent with unquenchable creative energy. It was she who made him turn to people again and again. He preferred to speak with them in the language of his immortal music. Today, after more than a century, many know his tunes by heart. 11 operas, 3 ballets, 9 melodies for theatrical productions, 7 symphonies, 5 suites, 11 concerts, many orchestral works and opuses - and this is an incomplete list of his works. Many have the impression that Tchaikovsky lived a long life. Even students of musical institutions who know the exact date of birth of the great composer, often asked 1840-1920 or even 1930 to the teachers ’request“ indicate the years of life of P. Tchaikovsky. ”No one can assume that the life of the great composer was short. He died at the age of 53 from cholera.
Biography: early years. Legend of the origin of the surname
The outstanding Russian composer Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky was born in 1840 in the month of May in the distant Ural town of Votkinsk. His father, Ilya Petrovich, was a mining engineer. There is evidence that the ancestors of the great paternal musician were originally from Ukraine. The Tchaikovsky family passed on the legend of the origin of their surname from generation to generation. One of his ancestors - the Cossack Emelyan - was distinguished by his excellent musical ear and was able to imitate the voices of birds. When he sailed on a ship, he imitated the voices of seagulls, and soon a whole flock dragged behind the ship, and during the storms these birds helped the ship safely sail to the shore. It is because of this that the Cossack Emelian received the nickname “The Seagull”, which later became the name of a whole family.
The years of life of Tchaikovsky Pyotr Ilyich: an early period
The family of Ilya Petrovich had seven children, of whom five were sons and 2 daughters. The Tchaikovsky lived in abundance, because the father of the family was a completely wealthy man and one of the largest Russian metallurgists. Along with this, he was a big fan of art, often visited theaters, loved dancing and even played the harmonious flute. Mother of the family A.A. Assier, was originally French-German. She was a true example of a secular woman of the mid-19th century. Alexandra Andreevna, like her husband, was not indifferent to art. Sometimes in the evenings she played the piano and sang to the sounds of her own accompaniment. In a word, the early years of Pyotr Tchaikovsky’s life passed in an atmosphere of worship of music. In their house, in addition to the mother’s favorite piano, there was also an orchestra. She contributed to the composer getting the first serious musical impressions. In addition, the local intelligentsia often gathered in their house to listen to the orchestra, dance and play music. Thus, the Tchaikovsky house soon became considered the center of the Votkinsk intelligentsia, and the early years of P. Tchaikovsky’s life proceeded in an atmosphere of involvement in music.
First steps
Tchaikovsky, already a composer, recalling his childhood, admitted that even in silence he heard music. She constantly sounded in his head. At first, it seemed to her that she was chasing him, and this weighed him a little. Due to the fact that he was not able to record melodies that sound in his head, the boy became desperate and began to cry. This, of course, really bothered his parents. Little Petya began to imitate playing the piano on any smooth material. Once he “played” on a glass surface, the blow of his fingers was so strong that the glass broke, and a deep cut was made on his hand ... Soon, his parents decided to invite a piano teacher with a funny name Palchikov to his house for Peter. She was a former serf and self-taught. The boy was soon able to catch up with his teacher and began to masterly play the instrument. Who could have imagined that little Petya, a student of self-taught serfdom, would soon become one of the outstanding composers in the entire history of classical music, and soon the whole world would know his name - Pyotr Tchaikovsky. The years of his life, especially the early period, were full of musical impressions, which probably contributed to his formation as a composer.
First piece
As a very young boy, he tried to compose music. The very first work of Tchaikovsky that came to us is a small piano waltz “Anastasia-waltz”, which he dedicated to his teacher Anastasia. He composed this work at the age of fourteen. Despite the fact that the boy did his best to prove to his family his involvement in the world of music, his parents decided that he should receive a law degree. But this, of course, did not prevent him from becoming a composer, and the world knew who Tchaikovsky was. The years of the composer's life in a young period left a certain stamp on his character. In 1850, when he had to leave his native home and go to study in St. Petersburg, he was very worried about separation from his mother, whom he loved with special love, with his native home and the edges. 4 years later, he was even more shocked: his mother died of cholera. And this left a big imprint in his soul for the rest of his life. Tchaikovsky's last years of his life, especially before his death, often recalled his mother. Apparently, it was hard rock, because Pyotr Ilyich, like his parent, died of cholera.
Study
Pyotr Ilyich was a rather diligent student, but he studied without much enthusiasm, but his tendency to music manifested itself with every passing day. Being a very sensitive person, at the same time indifferent to the fate of his son, his father nevertheless decided to hire a famous teacher in musical circles for Peter - KĂĽndinger. And this, perhaps, was the first step towards the birth of the star of the composer, who is known today in all corners of the planet. Indeed, who today does not know who Peter Tchaikovsky is !? The years of his life during his youth that passed in St. Petersburg were intense and vibrant, which also contributed to the accumulation of many impressions in his head. All of them in the future should have been reflected in his brilliant works.
"Acquaintance" with Mozart
Tchaikovsky studied with Kündinger for about three years. However, to the question of Ilya Petrovich, is it worth his son to devote his whole life to music, the teacher shook his head and replied that he did not see the point. In a word, Kündinger could not understand then that he is facing the future ingenious composer P.I. Tchaikovsky. His years of life coincided with the period of prosperity of the opera genre in Russia. Once in Moscow, he got to the play “Don Juan” of the great Mozart. Young Peter was shocked by what he saw and heard. All his subsequent life, it was this composer who was for him the greatest authority in the world of music. The subsequent years of Tchaikovsky’s life were saturated with the energy of the works of Great Mozart. Pyotr Ilyich once admitted that it was thanks to “Don Juan” that he decided to devote his life to her Majesty Music.
Tchaikovsky - lawyer
After graduating from college, having received a degree in law, Pyotr Ilyich became an employee of the Ministry of Justice. The years of life of Tchaikovsky in the period when he was a civil servant were overshadowed by a feeling of dissatisfaction. Young Peter was uncomfortable in this environment. He regretted the missed opportunities, the talent, which, in his opinion, it was too late to develop. By this time, the first conservatory was founded in Russia by Rubinstein, and Ilya Petrovich, seeing the suffering of his son, advised him to try himself as a musician and enter this musical university. The boy then turned 22 years old. He combined his first year of study with service in the ministry, but then decided to leave work and devote himself completely to music. After graduating from the conservatory he was offered the position of teacher. This activity lasted more than 11 years.
Musical creativity
Tchaikovsky wrote his first piano concerto when he turned 35. Soon, his popularity began to grow at an incredible speed, he was often invited to various events, but public life burdens him, because it takes a lot of time. In 1876, a female philanthropist, Nadezhda von Meck, appeared in the composer's life. Thanks to her support, Tchaikovsky embarks on a journey through Europe and America. Each of the European cities: Paris, Bern, Rome, Venice - leave their imprint on the work of the composer. One piece of music is replaced by another, and they all have unprecedented success. After long wanderings, Pyotr Ilyich came to his sister in Kamenka (Ukraine). Here in his native land, his work flourished with particular force.
The years of life of Tchaikovsky in Klin
Each time, starting on a long journey, Pyotr Ilyich thought that he had nowhere to return to. He really wanted to have his own home. In the town of Klin, near Moscow, he acquired a two-story cozy mansion, which became his “Home”. Then he was 45. Here he lived for ten years. These were very fruitful years. How many ingenious works were written during this period. He often wanted to be alone with himself and his tunes, but friends and admirers often came to him from Moscow. Today this house is a place for pilgrimage for young musicians and fans of his work. In Klin, everyone knows where the house is, where the great Tchaikovsky himself lived. The years of life and death of the composer are indicated on the tablet in front of the entrance to his house-museum - 1840-1893. He was only 53 when cholera swallowed him, as once his beloved mother. How many brilliant works he could write if he stayed alive. But alas ... Such is his fate.