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[[Category:Ethnic groups in Europe|Romania]]
<!-- please do not add an infobox, per [[Wikipedia:WikiProject Composers#Lead section]]--> [[Image:Porträt des Komponisten Pjotr I. Tschaikowski (1840-1893).jpg|250px|thumb|''Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky'' by Nikolay Kuznetsov, 1893]] '''Pyotr Il'yich Tchaikovsky'''&nbsp;<ref>''Note'': His names are also transliterated Piotr, Petr, or Peter; Ilitsch, Ilich, Il'ich or Illyich; and Tschaikowski, Tschaikowsky, Chajkovskij and Chaikovsky (and other versions; Russian transliteration can vary between languages)</ref> ({{lang-ru|Пётр Ильич Чайковский}}, {{IPA-ru|ˈpʲɵtr ɪlʲˈjit͡ɕ&nbsp;&nbsp;ˌt͡ɕɪjˈkofskʲɪj}} {{Audio|Ru-Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky.ogg|listen}}) ({{OldStyleDate|May 7|1840|April 25}} &ndash; {{OldStyleDate|November 6|1893|October 25}}) was a [[Russia]]n [[composer]] of the [[Romantic music|Romantic]] era. While not part of the [[nationalism|nationalistic]] music group known as "[[The Five]]", Tchaikovsky wrote music which, in the opinion of [[Harold Schonberg]], was distinctly [[Russian music|Russian]]: plangent, introspective, with [[musical mode|modally]]-inflected [[melody]] and [[harmony]].<ref>Schonberg, Harold C., ''Lives of the Great Composers'' (New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 3rd ed 1997), 366.</ref>
[[Category:Romanian society]]


[[es:Categoría:Grupos étnicos de Rumania]]
== Life ==
[[fr:Catégorie:Groupe ethnique de Roumanie]]
[[Image:Tchaikovskys family in 1848 From left to right sitting Alexandra Andreevna Tchaikovska Alexandra Ippolit Ilya Petrovitch Tchai Family 2.jpg‎|thumb|right|The Tchaikovsky family in 1848. Left to right: Pyotr, Alexandra Andreevna Tchaikovska (sitting), Alexandra, Ippolit, Ilya Petrovitch.]]
[[ko:분류:루마니아의 민족]]

[[hr:Kategorija:Etničke grupe Rumunjske]]

[[it:Categoria:Gruppi etnici in Romania]]

[[he:קטגוריה:רומניה: דמוגרפיה]]

[[ja:Category:ルーマニアの民族]]

[[pl:Kategoria:Etnografia Rumunii]]
All about Pyotr Tchaikarsley :
[[ro:Categorie:Comunităţi etnice (România)]]

[[fi:Luokka:Romanian etniset ryhmät]]
Pyotr was born in votkinsk, a small town in Russia.
His father was the son of a Government mining engineer, of a Ukrainian descent. Alexandra, his mother died from a disease Called Cholera in June 25th 1854. She was also second of Ilya’s (Pyotr’s father) three wife’s. Tchaikovsky began piano lessons at age four with a local woman. Musically precocious, he could read music as well as his teacher within three years. However, his parents' passion for his musical talent soon cooled. Feeling inferior due to their humble origins, the family sent Tchaikovsky in 1850 to a school for the "lesser nobility" or gentry called the School of Jurisprudence in St. Petersburg to secure him a career as a civil servant. The minimum age for acceptance was 12. For Tchaikovsky, this meant two years boarding at the School of Jurisprudence's preparatory school, 800 miles (1,300 km) from his family.







===Turmoil in life and music===poo

=== Mme. von Meck ===
{{see also|Nadezhda von Meck}}
[[Nadezhda von Meck]], wealthy widow of a Russian railway tycoon and an influential patron of the arts, wanted to commission some chamber pieces, and in supporting Tchaikovsky became an important element in his life. She eventually paid Tchaikovsky an annual subsidy of 6,000 [[Russian ruble|ruble]]s. This would also allow him to resign from the Moscow Conservatory in October 1878 and concentrate primarily on composition.<ref>Compared to average wages of the time, 6,000 rubles a year was a small fortune. A minor government official had to support his family on 300-400 rubles a year.</ref> With von Meck's patronage came a relationship that, at her insistence, was mainly epistolary. They exchanged over 1,200 letters, some of them quite lengthy, between 1877 and 1890. In these letters Tchaikovsky was more open to von Meck about much of his life and his creative processes than to any other person.

Von Meck remained a fully dedicated supporter of Tchaikovsky and all his works. She also became a vital enabler in his day-to-day existence. As he explained to her,

<blockquote>There is something so special about our relationship that it often stops me in my tracks with amazement. I have told you more than once, I believe, that you have come to seem to me the hand of Fate itself, watching over me and protecting me. The very fact that I do not know you personally, while feeling so close to you, accords you in my eyes the special status of an unseen but benevolent presence, like a benign Providence.<ref>Letter to von Meck, January 21, 1878. As quoted in Holden, 159.</ref></blockquote>

Tchaikovsky and von Meck also became related by a marriage. One of her sons, Nikolay, married Tchaikovsky's niece Anna Davydova in 1884. However, after 13 years von Meck suddenly ended the relationship. She claimed bankruptcy. Tchaikovsky, now a success throughout Europe, no longer needed her money. Her friendship and encouragement were another matter. Losing that companionship devastated him.<ref>Brown, ''Tchaikovsky: The Final Years, 1885-1893'' (New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 1991), 287-289; ''Tchaikovsky: The Man and His Music'', 385-386.: Chaikovskii, P.I., ''Perepiska s N.F. fon Meck (1876-1890)'' [Correspondence with N.F. von Meck], ed. Zhdanov, Vladimir and Zhegin, Nikolai, 3 vols. (Moscow and Lenningrad, 1980), 3:611. : Holden, 289 : Poznansky, 521, 526.</ref>

=== Later career ===
[[Image:vsevolozhsky.jpg|thumb|180px|left|Ivan Vsevolozhsky, Director of the Imperial Theatres and a patron of Tchaikovsky.]]Tchaikovsky returned to Moscow Conservatory in the fall of 1879. He had been away from Russia a year after his marriage disintegrated. Shortly into that term, however, he resigned. He settled in Kamenka yet travelled incessantly. Assured of a regular income from von Meck, he wandered around Europe and rural Russia. Not staying long in any one place, he lived mainly alone, avoiding social contact whenever possible. This may have been due partly to troubles with Antonina. She alternately accepted and refused divorce and at one point exacerbated matters by moving into the apartment directly above her husband's.<ref name = "browngrove619"/><ref>He listed Antonina's accusations to him in detail to Modest: "I am a deceiver who married her in order to hide my true nature&nbsp;... I insulted her every day, her sufferings at my hands were great&nbsp;... she is appalled by my shameful vice, etc., etc." He may have lived the rest of his life in dread of Antonina's power to expose publically his sexual leanings (Holden, 155).</ref> Perhaps for this reason, except for his [[Piano Trio (Tchaikovsky)|piano trio]], which he wrote upon the death of Nikolai Rubinstein, his best work from this period is found in genres which did not depend heavily on personal expression.<ref name="browngrove619">Brown, ''New Grove'', 18:619.</ref>

While Tchaikovsky's reputation grew rapidly outside Russia, "it was considered obligatory [in progressive musical circles in Russia] to treat Tchaikovsky as a renegade, a master overly dependent on the West," [[Alexandre Benois]] wrote in his memoirs.<ref name = "volkovsp126"/> In 1880, this assessment changed practically overnight. During commemoration ceremonies for the [[Alexander Pushkin|Pushkin]] Monument in Moscow, Dostoyevsky charged that the poet had given a prophetic call to Russia for "universal unity" with the West<ref name="volkovsp126">Volkov, 126.</ref> An unprecedented acclaim for Dostoyevsky's message spread throughout Russia. Disdain for Tchaikovsky's music dissipated. He even drew a cult following among the young intelligentsia of St. Petersburg, including Benois, [[Leon Bakst]] and [[Sergei Diaghilev]].

During 1884, Tchaikovsky began to shed his unsociability and restlessness. In 1885 [[Tsar]] [[Alexander III of Russia|Alexander III]] conferred upon Tchaikovsky the [[Order of St. Vladimir]] (fourth class). With it came [[Russian nobility|hereditary nobility]]. The tsar's decoration was a visible seal of official approval that helped the composer's social rehabilitation.<ref name="browngrove621">Brown, ''New Grove'', 18:621.</ref> That year he resettled in Russia. The tsar asked personally for a new production of ''Eugene Onegin'' to be staged in St. Petersburg. The opera had previously been seen only in Moscow, produced by a student ensemble from the conservatory. He had ''Onegin'' staged not at the Mariyinsky Theater but in the ''Bolshoi kamennïy'' theater. This act served notice that Tchaikovsky's music was replacing Italian opera as the official imperial art. Thanks to Vsevolozhsky, Tchaikovsky received a lifetime pension of 3000 rubles per year from the tsar. This essentially made him the premier court composer, at least in practice if not in actual title.<ref>Maes, 140.</ref>

[[Image:Tchai Cambridge.jpg|thumb|left|Tchaikovsky at Cambridge, 1893.]]1885 also saw his debut as a guest conductor. Within a year, he was in considerable demand throughout Europe and Russia in appearances which helped him overcome a life-long [[glossophobia|stage fright]] and boosted his self-assurance. He wrote to von Meck, "Would you now recognize in this Russian musician traveling across Europe that man who, only a few years ago, had absconded from life in society and lived in seclusion abroad or in the country!!!"<ref>As quoted in Brown, ''Tchaikovsky: The Man and His Music'', 329.</ref> Conducting brought him to [[United States|America]] in 1891. He led the [[New York Symphony Orchestra|New York Music Society's]] [[orchestra]] in his ''[[Slavonic March|Marche Slave]]''<ref>So identified by the New York press. According to Carnegie Hall archivist Gino Francesconi, Tchaikovsky may have actually conducted his ''Festival Coronation March''.</ref> at the inaugural concert of [[New York City|New York's]] [[Carnegie Hall]].

In 1893, the [[University of Cambridge]] awarded Tchaikovsky an honorary [[Doctor of Music]] degree.

=== Death ===
[[Image:Памятник Чайковскому.jpg|right|thumb|Monument of the composer in [[Klin]]]]

{{see also|Death of Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky}}
Tchaikovsky died in St. Petersburg on November 6, 1893, nine days after the premiere of his [[Symphony No. 6 (Tchaikovsky)|Sixth Symphony]], the ''Pathétique''. His death has traditionally been attributed to [[cholera]], most probably contracted through drinking contaminated water several days earlier. However, some have theorized that his death was a suicide.

== Music ==
{{see also|List of compositions by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky}}
=== Aesthetics ===
Aesthetically, Tchaikovsky remained open to all aspects of [[Saint Petersburg]] musical life. He was impressed by [[Alexander Serov|Serov]] and [[Mili Balakirev|Balakirev]] as well as the classical values upheld by the conservatory. Both the progressive and conservative camps in Russian music at the time attempted to win him over. Tchaikovsky charted his compositional course between these two factions, retaining his individuality as a composer as well as his Russian identity.<ref>Maes, 73, 76.</ref> In this he was influenced by the ideals of his teacher [[Nikolai Rubinstein]] and Nikolai's brother [[Anton Rubinstein|Anton]].

Tchaikovsky believed that his professionalism in combining skill and high standards in his musical works separated him from his contemporaries in "The Five." He shared several of their ideals, including an emphasis on national character in music. His aim, however, was linking those ideals to a standard high enough to satisfy Western European criteria. His professionalism also fueled his desire to reach a broad public, not just nationally but internationally, which he would eventually do.<ref>Maes, Francis, tr. Arnold J. Pomerans and Erica Pomerans, ''A History of Russian Music: From ''Kamarinskaya ''to'' Babi Yar (Berkeley, Los Angeles and London: University of California Press, 2002), 73.</ref>

He may also have been influenced by the almost "eighteenth-century" patronage prevalent in Russia at the time, still strongly influenced by its aristocracy.<ref>In this patronage patron and artist often met on equal terms. Dedications of works to patrons were not gestures of humble gratitude but expressions of artistic [[partnership]]. The dedication of the Fourth Symphony to von Meck is known to be a seal on their friendship. Tchaikovsky's relationship with Duke Konstantin Konstantinovich bore creative fruit in the Six Songs, Op. 63, for which the grand duke wrote the words.Maes, 139-141.</ref> Tchaikovsky found no aesthetic conflict in playing to the tastes of his audiences. The patriotic themes and stylization of 18th-century melodies in his works lined up with the values of the Russian aristocracy.<ref>Maes, 137.</ref>

Tchaikovsky sought expressive value in music that was immediately comprehensible and appreciable — in other words, what was apparent on the surface. He admired [[Georges Bizet|Bizet]]'s ''[[Carmen]]'' for exactly this reason. "This music has no pretensions to profundity, but it is so charming in its simplicity, so vigorous, not contrived but instead sincere, that I learned all of it from beginning to end almost by heart." He felt the high demands of [[Wagner]]'s music on its audiences conflicted with these ideals, and his objections to [[Brahms]] were similar. Tchaikovsky was however fascinated by the music of Mozart, which he felt combined simplicity with profundity.<ref>Maes, 138.</ref>

Self-expression was not a central principle for Tchaikovsky. In a letter to von Meck dated December 5, 1878, he explained there were two kinds of inspiration for a symphonic composer, a subjective and an objective one:

<blockquote>In the first instance, [the composer] uses his music to express his own feelings, joys, sufferings; in short, like a lyric poet he pours out, so to speak, his own soul. In this instance, a program is not only not necessary but even impossible. But it is another matter when a musician, reading a poetic work or struck by a scene in nature, wishes to express in musical form that subject that has kindled his inspiration. Here a program is essential.... Program music can and must exist, just as it is impossible to demand that literature make do without the epic element and limit itself to lyricism alone.</blockquote>

This meant [[program music]] such as ''[[Francesca da Rimini (Tchaikovsky)|Francesca da Rimini]]'' or the [[Manfred Symphony|''Manfred'' Symphony]] was as much a part of the composer's artistic credo as the expression of his "lyric ego."<ref name="maes154">Maes, 154.</ref> Labeling all his works based on literary subjects as confessional music would be unwarranted. The character of Hermann in the opera ''[[The Queen of Spades (opera)|The Queen of Spades]]'' has sometimes been mentioned as an expression of the composer's morbidity and suicidal tendencies. Tchaikovsky's letters and diary entries disprove this notion, showing that he did not identify with Hermann. His diary entry for March 2, 1890, when he had just completed the opera, shows a characteristic mixture of empathy and detachment. "Wept terribly when Hermann breathed his last. The result of exhaustion, or maybe it is truly good."<ref name = "maes139"/>

[[Image:Vzevolozhskys costume sketch for Nutcracker.jpg‎|thumb|left|Costume sketch by [[Ivan Vsevolozhsky]] for ''[[The Nutcracker]]''.]]There is also a group of compositions which fall outside the dichotomy of program music versus "lyrical ego," where he hearkens toward pre-Romantic aesthetics. Works in this group include the orchestral suites, ''[[Capriccio Italien]]'' and the [[Serenade for Strings (Tchaikovsky)|Serenade for Strings]].<ref>Maes, 154-155.</ref> He displays his clearest link to pre-Romantic sensitivities in retrospective works such as the ''[[Variations on a Rococo Theme]]'' and ''[[Orchestral Suite No. 4 (Tchaikovsky)|Mozartiana]]'', a collection of orchestrations based on Mozart piano pieces and a Liszt transcription of a Mozart work. The [[Violin Concerto (Tchaikovsky)|Violin Concerto]] also looks back to pre-Romantic aesthetics. While Tchaikovsky does not follow classical practice, most notably in the lack of a double [[exposition (music)|exposition]] in the first movement, he also does not follow the conventions of other 19th-century violin concertos. It is not written as a virtuosic work for virtuosity's sake, like [[Niccolo Paganini|Paganini]]'s concertos, nor virtuosity used to express a symphonic concept, as in the Brahms Violin Concerto. The tone of the orchestral introduction could almost be considered [[Classicism|classicist]]; the same is true for the transparent orchestration, with the orchestra itself relegated for the most part to background for the soloist.<ref name = "maes156"/>

''Capriccio italien'', evoking Italian urban folklore, was the continuation of a tradition begun with Haydn and Mozart.<ref name="maes156">Maes, 156.</ref> The Serenade for Strings was intended as a tribute to Mozart. While not copying any style, Tchaikovsky attempts to convert the spirit of the Classical approach into his own compositional idiom. The Serenade's unique tone comes from a subtle balance between Tchaikovsky's lyrical sentimentality and his attention to classical measure and clarity.<ref>Maes, 157.</ref>

An interpretation of Tchaikovsky's approach can be found in Hermann Laroche's contemporary review of ''[[The Sleeping Beauty (ballet)|Sleeping Beauty]]:''

<blockquote>The Russian way in music&nbsp;... is the issue at hand.... The point is not in the local color, in the internal structure of the music, above all in the foundation of the element of melody. This basic element is undoubtedly Russian. It may be said, without lapsing into contradiction, that the local color [in ''Sleeping Beauty''] is French, but the ''style'' is Russian.... One may thank Pyotr Ilyich that his development has coincided with a time when the influences of the soil became stronger among us, when the Russian soul was inspired, when the word "Russian" ceases to be a synonym of "peasant-like," and when the peasant-like itself was recognized in its proper place, as but ''part'' of being Russian.<ref>Wiley, ''Tchaikovsky's Ballets'', 191-192.</ref></blockquote>

Tchaikovsky may have best summed his perception of music himself to von Meck: "It alone clarifies, reconciles, and consoles. But it is not a straw just barely clutched at. It is a faithful friend, protector, and comforter, and for its sake alone, life in this world is worth living."<ref name="maes139">Maes, 139.</ref>

===Russian style in Tchaikovsky's music ===
{{Tchaikovsky operas}}Tchaikovsky's musical [[cosmopolitanism]] led him to be favored by many Russian music-lovers over the "Russian" harmonies and styles of [[Mussorgsky]], [[Borodin]] and [[Rimsky-Korsakov]].<ref>Volkov, 96.</ref>

Nonetheless he frequently adapted Russian traditional melodies and dance forms in his music, which enhanced his success in his home country. The success in St. Petersburg at the premiere of his [[Orchestral Suite No. 3 (Tchaikovsky)|Third Orchestral Suite]] may have been due in large part to his concluding the work with a polonaise.<ref>Maes, 137.</ref> He also used a polonaise for the final movement of his [[Symphony No. 3 (Tchaikovsky)|Third Symphony]]. <ref>This led to a misunderstanding when the symphony was performed in the West. Western nations, more familiar with the polonaise as used by [[Frédéric Chopin]], subtitled the symphony ''Polish''. They considered the finale an expression of a Polish longing for freedom and national resurgence. The real meaning of the polonaise in the symphony was the exact opposite. Like the finales of Tchaikovsky's first two symphonies, the finale of the Third was meant to appeal to the patriotic sentiment of the Russian aristocracy—precisely the people who wanted to keep the Poles yoked to the tsarist regime.Maes, 78-79.</ref>

Tchaikovsky used a Russian folk song in the finale of the First Symphony and a Ukrainian folk song in the finale of the Second. In both cases, as with the Third, this had undertones of glorifying the Russian empire and the victories of Russian arms.<ref name="volkovsp113">Volkov, 113.</ref> Even the finales of the Fourth and Fifth Symphonies could be argued to be in imperial nationalistic vein, as patriotic and heroic appeals; the Fourth by repeating the opening motto at a climactic point and the Fifth with a version of the opening melody of the introduction transposed to a major key—both.<ref>Maes, 163-164.</ref>

Tchaikovsky made full use of the emotional and symbolic possibilities of the Russian anthem "[[God Save the Tsar]]" in several commemorative works, including two of his most popular compositions, the ''[[Slavonic March|Marche Slave]]'' and the ''[[1812 Overture]]''. Tchaikovsky wrote ''Marche Slave'' in support of [[Pan-Slavism]]. This was one of the most cherished ideas of imperial Russia. When [[Serbia]] rebelled against Turkish rule in 1876, they elicited great support in Russia. Performances of the ''Marche Slave'', with its Serbian folk melodies provoked outbursts of patriotism. The ''1812 Overture'' likewise glorified the greatest military and political victory of the Romanov dynasty, in the Patriotic War against Napoleon.

===The symphonies===
====Russian versus Western====
Tchaikovsky's studies at the St. Petersburg Conservatory allowed him to learn European principles and forms of organizing musical material while gaining a sense of belonging to world culture.<ref>Volkov, 111.</ref> However, in using these principles for himself, Tchaikovsky's being Russian could work as much against him as it did for him. The result was a continual struggles with Western [[sonata form]], especially in dealing with the [[symphony]]. One major block for Tchaikovsky in this department, biographer and music professor David Brown suggests, may have been cultural:

<blockquote>... a cardinal flaw in the Russian character: inertia. It is a flaw that has conditioned every sector of the nation's life. It has dogged its history, which has tended to unfold as long periods of stasis, followed by short, sometimes very violent periods of activity when the state has been convulsed into progress<ref>Brown, ''Tchaikovsky: The Final Years'', 421.</ref>....</blockquote>

<blockquote>Inertia of a kind is also intrinsic to Russian creativity. In literature it produces the novel that proceeds as a succession of self-contained sections, even set-piece scenes....Indeed, such tableau organization is fundamental to the most Russian of operatic scenarios.... [T]he most characteristic Russian scenario is like a strip cartoon, each scene presenting a crucial incident or stage in the plot, leaving the spectator to supply in his imagination what has happened in the gaps between these incidents<ref>Brown, ''Tchaikovsky: The Final Years'', 422.</ref>....</blockquote>

Using a series of self-contained sections is also at the heart of the most characteristic structures of Russian composers—one that would occur as a natural fall-back, since many Russian folk songs are actually a series of variations on one basic shape or pattern of a few notes. Constant repetition of this pattern means the song remains essentially static; noting truly moves forward or progresses as in Western music.<ref>[[Mikhail Glinka]]'s ''Kamarinskaya'', for instance, has been described as "a Russian folksong writ large." Glinka uses the principle from folk song of unfolding around a thematic constant—or actually two constants, since he uses two folk songs. Glinka varies the material surrounding these tunes more than the tunes themselves. Also, as in Russian folk song, the music does not evolve or progress toward an all-embracing point. Instead, it repeats itself over and over with ever new significances. By doing this the music does not expand the listening experience, but instead consolidates it. It remains a decorative rather than an organic creation, remaining static while elaborating on itself instead of moving forward. Brown, ''Tchaikovsky: The Final Years'', 422-424.</ref> This static quality is at the heart of Russian creativity, whereas Western practice would have two contrasting themes interacting like a conversation or an argument—discussing, agreeing and disagreeing, but always building toward an inevitable and hopefully persuasive conclusion.<ref>Brown, ''Tchaikovsky: The Final Years'', 424.</ref>

====Melody versus form====
An equally large challenge facing Tchaikovsky was his greatest compositional gift—namely, his own sense of melody. Beethoven, in contrast, did not think melodically but architecturally, constructing complete movements from musical material anyone could have imagined by structuring it effectively. Tchaikovsky's problem was that a melody is complete on its own terms and is not amenable to development. As Taneyev points out, a composer can do little more with a melody than repeat it, though it can be repeated and modified in the hands of a master such as Tchaikovsky to create interest, tension and satisfaction over a large span.<ref>Warrack, ''Tchaikovsky Symphonies and Concertos'', 8-9.</ref> Such a theme can also play havoc with sonata form in that it can dominate an entire movement. This refuses equal rights to any other melody, ruining the balance and proportion considered the proper beauties of sonata form. To use Tchaikovsky's own analogy, when he attempted to sew together a movement in the traditional Western manner, the seams were often highly visible.<ref>Cooper, 28-29.</ref>.

Nor was Tchaikovsky the only composer at the time who faced this problem. Dramatic turns of phrase, highly colored melodies and "atmospheric" harmony—all things the Romantics loved—were primarily opposed to the nature of the symphony. Because of this challenge, many composers turned their interest toward the [[symphonic poem]], where large-scale orchestral writing could be combined with the strong emotions and brilliant color of Romanticism. <ref>Cooper, 24-25.</ref>. With a new range of emotions meeting the old classical symphony, the symphony's whole nature was changed and widened. However, the same principles do not apply to both genres. A symphonic poem is not simply a bad symphony<ref>Cooper, 27.</ref>.

To Tchaikovsky, the only difference between a symphony and a symphonic poem lay in the vagueness of the program underlying the one and the explicitly literary programme of the other<ref>Cooper, 27.</ref>. More revealing is Tchaikovsky's description of the symphony as "the most purely lyrical of forms." "Lyrical," could be that emotion or mood which can be expressed only on music—the spontaneous expression in sound of those fears, longings and desires both too vague and too violently definite for expression in words. Whether that lyrical expression could be expressed naturally in sonata form is not implausible. This would only be true, he counters, if that form is so natural to a composer, both by instinct and habit, to become second nature, and Tchaikovsky was never that kind of composer. Instead, Tchaikovsky learned to adapt the form to fit the music he wished to pour into it. He described his method, regarding the Fourth Symphony, to von Meck:

<blockquote>You ask if I keep to established forms. Yes and no. There are certain kinds of compositions which imply the use of familiar forms, for example ''symphony''. Here I keep in general outline to the usual traditional forms, but only in general outline, i.e. the sequence of the work's movements. The details can be treated very freely, if this is demanded by the development of the ideas. For instance, in ''our'' symphony the first movement is written with very marked digressions. The second subject, which should be in the relative major, is minor and remote. In the recapitulation of the main part of the movement the second subject does not appear at all, etc. The finale, too, is made up of a whole row of derivations from individual forms<ref>As quoted in Warrack, ''Tchaikovsky'', 132.</ref>....</blockquote>

Tchaikovsky had already written three well-crafted but comparatively minor symphonies in which his concern for good form conflicted with his ability to express himself. This was a challenge he may or may not have recognized but was definitely not equipped or ready to meet. When he discovered a method to put his emotional life to work in large-scale abstract structures, Tchaikovsky was able to match his temperament fully to his talent. By doing so, he successfully enlarged the scope of his talent to its fullest potential<ref>Warrack, ''Tchaikovsky'', 133.</ref>.

====Tchaikovsky's solution====
The compromise Tchaikovsky makes with sonata form is as follows:

In each of his symphonies except the [[Symphony No. 1 (Tchaikovsky)|First]], he begins with a slow introduction , setting the atmosphere for the mood of the listener instead of alerting him that a piece of musical action is going to take place. The ensuing sonata movement follows basically the same pattern. A first subject or melody is introduced. This subject cannot be developed readily, so it is repeated with new orchestration and changes in emotional emphasis taking the place for musical development. A second, more lyrical subject follows and is similarly extended. After a second long transition, both melodies are [[recapitulation (music)|recapitulated]] and the movement ends with a [[coda]]<ref>Warrack, ''Tchaikovsky Symphonies and Concertos'', 11.</ref>.

What has taken place in this movement has been an ingenious [[episodic]] treatment of two contrasting melodies. Because these melodies are self-sufficient in themselves, they do not act upon each other in an organic, evolutionary progress. Instead, they impose a comparatively mechanical role upon those passages where the substance of a symphonic movement should properly reside<ref>Warrack, ''Tchaikovsky Symphonies and Concertos'', 11.</ref>.

To keep this mechanism going, and to give the impression that something is actually happening, Tchaikovsky falls back on a number of musical devices mainly for the sake of generating listener expectation for the next entry of a melody. He employs [[ostinato]] figures, dramatic [[pedal point]]s, [[sequence (music)|sequences]] to fuel anticipation. The melody being re-introduced must therefore live up to this expectation being created. It must be more sensationally scored, perhaps made more intense by a passionately throbbing [[accompaniment]] figure or anguished fluctuations of [[tempo]] from bar to bar<ref>Warrack, ''Tchaikovsky Symphonies and Concertos, 11-12.</ref>.

If Tchaikovsky's symphonies were be judged on strictly academic terms, they might be considered fine music but poor symphonies. However, if they were to be judged as a hybrid species of symphony and symphonic poem, they could be considered completely successful<ref>Cooper, 30.</ref>.

==Tchaikovsky in fiction==
Authors, dramatists and film-makers have found Tchaikovsky's life a compelling source of raw material. For discussion of plays, films, operas, and other works incorporating Tchaikovsky as a character, see [[Tchaikovsky in fiction]].

==Media==
Other media files for the [[Romeo and Juliet (Tchaikovsky)|Romeo and Juliet]] overture, the [[Violin Concerto (Tchaikovsky)|Violin concerto]], and the [[1812 Overture]] can be found in their respective atricles.
{{multi-listen start}}
{{multi-listen item|filename=Tschikovsky Op 40.ogg|title=Twelve Pieces for piano|description=Opus 40, for piano|format=[[Ogg]]}}
{{multi-listen end}}

==See also==

* [[Nadezhda von Meck]]
* [[Antonina Miliukova]] Tchaikovskaya
* [[Nikolai Grigoryevich Rubinstein]]
* [[International Tchaikovsky Competition]]
* [[Tchaikovsky Symphony Orchestra of Moscow Radio]]
* [[List of ballets by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky]]
* [[:Category:Compositions by Pyotr Tchaikovsky]]
* [[:Category:Ballets by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky]]

==Notes==
{{reflist|2}}

== Bibliography ==
<small>
* Brown, David, ed. Stanley Sadie, ''The New Grove Encyclopedia of Music and Musicians'' (London: MacMillian, 1980), 20 vols. ISBN 0-333-23111-2.
* Brown, David, ''Tchaikovsky: The Early Years, 1840-1874'' (New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 1978). ISBN 0-393-07535-2.
* Brown, David, ''Tchaikovsky: The Crisis Years, 1874-1878'', (New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 1983). ISBN 0-393-01707-9.
* Brown, David, ''Tchaikovsky: The Years of Wandering, 1878-1885'', (New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 1986). ISBN 0-393-02311-7.
* Brown, David, ''Tchaikovsky: The Final Years, 1885-1893'', (New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 1991). ISBN 0-393-03099-7.
* Brown, David, ''Tchaikovsky: The Man and His Music'' (New York: Pegasus Books, 2007). ISBN 0-571-23194-2.
* Cooper, Martin, ed Abraham, Gerald, ''Music of Tchaikovsky'' (New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 1946). ISBN n/a.
* Figes, Orlando, ''Natasha's Dance: A Cultural History of Russia'' (New York: Metropolitan Books, 2002). ISBN 0-8050-5783-8 (hc.).
* Hanson, Lawrence and Hanson, Elisabeth, ''Tchaikovsky: The Man Behind the Music'' (New York: Dodd, Mead & Company). Library of Congress Catalog Card No. 66-13606.
* Holden, Anthony, ''Tchaikovsky: A Biography'' (New York: Random House, 1995). ISBN 0-679-42006-1.
* Maes, Francis, tr. Arnold J. Pomerans and Erica Pomerans, ''A History of Russian Music: From ''Kamarinskaya ''to'' Babi Yar (Berkeley, Los Angeles and London: University of California Press, 2002). ISBN 0-520-21815-9.
* Mochulsky, Konstantin, tr. Minihan, Michael A., ''Dostoyevsky: His Life and Work'' (Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1967). Library of Congress Catalog Card No. 65-10833.
* Poznansky, Alexander ''Tchaikovsky: The Quest for the Inner Man'' (New York: Schirmer Books, 1991). ISBN 0-02-871885-2.
* Rimsky-Korsakov, Nikolai, ''Letoppis Moyey Muzykalnoy Zhizni'' (St. Petersburg, 1909), published in English as ''My Musical Life'' (New York: Knopf, 1925, 3rd ed. 1942). ISBN n/a.
* Schonberg, Harold C. ''Lives of the Great Composers'' (New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 3rd ed. 1997).
* Steinberg, Michael, ''The Symphony'' (New York and Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1995).
* Tchaikovsky, Modest, ''Zhizn P.I. Chaykovskovo'' [Tchaikovsky's life], 3 vols. (Moscow, 1900-1902).
* Tchaikovsky, Pyotr, ''Perepiska s N.F. von Meck'' [Correspondence with Nadzehda von Meck], 3 vols. (Moscow and Lenningrad, 1934-1936).
* Tchaikovsky, Pyotr, ''Polnoye sobraniye sochinery: literaturnïye proizvedeniya i perepiska'' [Complete Edition: literary works and correspondence], 17 vols. (Moscow, 1953-1981).
* Volkov, Solomon, tr. Bouis, Antonina W., ''St. Petersburg: A Cultural History'' (New York: The Free Press, a division of Simon & Schuster, Inc., 1995). ISBN 0-02-874052-1.
* Warrack, John, ''Tchaikovsky Symphonies and Concertos'' (Seattle: University of Washington Press, 1969). Library of Congress Catalog Card No. 78-105437.
* Warrack, John, ''Tchaikovsky'' (New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1973). SBN 684-13558-2.
* Wiley, Roland John, ''Tchaikovsky's Ballets'' (Oxford and New York: Oxford University Press, 1985). ISBN 0-198-16249-9.</small>

==Further reading==
<small>
* Greenberg, Robert "[http://www.teach12.com/store/course.asp?id=753&d=Great+Masters%3A+Tchaikovsky%97His+Life+and+Music Great Masters: Tchaikovsky &ndash; His Life and Music]"
* Kamien, Roger. ''Music : An Appreciation''. Mcgraw-Hill College; 3rd edition (August 1, 1997). ISBN 0-07-036521-0.
* ed. John Knowles Paine, Theodore Thomas, and Karl Klauser (1891). ''Famous Composers and Their Works'', J.B. Millet Company.
* Meck Galina Von, Tchaikovsky Ilyich Piotr, Young Percy M. ''Tchaikovsky'' Cooper Square Publishers; 1st Cooper Square Press ed edition (October, 2000) ISBN 0-8154-1087-5.
* Meck, Nadezhda Von Tchaikovsky Peter Ilyich, ''To My Best Friend: Correspondence Between Tchaikovsky and Nadezhda Von Meck 1876-1878'' (New York and Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1993) ISBN 0-19-816158-1.
*Poznansky, Alexander & Langston, Brett ''The Tchaikovsky Handbook: A guide to the man and his music''. (Indiana University Press, 2002).
*: Vol. 1. Thematic Catalogue of Works, Catalogue of Photographs, Autobiography. ISBN 0-253-33921-9.
*: Vol. 2. Catalogue of Letters, Genealogy, Bibliography. ISBN 0-253-33947-2.
* Poznansky, Alexander, ''Tchaikovsky's Last Days'', (New York and Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1996), ISBN 0-19-816596-X.
* Poznansky, Alexander. ''Tchaikovsky through others' eyes''. (Bloomington: Indiana Univ. Press, 1999). ISBN 0-253-33545-0.</small>

==External links==

{{commonscat|Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky}}

{{Portal|Ballet}}

*[http://www.tchaikovsky-research.net/ Tchaikovsky Research] (active site)
*[http://www.tchaikovsky.it/ Istituto Musicale Tchaikovsky (Italy)] (active site)
*[http://www.geocities.com/Vienna/5648/Tchaikovsky.htm Tchaikovsky] (inactive site)
*[http://www.tchaikovsky.host.sk Tchaikovsky page] (inactive site)
*[http://www.pbs.org/wnet/gperf/education/tchaikovsky.html PBS Great Performances biography of Tchaikovsky]
*[http://cylinders.library.ucsb.edu/search.php?query=+Tchaikovsky&queryType=%40attr+1%3D1 Tchaikovsky cylinder recordings], from the [[Cylinder Preservation and Digitization Project]] at the [[University of California, Santa Barbara]] Library.
*[http://www.panartist.com/valerypolyansky.htm Tchaikovsky's sacred works by Polyansky]
*[http://www.kennedy-center.org/calendar/index.cfm?fuseaction=showIndividual&entity_id=3651&source_type=C Biography of Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky] at the [http://www.kennedy-center.org John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts]

'''Public Domain Sheet Music:'''
*[http://kreusch-sheet-music.net/eng/index.php?page=show&query=Pjotr%20Iljitsch%20Tschaikowski&order=op www.kreusch-sheet-music.net] Free Scores by Tchaikovsky
*[http://www.mutopiaproject.org/cgibin/make-table.cgi?Composer=TchaikovskyPI Mutopia Project] Tchaikovsky Sheet Music at Mutopia
*{{WIMA|idx=Tchaikovsky|name=Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky}}
*{{IMSLP|id=Tchaikovsky%2C_Pyotr_Ilyich|cname=Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky}}

<!-- Metadata: see [[Wikipedia:Persondata]] -->

{{Persondata
|NAME = Tchaikovsky, Pyotr Ilyich
|ALTERNATIVE NAMES = Пётр Ильич Чайкoвский
|SHORT DESCRIPTION = Russian composer
|DATE OF BIRTH = May 7, 1840
|PLACE OF BIRTH = [[Votkinsk]], [[Imperial Russia]]
|DATE OF DEATH = November 6, 1893
|PLACE OF DEATH = St. Petersburg, Russia
}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tchaikovsky, Pyotr Ilyich}}
[[Category:Romantic composers]]
[[Category:Russian composers]]
[[Category:Opera composers]]
[[Category:Ballet composers]]
[[Category:Russian ballet]]
[[Category:Russian Orthodox Christians]]
[[Category:Russian music critics]]
[[Category:Cause of death disputed]]
[[Category:Gay musicians]]
[[Category:LGBT composers]]
[[Category:LGBT people from Russia]]
[[Category:Imperial School of Jurisprudence alumni]]
[[Category:Russians of French descent]]
[[Category:Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky]]
[[Category:1840 births]]
[[Category:1893 deaths]]

[[af:Pjotr Tsjaikofski]]
[[ar:بيتر إليتش تشايكوفسكي]]
[[an:Piotr Ilich Chaikovski]]
[[az:Pyotr Çaykovski]]
[[bs:Petar Iljič Čajkovski]]
[[br:Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky]]
[[bg:Пьотър Чайковски]]
[[ca:Piotr Ilitx Txaikovski]]
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[[cs:Petr Iljič Čajkovskij]]
[[cy:Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky]]
[[da:Pjotr Iljitj Tjajkovskij]]
[[de:Pjotr Iljitsch Tschaikowski]]
[[et:Pjotr Tšaikovski]]
[[el:Πιότρ Τσαϊκόφσκι]]
[[es:Piotr Ilich Chaikovski]]
[[eo:Pjotr Iljiĉ Ĉajkovskij]]
[[ext:Piotr Ilich Chaikovski]]
[[eu:Piotr Ilitx Txaikovski]]
[[fa:پیوتر ایلیچ چایکوفسکی]]
[[fr:Piotr Ilitch Tchaïkovski]]
[[gv:Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky]]
[[ko:표트르 일리치 차이콥스키]]
[[hy:Պյոտոր Իլյիչ Չայկովսկի]]
[[hr:Petar Iljič Čajkovski]]
[[id:Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky]]
[[is:Pjotr Iljitsj Tsjaíkovskíj]]
[[it:Pëtr Il'ič Čajkovskij]]
[[he:פיוטר איליץ' צ'ייקובסקי]]
[[ka:პეტრე ჩაიკოვსკი]]
[[sw:Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky]]
[[la:Petrus Tchaikovski]]
[[lv:Pēteris Čaikovskis]]
[[lb:Pjotr Iljitsch Tschaikowski]]
[[lt:Piotras Čaikovskis]]
[[lij:Piotr Ilič Čaikovskij]]
[[hu:Pjotr Iljics Csajkovszkij]]
[[mk:Петар Илич Чајковски]]
[[mt:Pëtr Il'ič Čajkovskij]]
[[mr:प्यॉतर इल्यिच त्चैकोव्स्की]]
[[mn:Пётр Чайковский]]
[[nah:Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky]]
[[nl:Pjotr Iljitsj Tsjaikovski]]
[[ja:ピョートル・チャイコフスキー]]
[[no:Pjotr Tsjajkovskij]]
[[nn:Pjotr Tsjajkovskij]]
[[pl:Piotr Czajkowski]]
[[pt:Piotr Ilitch Tchaikovsky]]
[[ro:Piotr Ilici Ceaikovski]]
[[qu:Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky]]
[[ru:Чайковский, Пётр Ильич]]
[[sco:Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky]]
[[sq:Pjotr Çajkovski]]
[[simple:Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky]]
[[sk:Piotr Iľjič Čajkovskij]]
[[sl:Peter Iljič Čajkovski]]
[[sr:Петар Иљич Чајковски]]
[[sh:Pjotr Iljič Čajkovski]]
[[fi:Pjotr Tšaikovski]]
[[sv:Pjotr Tjajkovskij]]
[[tl:Pëtr Čajkovskij]]
[[tt:Pótr İlyiç Çaykovski]]
[[th:ปีเตอร์ อิลิช ไชคอฟสกี]]
[[vi:Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky]]
[[tr:Peter İlyiç Çaykovski]]
[[uk:Чайковський Петро Ілліч]]
[[vo:Pyotr Ilyic Caykovskiy]]
[[zh-yue:柴可夫斯基]]
[[bat-smg:Piuotros Čaikuovskis]]
[[zh:彼得·伊里奇·柴可夫斯基]]

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