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Music 1010
Semester Presentation by Sarah Caverni
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
The life and music of an amazing
Composer
Tchaikovsky’s Early Life
Born on May 7th, 1840.
Of French and Ukrainian descent.
His mother was 18 years younger than his father.
Tchaikovsky had one sister, four brothers and a half-sister.
The discovery of his
talent
 Started piano lessons at the age of five.
 Able to read music as well as teacher by the age of
eight.
 Parents were supportive of his music in the
beginning.
First Serious Composition Attempt
 Both parents contracted cholera in 1854.
 Mother passed away from the illness.
 Tchaikovsky wrote a waltz in his mother’s honor.
Marriage and Sexuality
Married Antonina Miliukova in 1877.
Never officially divorced but the marriage only lasted a few months.
After an emotional breakdown he became more accepting of his sexuality.
He never openly admitted to being homosexual.
Von Meck’s Help
After hearing Tchaikovsky’s work, a wealthy
Russian widow decided to pay him 6,000 rubles
annually to focus on his career. Her condition to
do so was that they were to never meet face-toface. Meck’s help allowed the author to focus on
his music.
Composing Years
Constantly moving between 1878 and 1884.
With the help of Tsar Alexander III, he was able to achieve “social
rehabilitation” after the emotional breakdown that followed the separation.
In 1885 the Third Orchestral Suite premiered with extreme success.
Composer’s death
Tchaikovsky died on October 28th, 1893.
He was only 53 years old at the time.
Had more accomplishments in his short life than his fellow Russian
composers of the Era.
Officially died from Cholera.
Many still believe that he took his own life because of his homosexuality.
Compositions
Over 100 works not including the piano ones.
Romeo and Juliet.
1812 Overture.
The Nutcracker.
Swan Lake.
Etc.
1812 Overture
Learning History Through a Symphony
 Based on the overture of the French Army by Russia in 1812.
 Neither side won, however Russia drove the French out of its land.
 Over 100,000 are estimated to have died.
The Composition Process
Tchaikovsky finished the piece in just six weeks.
Commemorative piece for the 25th anniversary of coronation of Alexander
II.
 Written based on the suggestion of his friend, Nikolai Rubinstein.
First Performance
Initial performance was supposed to have church bells and live cannon being
fired on demand for precision.
Since Alexander II was murdered in March of 1882, the piece was performed
indoors instead by a conventional orchestra.
Tchaikovsky did not like this piece and claimed to have written it “without
love”.
National Anthems
The piece uses parts of the French
national anthem: La Marseillaise.
Also uses parts of “God Save the
Tsar!” which was the Russian
national anthem at the time.
The U.S. and the 1812 Overture piece
In 1891 Tchaikovsky himself conducted the 1812 Overture in New York
City.
This piece is often played at Fourth of July celebrations.
Many wrongfully think that the song is about America’s battles against the
British.
Listening Guide
(1812 Overture)
0:00 Introduction begins in E flat major.
1:20 Wind instruments enter.
1:54 Transition to C minor.
2:00 Oboe solo, accompanied by strings. Tempo picks up a little
giving the song more life.
2:20 Flute joins oboe in solo creating a bigger presence in response
to the strings. Adagio.
2:26 Bassoon also joins the solo phrases.
2:44 Solo ends. Song gradually gets faster and at this point it has a
very high pitch. The timbre also becomes more distinguishable.
3:19 Bassoon, cello, bass transition back to E flat major.
3:55 Strings join snare drums.
5:33 Theme 2 switches to cornet.
4:44 New section begins and violin enters with melody in 5:40 Theme 2 switches back to French horn.
E flat minor.
5:46 Theme 2 switches to trumpet.
5:11 Oboe and clarinet join in creating a better harmony
5:52 Theme 2 ends, section F begins by transitioning to E
between the orchestra. The timbre gets higher.
flat minor.
5:27 French horn starts Theme 2.
6:17 Theme 2 starts again.
11:28 Section I repeats in C minor
6:43 Strings with melody in F# major.
11:47 Section K begins in E flat major.
7:39 Flute, oboe, clarinet join with melody
12:32 Section M starts in E flat major
8:08 Transition to D# minor
12:39 Song slowly slows down and time signature
switches to ¾.
8:23 Flute and English horn with melody in E flat
minor while tambourines accompany.
8:42 Leitmotifs are played by oboe, clarinet,
bassoon, viola, and cello. Decrescendo to piano.
9:00 Section J begins in A minor
9:11 Parts of Theme 2 return
9:37 Bass drum and cymbals enter, fortissimo
13:12 Section A repeats, but much stronger and
louder, phrases are interrupted by string runs,
includes military band.
14:21 Finale begins in E flat major in 4/4 with a
stronger dynamic ffff. Theme 1, allegro vivace, firing of
the cannons begins.
14:32 Low brass switches to harmony, Theme 1
played again.
10:14 Section G repeats in G flat major with Theme
15:01 Partial phrases from Theme 1 return even
2.
stronger.
10:40 Section H repeats in E flat major
15:21 Song ends.
Works Cited
• Brown, David, ed. Stanley Sadie, "Tchaikovsky, Pyotr Ilyich", The New Grove Encyclopedia of Music and Musicians
(London: MacMillan, 1980), 20 vols. ISBN 0-333-23111-2.
• Brown, David, Tchaikovsky: The Early Years, 1840–1874 (New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 1978). ISBN 0393-07535-2.
• 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.
Works Cited
• Holden, Anthony, Tchaikovsky: A Biography (New York: Random House, 1995). ISBN 0-679-42006-1.
• Poznansky, Alexander Tchaikovsky: The Quest for the Inner Man (New York: Schirmer Books, 1991). ISBN
0-02-871885-2.
• Poznansky, Alexander. Tchaikovsky through others' eyes. (Bloomington: Indiana Univ. Press, 1999). ISBN 0253-33545-0.
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