“Truly there would be reason to go mad were it not for music.” (― Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky) Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky used music as an escape, crafting wondrous melodies to entice the heart and mind out of its worldly miseries and into the land where musical delight reigned supreme. His life lay troubled, and music became his refuge. As a result, he spent copious time dedicated to developing his musical talent and composed the worlds of fantastic delights in which, as he states, he truly lived. His wildly prolific music graced the ears and eyes of many, drawn into his finely-crafted masterpieces of Russia lore. To further understand Tchaikovsky’s influence, we will examine his personal life, his career, and his family life.
Composer Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky was born on May 7, 1840, in Vyatka, Russia. He was the second oldest and first son of his parents' six surviving offspring. Although his parents hoped he would join the Russian civil service, he received a formal training in music and the arts, along with his other schooling. His mother, Alexandra, died of cholera in 1854, when he was 14 years old. In 1877, Tchaikovsky married a young music student named Antonina Milyukova. Their marriage, sadly ended in disaster after only three weeks of ‘marital bliss’, with Tchaikovsky’s nervous breakdown, and flight to Europe. He never remarried and had no children. He formed friendships with Richard Wagner and Robert Schumann, both of which influenced his musical style, along with Franz Liszt.
At the age of 5 years old, Tchaikovsky began taking piano lessons and from there launched his passion for music. Because of his parent’s wishes, he took up a bureau clerk post with the Russian Ministry of Justice for four years in preparation for t...
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...alleled. Tchaikovsky’s name and influence circle the globe and surpass time. His music not just lingers, but is prominently displayed in the modern world. His hard work paid off, and his name will be remembered by history.
Works Cited
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Georgi Melitonovich Balnchivadze, George Balanchine, was born on January 22, 1904 in St. Petersburg. He was born into a highly musical family. His father, Meliton, was a singer and composer and his mother Marie, was a pianist. His mother encouraged her children to have musical education. He began to take piano lesson at age 5. He also received a classical education with his sister, Tamara and his younger brother, Andrei. Ironically, Balanchine had no desire to dance at all. His sister and brother were dancers. Music was young Balanchine's passion he hated anything to do with performing.
Susskind, Pamela. "Clara Schumann." The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians. Ed. Stanley Sadie and George Grove. 1980. Print.
Beethoven’s early life was one out of a sad story book. For being one of the most well-known musicians one would think that sometime during Beethovens childhood he was influenced and inspired to play music; This was not the case. His father was indeed a musician but he was more interested in drinking than he was playing music. When his father saw the smallest sliver of music interest in Beethoven he immediately put him into vigorous musical training in hopes he would be the next Mozart; his training included organ, viola, and piano. This tainted how young Beethoven saw music and the memories that music brought. Nevertheless Beethoven continued to do what he knew and by thirteen he was composing his own music and assisting his teacher, Christian Neefe. Connections began to form during this time with different aristocrats and families who stuck with him and became lifelong friends. At 17 Beethoven, with the help of his friends, traveled to Vienna, the music capitol of the world, to further his knowledge and connection...
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Dmitri Ivanovich Mendeleev was born in Tobolsk, Siberia, on February 7, 1834. The blonde-haired, blue-eyed boy was the son of Maria Dmitrievna Korniliev and Ivan Pavlovitch Mendeleev and the youngest of 14 children. Dmitri’s father, Ivan died when Dmitri was still very young and Dmitri’s mother, Maria was left to support her large family. Maria needed money to support all her children, so she took over managing her family’s glass factory in Aremziansk. The family had to pack up and move there.
In their books: Copland: 1900 through 1942 and Copland: Since 1943, Aaron Copland and Vivian Perlis give a detailed account of the life of one of America’s most influential composers. The books are arranged similarly to the Shostakovich biography that our class reviewed earlier this semester. That is, through personal accounts by Copland himself along with accounts of Copland’s friends and acquaintances, the authors manage to paint an accurate and interesting picture detailing the life of the great composer. When combined, the two books recount Copland’s entire life, dividing it into two periods for the purpose of easier organization and reading.
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“Music is enough for a lifetime, but a lifetime is not enough for music.” These were the words of Sergei Rachmaninoff, a Russian composer and pianist who was very influential in the twentieth century. Sergei’s perception of music was accurate because he understood the impact and significance music can have. Everybody knows what music is and they all have heard a form of it but most people underestimate the value and power music has in our everyday lives. Whether they know it or not music plays a vital role in the lives of people today. Music is a very efficient tool that influences and assists people, it plays a huge part in today’s society, and it had done so much for me as an individual.