Lesson summary “How to tell children about P. I. Tchaikovsky?”
Elena Shcherbakova
Lesson summary “How to tell children about P. I. Tchaikovsky?”
Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky
There is a small town in the Urals called Votkinsk. Many years ago a boy was born in this town and they named him Petya. There were many children in the family, Petya was the youngest. Everyone loved him very much because he was kind. It was always joyful and entertaining to be with Petya; he was inexhaustible with inventions, funny stories and fun games. But Petya had one oddity that surprised everyone. Sometimes he would give up the game and go somewhere in the house and listen intently to something. And he listened to the sounds that were heard inside him. And so the music began to captivate Petya more and more. Now he sat down at the piano and selected different melodies and even tried to compose music himself. One day, when his mother left for St. Petersburg, he sat down at the piano and muttered something to himself for a long time, hummed and played the keys, and finally composed a song, which he called “Our Mother Has Left for St. Petersburg.” Petya also loved to read books and even wrote poetry himself. Yet music occupied him most of all. Petya felt that only through her could he tell people about his love for them, for the Motherland, for his native nature. This was little Petya, a hitherto unknown boy, who was later recognized by people on earth. The name of this kind and intelligent man is known to everyone; his name is Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky.
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky had a beloved nephew, Volodya Davydov, nicknamed Bob. P. I. Tchaikovsky dedicated a collection of children's musical plays to him, united by one name - “Children's Album”. Bob was not yet in school, he loved to play and listen to different stories and fairy tales. P.I. Tchaikovsky wrote music in which Bob could recognize his favorite activities, and since he knew how to play the piano, he could perform these pieces.
In this music there are good and evil heroes, there are cheerful and sad moods. In the “Children's Album” you can find fairy tales and games, learn new stories about the doll and much, much more.
P. I. Tchaikovsky “Children’s Album”
"March of the Wooden Soldiers"
Once upon a time there were 25 tin soldiers. They were all born from the same mother, an old tin spoon, which means they are each other’s siblings. They were handsome men - a blue and red uniform, a gun on their shoulder... This is how the fairy tale “About the Steadfast Tin Soldier” by G. H. Andersen began. Bob had wooden soldiers, well, think about it, these were also beautiful, brave, and also knew how to walk. One-two, one-two! The music is cheerful, as if it is happily playing along with them. Their march is not really easy - they are marching - they are small brave wooden soldiers.
"Baba Yaga"
Do you hear how the earth trembles, how the trees rustle and branches break? This is Baba Yaga flying. The nose is hooked, the teeth are sticking out, and the eyes are burning, the wind is whistling in the hair. Where is the old one going, for what purpose?
"Italian song"
P. I. Tchaikovsky loved to travel. He liked the sunny, friendly country, where they sing wonderful songs. This country is Italy and the song he wrote is Italian. It's a beautiful song, because the people singing it are also beautiful. And all people who love to sing and listen to music are beautiful people.
"Polka"
And here is the polka. Everyone dances the polka. A little girl with a big bow and a pigtail and lips pouting with effort flew by. The bunny galloped easily, and a hunter in huge boots hurried after him. But the hare is not afraid of the hunter - after all, this is only a carnival and only on a holiday the hunter and the hare dance together.
"Doll Disease"
The girl Tanya's favorite doll got sick, maybe she caught a cold during the rain? Tanya, like a real mother, worries about the doll, takes care of her, does not sleep when the doll has a fever, rocks her, calms her, and worries.
"New Doll"
They bought the girl a new doll, what joy, what happiness, the doll is beautiful, simply charming. You can take her by the arms and spin around the room merrily.
P. I. Tchaikovsky “Kamarinskaya”
1 lesson. Goal: to arouse children’s interest in the music of P. I. Tchaikovsky, to consolidate the ability to determine the character and genre of a musical work.
Progress: Children, today you will hear a new piece of music: the play “Kamarinskaya” by P. I. Tchaikovsky. Try to figure out for yourself what kind of music this is, what its character and genre is. (Hearing).
Lesson 2. Goal: to determine the composer’s intention: to show a cheerful, vital, folk dance, to teach children to find the grain - intonation in music, to give an idea of the nationality, the main melody of the play.
Progress: Children, listen to the music and try to remember its name and the name of the composer. Determine the character, genre. (Hearing). The music is fun, fast, and you can dance to it. Tchaikovsky depicted dancing in this music. He fell in love with the simple Russian melody. Here she is. (Listening to less than 7 bars). He created a large musical piece based on the melody. Composers often do this, and then a folk melody becomes a great work. And this is called processing. Listen to a Russian folk melody arranged by the composer. (Listening to a play).
Lesson 3. Goal: to teach children to distinguish between tempo and dynamic shades, to develop the ability to consciously and thoughtfully perceive a piece of music.
Procedure: Look at this illustration and listen to a familiar piece. Tell me if this illustration suits the music. (Listening to part 1 of the play). Why do you think so? Let's listen to how the dancer's dance changes. He begins his dance easily, calmly, but gradually diverges, his movements become wider, faster, and the music sounds louder. But then the dancer seems to get tired, the music gradually fades away, and the dancer slowly finishes the dance. (Listening to this play).
Lesson 4. Goal: to teach children to find means of musical expression in a work: to establish connections between variations and the voices of folk instruments. Contribute to the development of musical taste. Use musical instruments: wooden spoons, rattles (each variation has its own instrument).
Progress: (Melody reminder). What is the name of this play? Who composed it? (The entire play is performed). What did the composer do with the melody? He managed to create the image of a dance, various folk musical instruments could be heard: the pipe, the balalaika, the accordion.
Let's play each variation on the instruments.
“He was no longer an official, he was a musician”
Yan Tsionglinsky. Portrait of Pyotr Tchaikovsky (fragment). 1894. Smolensk State Museum-Reserve, Smolensk
Daniil Chashechkin. Portrait of Pyotr Tchaikovsky (fragment). 2015. Private collection
Alexander Khristinenko. Portrait of Pyotr Tchaikovsky (fragment). 1999. Private collection
In 1859, Tchaikovsky graduated from the Imperial School of Law. His certificate showed excellent grades in almost all subjects, and the future composer was hired by the Ministry of Justice. He continued to communicate with his fellow students at the school, among whom were many representatives of high society. Tchaikovsky visited their salons and musical evenings.
In 1861, Ilya Tchaikovsky’s friend Vasily Pisarev invited the future composer to travel with him to Europe as a secretary and translator. This trip was Tchaikovsky’s first, but later he wrote to his sister: “If I have done some colossal stupidity in my life, then this is my trip. Do you remember Pisarev? Until now I had no idea that there were such fabulously vile individuals in the world; Now it’s not difficult for you to understand what it was like for me to spend three months inseparable from such a pleasant companion.” During his travels, the composer visited Germany, France and the UK.
At home, Tchaikovsky returned to work in the Ministry of Justice. He was not promoted in the service, although the composer’s brother Modest Tchaikovsky recalled: “He not only worked hard at Malaya Sadovaya, but brought work home and wrote reports at night.” On the advice of his father, Tchaikovsky combined work and music studies. From September 1861, he attended classes with Anton Rubinstein at the Russian Musical Society (RMS), and in 1862 he became one of the first students at the newly opened St. Petersburg Conservatory. Tchaikovsky had no success in his service at this time. The position of official of special assignments, which the composer was counting on, went to another ministry employee, and in 1863 he quit and concentrated on creativity.
“Now he was no longer an official, he was a musician: his dismissal from a regular position in the Ministry of Justice happened unnoticed - he simply stopped going to the department. By the beginning of the second year, he had fifty rubles a month worth of lessons. His father's financial affairs were getting worse and Tchaikovsky could not hope for his help. Sometimes he had to run on foot from Kolomna to Okhta, his smart frock coats were worn out; some of his former acquaintances on Nevsky stopped recognizing him, perhaps intentionally, but, however, probably sincerely: he grew his hair long and wore a wide-brimmed hat.”
Nina Berberova, Tchaikovsky
Pyotr Tchaikovsky, Thunderstorm Overture
Many relatives did not accept Tchaikovsky's decision. The composer, his father and younger brothers had to move to a cheaper apartment and save on clothes. Tchaikovsky wrote to his sister: “Don’t think that I imagine becoming a great artist, I just want to do what my vocation leads me to; whether I be a famous composer or a poor teacher, my conscience will be calm.” At the conservatory, he was one of the best students: together with another student of the institution, Herman Laroche, he played Mikhail Glinka’s opera “A Life for the Tsar” with four hands, composed his first works - the overture “The Thunderstorm” based on the play by Alexander Ostrovsky, a cantata based on Friedrich Schiller’s ode “To joy", the play "Characteristic Dance".
Laroche wrote to Tchaikovsky: “You are the greatest musical talent of modern Russia. I see in you the greatest, or better yet, the only hope for our musical future.” The composer graduated from the conservatory in 1865 with the highest award - a large silver medal and the title of “free artist”.
Interesting facts from life
Much is known about Tchaikovsky’s life, but not everyone knows about some facts.
- He created not only musical works, but also wrote poems, as well as texts for his operas.
- The music teachers who gave lessons to Tchaikovsky did not see any special talent in him.
- The composer loved listening to Mozart's music.
- Pyotr Ilyich traveled all his life. If he spent a long time in other countries, he missed his homeland. But even in Russia he could not live in one place for long.
- The musician was a bad conductor. Even at school he had the lowest grade in this subject.
- The great composer helped put out a fire in the city of Klin, while other people just stood and watched.
- For several years, Pyotr Ilyich worked as a journalist in a newspaper. He wrote notes and messages for publishing houses, but did not sign his real name.
- In honor of the great composer in 1956, at the request of the residents, the city of Tchaikovsky was named. Previously, it was a small settlement of workers called Saigatka. Gradually it grew into a city. It is located 37 kilometers from the village where the musician was born.
Monument to the composer in the city named after him.
Creativity flourishes
After completing his education, Tchaikovsky moved to Moscow, where he became a teacher at the conservatory. In 1878 he left Russia for Italy, and then to Switzerland. There he created his famous operas “Eugene Onegin” and “Oprichnik”, wrote plays that were included in the collection “Children’s Album”, composed the cycle “The Seasons” and many others. He constantly travels to different countries, where his concerts delight the audience.
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky is a great Russian composer.
Childhood
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky was born in the village of Votkinsk, Vyatka province (Udmurtia) in 1840. He grew up in a large family of an engineer: besides him there were three more children - two brothers and one sister. The boy's parents were fond of music; they knew how to play the flute and piano. So little Tchaikovsky fell in love with the melodic sound of musical instruments from early childhood. At the age of 5, the boy had already mastered the piano, and after another 2 years he played notes. In 1850 the whole family moved to St. Petersburg. In 1854, the mother of the future composer died of cholera. The children were left in the care of their father, who also fell ill but managed to recover.
Painting by artist A. Parkhomenko “Petya Tchaikovsky”.
Travel abroad
In November 1879, Tchaikovsky decided to spend the winter in Italy with Modest and his pupil. Until the end of February 1880, he lived in Rome, where the vivid impressions of his walks and masterpieces seen in numerous art museums and galleries were embodied in one of his most famous plays. In January 1880 he began writing "Capriccio italien" (" Italian capriccio
") for symphony orchestra on themes of Italian dances and songs.
In mid-February 1881, Tchaikovsky visited Vienna, Florence, Rome, Naples and Nice. Having learned about the critical condition of N. G. Rubinstein, who was being treated in Paris, the composer decided to immediately visit him, but did not find his friend, who died on March 11. Tchaikovsky returned to Russia on March 25.
In November 1881, he again left for Italy and spent about four months in Venice, Florence and Rome. From Rome, Tchaikovsky wrote to N. F. von Meck that he had begun work on a new opera, Mazeppa
"
However, he soon interrupted his work and began composing a trio for piano, violin and cello “ In Memory of the Great Artist
,” dedicated to Nikolai Rubinstein.
At the end of December 1882, on his way to Paris, Tchaikovsky stopped in Berlin to listen to Wagner's opera Tristan and Isolde. Tired of the bustle, the composer wrote to Modest: “ I am pleased to be in a city where I am not entirely known. What a pleasure it is to walk without fear of meeting people you know!
"In Paris, he continued to work on the instrumentation of the opera "
Mazeppa
" and returned to Russia in mid-May 1883.
At the beginning of February 1884, the composer arrived in Paris, but already at the end of February he wrote to N.F. von Meck: “ I am beginning to dream of some kind of durable and permanent structure for my own corner. The nomadic life is starting to weigh heavily on me... one way or another, I finally need to live at home
" The departure from Paris was accelerated by an invitation to return to the capital to be presented to the emperor, on the occasion of the Order of St. Vladimir, 4th degree, awarded on February 23, 1884.
In November 1884, Tchaikovsky traveled to Switzerland. From Davos, surrounded by Alpine peaks - the scene of Byron’s poem “Manfred” - he wrote to M. A. Balakirev: “ I read “Manfred” and thought about it a lot, but had not yet begun designing themes and forms. Yes, and I will not rush, but I give you a positive promise that if I remain alive, then no later than summer the symphony will be written
».
At the end of April 1886, Tchaikovsky set sail from Batum to France. In Paris, he met with the singer Pauline Viardot, who showed the composer the original score of the “opera Don Giovanni” that she kept, written in Mozart’s hand.
In the summer of 1887, Tchaikovsky, who was being treated in the Caucasus, went through Odessa to Dresden and Aachen to visit his close friend, N. D. Kondratiev, who was dying there. In Aachen, the composer continued to work and completed the suite “ Mozartiana”
».
On December 14, 1887, Tchaikovsky conducted the premiere of Mozartiana
", and the next day he went on his first overseas tour.
On December 28, 1887, he wrote to N.F. von Meck: “ On the road and in Berlin, where I stayed for two days, I was overcome by such an insane longing for my homeland, such fear and despair that I hesitated whether to return
.”
During the three winter months, he visited Leipzig, Hamburg, Berlin, Prague, Paris, and London, conducting concerts of his works. The tours strengthened his fame in Europe. the First Suite
was performed on December 24, 1887
In Memory of the Great Artist
” and
the First Quartet
the next day , Tchaikovsky met Edvard Grieg and Johannes Brahms.
In Prague, where he also performed triumphantly twice: in the Rudolfinum concert hall the overture “ Ruslan and Lyudmila
”,
the First Concerto
for Piano and Orchestra,
the Concerto for Violin
and Orchestra were performed, and in the Opera House -
a string serenade
, themes and variations from
the Third suites
, the "
1812
" overture and the second act from "
Swan Lake
", Tchaikovsky became friends with Antonin Dvořák. In Paris, the composer twice conducted the Colonna Orchestra at the Châtelet, overcoming the previous prejudice of the French public against him. Tchaikovsky met composers I. Paderewski, C. Gounod, L. Delibes, J. Massenet. On March 10, 1888, “Serenade for String Orchestra” and the finale of the Third Suite were performed in London under his baton.
In November-December 1888, Tchaikovsky conducted the premiere of Eugene Onegin
"at the National Theater (the first production of the opera abroad) and a concert in which
the Fifth Symphony
and
the Second Concerto
for Piano and Orchestra were performed.
In January-April 1889, a second concert trip abroad took place. He performed in Cologne, Frankfurt, Dresden, Berlin, Geneva, Hamburg, and London.
From mid-January 1890, Tchaikovsky spent three months in Italy - in Florence and Rome. In Florence, he worked for a month and a half on “ The Queen of Spades”
"
On March 3, he wrote in his diary: “ After tea I finished the introduction.
I finished everything before lunch .”
On March 24, 1891, before starting a tour in the United States, Tchaikovsky successfully performed in Paris with the Colonna Orchestra, which performed the Third Suite
, symphonic fantasy “
The Tempest
”, “
Melancholic Serenade for Violin and Orchestra
”, “
Slavic March
” and
the Second Concerto
for Piano and Orchestra.
On April 6, the composer sailed from Le Havre to New York. The first concert took place on April 23 in New York in honor of the opening of the Carnegie Hall concert hall. At concerts in Baltimore and Philadelphia, he performed the same program - Serenade for string orchestra
and
First Concerto
.
Despite the fact that the concerts were received with enthusiasm, upon his return on June 3, 1891, he wrote to M. M. Ippolitov-Ivanov: “... while there, I was terribly homesick for Russia all the time and longed with all my soul to go home
.”
On January 5, 1892, Tchaikovsky came to Hamburg to conduct the premiere of Eugene Onegin
“, but due to changes in the recitatives associated with the performance of the opera in German, it seemed to him that the only rehearsal provided was not enough and he refused the advertised participation in the performance. On January 7, Gustav Mahler was at the conductor's stand.
In June 1892, the composer, who was on vacation in France, was invited to Vienna to conduct a concert at an international musical and theatrical exhibition, but after the second rehearsal he left for Itter (Tirol), and from there in September for the first performance of “ The Queen of Spades”
" in Prague.
In mid-December 1892, Tchaikovsky traveled through Germany, Switzerland and Paris to Brussels, where on January 2, 1893 he conducted a concert, the program of which included the Third Suite
for orchestra,
First Concerto
for piano and orchestra, suite from the ballet “
The Nutcracker
” and other works.
In May 1893, Tchaikovsky was awarded an honorary doctorate by the University of Cambridge in England. According to tradition, those nominated for honorary Doctors of Music performed their works - the composer conducted the symphonic poem Francesca da Rimini in Cambridge.
At the beginning of September 1893, Tchaikovsky, at the invitation of his entrepreneur Pollini, came to Hamburg for a few days to participate in the revival of Iolanta
"and for negotiations on the production of "
The Queen of Spades
".
The 1893/94 season promised to be busy - in addition to the planned concerts in Russia, Tchaikovsky was invited to Amsterdam, Warsaw, Helsingfors, London, Frankfurt am Main and other cities.
Death and rumors of suicide
Back in 1891, while in the USA and admiring the attention and admiration of the public “there” for him, Tchaikovsky noted in his diary “some kind of old man’s slackness” and unusual fatigue. Even the local press calls him a man of “about sixty,” and he has to justify himself to the public, reminding him of his real age. He noted the same unusual fatigue the following year.
On the evening of October 20 (November 1), 1893, a completely healthy Tchaikovsky visited Leiner’s elite St. Petersburg restaurant on the corner of Nevsky Prospect and Moika embankment, where he stayed until approximately two in the morning. During one of the orders, he demanded to bring him cold water. Despite the unfavorable epidemiological situation in the city due to cholera, Tchaikovsky was served unboiled water, which he drank. On the morning of October 21 (November 2), the composer felt ill and called a doctor, who diagnosed cholera. The disease was severe, and Tchaikovsky died at 3 o’clock in the morning on October 25 (November 6) from cholera “unexpectedly and untimely” in the apartment of his brother Modest, at number 13 on Malaya Morskaya Street. The funeral arrangements, with the Emperor's highest permission, were entrusted to the directorate of the Imperial Theaters, which was “a unique and quite exceptional example.”
The removal of the body and burial took place on October 28 (November 9); Emperor Alexander III ordered all funeral expenses to be covered “from His Majesty’s Own sums.” The funeral service in the Kazan Cathedral was performed by Bishop Nikandr (Molchanov) of Narva; the choir of singers of the Kazan Cathedral and the choir of the Imperial Russian Opera sang; “the walls of the cathedral could not accommodate everyone who wanted to pray for the repose of the soul of Pyotr Ilyich.” Two members of the imperial family took part in the funeral: Prince Alexander of Oldenburg (trustee of the School of Law) and Grand Duke Konstantin Konstantinovich. He was buried in the Alexander Nevsky Lavra in the Necropolis of Masters of Arts.
After Tchaikovsky's death, rumors arose about his "hidden suicide", supposedly in fear of persecution for homosexuality. N. N. Berberova notes the spread of these rumors in emigration, and believes that they were spread by the descendants of N. A. Rimsky-Korsakov. She also cites the opinion of V.N. Argutinsky-Dolgoruky, who was present at the death of Tchaikovsky, who attributes this rumor to the revenge of the Purgold girls (that is, N.N. Rimskaya-Korsakova and her sister singer A.N. Molas) for the failure of their plans to marry Tchaikovsky. In the 1980s, the legend was supported by the publications of Soviet musicologist A. A. Orlova, who emigrated to the United States, citing information heard from people of the older generation. According to legend, Tchaikovsky allegedly drank arsenic (the symptoms of poisoning of which are similar to cholera) according to the verdict of the “court of honor” of his classmates at the School of Law, who were outraged by his harassment of the young nephew of Count Stenbock-Fermor, who was close to the tsar, which provoked a complaint to the tsar, and demanded that he him to commit suicide in the name of the honor of the School in order to avoid a public scandal and criminal punishment. This legend was specially analyzed and refuted by Yale University employee Alexander Poznansky. He refutes the legend both with the well-known chronology of Tchaikovsky’s last days, and with the considerations that homosexuality in the Russian elite was looked at extremely condescendingly (especially since some members of the imperial family were homosexuals), and the School of Law, whose graduates were allegedly outraged by Tchaikovsky’s homosexuality , was widely known for its homosexual mores.
N. N. Berberova believes that the plot of the legend, according to which the scandal broke out because of Tchaikovsky’s acquaintance on a ship with the 13-year-old nephew of Count Stenbock-Fermor, reproduces the story of Tchaikovsky’s friendship (precisely on the ship) with 14-year-old Volodya Sklifosovsky, which really caused a stir. (son of a famous surgeon) in April 1889.
Education
Tchaikovsky received his initial education at home. Then Peter studied at a boarding school for two years, after which he studied at the St. Petersburg Law School. Tchaikovsky's creativity during this period was manifested in optional music classes. The death of his mother in 1862 greatly affected the vulnerable child. After graduating from college in 1859, Peter began serving in the Department of Justice.
In his free time, he often visited the opera house; he was especially impressed by the productions of operas by Mozart and Glinka.
Having shown a penchant for composing music, Tchaikovsky became a student at the St. Petersburg Conservatory. Further studies in the life of Pyotr Ilyich with the excellent teachers N. Zaremba and A. Rubinstein greatly helped in the formation of a musical personality. After graduating from the conservatory, composer Tchaikovsky was invited by Nikolai Rubinstein (the teacher’s brother) to the Moscow Conservatory as a professor.
Teacher and music critic
Alexander Lopukhov. Portrait of Pyotr Tchaikovsky (fragment). 1981. Private collection
Anatoly Tumbasov. Portrait of Pyotr Tchaikovsky (fragment). 1950. Private collection
Grigory Svetlitsky. Portrait of Pyotr Tchaikovsky (fragment). 1938-1945. Memorial House-Museum of Grigory Svetlitsky, Kyiv, Ukraine
In early 1866, at the invitation of Nikolai Rubinstein, brother of composer Anton Rubinstein, Tchaikovsky moved from St. Petersburg to Moscow to teach at the newly created music courses, which were soon transformed into the Moscow Conservatory. He had about ninety students annually.
Tchaikovsky was a demanding teacher and gave them a lot of tasks. Professor of the Moscow Conservatory Nikolai Kashkin recalled: “Impeccable integrity, intelligence and knowledge of the matter involuntarily forced him to be a good teacher, especially for the more talented students, he tried by all means to encourage hard, persistent work.”
Pyotr Tchaikovsky, First Symphony (“Winter Dreams”), part I “Dreams on a Winter Road”
Pyotr Tchaikovsky, First Symphony (“Winter Dreams”), part II “Gloomy Land, Foggy Land”
Pyotr Tchaikovsky, First Symphony (Winter Dreams), movement III
Pyotr Tchaikovsky, First Symphony (“Winter Dreams”), movement IV, finale
At the same time, Tchaikovsky was engaged in creativity: he composed the first symphony “Winter Dreams”. He played it in St. Petersburg at a concert of the Russian Musical Society in Moscow in early 1868. The public greeted the symphony with approval, although the composer's teacher Anton Rubinstein criticized it.
Soon, at the Aristocratic Club, Tchaikovsky met and became friends with playwright Alexander Ostrovsky. While still studying at the conservatory, the composer wrote an overture based on his play “The Thunderstorm”. Now he wanted to create an opera based on the same work, and he needed a libretto. Ostrovsky refused: Vladimir Kashperov was already working on an opera based on The Thunderstorm.
However, the playwright suggested that Tchaikovsky write music based on another work - the comedy “The Voevoda, or a Dream on the Volga.” Ostrovsky himself wrote the libretto for this opera. The premiere of “The Voyevoda” took place at the Bolshoi Theater in 1869. The opera was well received by the public, and critics wrote that the music and the libretto were poorly combined. The composer destroyed almost the entire score of the opera.
Pyotr Tchaikovsky, Romeo and Juliet Overture
During these same years, Tchaikovsky met the critic Vladimir Stasov and members of the “Mighty Handful” association. On the advice of Mily Balakirev, he began to write program music - instrumental works without words. For the new overture, the composer took the plot of William Shakespeare's tragedy Romeo and Juliet. Tchaikovsky finished it quickly - in two months. The composer first performed “Romeo and Juliet” in 1870 at the next concert of the Russian Musical Society.
“There is no doubt that the music was created with extraordinary inspiration and enthusiasm. In the overture, for the first time, the main themes of Tchaikovsky’s future work sounded: the psychological drama of unfulfilled love and the unsatisfied youthful passion in contact with the absorbing theme of death.”
Alexander Poznansky, “Tchaikovsky” (book from the “Life of Remarkable People” series)
Pyotr Tchaikovsky, play "Humoresque"
Pyotr Tchaikovsky, play "Nocturne"
In 1871, Tchaikovsky again visited abroad. The composer was invited on the journey by his student from the Moscow Conservatory, Vladimir Shilovsky. They visited Germany and Italy, where Tchaikovsky wrote two plays - Humoresque and Nocturne. The composer dedicated them to Shilovsky.
At this time, Tchaikovsky was experiencing financial problems. To earn money, he began writing for the newspapers “Russian Vedomosti” and “Modern Chronicle”. The composer's articles on musical works were popular and controversial. The composer worked in newspapers until 1875.
Personal life: “I can’t live without you”
Pyotr Tchaikovsky. Photo: gq.ru
Pyotr Tchaikovsky with his brothers. Photo: gq.ru
Pyotr Tchaikovsky with his wife Antonina Milyukova. 1877. State Memorial Musical Museum-Reserve P.I. Tchaikovsky, Klin, Moscow region
In 1868, Pyotr Tchaikovsky met the French opera singer Desiree Artaud, who came on tour to Russia that year. For her, the composer composed several romances and a piece for piano. He wrote to Brother Modest: “Ah! Modinka, if only you knew what a singer and actress Artaud is! Never before have I been under such a strong charm of an artist as this time. How you would admire her gestures and the grace of her movements and poses!” Tchaikovsky wanted to marry Artaud, but her parents opposed the wedding. The composer and singer broke up and no longer communicated.
Tchaikovsky's only wife was Antonina Milyukova, a student at the Moscow Conservatory. They met in 1872 at one of the musical evenings. Milyukova sent Tchaikovsky letters with declarations of love.
“Will you really stop corresponding with me without even seeing me once? No, I’m sure that you won’t be so cruel!.. I’ll be ready to throw myself on your neck and kiss you, but what right do I have to do that? You may take this as impudence on my part... I cannot live without you, and therefore I may soon commit suicide. So let me look at you and kiss you so that in the next world I will remember this kiss. Goodbye. Yours forever A.M.”
Antonina Milyukova, from letters to Pyotr Tchaikovsky
Tchaikovsky and Milyukova married in 1877. The news of the wedding delighted the composer’s father: “I crossed myself and even jumped for joy. God bless! God bless you!!!" However, the composer and singer soon broke up. They never finalized the divorce, but they stopped living together.
