Peter IIyich Tchaikovsky: Music Analysis

Peter IIyich Tchaikovsky was a prominent Russian composer during the Romantic period. Romanticism was a “cultural movement that stressed emotion, imagination, and individuality” (208). Tchaikovsky was born on May 7, 1840 in Vyatka, Russia. To honor his parent’s wishes, Tchaikovsky held a position as a “bureau clerk post with the Ministry of Justice.” (Greenberg). His love for music began to flourish. Once he graduated from the “St. Petersburg Conservatory, he became professor of harmony at the new Moscow Conservatory” (248). During that time, he had written an opera, tone poem, and “his first great orchestral work, Romeo and Juliet” (248). Tchaikovsly’s music style was influenced by French, Italian, and German music as well as Russian folksong”

Compared to music during the Classical Period, which had strict laws when it came to balance, music in the Romantic Period allows more freedom and is more expressive. The original composition utilized instruments from the woodwinds, brass, and strings group. Those instruments included the flute, bass clarinet, oboe, bassoon, horn, and the introduction of the celeste. The celeste was similar to the piano, but it created bell like sounds. The tone color of the piece creates a warm soothing feeling, similar to something you would hear in a lullaby. Also, the piece is played using chromatic melody lines. During the opening of the song, the strings are plucked gently, and then the other instruments join in. I think the instrument that joins after the strings plucking is the celeste. There were many crescendos and decrescendos heard throughout. At the beginning it was soft and gradually became louder, then softer, loud again, and then softly to the end. In addition, the piece is played in ternary form

His interest in music began at a young age, and by the time he was in high school, Zietler had built his own harpsichord and “attended the California Institute of Arts” (). There, he earned a degree in harpsichord, and become a professional musician since. As one of the “few professional players in the world” on the glass harmonica, Zietler performed many times internationally, including the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC on November of 2011(). Interestingly, his pieces have been featured in movies such as Taking Chance, Big Hero 6, and Beautiful