Tchaikovsky

Intro

You may know the beloved tradition of the Nutcracker all too well. Or, you may have just heard the simple bells of the Sugar Plum Fairy dance while in the grocery store. There are also the heart-wrenching stories of the Swan, her prince, and the sorcerer in Swan Lake. The one thing these seemingly different stories have in common are one man, Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky.

Life Timeline

Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky was born in the Russian Empire in 1840. His father was an engineer, and served as a lieutennant colonel in the Department of Mines. His mother awas the ssecond of his father’s three wives. They were both trained in the arts, including music. He had four brothers, one sister, and one half-sister from his father’s first wife. In 1843, they hired a French governess to look after the children. At the age of five, Tchaikovsky started taking piano lessongs. His family was supportive, and encouraged his study of the piano. In 1850 they sent him to the Imperial School of Jurisprudence in Saint Petersburg.

Tchaikovsky’s separation from his family caused emotional trauma. His mother’s death in 1854 from cholera further devastated him. The loss of her prompted his first serious attempt at composing. Tchaikovsky’s father sent him back to boarding school, in hopes that it would occupy his mind. He used music to compensate for his lsso. He made lifelong freindships, and regularly attended the opera. In 1855, his father funded private lessons, and the teacher said he did not see any composing or performing future ahead of Tchaikovsky. In 1859, he graduated, and was appointed to the Ministry of Justice. He attended classes at the Mikhailovsky Palace. He enrolled in the Saint Petersburg Conservatory in 1862 when it open...

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...plays at all of their performances(minus, of course, the ones that use soundtracks purposefully). I have noticed that it adds a different quality to the performance. It makes it more like live theatre. Let’s say you are watching a performance with pre-recorded music. What happens if a speaker goes out? It just looks tacky.

Another thing that is so special about the Nutcracker is the familiarity of the music. Anywhere you go, people can identify the music. It is kind of like a universal language. I also love how the music corresponds to the dancing so well. Like in the Russian dance. The music is so powerful, and the dancing is usually male dancers doing powerful jumps and turns. Then, the whole mood of the music changes when it comes time for the beautiful Sugar Plum Fairy. It livens up, and gives dainty bells only suitable for someone as regal as her.