Lecture on Tchaikovsky's Early Life

Introduction

• Discussing the life of Tchaikovsky in a two-part series.
• Focus on early life and career in this part.

Early Life

• Name: Peter Ilitch Tchaikovsky (1840 - 1893)
• Birthplace: Small Russian town
• Parents:
  • Father: Ilya, a military man
  • Mother: Alexandra, German-French, almost 20 years younger than Ilya
• Siblings:
  • Close to sister Alexandra and twins Anatol and Modest
  • More siblings after father's remarriage

Education and Early Music

• Fluent in French and German by age 6
• Sight-read music better than his teacher by age 8
• Parents supportive but didn't see music as a career
• Sent to Imperial School of Jurisprudence, St. Petersburg
• Mother's death in 1854 inspired his first serious music piece, a waltz

Transition to Music

• Worked as a civil servant in 1859, but left for music
• Russian Musical Society founded in 1859; attended concerts and classes
• Enrolled in St. Petersburg Conservatory in 1862
  • Exposure to European music
  • Style: European mix with Russian influence

Early Career

• Early compositions received mixed reactions
• First Symphony rejected by instructors
• Offered job as music theory professor at Moscow Conservatory in 1865
  • Continued composing and writing criticisms

Personal Views on Music

• Liked Beethoven, critical of Brahms
• Described Wagner's music as unlikely nonsense
• Criticized the state of Russian opera

Rise to Fame

• Supported by Hans von Bülow and others
• Late 1800s saw a shift in musical preferences to more depth and introspection
• Famous piece: Romeo and Juliet symphonic poem (1869-1870)

Personal Life

• Significant Women:
  • Desiree Artôt (fiancée)
  • Antonina Miliukova (brief marriage)
  • Nadezhda von Meck (patron)
• Marriage with Antonina was stressful
• Nadezhda von Meck supported Tchaikovsky financially
  • Close friendship, corresponded by letters (1200)
  • Agreed never to meet in person

Travel and Later Years

• Traveled Europe and rural Russia in the 1870s and 1880s
• Saw performances like Bizet's Carmen
• Met famous musicians but not Wagner
• Fame increased during reclusive period

Conclusion

• This is the end of part one; part two will discuss later life and death.