Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky Accomplishments

One of the greatest Romantic composers, Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, was born in the Russian village of Votkinsk on May 7, 1840. Tchaikovsky showed off his remarkable musical ability from an early age, which his mother Alexandra had fostered. She began teaching him the piano when she realized he had talent, which helped pave the way for his future as a composer. Despite having a passion for music his entire life, Tchaikovsky faced a number of obstacles. Ilya Tchaikovsky, his stern and distant father, severely disrupted his family's way of life. Tchaikovsky's mother died when he was only 14 years old, yet his love of music helped him go above these obstacles in his music career. Every composer draws inspiration from other composers or is impacted

The ballet tells the story of Princess Odette, who is cursed to become a swan by day and can only be saved by true love. Tchaikovsky, who at the time, wasn’t very familiar with making compositions for ballets, drew inspiration from many composers, especially Adolphe Adam and his use of leitmotifs in Giselle. While drawing inspiration from many other composers, Tchaikovsky also used a past work, The Voyevoda, to help create the score. “Tchaikovsky also utilized his own compositions while scoring for “Swan Lake,” using material from his opera titled “The Voyevoda.” The “Love Duet” and “Valse des fiancées” in the second and third scenes of the ballet respectively were fashioned from his own aria in the opera. Also, another theme from the opera was used in the fourth scene” (Galaxy Music Notes). Although the play itself didn’t start strong during Tchaikovsky’s life, it would later on become one of the most famous ballets after his death. Luckily for him, the other two ballets that he composed would both be popular during his lifetime. The Nutcracker and The Sleeping Beauty were both plays that were successful with the help of his compositions. In addition to his ballets and symphonies, Tchaikovsky composed the 1812 Overture, in 1880. The overture, which commemorates Russia's victory over Napoleon's army in 1812, is a grand and stirring work, featuring unique

Borodino proved a turning point for the Russian defenders and at this point in the score, cannon shots can be heard drowning out strains of La Marseillaise” (Age of Revolution). Its impact has been long-lasting as it’s now become synonymous with the United States’ Independence Day as well as present in many pop cultural references, with a personal favorite being its appearance in the first scene of Damien Chazelle’s 2016 film, La La Land. Tchaikovsky's Symphony No. 6 in B minor, Op. 78. 74, Pathétique composed in 1893, is considered one of his greatest works and was the last symphony that he would end up making. Tchaikovsky would conduct his first performance in Saint Petersburg and just nine days later, he’d passed away.