Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky Essay

Music has always had an ability to make the listeners feel what the composer felt when they composed the music. But it was not until the Romantic Era that this idea of expression really took off during, after Beethoven paved a new way for composers to express themselves. The rise of programed music like symphonies began to break the Classical traditions of music for entertainment. One of the more prominent figures of the Romantic Era that really expressed himself in his music was Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. Tchaikovsky’s wide and diverse musical repertoire made him into one of the most celebrated composer in history. But when he composed his sixth symphony, he declared it to be “the best thing I ever composed or shall compose.” Then, he suddenly

However, it was not until February and March of 1893 when he finally composed it. By the time of its premiere, it was no longer dedicated to the tsar but rather his nephew, Bob Davïdov. The symphony continued the theme of fate, death and struggle of his sexual orientation but the fourth movement is the perfect example of why this symphony would be considered his suicide note, with its unusual orchestration and how the entire last movement fades to nothing. Out of all of his six symphonies he composed, this symphony was the only one to end in a minor key. Also, this movement is very much non-classical because he decided to put the slow movement as his finale rather than a traditional fast one. It begins with the strings introducing the first theme and expands it before the woodwinds finishes the melody by descending downwards . Then, the strings introduce the contrasting second theme in the relative major key, D major, which builds gradually until it climaxes with three C major chords . It then returns back to B minor now with the first theme returns and like the last time, it begins to trail off until it reaches the tuba solo . It then reaches the climax when the brass reaches the F# dominant chord . But like the melodies before it, it grows weaker and weaker until the second theme comes back in B minor . And once again, it dies to