PETER ILICH TCHAIKOVSKY
Peter Ilich Tchaikovsky, a Russian composer, the foremost of the 19th century, was born in Votkinsk, in the western Ural area of the country in the year 1840. Even as a boy, Peter Tchaikovsky was said to be emotional, intense, and complex. From his earliest years, Peter's emotions spanned the gamut from extremely happy to intensely depressed. History recalls that Peter Tchaikovsky was a headstrong, impetuous youth. The complex boy became a complex man.
Brilliantly intellectual, Tchaikovsky at first opted to study law. However, well into his law studies, Tchaikovsky determined that the profession was an ill suited choice for someone of his emotional temperament. Fortunately, Peter Tchaikovsky was also talented musically - gifted, in fact - and he was accepted into the Conservatory of St. Petersburg to study music. Tchaikovsky mastered the fundamentals of composition quickly and began writing original compositions within months of entering the conservatory. It was as if he were driven to write, so many hours did he dedicate to the task. But considering his temperament, it was characteristic of Tchaikovsky - the intensity and the perfectionism. In fact, Tchaikovsky was so intent that his music be his best that if he did not consider a piece perfect, he tore it up.
His teachers at the Conservatory of St. Petersburg included Russian composer and pianist Anton Rubinstein, from whom Tchaikovsky subsequently took advanced instructions in orchestration. In 1866 composer-pianist Nicholas Rubinstein, Anton's brother, obtained for Tchaikovsky the post of teacher of harmony at the Moscow Conservatory. There the young composer met dramatist Aleksandr Nikolayevich Ostrovsky, who wrote the libretto for Tchaikovsky's first opera, The Voyevoda in 1868.
In 1876, a wealthy widow named Nadejda von Meck heard the music written by the young Tchaikovsky. She was so impressed by it that she offered to financially underwrite his composition efforts. Her only stipulation was that they correspond only in writing and that they never meet in person. Tchaikovsky consented, though the stipulation was odd. And despite the boundary the widow von Meck had set, the friendship flourished. For fourteen years, Tchaikovsky poured out his heart in his letters to the widow, telling her his hopes, frustrations, impressions, and even disappointments. And for fourteen years, her financial assistance allowed Tchaikovsky the freedom to compose. With time, however, Tchaikovsky became a brilliant success and he no longer needed his benefactress's assistance. He never regretted the friendship, though odd in nature, as...