Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky - biography.

Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky - biography. Russian composer Birth May 7, 1840 Death November 6, 1893 Place of Votkinsk, Udmurtia, Russia Birth Milestones 1866-1878 Taught harmony at the Moscow Conservatory 1868 Symphony No. 1 ('Winter Daydreams') was first performed 1869 Composed the fantasy overture Romeo and Juliet, which he revised in 1870 and 1880 1873 Symphony No. 2 ('Little Russian') was first performed 1875 Symphony No. 3 was first performed 1875 Composed the Piano Concerto No. 1 1876 Composed the Variations on a Rococo Theme for Cello and Orchestra 1876 Completed the ballet Swan Lake 1877? Began correspondence with a wealthy widow named Nadezhda von Meck, who supported him financially for the next 14 years 1879 Composed the opera The Maid of Orleans 1879 The opera Eugene Onegin was first performed 1885 The symphony Manfred was first performed 1887, 1889, 1891 Undertook conducting tours in Europe and the United States 1888 Composed the fantasy overture Hamlet 1889 Completed the ballet Sleeping Beauty 1890 Composed the opera The Queen of Spades 1892 Completed the ballet The Nutcracker 1892 Was nominated for an honorary degree in music by the University of Cambridge 1892 The opera Iolanthe was first performed 1893 Symphony No. 6 (Pathétique) was first performed Did You Tchaikovsky and von Meck conducted their relationship solely through letters during the 14 years she was his patron. Know Tchaikovsky's marriage in 1877 was an immediate failure, and shortly after he wed he made arrangements never to see his wife again. The cause of Tchaikovksy's death is still uncertain: Some authorities believe his death was accidental, but others hold that he deliberately took arsenic or drank cholera-infected water. Tchaikovsky's brother Modest was a playwright and librettist who wrote a biography of Tchaikovsky. Microsoft ® Encarta ® 2009. © 1993-2008 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.