Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky

Life and music

Tchaikovsky trained for legal service before pursuing music studies. At the Saint Petersburg Conservatory he studied with Anton Rubinstein and Nikolay Zaremba. He later taught theory and harmony at the Moscow Conservatory and wrote a harmony textbook. His music extends across piano pieces, songs, chamber music, symphonies, concertos, operas and ballets. Conservatory musicians helped bring his works to audiences.

Compare Old French Song, January from The Seasons and the larger Dumka. Ask how a melody keeps its direction while the accompaniment changes. Titles can open an imaginative door, but do not prove that a particular scene happened in the composer’s life. January is one part of a larger collection.

Sources

• en.tchaikovsky-research.net/The_Seasons
• en.tchaikovsky-research.net/Chronology
• mosconsv.ru

Where to start

1. 1Old French SongLevel 3, estimatedWith Maestro
2. 2The Seasons: JanuaryLevel 6, estimatedWith Maestro
3. 3DoumkaLevel 9, estimatedWith Maestro

More pieces in the Music Room

Small scenes, big imagination

• The Seasons: FebruaryLevel 7, estimatedWith Maestro
• The Seasons: AugustLevel 7, estimatedWith Maestro
• October (Autumn Song), The Seasons, Op. 37a No. 10Level 6, estimatedWith Maestro
• December-Christmas Opus 37 No. 12Level 7, estimatedWith Maestro
• Morning PrayerLevel 3, estimatedWith Maestro

At the dance floor

• Waltz, Children's Album, Op. 39 No. 8Level 4, estimatedWith Maestro

More pieces

• The Seasons Op. 37a March Song of the larkLevel 5, estimatedWith Maestro
• March of the Wooden SoldiersLevel 3, estimatedOpen to everyone
• Symphony No. 5, Op. 64: III, piano arrangementLevel 7, estimatedWith Maestro
• Symphony No. 6, Op. 74: IV, piano arrangementLevel 8, estimatedWith Maestro