Tchaikovsky, Piotr Ilyich
Tchaikovsky, Piotr Ilyich (1840–93),Russian composer. Although Tchaikovsky's works include six symphonies, two piano concertos, a violin concerto, and several operas, none are more highly regarded than his fairy‐tale ballets; his music for Swan Lake (Le Lac des cygnes, 1877), The Sleeping Beauty (La Belle au bois dormant, 1890), and The Nutcracker (Casse noisette, 1892) is considered incomparable of its kind. His father, a government official in the Department of Mines, allowed him piano lessons as a child, but planned a career in the civil service for him. Tchaikovsky spent seven years at the School of Jurisprudence and obtained a clerkship at the Ministry of Justice in 1859. Before long, however, he was attending classes at St Petersburg's new music conservatory, and in 1863 he resigned his unrewarding position to study music full‐time. Although he became...
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