Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky was born in Kamsko-Votkinsk, a small industrial town in the Republic of Udmurtia, Russia, on May 7, 1840, the second eldest of six children. He was the son of Ilya Petrovitch Tchaikovsky, a manager of ironworks in the Ural Mountains, and Aleksandra Andreevna d'Assier, a Russian woman of French ancestry. Developing a clear interest in music at a young age, Tchaikovsky began taking piano lessons where he became familiar with the works of Frédéric Chopin and Friedrich Kalkbrenner. Unfortunately, music had not yet been incorporated into Russian education so his parents never considered the possibility of music as a career for their son. Encouraged to study law instead, at the age of 19, Tchaikovsky completed his legal studies and began work as a petty clerk in the Ministry of Justice where he remained for four years. In 1862, Peter left his job to focus on his true passion, music, at the newly founded Saint Petersburg Conservatory where he studied under Anton Rubenstein and Nikolai Zaremba. Shortly thereafter, in September 1866, Tchaikovsky accepted a teaching job at the new Moscow Conservatory as a teacher of theory. During his 11 years there, and until his retirement at the age of 37, he composed his Concerto no.1, the ballet Swan Lake, four operas, three symphonies, and a collection of some of his smaller works. Although excluded from the “Russian five” because they believed him to be too cosmopolitan, and
Howland 2 too influenced by other nations, he still remained very close to the group, especially with Mily Balakirev and Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov. Many critics often considered Tchaikovsky “the sixth member of their circle.” Antonina Miliukova became his wife on July 18, 1877, shortly after he had made up his mind that he would “marry whoever will have me.” His marriage, however, turned out to be a mistake for the composer as he tried to commit suicide by drowning himself in the freezing Moscow River. This unsuccessful attempt prompted Tchaikovsky to escape to St. Petersburg with the intentions of never returning to his wife. They remained legally married until his death. Later evidence of homosexuality appeared in letters and diaries, as well as letters from his brother who was also a homosexual. Nadezhda von Meck, a wealthy widow with whom he communicated only through letters and insisted that they never meet, had a profound impact on Tchaikovsky’s life and career as a composer. During their 13 year relationship (1877-1890), Tchaikovsky achieved musical success throughout Europe and the United States where he was the conductor of the official opening of Carnegie Hall on May 5, 1891. Tchaikovsky’s death on November 2, 1893, continues to bewilder researchers as to the cause. They have concluded his death to be the result of cholera; however, various theories have arisen that his death was a suicide. The Nutcracker, based on a tale by E.T.A. Hoffman known as “The Nutcracker and the King of Mice,” was frustrating for the composer and Tchaikovsky believed it to be one of his less successful pieces. Modern performances of the Nutcracker differ slightly from the original story, however the main theme of a German girl dreaming of a nutcracker prince doomed to fight the evil mouse king, will forever remain the same.
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Choreography for the Nutcracker ballet, envisioned by Marius Petipa in 1891, was actually based on a revision written by well-known french author Alexander Dumas. His version of the Nutcracker, set to music by Peter Ilich Tchaikovsky, is what many people have come to enjoy today. Despite Tchaikovsky’s dislike for Hoffman’s story, he began writing the compositions for the ballet in 1892 before leaving for his U.S. tour. Cossaks, a group of Slavic people living in southern Russia and known for their horsemanship and military skills, created the Trepak or “Russian Dance” in which Tchaikovsky got his inspiration. The “Russian Dance” is one of numerous ethnic dances in the Nutcracker and is also one of the most recognized pieces of music in the ballet along with “Dance of the Sugarplum Fairy” and “Waltz of the Flowers.” In “Russian Dance,” Tchaikovsky incorporated the entire symphony highlighting the range of the four key instrumental groups: strings, brass, percussion, and woodwind. This piece, performed in duple meter at a pace described as vivace, contains a tempo that increases in speed as well as heightens in sound as the dance progresses. “Russian Dance” has a very prominent melody that many can follow throughout the song. Its consonant chords and homophonic texture combined with all the other elements of this piece, enabled me to listen to it on the contextual level because I will forever remember waking up on Christmas morning practically falling down the stairs in extreme excitement. On the afternoon of Sunday, December 10, 2006, at 2:00 p.m. my friends and I attended Ballet Pacifica’s rendition of The Nutcracker at Cheng Hall in the Irvine Barclay Theatre. This timeless Christmas story, with music composed by Peter Ilyich
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Tchaikovsky, was performed in order to entertain and showcase the performers hardwork and artistic talents. Before attending the performance I researched and listened to the musical score, the “Russian Dance.” Expecting to hear something similar to the recording, I was pleasantly surprised when I found myself differentiating between the four musical groups and the instrumentation of each. To my knowledge, there were only a few subtle differences in the music performed on stage versus the recordings heard earlier; however, the elements of the “Russian Dance” remained the same. Performed in duple meter with a homophonic texture, the prominent melody of the “Russian Dance” allowed me to follow along with the music and note how the different dance steps coincided with the vivace tempo. The consonant chords evoked stability throughout the performance and once again allowed me to listen to the composition on a contextual level, remembering all of the fond memories I have of Christmas and the anticipation of opening my presents. All of the music composed for the Nutcracker Ballet is beautiful; however, one piece I am particualrly fond of is “Dance of the Flutes.” The bright, joyful and high pitch sounds of the flute, crashing sounds of the cymbals as well as the steadiness to be followed by drama evoked by the violin, allow the performers to follow the music and match their movements to the beat. The moderate tempo and homophonic texture allow for me to listen to it on a sensory level with its soothing rhythm and prominent melody. Also performed in duple meter with consonant chords, “Dance of the Flutes” combines all the elements of ballet: dance, mime, acting, and music, which makes the graceful,
Howland 5 precise movements of the dancers flow with the beauty of the music. Being a former dancer I often found myself critiquing the technique of the performers while at the same time incorporating my knowledge of music which gave me a heightened level of awareness for the ballet. The Nutcracker will continue to be a timeless Christmas classic seen by millions of people around the world each year. The performance put on by Ballet Pacifica was outstanding and definitely a concert that I would enjoy seeing again. Tchaikovsky’s music put to movement evokes feelings of sentimentality, tradition, and holiday anticipation which will live on for many years to come.