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Portrait of Peter Tchaikovsky

Composer

Peter Tchaikovsky

Russian composer (1840–1893)

1840–1893

7 musical collections

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Born
1840
Died
1893
Birthplace
Votkinsk
Place of death
Malaya Morskaya Street, 13
Citizenship / historical state
Russian Empire
Period (estimated from birth year)
Romantic

Biography

Tchaikovsky wrote the most recognisable orchestral music of the nineteenth century and a great deal of piano and vocal music that almost nobody plays, and the catalogue reflects both — thousands of entries, most of them arrangements of the famous works for every conceivable combination.

The genuine piano repertoire worth knowing is The Seasons, twelve character pieces of moderate difficulty that are among the best intermediate Romantic writing there is, and the Album for the Young, which is exactly what it says. The First Piano Concerto is advanced and the arrangements of it are legion; check what you are buying, because "Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto" covers everything from the full two-piano score to an eight-bar simplification.

For the ballets, the same caution applies twice over. Swan Lake, The Nutcracker and The Sleeping Beauty exist as full scores, piano reductions, suites, and hundreds of arrangements at every grade. The listing rarely tells you which, so look at the page count.

Life and musical career

Occupations
composer; librettist; conductor; choreographer; music educator; pianist; autobiographer; music critic; diarist; translator; university teacher
Education
Saint Petersburg Conservatory; Imperial School of Jurisprudence
Teachers
Nikolai Zaremba; Anton Rubinstein
Career institutions / employers
Moscow Conservatory; University of Washington
Instruments played
piano
Genres
symphony; opera; ballet; classical music; Romantic music
Notable works
Swan Lake; The Nutcracker; The Sleeping Beauty; Symphony No. 6; Piano Concerto No. 1; 1812 Overture; Violin Concerto; Eugene Onegin; The Queen of Spades
Awards
Order of St. Vladimir, 4th class
Native languages
Russian
Languages used
Russian; French; German
VIAF ID
99258155
ISNI
0000000121449518
GND ID
118638157
Library of Congress ID
n79072979
MusicBrainz ID
9ddd7abc-9e1b-471d-8031-583bc6bc8be9

Recorded in Wikidata. Affiliations may refer to earlier stages of the composer's career.

In this catalogue

Common listed instruments
Piano, violin, Flute, Orchestra, Cello
Genres represented
Classical, Christmas, pop, Jazz, Pop
Source entries with composition dates
44

These details describe the indexed sheet music, including arrangements.

Catalogue

Musical collections

Instruments describe listed editions, including arrangements. Composition dates and keys appear where recorded; collection pages show their individual contents.

Works and musical collections with sheet music details
Title Work details Listed instruments Sheet music
Musical collection
Songs, Op. 40 2 numbered pieces
Catalogue / opus
Op. 40
Check individual editions View collection Contents & editions
Musical collection
Waltzes, Op. 39 2 numbered pieces
Catalogue / opus
Op. 39
Check individual editions View collection Contents & editions
Musical collection
Mazurkas, Op. 39 2 numbered pieces
Catalogue / opus
Op. 39
Check individual editions View collection Contents & editions
Musical collection
Waltzes, Op. 40 2 numbered pieces
Catalogue / opus
Op. 40
Check individual editions View collection Contents & editions
Musical collection
Waltzes, Op. 51 2 numbered pieces
Catalogue / opus
Op. 51
Check individual editions View collection Contents & editions
Musical collection
Songs, Op. 37b 3 numbered pieces
Catalogue / opus
Op. 37b
Check individual editions View collection Contents & editions
Musical collection
Songs, Op. 39 9 numbered pieces
Catalogue / opus
Op. 39
Check individual editions View collection Contents & editions

Biographical record: Wikidata, matched on name and checked against dates held in the catalogue. The period label is an estimate from birth year. The biography above is our own. Authority record: VIAF 99258155. Portrait: Nikolai Kuznetsov, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.