Tchaikovsky
Tchaikovsky

Author: Roland John Wiley

Publisher: OUP USA

Published: 2009-09-10

Total Pages: 585

ISBN-13: 0195368924

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

A giant in the pantheon of 19th century composers, Tchaikovsky continues to enthrall audiences today. From the Nutcracker--arguably the most popular ballet currently on the boards--Swan Lake, and Sleeping Beauty, to Eugene Onegin and Pique Dame, to the Symphony Pathetique and the always rousing, canon-blasting 1812 Overture--this prolific and beloved composer's works are perennial favorites. Now, John Wiley, a renowned Tchaikovsky scholar, provides a fresh biography aimed in classic Master Musicians style at the student and music lover. Wiley deftly draws on documents from imperial, Soviet, and post-Soviet era sources, providing a more balanced look at recent controversies surrounding the marriage, death, and sexuality of the composer. The author dovetails the biographical material with separate chapters that treat the music thoroughly and fully, work-by-work, with more substantial explorations of Tchaikovsky's most familiar compositions. These analyses present new, even iconoclastic perspectives on the music and the composer's intent and expression. Several informative appendices, in the Master Musicians format, include an exhaustive list of works and bibliography.

Pyotr
Pyotr

Author: Steve Moretti

Publisher:

Published: 2022-06-25

Total Pages: 194

ISBN-13:

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

Living a lie could crush one's spirit forever. But admitting the truth could be even worse. Bestowed with a rare musical gift, but burdened by demons of self-doubt and passions forbidden in 19th century Russia, Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky struggled to release the music inside his head. And equally, to find romantic fulfillment that always remained just beyond his reach. He was deeply affected by the women in his life - those he loved, those he despised, and those whose affection he longed so badly to hold. Yet, aside from music, his truest passion was reserved only for men. Tchaikovsky refused to abide by the rules of the musical establishment of his time. Assailed by critics as being 'neither Russian nor German, ' he endured scathing criticism which he often took to heart, destroying many of his own 'imperfect' compositions. This compelling new work takes you inside the head of Pyotr - from age seven to his untimely death at fifty-three. It also provides a layman's guide to his music and his musical influences, and the techniques Tchaikovsky used to chart his musical destiny.

The Life & Letters of Peter Ilich Tchaikovsky
The Life & Letters of Peter Ilich Tchaikovsky

Author: Modeste Tchaikovsky

Publisher: Library of Alexandria

Published: 2020-09-28

Total Pages: 1103

ISBN-13: 1465600329

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

IN offering to English and American readers this abridged edition of The Life and Letters of Peter Ilich Tchaikovsky, my introduction must of necessity take the form of some justification of my curtailments and excisions. The motives which led to this undertaking, and the reasons for my mode of procedure, may be stated in a few words. In 1900 I published a volume dealing with Tchaikovsky, which was, I believe, the first attempt to embody in book form all the literatureÑscattered through the byways of Russian journalismÑconcerning the composer of the Pathetic Symphony. In the course of a year or twoÑthe book having sold out in England and AmericaÑa proposal was made to me to prepare a new edition. Meanwhile, however, the authorised Life and Letters, compiled and edited by the composerÕs brother, Modeste Ilich Tchaikovsky, was being issued in twenty-five parts by P. I. Jurgenson, of Moscow. This original Russian edition was followed almost immediately by a German translation, published in Leipzig by the same firm. In November, 1901, the late P. I. Jurgenson approached me on the subject of a translation, but his negotiations with an American firm eventually fell through. He then requested me to find, if possible, an English publisher willing to take up the book. Both in England and America the public interest in Tchaikovsky seemed to be steadily increasing. Frequent calls for copies of my small bookÑby this time out of printÑtestified that this was actually the case. An alternative course now lay before me: to revise my own book, with the help of the material furnished by the authorised Life and Letters, or to take in hand an English translation of the latter. The first would have been the less arduous and exacting task; on the other hand, there was no doubt in my mind as to the greater value and importance of Modeste TchaikovskyÕs work. The simplestÑand in many ways most satisfactoryÑcourse seemed at first to be the translation of the Russian edition in its entirety. Closer examination, however, revealed the fact that out of the 3,000 letters included in this book a large proportion were addressed to persons quite unknown to the English and American publics; while at the same time it contained a mass of minute and almost local particulars which could have very little significance for readers unversed in every detail of Russian musical life.Ê