His Childhood and Teenage Years
Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky was born to a fairly wealthy middle-class family in Votkinsk, a former province of Vyatka in the Roman Empire. He was born to Ilya Petrovich and Alexandra, and had four brothers and two sisters (one of them was a half-sister). Tchaikovsky started taking Piano lessons at the age of six, and within 3 years, he was able to sightread a piece just as good as his lesson teacher did.
Although his parents were initially supportive of his musical studies, his parents sent him to Imperial School of Jurisprudence in St. Petersburg in 1850. Since the minimum age for acceptance was 12 and Peter was 10, he was required to spend two years boarding at Imperial School of Jurisprudence's preparatory school. The separation from his mother to attend the Imperial School of Jurisprudence's preparatory school was caused him emotional trauma and his mother's death devastated him further more.
After graduating from the Imperial School of Jurisprudence in 1859, he enrolled and started taking classes as the St. Petersburg Conservatory. Few years after graduating, he quit his day job as a Ministry of Justice to focus entirely on music. At the conservatory, he studied conducting as well as the musical studies. He was also exposed to both Russian and European aspects of music and this is where is got his influences in his compositions. Peter soon became a famous composer in the Russian Empire.
Peter Tchaikovsky died on November 6, 1893 (nine days after his premier of the ninth symphony) in Saint Petersburg and he was 53 years old. Although his official cause of death is still unknown, many people believe that he died of cholera due to drinking contaminated water several days prior to his death.
Although his parents were initially supportive of his musical studies, his parents sent him to Imperial School of Jurisprudence in St. Petersburg in 1850. Since the minimum age for acceptance was 12 and Peter was 10, he was required to spend two years boarding at Imperial School of Jurisprudence's preparatory school. The separation from his mother to attend the Imperial School of Jurisprudence's preparatory school was caused him emotional trauma and his mother's death devastated him further more.
After graduating from the Imperial School of Jurisprudence in 1859, he enrolled and started taking classes as the St. Petersburg Conservatory. Few years after graduating, he quit his day job as a Ministry of Justice to focus entirely on music. At the conservatory, he studied conducting as well as the musical studies. He was also exposed to both Russian and European aspects of music and this is where is got his influences in his compositions. Peter soon became a famous composer in the Russian Empire.
Peter Tchaikovsky died on November 6, 1893 (nine days after his premier of the ninth symphony) in Saint Petersburg and he was 53 years old. Although his official cause of death is still unknown, many people believe that he died of cholera due to drinking contaminated water several days prior to his death.