A long time ago on the south-western borders of Russia, in the steppes of Ukraine, there lived a freedom-loving Cossack race with a beautiful surname Chaika. The history of this genus goes back centuries, when the Slavic tribes mastered the steppes of fertile land and were not yet divided into Russians, Ukrainians and Belarusians after the invasion of the Mongol-Tatar hordes.
The Tchaikovsky family loved to recall the heroic life of great-grandfather Fedor Afanasyevich Chaika (1695-1767), who at the rank of centurion was actively involved in the defeat of Swedes by Russian troops near Poltava (1709). In that battle, Fedor Afanasyevich was seriously wounded.
At about the same time, the Russian state began to assign each family a permanent name instead of nicknames (non-baptismal names). The composer’s grandfather chose his last name Tchaikovsky. Such surnames ending in “sky” were considered noble, as they were given to the families of the nobility. A noble title was awarded to his grandfather for "faithful service to the Fatherland." In the Russian-Turkish war, he carried out the most humane mission: he was a military doctor. The father of Peter Ilyich, Ilya Petrovich Tchaikovsky (1795-1854), was a famous mining engineer.
Meanwhile, in France, from time immemorial, there lived a clan that bore the name Assier. Who on earth of the Franks could then have thought that in centuries in the cold distant Muscovy their descendant would become a star of world magnitude, he would glorify the Tchaikovsky and Assyor clan for centuries.
The mother of the future great composer, Alexandra Andreevna Tchaikovskaya, when she was girlhood, bore the surname Assier (1813-1854), often told her son about her grandfather Michel-Victor Assier, who was a famous French sculptor, and about his father, who in 1800 did. I came to Russia and stayed here to live (I taught French and German).
Fate brought these two kinds together. And April 25, 1840. Peter was born in the Ural region in a small village at the time of the Kamsko-Votkinsk plant. Now it is the city of Votkinsk, Udmurtia.
Parents loved music. Mom played the piano. Sang Father loved to play the flute. Houses were held amateur musical evenings. Music entered the boy's mind early, captivated him. Little Petr (in his family Petrusha, Pierre) was particularly impressed by the dad-bought orchestra, a mechanical organ equipped with shafts, during the rotation of which music was born. The aria of Zerlina from Mozart’s opera “Don Juan”, as well as arias from operas by Donizetti and Rossini, sounded. Peter used the themes from these musical works at the age of five in his fantasies on the piano.
From early childhood, the boy had a lasting impression on the long, drawn-out folk melodies that could be heard on quiet summer evenings around the Votkinsk plant.
Then he fell in love with walking with his sister and brothers, accompanied by her favorite governess, French Fanny Durbach. Often went to the picturesque rock with the fabulous name "The Old Man and the Old Woman." An echo sounded mysteriously there ... Boating on the River Natva. Maybe it was from these walks that it was a habit to make long walks every day whenever possible, even in rain and frost. Walking in nature, already an adult, world-famous composer drew inspiration, mentally composed music, found solace from problems that had plagued him all his life.
The connection between the ability to understand nature and the ability to create has long been noticed. The famous Roman philosopher Seneca, who lived two thousand years ago, said: “Omnis ars naturae imitatio est” - “every art is an imitation of nature.” Sensitive perception of nature, refined contemplation gradually formed in Tchaikovsky's ability to see what is not accessible to others. And without this, as you know, it is impossible to fully comprehend what he saw and materialization in music. For the special sensitivity, impressionability of the child, the fragility of his nature, the teacher called Peter “the glass boy”. Often with delight or sadness, he came to a special exalted state and even began to cry. He once shared with his brother: "There was a minute, an hour ago, when I was so overwhelmed with delight among the field of wheat adjacent to the garden that I fell on my knees and thanked God for the depth of the bliss he had experienced." And in mature years, there were frequent cases similar to what happened during the composing of the Sixth Symphony, when, while walking, mentally constructing, drawing significant musical fragments, tears drew eyes.
Preparing to write the opera "Orleansky Maiden" about the fate of heroic and dramatic
Joan of Arc, studying the historical materials about her, the composer admitted that "... he experienced too much pressure of inspiration ... I suffered for three whole days and was tormented that there was so much material and there was so little human time and effort! Reading a book about Joan of D ' Ark and reaching the process of abjuration (renunciation) and the execution itself ... I screamed terribly. I suddenly became so terribly, hurt for all of humanity, and took an inexpressible longing! "
Arguing about the prerequisites of genius, it is impossible not to mention such a property of Peter as the riot of fantasy. He had visions, sensations that no one except himself felt. The imaginary sounds of music easily conquered his whole being, captivated him completely, penetrated his consciousness and did not leave him for a long time. Once in his childhood, after the festive evening (perhaps it happened after listening to the melody from the Mozart opera Don Juan), he was so imbued with these sounds that he was very excited and at night he cried for a long time, exclaiming: "Oh, this music, this music!" When, trying to console him, they explained to him that the organ was silent, “he was already sleeping for a long time,” Peter continued to cry and, clutching his head, repeated: “I have music here, here. She does not give me rest! "
In childhood, one could often observe such a picture. Little Peter, deprived of the opportunity to play the piano for fear that he would be awake, tapped his fingers melodiously on the table or other objects that came across his arm.
The first music lessons his mother taught when he was five years old. She taught him musical notation. At the age of six he began to play the piano confidently, although, of course, at home he was taught to play not quite professionally, but “for himself”, for simple accompaniment of dances, songs. From the age of five, Peter loved to “fantasize” on the piano, including on the themes of melodies heard on a home mechanical organ. It seemed to him that he began to compose immediately as he learned to play.
The development of Peter as a musician, fortunately, was not hampered by some underestimation of his musical abilities, which happened in his early childhood and in his youth. The parents, in spite of the child’s obvious craving for music, did not recognize (if at all the nonprofessional is capable of doing) the entire depth of his talent and, in fact, did not contribute to his musical career.
From childhood, Peter was surrounded in the family with love and care. His father called him a favorite, the pearl of the family. And, of course, being in his home greenhouse conditions, he was not familiar with the harsh reality, the "truth of life" that prevailed outside the walls of his home. Indifference, deceit, betrayal, humiliation, humiliation and much more was not familiar to the "glass boy". And suddenly everything changed. At the age of ten, the parents sent the boy to the boarding house, where he was forced to spend more than a year without his beloved mother, without family ... Apparently, such a turn of fate dealt a heavy blow to the sophisticated nature of the child. Oh, mother, mother!
In 1850 Immediately after the boarding house, Peter, at the insistence of his father, entered the Imperial School of Law. For nine years he studied jurisprudence there (the science of the laws that determine what can be done, and for what actions a punishment will follow). Received a law degree. In 1859 After graduating from college he started to work in the Ministry of Justice. Many may be puzzled, but what about music? Yes, and in general, are we talking about an office worker or a great musician? We hurry to calm you down. Years of stay in the school did not pass for the musical youth for nothing. The fact is that in this school there was a music class. Training in it was conducted not necessarily, but at will. Peter tried to make the most of this opportunity.
Since 1852, Peter began to seriously study music. At first he took lessons from the Italian Piccioli. Since 1855 He studied with pianist Rudolf Kündinger. Before him, music teachers did not see talent in young Tchaikovsky. Kundinger may have been the first to notice the pupil’s outstanding abilities: "... Awesome subtlety of hearing, memory, a great hand." But the ability to improvisation made a particularly strong impression on him. Teachers were struck by the harmonious flair of Peter. Kuindinger noted that the student, not being familiar with the theory of music, "gave me advice several times on the part of harmony, which in most cases were practical".
In addition to learning to play the piano, the young man participated in the church choir of the school. In 1854 composed a comic opera "Hyperbole".
In 1859 He graduated from college and began working in the Ministry of Justice. Many believe that the effort spent on gaining knowledge that has nothing to do with music was completely in vain. With this, one can probably agree with only one caveat: legal education contributed to the formation in Tchaikovsky's rationalistic views on social social processes that took place in Russia in those years. Among experts there is a perception that the composer, artist, poet, voluntarily or unwittingly, reflects in his works the modern era with its special, only inherent features. And the deeper the artist’s knowledge, the broader his outlook, the clearer and more realistic his vision of the world.
Jurisprudence or music, duty to the family or children's dreams? Tchaikovsky in his twenty years stood at a crossroads. Left to go - to be rich. If you go to the right, you will take a step into an alluring, but unpredictable life in music. Peter realized that by choosing music, he would go against the will of his father, his family. His uncle spoke about the decision of his nephew: "Oh, Peter, Peter, what a shame! I exchanged jurisprudence for the tune!" Looking with us from our 21st century, we know that my father, Ilya Petrovich, will act quite sensibly. He will not blame his son for his choice, on the contrary, will support Peter.
Bending towards music, the future composer rather carefully painted his future. In a letter to his brother, he predicted: "I may not be equal to Glinka, but you will see that you will be proud of your kinship with me." Just a few years later, one of the most famous Russian music critics would call Tchaikovsky “Russia's greatest talent.”
Each of us, too, sometimes has to make a choice. This, of course, is not about simple everyday decisions: eat a chocolate bar or chips. This is about your first, but perhaps the most serious choice, which is able to predetermine your entire fate: "What should you do first, watch a cartoon or do your homework?" Probably, you understand that the correct determination of priorities in choosing a goal, the ability to rationally spend your time will depend on whether you achieve significant results in life or not. "
We know which way Tchaikovsky went. But was his choice random or logical. At first glance, it is not clear why a gentle, delicate, obedient son committed a truly courageous act: he broke the will of his father. Psychologists (they know a lot about the motives of our behavior) claim that a person’s choice depends on many factors, including personal qualities, a person’s character, his passions, life goals, dreams. But how else could a man do that has loved music since childhood, breathed it, thought with allegories, sounds? His subtle sensual nature floated there, where materialistic understanding of music did not penetrate. The great Heine said: "Where words end, music begins there ..." Young Tchaikovsky was sensitive to the world of harmony generated by human thought and feelings. His soul was able to talk with this largely irrational (you cannot touch it with your hands, you cannot describe it with formulas) substance. He was close to understanding the mystery of the birth of music. This magical world, unattainable for many, beckoned him.
Music needed Tchaikovsky - a psychologist who is able to understand the inner spiritual world of a person and reflect it in his works. And, indeed, his music (for example, "Iolanta") is full of psychological drama of actors. By the degree of Tchaikovsky's penetration into the inner world of a person, he was compared with Dostoevsky. Psychological musical characteristics that Tchaikovsky gave to his heroes are far from planar display. On the contrary, the created images are voluminous, stereophonic and realistic. They are shown not in stiff stereotypical forms, but in dynamics, in exact correspondence to the plot breaks.
To compose a symphony without inhuman diligence is impossible. Therefore, the music claimed Peter, who admitted: "Without work, life for me does not make sense." Russian music critic G. A. Laroche said: "Tchaikovsky worked tirelessly and every day ... He experienced the sweet torments of creativity ... Not to miss a day without work, writing at a set time from an early age became law for him." About myself Peter Ilyich said: "I work as a convict." Not having time to finish one work, he began work on another. Tchaikovsky stated: "Inspiration is a guest who does not like to visit lazy people."
Diligence and, of course, Tchaikovsky’s talent can be judged, for example, by how responsibly he approached the assignment given to him by AG Rubinstein (he taught composition at the conservatory) to write counterpoint variations on a given topic. The teacher expected to get ten to twenty variations, but he was pleasantly surprised when Pyotr Ilyich handed over more than two hundred! ”Nihil Volenti difficile est” (There is nothing difficult for anyone who wants to).
In his youth, for Tchaikovsky's creativity, it was inherent to be able to tune in so much to work, to the "favorable state of mind" that work became "sheer pleasure". Tchaikovsky - the composer was greatly helped by fluency in the allegory method (an allegorical, figurative image of an abstract idea). This method is especially vividly used in the ballet "The Nutcracker", in particular, in the presentation of the holiday, which began with the dance of the fairy Dragee. Divertimento suite includes Chocolate (energetic fast Spanish dance) dance Coffee (unhurried Arabic dance with lullaby tunes) and Tea dance (grotesque Chinese dance). Dance follows the divertissement - delight "Waltz of the Flowers" - an allegory of spring, the awakening of nature.
The creative rise of Peter Ilyich helped self-criticism, without which the path to perfection is almost impossible. Once in his mature years, he somehow saw all his writings in a private library and exclaimed: "Lord, as I wrote a lot, but all this is not yet perfect, weak, not skillfully done." Some years later he rewrote his works decisively. I tried to bow to other people's works. Evaluating himself, showed restraint. Once to the question "Pyotr Ilyich, you are probably already tired of the accolades, and just do not pay attention?" The composer replied: "Yes, the public is very kind to me, maybe even more than I deserve ..." Tchaikovsky's motto was the words "Work, knowledge, modesty."
Strict to himself, he was kind, compassionate, responsive to others. He was never indifferent to the problems and troubles of others. His heart was wide open to people. He showed a lot of care to his brothers, other relatives. When his niece, Tanya Davydova, got sick, he was with her for several months and left her only when she recovered. His kindness was manifested, in particular, in the fact that he gave his pension, income, when he could, to relatives, including distant ones, and their families.
At the same time, while working, for example, at rehearsals with the orchestra, he showed firmness, demanding, achieving a clear, verified sound of each instrument. The characterization of Peter Ilyich would be incomplete without mentioning a few more of his personal qualities. He was sometimes cheerful in character, but more often he was prone to sadness and melancholy. Therefore, in his work dominated by minor, sad notes. Was closed. He loved loneliness. Strange as it may seem, loneliness contributed to his passion for music. She became his friend for life, saved from sadness.
Everyone knew him as a very shy, shy person. Was straightforward, honest, truthful. Many of his contemporaries considered Peter Ilyich a very educated person. In the rare moments of rest, he loved to read, attend concerts, perform works of his beloved Mozart, Beethoven and other musicians. By the age of seven he could speak and write in German and French. Later learned Italian.
Обладая личными и профессиональными качествами, столь необходимыми, что бы стать великим музыкантом, Чайковский совершил окончательный поворот от карьеры юриста к Музыке.
Перед Петром Ильичем открылся прямой, хотя и очень сложный, тернистый путь к вершинам музыкального мастерства. “Per aspera ad astra” (Через тернии к звездам).
In 1861, in the twenty-first year of his life, he entered music classes at the Russian Musical Society, which three years later were transformed into the St. Petersburg Conservatory. He was a student of the famous musician and teacher, Anton Grigorievich Rubinstein (instrumentation and composition). An experienced teacher immediately recognized an extraordinary talent in Pyotr Ilyich. Influenced by the enormous prestige of the teacher, for the first time, Tchaikovsky truly gained his confidence and passionately, with triple energy and enthusiasm, began to comprehend the laws of musical creativity.
The dream of the “glass boy” came true - in 1865 received higher musical education.
Peter Ilyich was awarded a large silver medal. He was invited to teach at the Moscow Conservatory. Got the place of professor of free essay class, harmony, theory and instrumentation
Moving toward the cherished goal, Pyotr Ilyich was eventually able to become the first magnitude star in the world of music. In Russian culture, his name is on a par with the names
Pushkin, Tolstoy, Dostoevsky. On the world musical Olympus, his creative contribution is comparable to the role of Bach and Beethoven, Mozart and Schubert, Schumann and Wagner, Berlioz, Verdi, Rossini, Chopin, Dvorak, Liszt.
His contribution to world music culture is huge. His works with a special power imbued with the ideas of humanism, faith in the high destiny of man. Peter Ilyich glorified the victory of happiness and sublime love over the forces of evil, cruelty.
His works have tremendous emotional impact. The music is sincere, warm, prone to elegiac, sadness, minor. It is colorful, romance and unusual melodic richness.
Tchaikovsky's work is represented by a very wide range of musical genres: ballet and opera, symphonies and symphony program works, concerts and chamber-instrumental ensembles, choral, vocal compositions ... Peter Ilyich created ten operas, including “Eugene Onegin” “Iolanthe.” Gave the world the ballets “Swan Lake”, “Sleeping Beauty”, “The Nutcracker”. The treasure house of world art includes six symphonies, overtures - fantasies for Shakespeare's “Romeo and Juliet”, “Hamlet”, an orchestral play, the Solemn Overture “1812”. He wrote concerts for piano and orchestra, a concerto for violin and orchestra, and suites for a symphony orchestra, including Mocertian. The masterpieces of world classics also recognized piano pieces, including the cycle "The Seasons", romances.
It is hard to imagine what a loss for the world musical art could be the blows of fate inflicted on the “glass boy” in childhood and youth. Only an infinitely dedicated art person is able to withstand such trials.
Another blow of fate was delivered to Peter Ilyich three months after the end of the conservatory. Music critic Ts.A.Kuy undeservedly ill appreciated Tchaikovsky's abilities. With a dishonest word that sounded loudly in the St. Petersburg Vedomosti, the composer was wounded in the very heart ... A few years earlier his mother had passed away. The hardest blow he received from his beloved woman, who soon after engagement with him went away for money to another ...
There were other trials of fate. Perhaps that is why, trying to hide from the problems that plagued him, Pyotr Ilyich led a wandering lifestyle for long periods of time, often changing his place of residence.
The final blow of fate was fatal ...
We thank Peter Ilyich for his dedication to music. He showed us, young and old, an example of stamina, endurance, and dedication. He thought of us young musicians. Being already an adult famous composer, surrounded by “adult” problems, he gave us priceless gifts. Despite his employment, he translated into Russian the book by Robert Schumann “Life Rules and Tips for Young Musicians”. At 38, he released a playbook for you called “Children's Album”.
“Glass boy” called us to be kind, to see the beautiful in a man. Bequeathed to us the love of life, nature, art ...
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