Russian composer Piotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky was born in 1840. He was one of seven children in a family that enjoyed music. His parents were happy to pay for his piano lessons from the age of 5, but they did not want him to pursue a career in music. They were afraid that he would not be able to support himself. Although he was trained for work in a government agency, he became a successful composer – arguably the most famous Russian composer in history. His symphonies, operas, and especially his ballets are among the most famous pieces from the Romantic era.
 

After completing his schooling and a short career in civil service, he attended the newly opened St. Petersburg Conservatory. Here he was trained in the western European style of writing, which was very different from the Russian music he had grown up with. Many Russians objected to the European style, feeling that Russian composers should write Russian nationalist music. Tchaikovsky enjoyed fusing the two styles and creating a musical style that was uniquely his.
 

Tchaikovsky was a deeply emotional person who had difficulty coping with emotional stress. His mother’s death from cholera sent him into a deep depression at age 14, that was devastating but deepened his commitment to music. He had a hard time taking criticism and feared disapproval from others. Although he was attracted to men, he kept this aspect of his life a secret for fear of repercussions for him or his family. He even married a woman – a former student – but the union lasted for less than three months.
 

Tchaikovsky had a close relationship with Nadia von Meck, a wealthy widow with a passion for the arts. Although the institution of patronage was dying out, von Meck paid Tchaikovsky a comfortable annual salary so that he could focus on his composing. Throughout their friendship they exchanged over 1,000 letters which are some of the best records of the composer’s creative process.

Possibly Tchaikovsky’s most famous work is the Nutcracker Suite, a ballet that is performed annually at Christmas time in cities around the world. His 1812 Overture, Romeo and Juliet, Swan Lake,  and Sleeping Beauty are also greatly loved by music fans today.
 

Tchaikovsky died at age 53 from undetermined causes – possibly cholera, the same disease that took his mother.