Biography of Peter I. Tschaikowsky (1840-1893)

Portrait painted by Nikolai Kuznetsov (Tretyakov Gallery Moscow)
Portrait painted by Nikolai Kuznetsov (Tretyakov Gallery Moscow)
07.05.1840
Born in Kamsko-Wotkinski Sawod
1845
First piano lessons
1848
Move of the whole family first to Moscow and then to St. Petersburg.
1852
Studies law
1854
death of his mother
1855
Piano lessons from Rudolf Kündinger
1862
Enlistment at the new founded Petersburg conservatory. Among his teachers was Rubinstein. First meeting with the later music critic Hermann Laroche who will be a live long friend to him.
1859
Degree at the school of laws and employment at the ministry of justice
He was playing the flute in the orchestra of the conservatory. At a concert for Clara Schumann he played in a quartet a piece of Kuhlau. He had flute lessons from Ciardi in a period of two years.
1863
Abandonment of his job at the ministry
1865
Degree of the conservatory in Decembre
1866
Teacher for music theory at the Moscow conservatory and failure of a fictitious marriage of the homo sexual composer after only one month.
1868
Music critic. In the same year he first conducts in public a concert of his own works in St. Petersburg (overwhelmed by stage fright)
1870
Travels to Paris, Mannheim and Switzerland
1872
Publication of harmonics
1874
First meeting with Rimskij-Korsakow
18.07.1877
Marries his former student Antonina Miljukowa to cover his homosexuality. Only a few months later he escapes from this marriage.
1878
His bennefactor Nadeschda von Meck pays Tschaikowsky a copious rent. They led a active exchange of letters but met each other only ones. At the point she stops paying (1890) without any reason he is already a wealthy man. He resigns from conservatory.
1879
Premiere of Eugen Onegin at Moscow conservatory.
1881
He refuses the post of head of Moscow conservatory, which is offered to him after the death of Nikolaj Rubinstein.
1885
In February he moves to Maidanowo
1888
Acquaintance with Brahms´ and Griegs in Leipzig, he is provided a life annuity by the tsar. Meets Dvorak in Prague. First time conducting in Paris (Grieg is among the listeners). In the same year he moves to Frolowskoje.
1891
Very successful three week journey to America, triggered by an invitation to take part at the induction of the Carnegie Hall and his return to Maidanowo in the same year.
1892
Year of the development of the Nutcracker, visit of a performance of Eugen Onegin in Hamburg, conducted by Gustav Mahler
06.11.1893
Dies in Moscow at the house of his brother, supposedly from cholera. Today it seems more likely he comitted suicide and probably already on the 5th of November, because of a verdict from a court of honour of former student from the legal school due to his homosexuality.
1909
The Nutcracker is one of the first ever recorded symphonic works.
He is the first commoner to be buried at the expense of the state. More than 60.000 asked to take part on the funeral.

Sheet music for flute:

Chanson Triste (d-moll) (Bearbeitung)
CD-Aufnahmen bei jpc.deMP3-Download bei amazon.de
(4 flutes)
Rubank Inc., HL04479505
Rating: easy
  1. Allegro non troppo
Only Parts, no score.
Chant sans paroles op. 2, No. 3 (A-Dur) (Bearbeitung)
CD-Aufnahmen bei jpc.deMP3-Download bei amazon.de
(flute, violin, viola, cello)
Musikverlag C. F. Schmidt, C. F. S. 88
Rating: easy
  1. Allegretto grazioso e cantabile
Only parts, one page each.
Der Nussknacker op. 71a (Bearbeitung)
CD-Aufnahmen bei jpc.deMP3-Download bei amazon.de
(flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon, horn)
Accolade Musikverlag, Acc. 1066
Rating: mid-grade
  1. Kleine Ouvertüre (Allegro giusto)
  2. Charakteristische Tänze - Marsch (Tempo di marcia viva)
  3. Tanz der Zuckerfee (Andante non troppo)
  4. Trepak (Russischer Tanz) (Tempo di trepak, molto vivace)
  5. Arabische Tanz (Allegretto)
  6. Chinesischer Tanz (Allegro moderato)
  7. Tanz der Rohrflöten (Moderato assai)
  8. Blumenwalzer (Tempo di Valse)
Parts and score, for the clarinet some movements are given for clarinet in A and in B to choose.
Well edited. The dominant wind section in the orchestra version is helpful for this. You have either to play very high (like in orchestra) or very deep. A bit surprising. The best piece for sight-reading is Blumenwalzer, sounds the best at first.
Die Jahreszeiten (Bearbeitung)
CD-Aufnahmen bei jpc.deMP3-Download bei amazon.de
(4 flutes)
Friedrich Hofmeister Musikverlag, FH 3265
Rating: easy
  1. Herbstlie (Oktober): Andante doloroso e molto cantabile
  2. Barkarole (Juni): Andante cantabile
  3. Lied der Lerche (März): Andantino espressivo
  4. Schneeglöckchen (April): Allegretto con moto e un poco rubato
Parts and score.
Four of the twelve movements, standing for the twelve months of the year.
Im Herbst op. 37, 10 (d-moll) (Bearbeitung)
CD-Aufnahmen bei jpc.deMP3-Download bei amazon.de
(flute, violin, viola, cello)
Musikverlag C. F. Schmidt, CFS 2022
Rating: mid-grade
  1. Andante doloroso e molto cantabile
Only parts, each part only one page. The flute goes up to b3.
Jugendalbum op. 39 (Bearbeitung)
CD-Aufnahmen bei jpc.deMP3-Download bei amazon.de
(4 flutes)
Zimmermann, ZM 2757
Rating: mid-grade
  1. Morgengebet
  2. Das Lied der Lerche
  3. Hexe im Walde
  4. Marsch der Zinnsoldaten
  5. Das Begräbnis der Puppe
  6. Die neue Puppe
  7. Süße Träumerei
  8. Polka
Parts and score, first flute plays from score.
Largo und Allegro (D-Dur)
edition on amazonCD-Aufnahmen bei jpc.deMP3-Download bei amazon.de
(flute, string orchestra)
Warner/Chappell Music Scandinavia, WW 906
Rating: mid-grade
  1. Largo
  2. Allegro
The edition consists of the score and the single parts for violin I, violin II, viola, cello and double bass.
This is the first edition of an early composition, accessible only since 1967. In the original there was a second flute playing parts of the melody one octave beneath the first flute.
Melancolie op. 40, Br, 2 (g-moll) (Bearbeitung)
CD-Aufnahmen bei jpc.deMP3-Download bei amazon.de
(flute, violin, viola, cello)
Musikverlag C. F. Schmidt, C. F. S. 1586
Rating: easy
  1. Andantino
Only parts, one page each.
Three Songs (Bearbeitung)
CD-Aufnahmen bei jpc.deMP3-Download bei amazon.de
(flute, clarinet, piano)
Western International Music, WJM 615
Rating: easy
  1. Summer Evening
  2. Night
  3. 'Tis Painful, 'Tis Sweet
Awful edition. The piano part is painfully monotonous, the woodwinds play one part sometimes in unison and sometimes split (one playing, one not). No need to try this one.
Zwei Tänze aus der Nussknacker-Suite op. 71a (Bearbeitung)
CD-Aufnahmen bei jpc.deMP3-Download bei amazon.de
(4 flutes)
Zimmermann, ZM 28470
Rating: mid-grade
  1. Tanz der Rohrpfeifen (D-Dur)
  2. Tanz der Zuckerfee (d-moll)
Parts and score.

CDs with/from Peter I. Tschaikowsky

Philippe Bernold, Phlippe Berrod, Jean-Louis Capezzali, Benoît de Barsony, Ariane Jacob, Laurent Lefèvre
Caprice (2 CD) (2008)
Taffanel, Saint-Saens, Fauré - Oeuvres pour flûte et piano
jpc
Saphr Productions
  1. Paul Taffanel: Andante pastoral (03:39:00)
  2. Paul Taffanel: Scherzettino (01:56:00)
  3. Camille Saint-Saëns: "Le Déluge" - Prélude pour flûte et piano op. 45 (03:40:00)
  4. Paul Taffanel: Fantaisie sur Le Freischütz de C. Maria von Weber (11:13:00)
  5. Paul Taffanel: Fantaisie-transcription sur "Les Indes Galantes" de J. P. Rameau (07:37:00)
  6. Peter I. Tschaikowsky: Arioso ext. de Eugen Onegin (03:10:00)
  7. Paul Taffanel: Grande Fantaisie sur "Francoise de Rimini" d´Ambroise Thomas (20:06:00)
  8. Camille Saint-Saëns: Tarantelle pour flûte, clarinette et piano op. 6 (06:44:00)
  9. Camille Saint-Saëns: Caprice sur des airs danois et russes op. 79 (10:26:00)
  10. Gabriel Fauré: "Les Joueuses de flûte" ext de "Pénélope" (03:49:00)
  11. Paul Taffanel: Sicilienne Etude op. 7 (03:55:00)
  12. Gabriel Fauré: Fantasie op. 79 (05:03:00)
  13. Paul Taffanel: Grande Fantaisie sur Mignon d´Ambroise Thomas (12:07:00)
  14. Paul Taffanel: Allegretto grazioso (01:09:00)
  15. Paul Taffanel: Allegretto scherzando (01:19:00)
  16. Paul Taffanel: Fantaisie sur Jean de Nvelle de Leo Delibes (08:12:00)
    17. Paul Taffanel: Quintette en sol mineur pour instruments à vent:
  17. Allegro (09:32:00)
  18. Andante (06:11:00)
  19. Vivace (06:09:00)
  20. Camille Saint-Saëns: Romance op. 37 (05:31:00)
János Bálint, Nóra Mercz
Romantic Music for Flute and Harp (1993)
Bizet - Tchaikovsky - Gluck - Debussy - Ravel - Chopin
jpc
Naxos
  1. Georges Bizet: Intermezzo from the Opera "Carmen" (02:32:00)
  2. Jules Massenet: Meditation from the Opera "Thaïs" (04:30:00)
  3. Auguste Durand: Premiere Valse in E Flat Major, Op. 83 (05:32:00)
  4. Georges Bizet: Menuet in E Flat Major (04:20:00)
  5. Claude Debussy: Petite Suite No. 1 - En bateau (04:09:00)
  6. Maurice Ravel: Vocalise-étude en forme de habanera (02:40:00)
  7. Auguste Durand: Chaconne in A Flat Minor (04:00:00)
  8. Christoph Willibald Gluck: Ballet in D minor (Dance of the Blessed Spirits) from the Opera "Orfeo ed Euridice" (07:27:00)
  9. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Andante in C Major, KV 315 (06:18:00)
  10. Frederick Chopin: Variations in E Major on the Theme Non piu mesta from Rossini's Opera "La Cenerentola" (05:06:00)
  11. Edmund Schuëcker: Mazurka in E Flat Minor, op. 12 (05:10:00)
  12. Nikolai Rimskij-Korsakow: Hindu Song from the Opera "Sadko" (03:26:00)
  13. Peter I. Tschaikowsky: Valse sentimentale in F Minor (02:45:00)
  14. Johann Strauß: Tritsch-Tratsch-Polka, Op. 214 (01:37:00)
Wurde im Studio aufgenommen, klingt aber nach einem Hallraum wie in der Kirche. Seltsamerweise kommt die Flöte dabei ganz aus der Ferne. Irritiert mich beim Hören. "Romantisch" im Titel ist wohl nicht musikhistorisch gemeint, sonst hätten Gluck und Mozart da nix verloren.

Literature von/über Peter I. Tschaikowsky

Last edit 29.03.2016