The one place Tchaikovsky found delightful and inspiring was a village in the Ukraine where his beloved sister Sasha lived with her husband.
From 1862 to 1865, Tchaikovsky studied harmony, counterpoint and the fugue with Zaremba, and instrumentation and composition under the director and founder of the Conservatory, Anton Rubinstein.
Here Tchaikovsky took up orchestral conducting and worked on controlling his stage fright until he was able to conduct his works on a regular basis.
Whilst not specially cultivating in his art the 'soul of the Russian peasant,' Tchaikovsky drew unconsciously from the true, popular sources of our race."
Tchaikovsky completed ten operas, of which one has been largely mislaid and the other exists in two disparate versions.
Rimsky-Korsakov's autobiography speaks about people at Tchaikovsky's funeral kissing him on the face although he had died of a highly contagious disease.
Tchaikovsky’s song-writing methods came under the ax of his fellow composers and contemporaries for altering the text of the songs to suit his melody, inadequacy of his musical declamation, carelessness, and outdated techniques.
Tchaikovsky was not prepared to give up secure income but he at least agreed to take lessons in musical theory with Zaremba.
Paradoxically, it was Tchaikovsky who incited interest in Russian music in the Western world, and he embodies Russian music, including the national tendency toward brooding and melancholia, which dominated his moods.
Tchaikovsky was not simply tormented, but also deeply in touch with beauty and deep emotion.
Tchaikovsky noted later that he was fortunate not to have been brought up in a very musical family that would spoil him with music imitating Beethoven.
Tchaikovsky was an outstanding lyricist, well versed in a plethora of styles, moods, and atmosphere.
The year 1891 saw Tchaikovsky's tour of America, where he conducted performances of his compositions.
The relationship evolved into love, and Tchaikovsky spoke to her freely about his innermost feelings and aspirations.
Richard Anthony Leonard characterized Tchaikovsky’s music as: “expressive and communicative in the highest degree.
The two were related by marriage in their families — one of her sons, Nikolay, was married to Tchaikovsky's niece Anna Davydova.
Tchaikovsky sent her an anxious letter pleading for her continued friendship, assuring her that he was no longer in need of her finances; the letter went unanswered.
Tchaikovsky's earlier symphonies are generally optimistic works of a nationalist character; the latter are more dramatic, particularly The Fourth, Fifth, and Sixth, recognized for the uniqueness of their format.
Tchaikovsky is one of the world's most renowned classical music composers, known for his distinctly Russian character as well as for his rich harmonies and stirring melodies.
Tchaikovsky's name is most frequently associated with Swan Lake, Nutcracker, and Capriccio Italien.
Tchaikovsky was evidently a homosexual, who consented to marry an ardent admirer and student largely to satisfy societal conventions; the marriage did not survive a month.
The year 1891 saw Tchaikovsky's tour of America, where he conducted performances of his compositions.
In 1850, Tchaikovsky's father was appointed director of the St Petersburg Technological Institute.
The family name came from his Kazakh great-grandfather, who could imitate the call of a seagull (a “tchaika” - hence the name Tchaikovsky).
Tchaikovsky was tall, distinguished and elegant, yet had a disastrous marriage, an irregular relationship with a patroness, an indulgence for alcohol, and fondness for young boys.
Until recently it had been assumed that Tchaikovsky died of cholera after drinking contaminated water in a restaurant, well aware of the risk of drinking unboiled water during a cholera epidemic.
Tchaikovsky's music, drawing on events in his life, forms part of the canon of the Romantic period.