Peter Tchaikowsky (chy-KOV-skee)

Born May 7, 1840 in Votkisk, Russia

Died November 6, 1893

Nationality: Russian

Period/Style: Romantic

About the composer:

Peter Tchaikowsky is one of the most important composers of the 19^th Century. He is most famous for his wonderful ballets, including The Sleeping Beauty, Swan Lake and The Nutcracker.  A highly emotional and sensitive man, Tchaikowsky gave us music that expresses many different feelings.  He was a master of melody! He thought Mozart was the greatest composer of all time. Tchaikowsky wrote symphonies, many concertos, operas, and lots of chamber music.  He visited the United States only once during his lifetime. On that visit he conducted a concert at Carnegie Hall in New York City, then went to Baltimore and Philadelphia to conduct concerts there.

About the music:

Nutcracker Ballet (excerpts)

This is without a doubt the most popular ballet of all time.  The story is about a little girl named Clara who receives a gift of a wooden nutcracker doll for Christmas.  She falls asleep and dreams that the nutcracker comes to life as a prince. They travel to faraway lands where they watch many exotic dances, including Waltz of the Flowers and the Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy. Listen for the beautiful melodies, rich orchestration and many lovely solos in this music.

Theme & Variations from Suite #3 (22 min)

This form is one of the simplest ideas, but it has endless possibilities for composers. Tchaikowsky starts with a theme (melody). Then he varies it a little.  Then he varies it a little more, in a different way, and so on.  The variations include different instruments, rhythms, harmonies, or keys.  Sometimes the melody itself changes a little.  Tchaikowsky created eleven different variations in this piece.  Remember the melody you hear at the beginning, and then see if you can still hear it through all of the variations.

Suggested activities:

Draw and color a scene from a ballet. Picture a large stage with scenery, and dancers in beautiful costumes.

For those of you who have taken Suzuki violin lessons, you might already know about theme and variations: Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star.  If you have a violin, and you know this music, could you demonstrate this theme & variations for your class?