May 7, 1840:
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky is born in Kamsko-Votkinsk (at present 119 Tchaikovsky Street), Vyatka Province (Udmurt Republic), Russian Empire, 1,000 km east of Moscow, the second of six children born to Ilya Petrovich Tchaikovsky, chief inspector of the Kamsko-Votkinsk mines, and Alyeksandra Andreyevna Assier, granddaughter of a French emigre. The father also has one child by a previous marriage.
September 3, 1850:
In St. Petersburg to be enrolled in the School of Jurisprudence, Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (10) is taken by his mother to see a performance of A Life for the Tsar by Mikhail Ivanovich Glinka (46). It will have a lasting effect on his life and work.
May 25, 1859:
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (19) graduates from the School of Jurisprudence, St. Petersburg.
June 15, 1859:
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (19) is appointed to a position in the Russian Ministry of Justice, St. Petersburg.
December 22, 1859:
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (19) is made junior assistant to the head of his administrative department in the Russian Ministry of Justice, St. Petersburg.
February 22, 1860:
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (19) is promoted to senior assistant to the head of his administrative department in the Russian Ministry of Justice.
March 22, 1861:
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (20) writes to his sister that their father no longer objects to a musical career for him.
July 18, 1861:
Serving as an interpreter for an engineer, Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (21) arrives in Berlin.
July 22, 1861:
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (21) arrives in Hamburg.
August 8, 1861:
By this date, Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (21) has arrived in London.
August 14, 1861:
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (21) arrives in Paris.
September 20, 1862:
The doors of St. Petersburg Conservatory open for business. The director is Anton Rubinstein (32). One of the new part-time students is a civil servant named Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (22).
April 23, 1863:
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (22) resigns from the Russian Ministry of Justice and becomes a full time student at St. Petersburg Conservatory.
May 13, 1863:
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s (23) resignation from the Russian Ministry of Justice takes effect.
September 11, 1865:
Characteristic Dances for orchestra by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (25) is performed for the first time, in Pavlovsk, conducted by Johann Strauss, Jr. (39). It is the first work of Tchaikovsky to be performed in public.
November 11, 1865:
String Quartet in one movement by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (25) is performed for the first time, in St. Petersburg.
November 26, 1865:
Overture in F for orchestra by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (25) is performed for the first time, at St. Petersburg Conservatory, conducted by the composer. It is Tchaikovsky’s conducting debut.
January 10, 1866:
Ode to Joy, a cantata by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (25) to words of Schiller (tr. Axakov, et. al.), is performed for the first time, conducted by Anton Rubinstein (36), as part of the graduation exercise from St. Petersburg Conservatory. Unable to face public scrutiny, the composer is absent.
January 18, 1866:
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (25) arrives in Moscow to take up his position at the Conservatory.
January 25, 1866:
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (25) delivers his first lecture, in somewhat halting fashion, at the Russian Musical Society. Its successor, the Moscow Conservatory, will not officially open until September.
March 16, 1866:
The second version of the Overture in F by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (25) is performed for the first time, in Moscow. It is the first time he is paid for a performance of his music.
April 17, 1866:
The day after an attempt on the life of the Tsar, Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (25) attends a performance of Glinka’s (†9) A Life for the Tsar at the Bolshoy which, because of the circumstances, has turned into a patriotic event. While he is engrossed in the score, patrons around him become enraged that he should be interested in the music at such a time. Tchaikovsky is forced to flee the theatre in fear of his life.
September 13, 1866:
The Moscow Conservatory officially opens with celebrations. At the end of the dinner, faculty member Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (26) plays a piano reduction of the overture to Ruslan and Lyudmilla of Mikhail Ivanovich Glinka (†9).
December 22, 1866:
The scherzo of Symphony no.1 by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (26) is performed for the first time, in Moscow. See 15 February 1868.
February 10, 1867:
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s (26) Festival Overture on the Danish National Hymn is performed for the first time, in Moscow. The work was commissioned by Nicholay Rubinstein for celebrations surrounding the marriage of the Tsarevich to the Danish princess Dagmar.
February 11, 1867:
Incidental music to Ostrovsky’s play Dmitry Samozvanets and Vasily Shuysky by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (26) is performed for the first time, in the Maliy Theatre, Moscow.
February 23, 1867:
The adagio movement of Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s (26) Symphony no.1 is performed for the first time, in St. Petersburg. It is paired with the scherzo movement, already premiered in 1866. See 15 February 1868.
April 12, 1867:
Piano Piece op.1/1 “Russian Scherzo” by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (26) is performed for the first time, in Moscow.
February 12, 1868:
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (27) sends to Mily Balakirev (31) the score to a set of dances from his unperformed opera Voyevoda asking if Balakirev can perform them or give him some encouragement.
February 15, 1868:
The second version of Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s (27) Symphony no.1 “Winter Daydreams” is performed for the first time, in Moscow. See 1 December 1883.
March 2, 1868:
The “Dances of the Chambermaids” from Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s (27) unperformed opera Voyevoda is performed for the first time, in Moscow, directed by the composer. See 11 February 1869.
March 4, 1868:
Mily Balakirev (31) answers Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s (27) letter of 12 February. He can not perform the dances because the season is over, so he sent them to the Directorate of Imperial Theatres who have agreed to produce them. Balakirev writes that he will not encourage Tchaikovsky as that is for children. Tchaikovsky, he says, is a “completely finished artist. ”
March 10, 1868:
The Scherzo from Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s (27) Souvenir of Hapsal op.2/2 for piano is performed for the first time, in Moscow.
March 22, 1868:
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s (27) first published music criticism, an appraisal of Rimsky-Korsakov’s (24) Fantasia on Serbian Themes, appears in the Contemporary Chronicle.
June 7, 1868:
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (28) leaves Moscow on a long trip to Europe. He was invited by a student, Vladimir Stepanovich Shilovsky, and there are three others in the company.
December 20, 1868:
Romance op.5 for piano by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (28) is performed for the first time, in Moscow.
February 11, 1869:
Voyevoda, an opera by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (28) to words of Ostrovsky and the composer, is performed for the first time, in the Bolshoy Theatre, Moscow. Tchaikovsky is given 15 curtain calls. Critics are not as positive.
February 27, 1869:
Fatum (Fate), a symphonic poem by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (28) is performed for the first time, in Moscow.
April 20, 1869:
Valse caprice op.4 for piano by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (28) is performed for the first time, in Moscow.
January 22, 1870:
Recitatives and choruses for Daniel Auber’s (87) Le domino noir by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (29) to words of Scribe, is performed for the first time, in the Bolshoy Theatre, Moscow.
March 16, 1870:
The first version of Romeo and Juliet, a fantasy-overture by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (29), is performed for the first time, in Moscow. The music is a failure with the public but Nikolay Rubinstein arranges for its publication. See 17 February 1872 and 1 May 1886.
March 26, 1870:
Bitterly and Sweetly op.6/3, a song for voice and piano by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (29) to words of Rostopchina, is performed for the first time.
March 28, 1870:
Excerpts from Undina, an opera by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (29) to words of Sollogub after de la Motte Fouqué, are performed for the first time, in the Bolshoy Theatre, Moscow.
April 7, 1870:
None but the Lonely Heart op.6/6, a song for voice and piano by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (29) to words of Lev Mei after Goethe, is performed for the first time, in Moscow.
May 29, 1870:
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (29) departs Moscow for St. Petersburg, thence to travel to Germany and France to visit his pupil Vladimir Stepanovich Shilovsky.
July 22, 1870:
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (30) arrives in Interlaken, Switzerland having fled Bad Soden, near Frankfurt-am-Main, which he feels is too close to the frontier.
September 5, 1870:
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (30) returns home to Russia after spending the summer in France and Switzerland.
December 30, 1870:
The Chorus of Flowers and Insects from Mandragora, an opera by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (30) to words of Rachinsky, is performed for the first time, in Moscow. The opera will never be completed.
March 28, 1871:
New works by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (30) are performed for the first time, in Moscow: String Quartet no.1, Nature and Love for female chorus and piano to his own words, To Forget So Soon, a song for voice and piano to words of Apukhtin, and two works for piano solo, Rêverie op.9/1, and Mazurka de salon op.9/3. The performance is very successful.
August 14, 1871:
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (31) signs the preface to his Guide to the Practical Study of Harmony.
February 2, 1872:
The Wedding Chorus from Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s (31) unperformed opera Oprichnik is performed for the first time, in Moscow. See 24 April 1874.
February 17, 1872:
The second version of Romeo and Juliet, a fantasy-overture by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (31), is performed for the first time, in St. Petersburg. See 16 March 1870 and 1 May 1886.
February 24, 1872:
Incidental music to Beaumarchais’ play (tr. Sadovski) The Barber of Seville by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (31) is performed for the first time, in Moscow.
June 12, 1872:
The Cantata in Commemoration of the Bicentenary of the Birth of Peter the Great by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (32) to words of Polonsky is performed for the first time, in Moscow. The performance takes place on the Troitsky Bridge as part of festivities opening a polytechnical exhibition.
December 18, 1872:
Serenade for Nikolay Rubinstein’s Name Day for small orchestra by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (32) is performed for the first time, privately, in the Moscow apartment of the dedicatee. See 5 November 1953.
January 7, 1873:
At the home of Nikolay Rimsky-Korsakov (28) in St. Petersburg, Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (32) plays the finale of his Second Symphony to members of the kuchka. They unanimously approve of the work. It is the closest they will ever come to Tchaikovsky.
February 7, 1873:
The first version of Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s (32) Symphony no.2 is performed for the first time, in Moscow. It is a rousing critical and popular success. See 12 February 1881.
May 23, 1873:
Incidental music to Ostrovsky’s play The Snow Maiden by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (33) is performed for the first time, at the Bolshoy Theatre, Moscow.
November 14, 1873:
A student at Moscow Conservatory, Eduard Zak, kills himself. It is possible that he has been having a love affair with one of the professors, Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (33).
November 17, 1873:
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (33) goes to a concert for the first time as a critic, in Moscow.
December 19, 1873:
The Tempest, a symphonic fantasia by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (33), is performed for the first time, in Moscow. The work is accorded a warm reception.
March 6, 1874:
Rêverie du soir op.19/1 for piano by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (33) is performed for the first time, in Moscow.
March 22, 1874:
String Quartet no.2 by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (33) is performed publicly for the first time, in Moscow.
March 26, 1874:
Excerpts from Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s (31) unperformed opera Oprichnik are performed for the first time, in Moscow. See 24 April 1874.
April 24, 1874:
Oprichnik, an opera by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (33) to his own words after Lazhechnikov, is performed for the first time, in the Mariinsky Theatre, St. Petersburg. The work proves an unquestioned success. At a dinner afterwards, Tchaikovsky is awarded the Young Composer’s Prize of 300 rubles.
May 29, 1874:
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (34) arrives in Venice on a sojourn in Italy. He writes to his brother Modest, “Venice is such a city that were I forced to live here a whole week, I should hang myself out of despair on the third day…”
November 10, 1874:
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (34) writes to his brother Modest from Moscow. “I have thoroughly studied Boris Godunov ... With my whole heart I consign Musorgsky’s (35) music to the devil; it is the most vulgar and foul parody of music.”
November 14, 1874:
The third movement of Souvenir of Hupsal op. 2/3, “Song Without Words” for piano by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (34), is performed for the first time, in St. Petersburg.
December 4, 1874:
The overture to Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s (34) unperformed opera Vakula the Smith is performed for the first time, in Moscow.
January 5, 1875:
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (34) plays his Piano Concerto no.1 for Nikolay Rubinstein at the Moscow Conservatory. In 1878, Tchaikovsky will relate the now-famous scene to his patron, Nadezhda von Meck. “It turned out that my concerto was altogether unsuitable, to play it was impossible, that passages were so trite, awkward and clumsy that they could not be corrected, that as a composition it was bad, vulgar, that I had stolen this from that place, and this from another, that there were only two or three pages that could stay, while the rest had either to be thrown out or completely rewritten…In a word, a passerby could have thought I was a maniac, an ungifted and unthinking scribbler who had come to a famous musician to pester him with nonsense.” (Wiley, 89) See 25 October 1875.
October 25, 1875:
Concerto for piano and orchestra no.1 by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (35) is performed for the first time, in the Music Hall, Boston by Hans von Bülow who is currently on a tour of the United States. The audience demands that the finale be encored. See 5 January 1875.
October 28, 1875:
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (35) wins a competition for an opera set to a libretto by Yakov Petrovich Polonsky entitled Vakula the Smith based on a story by Gogol. The sponsors, the St. Petersburg Committee of the Russian Musical Society, finds that Tchaikovsky’s entry is the only one fulfilling their requirements.
November 19, 1875:
Symphony no.3 “Polish” by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (35) is performed for the first time, in Moscow.
December 13, 1875:
Camille Saint-Saëns (40) gives his first concert in Moscow. Among the audience is Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (35).
January 20, 1876:
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (35) and his brother Modest view a performance of Carmen by Georges Bizet (†0) in Paris. Modest will later write, “Rarely have I seen my brother so deeply moved by a performance in the theatre.”
January 28, 1876:
Sérénade mélancolique for violin and orchestra by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (35) is performed for the first time, in Moscow.
March 10, 1876:
Thème original et variations op.19/6 for piano by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (35) is performed for the first time, in Moscow.
March 14, 1876:
String Quartet no.3 by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (35) is performed for the first time, privately, in the Moscow home of Nikolay Rubinstein.
March 30, 1876:
String Quartet no.3 by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (35) is performed publicly for the first time, in Moscow.
May 6, 1876:
A cantata in celebration of the golden jubilee of Osip Petrov by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky to words of Nekrasov is performed for the first time, at St. Petersburg Conservatory on the eve of the composer’s 36th birthday.
July 13, 1876:
On the advice of his doctors, Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (36) arrives in Vichy to take the waters. Within a few days, his digestive system rejects the “cure” and he will make for Bayreuth.
July 27, 1876:
On a train to Bayreuth, Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (36) reads the Fourth Canso of Dante’s Inferno. He is “seized by a burning desire to write a symphonic poem on Francesca.”
August 13, 1876:
A glittering array of political leaders and artists, including Kaiser Wilhelm I of Germany and Emperor Pedro II of Brazil, gathers in Bayreuth for the opening of the Festspielhaus. Attending musicians include Franz Liszt (64), Anton Bruckner (51), Camille Saint-Saëns (40), Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (36), Edvard Grieg (33), and Arthur Foote (23). Friedrich Nietzsche is also there. The first production of the complete Der Ring des Nibelungen, Bühnenfestspiel für drei Tage und einen Vorabend, by Richard Wagner (63) to his own words opens in the Bayreuth Festspielhaus with a production of Das Rheingold.
August 20, 1876:
After experiencing the premiere of Der Ring des Nibelungen, Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (36) writes to his brother Modest, “ Nibelungen may perhaps be a very great work, but there has certainly never been anything as long-winded and boring as this interminable piece. The accumulation of the most complex and arcane harmonies, the colorlessness of the vocal lines, the endlessly long dialogues, the absence of anything of the slightest interest or poetic quality in the subject matter--all this stretches the nerves almost beyond endurance.”
August 31, 1876:
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (34) writes an astonishing letter to his brother Modest from Verbovka informing him that he has decided to get married.
October 2, 1876:
Nikolay Rubinstein asks Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (36) for a new composition to be played at a concert to aid the Slavonic Charity Committee which is attempting to equip Russian volunteers and aid victims of the Balkan War. See 17 November 1876.
November 17, 1876:
At a concert to benefit wounded veterans from the war with Turkey, Slavonic March op.31 (Marche slave) for orchestra by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (36) is performed for the first time, in Moscow. One audience member remembers that “The entire audience came to its feet, many jumped up on their chairs, one after another; to cries of ‘Bravo’ were mixed cries of ‘Hurrah!’ The March had to be repeated, after which the same tempest was raised anew.” (Wiley, 94-95) The composer will remember that the music was “effective.”
December 2, 1876:
Excerpts from Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s (36) unperformed opera Vakula the Smith are performed for the first time, in St. Petersburg. See 6 December 1876.
December 6, 1876:
Vakula the Smith, an opera by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (36) to words of Polonsky after Gogol, is performed for the first time, at the Mariinsky Theatre, St. Petersburg. Although there are loud cheers, hisses also abound. In the words of the composer, it “failed solemnly.” See 4 December 1874 and 2 December 1876.
December 29, 1876:
Evening op.27/4 a song for voice and piano by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (36) to words of Lev Mei after Taras Shevchenko, is performed for the first time, in Moscow.
December 30, 1876:
Nadezhda von Meck, the mercurial patron of Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (36), writes her first letter to the composer, thanking him for setting some of his works for violin and piano for her. He will write his first letter to her, probably tomorrow.
January 31, 1877:
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (36) writes to his brother Modest that he is deeply in love with one of his students, Iosif Iosifovich Kotek, and that his love has been returned.
March 4, 1877:
Swan Lake, a ballet by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (36) to a scenario by Begichev and Heltser, is performed for the first time, at the Bolshoy Theatre, Moscow. The work is fairly well received.
March 9, 1877:
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s (36) symphonic fantasia Francesca da Rimini is performed for the first time, in Moscow.
April 7, 1877:
Antonina Milyukova begins writing letters to her former teacher, Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (36).
May 25, 1877:
During an informal social gathering at the home of singer Yelizaveta Lavrovskaya in Moscow, she suggests to Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (37) that he compose an opera on Pushkin’s Yevgeny Onegin. He thinks the idea is ridiculous.
June 1, 1877:
After an exchange of letters, Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (37) meets Antonina Ivanovna Milyukova for the first time, in Moscow. She is a former Moscow Conservatory student who has fallen in love with him.
June 4, 1877:
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (37) asks Antonina Ivanovna Milyukova to marry him. She agrees.
June 10, 1877:
Without telling anyone that he is engaged, Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (37) leaves Moscow after the Conservatory examinations and moves to Konstantin Stepanovich Shilovsky’s estate at Glebovo to work on Yevgeny Onegin.
July 15, 1877:
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (37) informs his patroness, Nedezhda von Meck, that he will marry in three days.
July 18, 1877:
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (37) marries Antonina Ivanovna Milyukova in the Church of St. George, Moscow. After the ceremony, the composer realizes that they can never have either a physical or emotional relationship and begins to panic. They leave in the evening for St. Petersburg.
July 22, 1877:
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (37) takes his new wife to meet his parents in St. Petersburg.
July 24, 1877:
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (37) goes through a severe emotional crisis over his marriage. It will be relieved tomorrow.
July 26, 1877:
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (37) and his wife return to Moscow. Antonina believes that with constant pressure, she can win him into a physical relationship of which he wants no part.
July 27, 1877:
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (37) writes to Nadezhda von Meck requesting a loan.
August 7, 1877:
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (37) leaves his wife in Moscow to spend the summer at his sister’s dacha.
September 24, 1877:
After spending six weeks with his sister, Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (37) returns to his wife in Moscow in order to begin the new term at the Conservatory.
October 5, 1877:
Sometime within the last few days, a fully clothed Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (37) waded up to his waist in the Moscow River in an attempt to contract pneumonia. Today he wires to his brother Anatoly in St. Petersburg, requesting that he wire back in the name of conductor Edvard Nápravnik, demanding that he come to St. Petersburg immediately.
October 7, 1877:
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (37) arrives in St. Petersburg in a state of near collapse. Anatoly Tchaikovsky takes his brother to a hotel where he suffers violent episodes, goes to bed and lapses into a coma for two days. A specialist orders that he never see his wife again.
October 16, 1877:
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (37) reaches Berlin, accompanied by his brother, Anatoly. He is on his way to Geneva, escaping the emotional trauma of his marriage.
November 30, 1877:
Variations on a Rococo Theme for cello and orchestra by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (37) is performed for the first time, in Moscow.
December 15, 1877:
While visiting the library of the Doge’s Palace in Venice, Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (37) happens upon a rare 1581 publication of three Euripides plays in Latin. He steals it.
January 5, 1878:
In response to a question from Nadezhda von Meck about the Kuchka, Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (37) writes from San Remo, “All the Petersburg composers are very talented, but they are all poisoned to the core with the most horrible conceit and a purely amateur confidence in their own superiority above everyone else in the musical world...”
February 22, 1878:
Symphony no.4 by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (37) is performed for the first time, in Moscow. It is generally successful.
February 25, 1878:
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (37) writes to his brother Anatoly from Florence, “Only now, especially after the tale of my marriage, have I finally begun to understand that there is nothing more fruitless than not wanting to be that which I am by nature.”
September 20, 1878:
Valse-scherzo op.34 for violin and orchestra by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (38) is performed for the first time, in Paris.
October 12, 1878:
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (38) informs Director Nikolay Rubinstein that he will leave his post at Moscow Conservatory within a month.
October 19, 1878:
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (38) departs Moscow for St. Petersburg, having resigned his post at the Moscow Conservatory. “And so, at last, I am a free man.”
December 2, 1878:
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (38) arrives in Florence and takes up residence in an apartment provided for him by Nadezhda von Meck. She is living just two doors down.
December 28, 1878:
An open dress rehearsal of the first four scenes of Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s (38) unperformed opera Yevgeny Onyegin takes place at Moscow Conservatory. See 29 March 1879.
January 7, 1879:
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (38) moves into the Villa Richelieu, Clarens to begin composing the libretto and music to The Maid of Orléans.
March 29, 1879:
Yevgeny Onyegin, lyric scenes by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (38) to words of Shilovsky and the composer after Pushkin, is performed probably for the first time, at the Malyi Theatre, Moscow by students of Moscow Conservatory. See 28 December 1878 and 23 January 1881.
April 5, 1879:
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s (38) estranged wife appears at his brother’s apartment in St. Petersburg where the composer is staying, protesting her undying love and devotion. Tchaikovsky gives her 100 rubles and sends her back to Moscow saying that they can not live together. This gets her out of the apartment, but not before she hands him a list of her boyfriends. She will not go to Moscow however, and will continue to dog him, even taking a room in the same building.
November 2, 1879:
Piano Sonata op.37 by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (39) is performed for the first time, in Moscow.
December 20, 1879:
Suite no.1 for orchestra by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (39) is performed for the first time, in Moscow.
July 20, 1880:
While vacationing at Interlaken, Nadezhda von Meck, patron of Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (40), receives a young French pianist into her entourage to accompany her children’s singing and to play duets with her. His name is Claude Debussy (17).
September 30, 1880:
The Russian Imperial Theatres announce the The Maid of Orléans by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (40) will be staged.
December 3, 1880:
The Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom for chorus by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (40) is performed for the first time in a concert setting in Moscow. The music was performed in the University Church, Kiev in 1879.
December 3, 1880:
Serenade for Strings by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (40) is performed for the first time, in a private setting, as a surprise for the composer by students at Moscow Conservatory.
December 18, 1880:
The Italian Capriccio for orchestra op.45 by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (40) is performed for the first time, in Moscow.
January 23, 1881:
Yevgeny Onyegin, lyric scenes by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (38) to words of Shilovsky and the composer after Pushkin, is performed by professionals for the first time, at the Bolshoy Theatre, Moscow by students of Moscow Conservatory. See 29 March 1879.
February 12, 1881:
The second version of Symphony no.2 by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (40) is performed for the first time, in St. Petersburg. See 7 February 1873.
February 25, 1881:
The Maid of Orleans, an opera by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (40) to his own words after Schiller, is performed for the first time, at the Mariinsky Theatre, St. Petersburg. The work is well received by the audience but critics are scathing. Playing Dunois is a famous bass named Fyodor Stravinsky.
February 26, 1881:
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (40) leaves Russia for the west. His sojourn will be cut short when he returns to attend the funeral of Nikolay Rubinstein.
March 13, 1881:
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (40) is in the company of Grand Duke Konstantin Konstantinovich in Naples when news arrives of the killing of the Grand Duke’s uncle, Tsar Alyeksandr II. The murder will close all theatres in Russia, interrupting the run of Tchaikovsky’s The Maid of Orléans in St. Petersburg.
March 23, 1881:
While in Nice, Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (40) learns of the death of his musical mentor, Nikolay Rubinstein, in Paris.
March 26, 1881:
In Paris, Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (40), Jules Massenet (38), Eduard Lalo (58), and Ivan Turgenyev are among the many who oversee the placing of the body of Nikolay Rubinstein in a lead coffin to be transported to Moscow. He died recently of intestinal tuberculosis.
April 6, 1881:
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (40) arrives back in St. Petersburg after his sojourn in Italy and France.
May 16, 1881:
The Russian Senate rules in favor of Pyotr Ivanovich Jürgenson who tried to publish Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom without approval of the Imperial Kapella. The monopoly of the Kapella is now broken.
October 22, 1881:
A gala concert celebrating the 70th birthday of Franz Liszt takes place in the German embassy in Rome, where Liszt is living. Among the attenders is Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (41). He feels affection for Liszt, but not his music.
October 30, 1881:
Serenade for strings by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (41) is performed publicly for the first time, in St. Petersburg. See 3 December 1880.
November 12, 1881:
Concerto for piano and orchestra no.2 by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (41) is performed for the first time, in New York.
November 12, 1881:
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s (41) song Softly the Spirit Flew Up To Heaven op.47/2, to words of A. Tolstoy, is performed for the first time, in St. Petersburg.
November 26, 1881:
I Bless You Forests op.47/5, a song by Pytor Ilyich Tchaikovsky (41), to words of A. Tolstoy, is performed for the first time, in St. Petersburg.
December 4, 1881:
Concerto for violin and orchestra by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (41) is performed for the first time, in Vienna.
March 23, 1882:
A Trio for piano and strings “To the Memory of a Great Artist” op.50 by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (41) is performed for the first time, in a private performance at the Moscow Conservatory. It is in honor of Nikolay Rubinstein to commemorate the first anniversary of his death. See 30 October 1882.
July 9, 1882:
All-Night Vigil for chorus by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (42), to his own words after the Russian Orthodox liturgy, is performed for the first time, in the Industrial Exposition Hall, Moscow.
August 20, 1882:
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s (42) festival overture The Year 1812, composed to celebrate the consecration of the Cathedral of Christ the Savior, is performed for the first time, in Moscow.
September 8, 1882:
Nadezhda von Meck writes to Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (42) from her country home at Pleshcheyvo near Podolsk, “Yesterday, to my great joy, Achille Debussy (20) arrived. Now I shall gorge myself listening to music, and he’ll bring the whole house to life. He’s a Parisian to his fingertips, a real gamin de Paris, as witty as they come and a brilliant mimic. He takes Gounod (64) and Ambroise Thomas (71) off perfectly, he makes you die laughing.”
October 30, 1882:
A Trio for piano and strings by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (42) is performed publicly for the first time, in Moscow. See 23 March 1882.
November 24, 1882:
After repeated urgings from Mily Balakirev (45) to compose a work on Byron’s Manfred, Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (42) writes to him totally rejecting the idea. See 23 March 1886.
March 3, 1883:
Gopak from Act I of Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s (42) unperformed opera Mazepa is performed for the first time, in Moscow. See 15 February 1884.
May 27, 1883:
Moscow, a coronation cantata by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (43) to words of Maykov, is performed for the first time, for the coronation of Tsar Alyeksandr III in the Kremlin.
June 4, 1883:
Festival Coronation March by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (43) is performed for the first time, in Sokolniki Park, Moscow.
December 1, 1883:
The third version of Symphony no.1 “Winter Daydreams” by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (43) is performed for the first time, in Moscow. See 15 February 1868.
February 15, 1884:
Mazepa, an opera by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (43) to words of Burenin after Pushkin, revised by the composer, is performed for the first time, in the Bolshoy Theatre, Moscow. It is a great popular success. See 3 March 1883.
February 16, 1884:
Orchestral Suite no.2 by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (43) is performed for the first time, in Moscow. Following the lengthy celebrations after the success of Mazepa yesterday, the composer has left for Europe and misses the premiere of his suite.
March 19, 1884:
Tsar Alyeksandr III invests Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (43) with the Order of St. Vladimir (4th class) in the Palace at Gatchina outside St. Petersburg. He also has a separate audience with the Tsarina, who desires to meet him. It is possible that the Tsar takes this occasion to commission the Cherubic Hymns. See 1 March 1886.
April 3, 1884:
Barcarolle op.37a/6 for solo piano by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (43) is performed for the first time, in Moscow.
November 9, 1884:
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (44) meets Nikolay Rimsky-Korsakov (40), Alyeksandr Glazunov (19), and Anatoly Lyadov at the home of Mily Balakirev (47) in St. Petersburg.
December 28, 1884:
Elegy in Honor of Ivan Samarin for strings by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (44) is performed for the first time, in the Bolshoy Theatre, Moscow.
January 24, 1885:
Orchestral Suite no.3 by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (44) is performed for the first time, in St. Petersburg. Conducted by Hans von Bülow, it is extremely successful.
February 22, 1885:
The Moscow branch of the Russian Musical Society elects Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (44) as its director.
February 26, 1885:
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (44) rents a house in Maydanovo, the first of several homes he will have around Klin, 90 km from Moscow.
March 6, 1885:
Concert Fantasia op.56 for piano and orchestra by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (44) is performed for the first time, in Moscow.
April 18, 1885:
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (44) writes to Nikolay Rimsky-Korsakov (41) offering him the directorship of the Moscow Conservatory.
April 18, 1885:
Hymn in honor of SS Cyril and Methodius for unaccompanied chorus by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (44) to his own words is performed for the first time, at Moscow Conservatory.
June 1, 1885:
A large fire destroys two-thirds of the town of Klin, Russia. Among those fighting the blaze are Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (45) and his brother Modest.
December 17, 1885:
The Jurist’s Song for chorus by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (45) to his own words, is performed for the first time, in St. Petersburg to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the School of Jurisprudence.
January 31, 1886:
Incidental music to Domoyov’s play Voyevoda by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (45) is performed for the first time at the Malyi Theatre, Moscow.
February 1, 1886:
A school is opened for the first time in Maidanovo, Russia, funded by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (45).
March 1, 1886:
Four sacred pieces for chorus by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (45) are performed for the first time, at Moscow Conservatory: Cherubic Hymn in F, We Sing To Thee, Blessed are They, whom Thou hast Chosen, and Let My Prayer Ascend.
March 23, 1886:
The Manfred Symphony by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (45) is performed for the first time, in Moscow. A would-be composer named Sergey Rakhmaninov (12) attends.
April 1, 1886:
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky departs Moscow to visit his brother Anatoly in Tiflis.
May 1, 1886:
The third version of Romeo and Juliet, a fantasy-overture by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (45), is performed for the first time, in Tiflis (Tbilisi). Also on the program is the premiere of Tchaikovsky’s Nocturne op.10/1 for piano. See 16 March 1870 and 17 February 1872.
October 21, 1886:
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (46) confides to his diary about Johannes Brahms (53). “It angers me that this presumptuous mediocrity is declared a genius.” (Wiley, 294)
November 5, 1886:
Symphony no.2 by Alyeksandr Glazunov (21) is performed for the first time, in St. Petersburg. Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (44) is in the audience and is greatly impressed by the music of his young friend.
January 31, 1887:
The Slippers, a comic-fantastic opera by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (46) to words of Polonsky after Gogol, is performed for the first time, at the Bolshoy Theatre, Moscow, conducted by the composer. Despite Tchaikovsky's terror at his first conducting assignment, critics and the public are effusive in their praise.
March 6, 1887:
Excerpts from Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s (46) unperformed opera The Sorceress are performed by students of Moscow Conservatory. See 1 November 1887.
March 17, 1887:
Excerpts from Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s (46) unperformed opera The Sorceress, along with two songs, I’ll Tell You Nothing op.60/2 to words of Fet, and Sleepless Nights op.60/6 to words of Apukhtin, are performed in St. Petersburg, conducted by the composer. See 1 November 1887.
March 20, 1887:
An Angel Cried Out for chorus by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (46) is performed for the first time, in Moscow.
March 25, 1887:
At a party in Moscow celebrating the birthday of Nikolay Zverev, students of the honoree perform at the piano for the guests, including Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (46). Zverev’s students feature Sergey Rakhmaninov (13). Tchaikovsky gives kisses to all the performers.
November 1, 1887:
The Sorceress, an opera by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (47) to words of Shpazinsky, is performed for the first time, at the Mariinsky Theatre, St. Petersburg. It is mildly successful but will receive only 13 performances. See 6 March 1887 and 17 March 1887.
November 12, 1887:
The Spanish Capriccio for orchestra by Nikolay Rimsky-Korsakov (43) is performed for the first time, in St. Petersburg. In the audience is Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (47).
November 26, 1887:
The first all-Tchaikovsky (47) concert takes place in Moscow conducted by the composer. It is so successful that it will be repeated tomorrow. The evening sees the premiere of Tchaikovsky’s Orchestral Suite no.4 “Mozartiana”.
December 27, 1887:
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (47) departs Moscow for his first concert tour to Europe.
January 1, 1888:
At the home of the violinist Adolf Brodsky in Leipzig, Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (47) makes the acquaintance of Johannes Brahms (54). Mrs. Brodsky will remember, “It would be difficult to find two men more unlike. Tchaikovsky...had something elegant and refined in his whole bearing and the greatest courtesy of manner. Brahms with his short, rather square figure and powerful head, was an image of strength and energy; he was an avowed foe to all so-called ‘good manners.’” Later, Edvard (44) and Nina Grieg arrive. They have met Brahms before but never Tchaikovsky, although the Russian is an admirer of Grieg’s music. “It was more like a children’s party than a gathering of great composers.”
January 5, 1888:
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (47) begins his first European conducting tour at the Leipzig Gewandhaus.
January 14, 1888:
While on a concert tour in Lübeck, Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (47) learns that Tsar Alyeksandr III has granted him a state pension of 3,000 rubles per year for life.
January 28, 1888:
String Quartet in d minor by Ferruccio Busoni (21) is performed for the first time, in the Leipzig Gewandhaus. The reviews are not positive. One member of the audience, Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (47), finds it original but laments what he sees as Busoni’s desire to be German. He thinks that he is ashamed of being Italian. At a soiree, Tchaikovsky makes the acquaintance of Busoni and local conductor Gustav Mahler (27). Tchaikovsky finds Busoni "extraordinarily gifted." He makes no comment about Mahler.
February 11, 1888:
In Leipzig, Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (47) awakens to the sound of a band playing the Russian national anthem below his window. He dines this day with Mr. and Mrs. Edvard Grieg (44) and Ethyl Smyth. Tomorrow he leaves for Prague.
February 14, 1888:
While Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (47) is in Prague on a concert tour, he meets Antonín Dvorák (46).
February 19, 1888:
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (47) conducts a very successful concert of his own music in Prague which includes the Piano Concerto no.1, the Violin Concerto, Romeo and Juliet, and the Overture 1812. In the audience is Leos Janácek (33) who will review the performance.
February 28, 1888:
Three works by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (47) are performed for the first time, in Paris: Pezzo capriccioso for bass, cello, and orchestra, Andante cantabile for cello and violins, and Humoreske op.10/2 for piano.
November 17, 1888:
Symphony no.5 by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (48) is performed for the first time, in St. Petersburg, conducted by the composer. The audience is very enthusiastic but the critics are scornful.
November 24, 1888:
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s (48) fantasy-overture Hamlet is performed for the first time, in St. Petersburg, conducted by the composer.
December 18, 1888:
Capriccioso op.19/5 for piano by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (48) is performed for the first time, in St. Petersburg.
December 24, 1888:
Anton Chekhov meets Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (48) for the first time, in St. Petersburg. They exchange mutual admiration.
January 14, 1889:
Antonín Dvorák (47) writes to Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (48), recently visiting Prague, telling him of his admiration for the opera Yevgeny Onyegin.
March 24, 1889:
Jules Massenet (46) meets Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (48) in Paris.
March 31, 1889:
Two works for chorus by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (48) are performed for the first time, in St. Petersburg: Legend to words of Pleshcheyev, and The Nightingale to words of the composer.
May 7, 1889:
Dawn op.46/6 for two voices and piano by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky to words of Surikov is performed for the first time, in Salle Erard, Paris, on the composer’s 49th birthday.
October 26, 1889:
Anton Chekhov inscribes the dedication to his collection of short stories, Gloomy People. It is in honor of Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (49).
November 30, 1889:
A Greeting to Anton Rubinstein for his Golden Jubilee as an Artist for unaccompanied chorus by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (49) to words of Polonsky is performed for the first time, in the Hall of the Court Assembly, St. Petersburg. Also premiered is Tchaikovsky’s Impromptu in A flat for solo piano, performed by the composer.
January 1, 1890:
Nocturne op.19/1 for solo piano by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (49) is performed for the first time, in Moscow.
January 15, 1890:
The Sleeping Beauty, a ballet by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (49) to a scenario by Petipa and Vsevolozhsky after Perrault, is performed for the first time, in the Mariinsky Theatre, St. Petersburg. The audience is positive, but not wildly enthusiastic.
January 28, 1890:
In Berlin, Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (49) buys a train ticket for Florence, simply to end his lack of ability to decide where to go next.
January 31, 1890:
One day after his arrival in Florence, Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (49) begins to compose The Queen of Spades.
October 4, 1890:
At Tiflis (Tbilisi), Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (50) receives a letter from Mme von Meck announcing that she is bankrupt and will not be able to continue his allowance.
December 7, 1890:
String Sextet “Souvenir de Florence” op.70 by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (50) is performed for the first time, privately, in St. Petersburg. See 10 December 1890.
December 10, 1890:
String Sextet “Souvenir de Florence” op.70 by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (50) is performed publicly for the first time, in St. Petersburg. See 7 December 1890.
December 17, 1890:
Natha-Waltz op.50/4 for piano by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (50) is performed for the first time, in Kiev.
December 19, 1890:
The Queen of Spades, an opera by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (50) to words of the composer and his brother Modest after Pushkin, is performed for the first time, in the Mariinsky Theatre, St. Petersburg. It is a triumph.
February 9, 1891:
Chanson triste op.40/2 for piano by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (50) is performed for the first time, in Moscow.
February 21, 1891:
Incidental music to Shakespeare’s play Hamlet by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (50) is performed for the first time, in the Mikhailovsky Theatre, St. Petersburg.
March 18, 1891:
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (50) departs St. Petersburg for his trip to the United States.
March 20, 1891:
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (50) arrives in Berlin on his way to the United States. He hears his own music performed. “It was wonderful to listen to my own music unrecognized, with perfect strangers all around.”
April 5, 1891:
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (50) conducts a wildly successful program of his own works in Paris. It includes the presumed premiere of his song Tears op.46/3 to words of Tyutchev.
April 9, 1891:
Now the Powers of Heaven for chorus by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (50) is performed for the first time, in Moscow.
April 10, 1891:
Prelude op.21/1 for piano by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (50) is performed for the first time, in Tiflis (Tbilisi).
April 16, 1891:
In Paris, Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (50) learns of the death of his sister Alyeksandra Ilyinichna Davidova by reading it in a newspaper.
April 18, 1891:
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (50) departs Le Havre aboard Le Grand Bretagne making for New York.
April 26, 1891:
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (50) arrives in New York from Le Havre.
May 5, 1891:
Three Choruses for unaccompanied voices by Pytor Ilyich Tchaikovsky (50) to words of Tsyganov and Pushkin are performed for the first time, in the Hall of the City Council, St. Petersburg.
May 5, 1891:
Carnegie Hall opens in New York with a gala concert. The most illustrious person present is Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (50) who conducts his own Coronation March. “Excitement. My turn. Was loudly received. The March went by very well. Great success.” He will conduct several performances over the next week.
May 7, 1891:
On his 51st birthday, Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky conducts his Orchestral Suite no.3 at a matinee in New York.
May 9, 1891:
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (51) conducts his Piano Concerto no.1 in New York with Adèle Aus der Ohe as soloist.
May 11, 1891:
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (51) travels from New York to Buffalo to visit Niagara Falls.
May 12, 1891:
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (51) visits Niagara Falls, both the US and Canadian sides. He also takes the tour under the falls.
May 13, 1891:
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (51) arrives back in New York from Niagara Falls.
May 14, 1891:
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (51) departs New York making for Baltimore.
May 15, 1891:
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (51) conducts his Piano Concerto no.1 with Adèle Aus der Ohe as soloist, and the Serenade for Strings, in the Lyceum Theatre, Baltimore.
May 16, 1891:
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (51) travels to Washington where he enjoys a musical evening with members of the staff of the Russian embassy and other diplomats.
May 17, 1891:
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (51) takes a tour of Washington, including the Capitol Building and the “renowned obelisk”, the Washington Monument, which he calls “the greatest structure in the world after the Eiffel Tower.”
May 18, 1891:
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (51) travels from Washington to Philadelphia where he makes his last appearance in the United States. He conducts his Piano Concerto no.1 with Adèle Aus der Ohe as soloist. One of the instrumental soloists is the cellist Victor Herbert (32). After the concert, Tchaikovsky departs for New York.
May 20, 1891:
A farewell performance for Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (51) is given at the Metropolitan Opera House in New York. He hears several selections of his own music.
May 21, 1891:
After a very successful month of concertizing in the United States, Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (51) departs New York for home.
May 29, 1891:
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (51) arrives in Hamburg from New York.
June 1, 1891:
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (51) arrives in St. Petersburg from his American trip.
June 15, 1891:
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (51) writes to the publisher PI Jurgenson to order a new instrument, a celesta, which he heard in Paris, “before Rimsky-Korsakov (47) and Glazunov (25) get wind of it.”
November 3, 1891:
Cherubic Hymn in C for chorus by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (51) is performed for the first time, in Moscow.
November 18, 1891:
Voyevoda, a symphonic ballad by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (51), is performed for the first time, in Moscow conducted by the composer. Despite the composer’s misgivings, the work finds a favorable response with public and press.
January 19, 1892:
Gustav Mahler (31) conducts a performance of Yevgeny Onegin by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (51) in Hamburg before an audience which includes the composer. Tchaikovsky writes to his nephew, “The conductor here is not the usual ilk, but a man of genius who would give his life to conduct the premiere.”
March 19, 1892:
A suite from Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s (51) unperformed ballet The Nutcracker is performed for the first time, in St. Petersburg.
March 20, 1892:
Blessed is He Who Smiles for male chorus by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (51) to words of Grand Duke Konstantin Romanov is performed for the first time, in Moscow.
May 17, 1892:
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (52) moves into new lodgings near Klin (now the Tchaikovsky museum), 85 km northwest of Moscow.
December 18, 1892:
Two works for the stage by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (52) are performed for the first time, in the Mariinsky Theatre, St. Petersburg: Iolanta, a lyric opera to words of Modest Tchaikovsky after Hertz, and The Nutcracker, a fairy-ballet to a scenario by Petipa after Dumas’ version of Hoffmann. Both works receive a tumultuous reception by the audience. Iolanta is savaged by the critics. Press reaction to The Nutcracker is mixed.
February 28, 1893:
Impromptu op.1/2 by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (52) is performed for the first time, 30 years after it was composed.
June 12, 1893:
A concert celebrating tomorrow’s degree recipients takes place in Cambridge. Max Bruch conducts a scene from his choral work Odysseus, Camille Saint-Saëns (57) conducts his Fantasy L’afrique, Arrigo Boito (51) conducts the prologue from his Mefistofele, Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (53) conducts his Francesca da Rimini, and Charles Villiers Stanford (40), the musical organizer of the festivities, conducts Edvard Grieg’s (49) Peer Gynt Suite no.1. Stanford finishes the concert by conducting his own East to West.
June 13, 1893:
Cambridge University confers honorary Doctor of Music degrees on Camille Saint-Saëns (57), Arrigo Boito (51), Max Bruch, Edvard Grieg (49), and Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (53). Grieg is unable to attend due to illness.
October 21, 1893:
Night for chorus and piano by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (53) is performed for the first time, in Moscow Conservatory.
October 22, 1893:
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (53) arrives in St. Petersburg for the premiere of his Sixth Symphony.
October 28, 1893:
Symphony no.6 “Pathetique” by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (53) is performed for the first time, in St. Petersburg conducted by the composer. The audience loves the composer, but they are confused by the music. During the intermission, Nikolay Rimsky-Korsakov (49) asks Tchaikovsky if there is any program to the work. Tchaikovsky says there is, but he will not tell him what it is.
October 31, 1893:
Today is the date of the alleged “court of honor” organized by Nikolay Jacoby, to “try” Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (53). A letter from Prince Stenbock-Fermor has been handed to the Procurator of the Appeals Court to be given to the Tsar accusing Tchaikovsky of homosexual acts with his nephew. The “court” includes Jacoby and six other former students of the School of Jurisprudence who decide that their fellow alumnus must kill himself to avoid bringing dishonor on the school and all its alumni. According to the story, Tchaikovsky agrees.
November 2, 1893:
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (53) sets out from his brother's home in St. Petersburg to visit Eduard Napravnik. He suffers an acute stomach attack in the cab and immediately returns. Through the day his condition grows worse. At about 17:00 he is visited by Alyeksandr Glazunov (28). In the evening he is seen by Dr. Lev Bertenson who diagnoses cholera, now present in the city.
November 3, 1893:
The condition of Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (53) improves considerably. It is believed that he has survived the illness.
November 5, 1893:
The condition of Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (53) takes a turn for the worse. He starts to become delirious. A notice appears on the door outside reading, “The dangerous symptoms are still present, and are not responding to treatment. There is complete retention of the urine, together with drowsiness and a marked general weakness.” He is given a hot bath to increase blood circulation and his condition seems to improve slightly. But in the evening he becomes comatose. A priest is summoned.
November 6, 1893:
03:00 Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky dies in the apartment of his brother Modest on Malaya Morskaya, St. Petersburg, Russian Empire, possibly of cholera, possibly of self-administered aresenic poisoning, aged 53 years, five months, and 30 days. The body is placed in an open coffin in the apartment. Through the next two days, five requiem services are sung. Thousands of people stream up to the apartment to view the body, in contravention of rules governing cholera deaths. Already there are rumors that the composer's death was not due to cholera. Tsar Alyeksandr III agrees to fund the funeral.
November 9, 1893:
The mortal remains of Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky are carried in procession from the apartment of his brother Modest to the Mariinsky Theatre where a requiem is sung. At noon they reach the Kazan Cathedral. This is the main requiem of the day, on the order of Tsar Alyeksandr III, the first time that a civilian has been given this honor. At 14:00 they proceed down Nevsky Prospect to the cemetery of the Alexander Nevsky monastery, St. Petersburg. After another requiem and several orations and poems, the body is laid to rest not far from those of Modest Musorgsky (†12), Mikhail Ivanovich Glinka (†36), and Alyeksandr Borodin (†6).
November 18, 1893:
The Symphony no.6 of Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (†0) is performed again, in the Hall of the Nobility, St. Petersburg. Unlike its premiere, three weeks ago before the composer’s death, it is received tumultuously. In the audience is Igor Stravinsky (11), brought to the occasion by his mother.
December 12, 1893:
Nikolay Rimsky-Korsakov (49) conducts an evening of the music of Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (†0) as one of the Russian Symphony Concerts in honor of the late composer in St. Petersburg. Tchaikovsky’s song We Sat Together op.73/1, to words of Ratgauz, is performed for the first time.
December 16, 1893:
Two songs by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (†0) to words of Ratgauz, are performed for the first time, in Kiev: Amid Sombre Days op.73/5 and Again, As Before, Alone op.73/6.
December 24, 1893:
Our Father for chorus by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (†0) is performed for the first time, in Moscow.
February 12, 1894:
Trio élégiaque (no.2) op.9 for piano and strings by Sergey Rakhmaninov (20), to the memory of Tchaikovsky (†0), is performed for the first time, in Moscow the composer at the keyboard. After working on it for two months he wrote, “It is a composition on the death of a great artist. How earnestly, intensely, and painstakingly I have worked. However such things only go well for priests and pathologists!” (Scott, 43)
January 19, 1895:
One movement of a Concerto for piano and orchestra no.3 by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (†1), also called Allegro de concert or Konzertstück, is performed for the first time, in St. Petersburg.
December 17, 1895:
Jurists’ March for orchestra by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (†2) is performed for the first time, in St. Petersburg.
February 20, 1896:
Andante and Finale for piano and orchestra by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (†2) is performed for the first time, in St. Petersburg. The work was left unfinished at the composer’s death and was completed by Taneyev.
March 7, 1896:
The Storm, an overture by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (†2), is performed for the first time, in St. Petersburg, 32 years after it was composed.
October 11, 1900:
Two movements of a Piano Sonata by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (†6) is performed for the first time, in Odessa, 35 years after it was composed.
November 14, 1903:
Two sacred pieces for chorus by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (†10) are performed for the first time, in Moscow: Cherubic Hymn in D and It is Truly Fitting.
March 5, 1910:
A chorus by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (†16), The Golden Cloud Did Sleep, to words of Lermontov, is performed for the first time, in Moscow, 23 years after it was composed.
April 7, 1917:
Sergey Rakhmaninov (44) gives a charity concert at the Bolshoy Theatre performing three concertos: his own second, Tchaikovsky (†23), and Liszt (†30). The proceeds to go to army relief. It is his last performance in Moscow.
February 22, 1918:
Silvestre Revueltas (18) performs music of Tchaikovsky (†24) and Massenet (†5) at a mass on the campus of St. Edward’s College, Austin, Texas, which he is attending.
October 5, 1921:
Lev Sergeyevich Termen (Leon Theremin) (25) gives his public debut with his new instrument which he calls the Etherphone, at the Eighth All-Union Electro-Technical Congress in Moscow Polytechnical Museum. He plays a number of classical examples, including Tchaikovsky (†27) and Saint-Saëns (85), and is given a thunderous ovation.
October 12, 1931:
A Concert Overture in c minor by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (†37) is performed for the first time, in Voronezh 66 years after it was composed.
November 5, 1953:
Serenade for Nikolay Rubinstein’s Nameday for small orchestra by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (32) is performed publicly for the first time, in Moscow. See 18 December 1872.
August 8, 1954:
Romantic Suite, a ballet by Toru Takemitsu (23) after Tchaikovsky (†60), is performed for the first time, in Osaka Sankei Hall.
February 7, 1957:
Sketches for a seventh symphony by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (†63), restored and completed by Semyon S. Bogatyryov, are performed for the first time, in Moscow.
April 1, 1960:
In the second concert of their Soviet tour, in the Great Hall of the Latvian State University in Riga, Aaron Copland (59) conducts his suites from Rodeo and The Tender Land. Lukas Foss (37) directs his Ode for Symphonic Orchestra and Francesca da Rimini by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (†66). The audience receives them warmly.