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8th Grade General Music
Beth Sundquist
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
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born Kamsko-Votkinsk,
May 7, 1840
died St. Petersburg,
November 6, 1893
Russian nationalist
composer
Late Romantic Period
Childhood/Schooling
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Father was a mine inspector
Started piano lessons at age five
At age ten he was sent to the School of Jurisprudence at
St. Petersburg
Mother died when he was 14
He was a very sensitive child and parting from his
mother was difficult
At 19 he took a post at the Ministry of Justice
In 1863 he entered the Conservatory, also undertaking
private teaching
Early Life
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He was often depressed and insecure around people
Known homosexual
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Married Antonina Ivanova Miliukova in 1877
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She left him after only nine weeks
Attempted suicide
Nervous breakdown
Nadejda von Meck - pen pal and subsidizer for 14 years
Terminated relationship in 1890 for fear of bankruptcy
Late Romantic Period
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1850-1900
Focused on self-expression in music
Many new and diverse musical styles emerged
Grand opera is the most noted form of this period
Musical storytelling was also popular
Romantic music is more lyrical/programmatic than music
of the Classical era
The Nutcracker Suite
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First performance December 18, 1892 in St. Petersburg
Overture
Marche
Dance of the Sugar-Plum Fairy
Trepak- Russian Dance
Arab Dance
Chinese Dance
Dance of the Reed Pipes
Waltz of the Flowers
Overture
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Christmas at the Stahlbaum
home
Clara’s godfather makes magical
toys
Clara gets a Nutcracker doll,
brother Fritz breaks it, godfather
fixes doll
Clara gets up in the night for her
doll,falls asleep under the
Christmas tree, starts to dream
Marche
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The Mouse King attacks,
the Nutcracker Prince
tries to defend Clara, but
is struck down
Clara defeats the Mouse
King by throwing her
shoe
Clara kisses the
Nutcracker Prince and he
turns human
They travel through the
Land of Snow to the Land
of Sweets
Dance of the Sugar-Plum Fairy
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In the Land of
Sweets, Clara and the
Prince meet the
Sugar-Plum Fairy
She invites them to
stay and be
entertained by her
subjects
Trepak - Russian Dance
Arab Dance
Chinese Dance
Dance of the Reed Pipes
Waltz of the Flowers
The End
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Clara and the
Nutcracker Prince
return home on a
sleigh of ice and
candy
Clara awakens from
her dream