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Romanticism in Tchaikovsky’s Music
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Elizabeth Jang
Mr. Dixon
Am. Lit E
24 May 2013
Table of Contents
Overview ................................................................................................................................2
Fantastic Themes ...................................................................................................................3
Romantic Plot.........................................................................................................................4
Nationalism ............................................................................................................................5
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Outline
I. Introduction
II. Romanticism in Tchaikovsky’s Music
A. Fantastic ideas
B. Unrealistic plot
C. Nationalistic themes
III. Conclusion
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Romanticism in Tchaikovsky’s Music
At the suggestion of the “Nutcracker Suite,” “Swan Lake,” or “Sleeping Beauty,”
thoughts that come to mind include Christmas presents, ballerinas in tutus, and an old classic
Disney movie that every little girl watched as a seven-year old. These pieces of music, all made
by the same composer, “never went out of style” and have “won a following throughout the 20th
century second only to Beethoven’s” (Druckenbrod). However, few recognize the mastermind
and musical genius behind these ballets and famous works, such as operas and overtures that are
commonly heard in malls, restaurants, and movies. Although not always recognized by the
public, Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, a Russian composer of the 19th century, is the source of
innumerable operas, concertos, symphonies, songs, piano pieces, ballets, and other works
(“Peter”), including the Nutcracker and the previously mentioned musical compositions. Much
of what society listens to today is a masterpiece of this composer.
Overview
Tchaikovsky’s music was notable for its Russian folk themes, emotional expression, and
abstract, supernatural fantasy. These components create a compelling, atmosphere for great, nice
music. Romanticism, the ideology and theme that developed in the late 18th century, is
characterized by inspiration, the individual, supernatural, and emotions. This idea was a
response to the previous ideas that characterized the period of the Enlightenment, such as
rationalism and restraint. This composer effectively implemented these romantic factors in his
melodies and orchestration (Sherrane) for many of his finest works, revealing patterns of
unrealistic love, dreams, and more. The themes in each of his masterpieces were significant
factors that increased his popularity and reputation. Tchaikovsky’s music displays this
romanticism in its emphasis on fantastic themes, emotion, and nationalism.
Fantastic themes
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Fantastic themes are seen in Tchaikovsky’s musical interpretations of ballets and
orchestral works. His most popular works are filled with melodic passages, melancholy
movements, and cheerful sections. Extraordinary themes, for example, in the “Nutcracker Suite”
reveal a foundational concept of escape from reality. The story focuses on a young girl and her
adventures with a Nutcracker toy that has come to life. She is invited to a magical place called
Candyland, and encounters fascinating people and magical beings. She sees fairies, flowers, and
people from all over the world dance and celebrate with her. In the end, the girl is found back at
her house, next to the lifeless Nutcracker. Her father carries her to bed, and the ballet ends. The
story raises the question of whether the girl had dreamt the entire journey in Candyland or not.
This obscuring of dream and reality, only made stronger by Tchaikovsky’s music, is a pattern in
the ballet and in the rest of the composer’s music. His interpretation through his flowing,
exciting, and mysterious music adds onto the confusing mystery of the whole ballet, which
reveals his romantic tendency to focus on the question of fantasy and reality.
The Sleeping Beauty, a ballet that contains Tchaikovsky’s music, similarly reveals his
romantic, fantastic ideas, through its idealization of love and presentation of unlikely situations.
The main character, Princess Aurora, is cursed by an evil fairy, is put into a deep sleep for a
hundred years, and can only be woken up by true love’s kiss. When time has passed, Prince
Désiré appears, defeats the wicked fairy, and saves Aurora with a kiss, ending the curse. This
fictional, unrealistic plot parallels romantic characteristics of escape from reality and
idealization. Furthermore, the classical music and persistent thematic melodies that are present in
Tchaikovsky’s music contribute further to the romantic qualities of the ballet.
The Swan Lake ballet also reveals romanticism through its emphasis on fantasy. It
focuses on the fight between good and evil. Tchaikovsky focuses on the unrealistic and pursuit
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of the impossible. This escape from realistic, logical thought reveals strong romantic qualities, as
opposed to the realistic characteristics in many other pieces of music.
Romantic plot
Emotions are scattered commonly throughout his music and strongly suggest romantic
features in his pieces. Tchaikovsky’s sweeping melodies, colorful harmonies, and vivid
orchestration all evoke emotional responses (“Pyotr”). Regarding romance, he almost always
turned to tragic subject matter, such as in Romeo and Juliet (Teachout). In this piece,
Tchaikovsky emphasizes love and tragedy. The rich melodic patterns and sorrowful moods are
evoked by the orchestral work (“TCHAIKOVSKY”) and strongly suggest the composer’s value
of emotion and passion.
The Swan Lake ballet also follows a romantic plot concerning emotions. According to
Robert Sherrane, a media librarian at the Juilliard School, “the well-known theme of the tragic
Swan-Princess from Swan Lake seems to embody the intense, heartfelt, romanticized suffering
which Tchaikovsky’s music gives voice to so often.” The suspenseful, dramatic themes of the
ballet’s music, often exaggerated, support the fact that Tchaikovsky was indeed greatly
influenced by emotion. Because the emphasis of emotion is a significant quality of romanticism,
it is evident that the composer was also deeply influenced by romantic factors.
In another case, such as the Symphony #5, Tchaikovsky directly expresses emotion
through mysterious themes, melodic phrases, and dramatic tension (“Tchaikovsky”). The
sweeping musical expressions easily allow the listeners to interpret and feel the emotions that
Tchaikovsky tried to communicate. Carefully composed, the symphony reveals horn solos,
graceful melodies, and beautiful harmony that emphasize emotion and reveal the composer’s
characteristics of romanticism.
Nationalism
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Lastly, Tchaikovsky continues to reveal his nationalistic sentiment through his focus on
Russian folk melodies and Russian victory in his music. He “was inspired by a more universal
romanticism” (Landay), meaning that he embraced forms of romanticism other than nationalism.
Nevertheless, as part of The Five, a Russian group of composers that aimed at resisting Western
influence, Tchaikovsky revealed strong nationalistic sentiment and support for his country in his
pieces. He preserved and implemented numerous Russian folk songs into his music, such as in
his 2nd Symphony. But by far the great example of his nationalist nature is the 1812 Overture,
his bold expression of Russian pride by commemorating Napoleon’s defeat in the War of 1812
(Kreuzer).
According to Michael Comer’s “Chaikovsky’s 1812 Overture,” each section of the
overture represents a phase in the War of 1812 against Napoleon. The music opens with a
Russian Church chant, indicating the announcement of war at church services that occurred at
the beginning of the war. The horns, followed by the French national anthem represent the
marching armies and the early French victories. The next section is characterized by a Russian
folk dance theme, “which commemorates the national unity that developed in beating back
Napoleon” (Comer). In this section, Tchaikovsky focuses on the nationalism and unity that
allows the Russians to overcome Napoleon’s forces, which directly reveals that he valued this
romantic quality in his music. The following hectic violin spirals represent French retreat and
losses that October of 1812. The last section of the music is filled with cannons and triumphant
music that reveals Russian victory, and ends with the Russian anthem, finishing off a
nationalistic touch to the piece. The piece commemorates the victory of the Russians over
Napoleon in the War of 1812 and is filled throughout with hints of nationalism. This pattern in
his music indicates that he was truly a romantic composer.
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Tchaikovsky, although not always recognized by the general public, is largely present in
our culture today, whether his music is heard at the mall, in restaurants, or in professional
concert halls. His symphonies and concertos are popularly performed among orchestras all
around the world (Teachout). During his life, the composer created much music in the form of
operas, symphonies, ballets, overtures, concertos, and more. Romantic themes are displayed and
easily seen in his pieces through their addition of fantasy, idealization, emotion, passion, and
nationalism. These features present themselves consistently in his music, and are largely the
reason why Tchaikovsky remains in so many people’s memories even in modern society.
References
Comer, Michael. "Chaikovsky's 1812 Overture." Web.ku.edu. Kansas University, 9 Mar. 2001.
Web. 4 Mar. 2013.
Druckenbrod, Andrew. “Festival to explore Tchaikovsky’s changing reputation.” Pittsburgh
Post-Gazette (PA) 30 Jan. 2011: Newspaper Source. Web. 26 Feb. 2013.
Kreuzer, R. "Piotr Ilych Tchaikovsky." It.stlawu.edu. St. Lawrence University, n.d. Web. 10
Mar. 2013.
Landay, Lori. "Romanticism in Literature, Art, and Music." Classes.berkley.edu. Berklee
College of Music, n.d. Web. 21 Apr. 2013.
“Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky.” Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th Edition (2013): 1. MAS
Ultra – School Edition. Web. 21 Apr. 2013.
"Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky." Global.britannica.com. Encyclopedia Britannica, n.d. Web. 21 Apr.
2013.
Sherrane, Robert. "Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky." Ipl.org. Internet Public Library, n.d. Web. 21 Apr.
2013.
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"The Story." Center.iastate.edu. Iowa State University, n.d. Web. 21 Apr. 2013.
"Tchaikovsky Notes." Music.pomona.edu. Pomona College, n.d. Web. 04 Mar. 2013.
“TCHAIKOVSKY, Peter Ilich.” (n.d.): Funk & Wagnalis New World Encyclopedia. Web. 26
Feb. 2013.
Teachout, Terry. “Tchaikovsky’s Passion.” Commentary 107.3 (1999): 55. MAS Ultra – School
Edition. Web. 26 Feb. 2013.
Vroon, Donald R. “Overview: Tchaikovsky.” American Record Guide 64.1 (2001): 63. MAS
Ultra – School Edition. Web. 26 Feb. 2013.
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