Katrina

Listening Assignment

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 **Ti****tle** **of piece**: The Sleeping Beauty - Ballet Suite, Op. 66  **Composer:** Pyotr Illyich Tchaikovsky  **Performer:** Gimnazija Kranj Symphony Orchestra Conducted by Nejc Bečan  **Musical time period:** Romantic



__Background__ In May of 1888 the director of the Imperial Theathers in St.Petersburg approached Tchaikovsky. He asked him to write a piece for "La Belle au bois dormant", meaning the sleeping beauty, which was a ballet. Tchaikovsky immediately took the offer though he had only ever written one other ballet, "Swan Lake". One of the challenges that Tchaikovsky encountered was that the choreographer of the ballet had written a very detailed list of musical requirements the piece must contain. Tchaikovsky work quickly and diligently on the piece, his initial sketches were in that same year in the winter time. His orchestration of the piece began the following year on May 30th 1889. Now this lovely piece is featured in the Disney rendition of "The Sleeping Beauty" along with many other works of Tchaikovsky

Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky was a Russian composer during the romantic era. He was a born to a normal middle class family on May 7th 1840. Tchaikovsky wrote some of the most famous concert and theatrical music in the classical repertoire. He also wrote many symphonies, operas, chamber and instrumental music. When he was younger his family had encouraged him to become a cival servant. Tchaikovsky decided to disobey his family and follow his musical gift. He then was enrolled in St. Petersburg Consevatory from 1862 until he graduated in 1865 and it was this western oriented training that put him apart from other Russian composers of that time. Even with all of his success Tchaikovsky had emotional issues. He had a troubled upbringing that was filled with periods of depression and crisis. He hid is homosexuality and feared it would arise to the public fearing the exposure would hurt him. Tchaikovsky unfortunately died at the young age of 53. Some said that he died of cholera others claimed suicide. Now a day Pyotr Tchaikovsky is still considered to be one of the may great composers and his work is admired by many.

Analysis:

Tchaikovsky wrote over 100 pieces over his lifetime. Here are some of his most well known:

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