Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,
I hope you did like the composition of yesterday. Philip Glass is a great composer and he is from our time. This month we are seeking inspiration through the classical music by the greatest composers of all times and from all over the globe.
Today I hope to inspire you through a beautiful piece of music by Tchaikovsky. Who was Tchaikovsky? Let us take a look into history ...
 |
| Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (1840-1893) |
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (1840 – 1893), was a Russian composer of the late-Romantic period, some of whose works are among the most popular music in the classical repertoire. He was the first Russian composer whose music made a lasting impression internationally, bolstered by his appearances as a guest conductor in Europe and the United States. Tchaikovsky was honored in 1884, by Emperor Alexander III, and awarded a lifetime pension.
Although musically precocious, Tchaikovsky was educated for a career as a civil servant. There was scant opportunity for a musical career in Russia at that time and no system of public music education. When an opportunity for such an education arose, he entered the nascent Saint Petersburg Conservatory, from which he graduated in 1865. The formal Western-oriented teaching he received there set him apart from composers of the contemporary nationalist movement embodied by the Russian composers of The Five, with whom his professional relationship was mixed. Tchaikovsky's training set him on a path to reconcile what he had learned with the native musical practices to which he had been exposed from childhood. From this reconciliation, he forged a personal but unmistakably Russian style—a task that did not prove easy. The principles that governed melody, harmony and other fundamentals of Russian music ran completely counter to those that governed Western European music; this seemed to defeat the potential for using Russian music in large-scale Western composition or for forming a composite style, and it caused personal antipathies that dented Tchaikovsky's self-confidence.
Although musically precocious, Tchaikovsky was educated for a career as a civil servant. There was scant opportunity for a musical career in Russia at that time and no system of public music education. When an opportunity for such an education arose, he entered the nascent Saint Petersburg Conservatory, from which he graduated in 1865. The formal Western-oriented teaching he received there set him apart from composers of the contemporary nationalist movement embodied by the Russian composers of The Five, with whom his professional relationship was mixed. Tchaikovsky's training set him on a path to reconcile what he had learned with the native musical practices to which he had been exposed from childhood. From this reconciliation, he forged a personal but unmistakably Russian style—a task that did not prove easy. The principles that governed melody, harmony and other fundamentals of Russian music ran completely counter to those that governed Western European music; this seemed to defeat the potential for using Russian music in large-scale Western composition or for forming a composite style, and it caused personal antipathies that dented Tchaikovsky's self-confidence.
Here is the composition to inspire you, Waltz of the Flowers (video source You Tube)
"Waltz of the Flowers" is part of Tchaikovsky's "Nutcracker" one of his most beautiful ballets.
spring breeze
cherry blossoms dance
conquering tears
© Chèvrefeuille
In this haiku I have tried to bring the sadness of the cherry blossoms scattered by the wind, but also tried to bring the joy of that wonderful scene of cherry blossom petals dance on the wind. While they dance they make the sadness go away.
This episode is NOW OPEN for your submissions and will remain open until December 9th at noon (CET). I will try to publish our new episode, string symphony no.4 in C minor by Mendelssohn, later on.
.jpg){kind=link}
Your classical music prompts are inspirational Kristjaan. This is the first time that anyone has used a whole segment of classical music as poetry prompts. It is like an early Christmas present for me. Thank you:)
ReplyDelete