Study the Master of Romantic Music -- Tchaikovsky
Peter Tchaikovsky lived from 1840 - 1893 and is considered one of the great Romantic composers of Western music. He took passionate and fanciful tales such as Romeo and Juliet, Swan Lake, and Sleeping Beauty and set them to beautiful music that was usually performed in ballets. Because most children are familiar with the stories of Tchaikovsky's music, he is a great musician to begin your habit of composer study.
In a Charlotte Mason styled composer study, you listen to the artist's works repeatedly for an entire term. Studying biographical information is optional, but can enhance a study, especially for older children. But keep the study enjoyable by focusing on the music itself. As you listen, try to name the pieces so that eventually your children (and you!) will come to recognize the composer and the music. It's such a joy to be in a public place and have your child identify the music playing in the background! That is the purpose of a Charlotte Mason composer study -- familiarity with music and composers' styles as well as a love for the music itself.
Studying Tchaikovsky
Tchaikovsky lived during the Romantic period of music. That's after the Baroque and Classical but before Modern music. Romantic music tends to be fanciful, imaginative, and passionate. Composers were beginning to gain fame and the paying audiences that went along with fame. With a broad market for their music, Romantic composers had the freedom to express themselves how they chose instead of catering to the desires of wealthy princes and kings. Up until this time, no one had created fantastical music about fairies and wicked witches! But Tchaikovsky did!Some of his most famous pieces, and ones that you'll want to include in your study are:
- The Nutcracker Suite
- Swan Lake
- Romeo and Juliet
- The Sleeping Beauty
- the 1812 Overture
- Symphony #6 - the Pathetique
- the Piano Concerto in Bb.
You can find free midi files (listen online or download) at Classical Midi Connection. (I find the site a bit odd. Look for the part that says, "Right-click here and select "save as" to download file, or left-click to play it on your own default MIDI player." That's where you'll actually get to the midi file.)
Or there are a few MP3 files (better quality than midi files) at Encyclomedia. (Please be aware that this site may have some unseemly links on the right hand side.) Karadar Classical Music also has a few free music files. And the BBC offers some selections in both excerpt and full tracks.
Besides listening to Tchaikovsky's music, you may want to explore some of these related topics.
The Celesta
Tchaikovsky is the first major composer to use the celesta (pictured to the left) in a symphony orchestra. Especially well known for the use of the celesta is the Dance of the Sugarplum Fairy from the Nutcracker ballet.- Printable celesta minibooks -- pull tab book and an accordion book.
Ballet
- Beautiful coloring pages created from photographs of actual dancers are available at New York City Ballet.
- A free ballet study guide complete with diagrams, glossary, and history is offered by the Auditorium Theater of Roosevelt University.
Russia
- Maps from World Atlas
- PDF map of Central and Northern Asia from Eduplace.
- A minibook called Where is Russia? from Homeschool Share.
- An entire middle grades, literature based unit study about Russia complete with day by day schedule.
Interesting Fact
At its premiere in Russia in 1892, The Nutcracker was a failure with the public and critics. Tchaikovsky died less than a year later, not knowing what a huge international success the ballet would become.
Download Tchaikovsky for Instant Composer Study
Although you can get free MP3 or midi files online, I find the convenience of having one disc worth the expense.
Free Online Helps about Tchaikovsky
- Tchaikovsky Audio Shows at Classics for Kids
- I love the free audio programs at Classics for Kids. They are fast paced, full of music, and interesting.
There are four programs:
1. About Piotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
2. Ballet
3. The Nutcracker
4. Traditional Christmas Classical Music
5. Carnegie Hall - Swan Lake Synopsis plus Video Clips
- This PBS link has some video clips of ballet. Be sure to click on LARGE in the upper right hand corner to make the video larger.
- One Page Tchaikovsky Timeline
- An illustrated timeline with the main events in Tchaikovsky's life.
Learn to Spell His Name
Simply spelling Tchaikovsky is a feat in itself!
Break it down
T---CHAI---KOV---SKY
T It starts with a "tea." What kind of tea?
CHAI The kind of tea drunk in India.
KOV Spelled just like it sounds.
SKY Not ski but in the sky, like dancers leaping upwards in a Tchaikovsky ballet.
Books and CDs for a Tchaikovsky Composer Study
Nutcracker Ballet Coloring Book (Dover Pictorial Archives)
Amazon Price: $3.95 (as of 11/07/2009) 
A Child's Introduction to Ballet: The Stories, Music, and Magic of Classical Dance (Book & CD)
Amazon Price: $13.57 (as of 11/07/2009)
Peter Tchaikovsky (Getting to Know the World's Greatest Composers)
Amazon Price: $6.95 (as of 11/07/2009)
Tchaikovsky Discovers America (Classical Kids Teacher's Notes)
This fictional account describes Tchaikovsky's 1891trip to America where he conducted the New York Symphony at the opening of Carnegie Hall. This audio CD will be listened to again and again! It's a great story -- funny, suspenseful, and touching.
Here is a simple PDF with questions and a map to fill in.
Amazon Price: $15.98 (as of 11/07/2009)
The Story of Tchaikovsky
This audio disc has a biographical account of Tchaikovsky's life with music clips interspersed among the story.
Amazon Price: $2.98 (as of 11/07/2009)
Free Tchaikovsky Teaching Resources
Printables, Lapbooks, and Notebooking Pages
- The Nutcracker Lapbook
- Free templates for making a lapbook about this famous ballet.
- Joyful Music Tchaikovsky Notebook and Lapbook Pages
- More freebies from a homeschool mom.
- The Nutcracker Free Unit Study
- A well planned unit study complete with printables, crafts, and book list.
- Nutcracker Drawing Pages from the Pacific Northwest Ballet
- All of the characters in the ballet are represented among these PDF coloring pages.
- Nutcracker Puppets
- Narrate the story with these paper puppets!
- Swan Lake Teacher's Guide from Arizona Ballet
- This PDF includes background about Swan Lake, a synopsis of the plot, a glossary of dance terms, biographical information about Tchaikovsky, and some puzzles -- a word search and a crossword puzzle.
- FAQ on Ballet and The Nutcracker
- Very interesting questions and answers about ballet in general plus specific tidbits about The Nutcracker. For example, what's the difference between the Nutcracker Suite and the Nutcracker ballet?
- Nutcracker Guide from San Francisco Ballet
- WOW! This document is a whopping 40 pages, filled with beautiful full color images photographed from the Nutcracker ballet. Synopsis of the plot, ballet terms, biography of Tchaikovsky, a word search puzzle, and more.
- Tchaikovsky Notebooking Pages
- A free set of pages that include photos of the composer, the celesta, and a map of Asia.
Ballet Coloring Book
Favorite Ballets Coloring Book (Dover Coloring Book)
Amazon Price: $3.95 (as of 11/07/2009)
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Guestbook
Your comments and relevant links are always welcome. (HTML accepted)
Grace wrote
This is very timely for us. This is exactly what we were planning to start with - having never done a composer study before, and I hadn't really been sure how to go about it. Thank you so much.
Posted April 24, 2009
BigJim wrote...
Excellent job on this lens. Tchaikovsky is one of my favorite composers. I recommend reading the book "Beloved Friend" about his benefactress that he never actually met.
Posted April 21, 2009
stargazer00 wrote...
Beautiful lens. Enjoyed reading about Tchaikovsky and even learned to spell his name!
Posted April 20, 2009
Evelyn_Saenz wrote...
I love the Charlotte Mason philosophy of just listening to the music over and over in order to recognize it when heard elsewhere. My oldest studied ballet for years and loves to dance to Tchaikovsky's beautiful music.
Lensrolled to Sugar Plum Ballerinas.
Posted April 20, 2009
by Jimmie
Hello! I am a homeschooling, stay at home mom who loves to teach and learn. I enjoy cooking from scratch, blogging, photography, and traveling, but I...
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