Tchaikovsky Composer Study
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Study the Master of Romantic Music -- Tchaikovsky
Remember the Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairies? Even if you think you don't, I'm positive that you do! Listen to this midi file and you'll instantly recognize the tune. That famous piece was written by Tchaikovsky as part of The Nutcracker ballet.
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.
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.
- The World's Great Men of Music by Harriette Brower
- This book is in the public domain and is written specifically to introduce children to the famous composers. There is a whole chapter on Tchaikovsky.
This book can also be found at Google Books or in .txt format. - The Word's Great Men of Music by Harriette Brower
- This book in the public domain has a chapter about Tchaikovsky. Or if you prefer the same book in another format, try Google Books.
Download Tchaikovsky for Instant Composer Study
Amazon's MP3 downloads have rescued me a couple of times when I didn't have what I needed for a lesson. Plan a few hours to download the entire album.
Although you can get free MP3 or midi files online, I find the convenience of having one disc worth the expense.
Learn to Spell His Name
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.
Highly Recommended Tchaikovsky Resource
Audio Story with Music
Tchaikovsky Discovers America
Amazon Price: $8.79 (as of 02/13/2012)
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.
This is suitable for even the youngest children.
VOX Story of Tchaikovsky
Audio Music and Story
The Story of Tchaikovsky
Amazon Price: $1.30 (as of 02/13/2012)
This audio disc has a biographical account of Tchaikovsky's life with music clips interspersed among the story.
This audio is for more mature listeners since it lacks the dramatic narration and humor of the Classical Kids CD. The tone is more serious.
Tchaikovsky Images
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.
- Practical Pages Famous Musician Biography Pages
- Tchaikovsky is one of thirteen composers featured in these free biography notebooking pages. Each page is available in three different formats depending on your child's writing level.
- Tchaikovsky Notebooking Pages
- A free set of pages that include photos of the composer, the celesta, and a map of Asia.
- Tchaikovsky Minibook from color_me_scarlett
- This printable template includes images and short forms to fill out. Find a coloring page and notebooking page at color_me_scarlett's Homeschool Launch page.
- Free Printable Composer Notebooking Pages
- These freebies are from That Resource Site -- 21 pages of Tchaikovsky notebooking pages! (Be sure to look for the many other composers listed there as well.)
Ballet Coloring Book
Nutcracker Ballet Coloring Book (Dover Holiday Coloring Book)
Amazon Price: $0.94 (as of 02/13/2012)
Used Price: $0.45
Other Music Lenses
Guestbook
Your comments and relevant links are always welcome. (HTML accepted)
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TheLifestyleChanger
Feb 12, 2012 @ 10:00 pm | delete
- My favourite and a stunning composer - his works are a great gift to the world.
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jimmyworldstar
Feb 5, 2012 @ 2:39 pm | delete
- That third picture looks like Tchaikovsky with a mohawk. I enjoy classical music and his is probably one of my favorite eras.
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girlfriendfactory
Jan 1, 2012 @ 4:48 am | delete
- Great job! The Celesta is an awesome instrument! I'm featuring your lens in my new lens on composer Mark Mancina. :)
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frugalfurguy
Dec 3, 2011 @ 8:08 pm | delete
- I like your simple and direct approach and the resources you've bundled for a favorite composer of mine. Thanks for your work on Squidoo!
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JaguarJulie
Oct 6, 2010 @ 7:07 am | delete
- OMG! But Tchaikovsky is surely one of my all time favorites of the masters -- I could actually see me doing schooling on the masters as YOU have presented them -- too bad YOU are so far away!
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stephanie palma
May 11, 2010 @ 8:23 am | delete
- he is the best....i love his music especially ballet....he is the best song writer
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Sarah
Dec 24, 2009 @ 7:33 pm | delete
- Thank you most thoughtfully for your layered lens into this magnificent composer, Ms Mason. My husband and I are enjoying his "Nutcracker Suite" during this Christmas Eve. Another consideration for review (as I am sure you may have already regarded it as the Author of enlightment into such auditory food for the ears) is an Author named Alexandria Vodarsky-Shiraeff whose work we stumbled upon by chance this Merry Eve. Her (I would imagine it is a "her") study is named "Russian Composers and Musicians" and it was published in 1940. Speaks of Tchaikovski but without the "T". Also known as "Chaikovski". A banquet of other Russian composers are featured as well...
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May 13, 2009 @ 5:44 am | delete
- Excellent lens. I love Tchaikovsky's music.
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Grace
Apr 24, 2009 @ 5:16 am | delete
- 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.
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BigJim
Apr 21, 2009 @ 7:48 pm | delete
- 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.
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