Author Description
This unique documentary biography is the first to draw on the composer's own private documents--over 5,000 letters, his diaries, and articles--to present the most complete and compelling picture ever of his turbulent life and work. Linking the documents with concise, explanatory comments, Orlova charts chronologically the events of his life and sheds new light on all aspects of his personality, including his methods of working and his views on such subjects as philosophy, religion, literature, and music. Of particular interest is the clear evidence Orlova presents for the theory that Tchaikovsky did not die of cholera in 1893, but committed suicide to preserve his honor and cover up a personal scandal. Suppressed in the Russian edition of the book, the suicide theory has since been corroborated by another source and receives its fullest exposition to date in this English-language edition.
Menrva's Summary
THE THESIS
This work investigates the life and death of Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky by prioritizing the composer's own private correspondence and personal diaries over traditional biographical narratives. Alexandra Orlova, a noted musicologist, constructs a chronological framework that allows the composer to narrate his own experiences. By synthesizing over 5,000 primary documents, she argues that Tchaikovsky's internal life and final days were significantly more complex than previously documented by Soviet-era scholarship.
THE SCOPE MAP
What You Will Find
- A chronological compilation of personal letters, diary entries, and journalistic articles.
- Detailed analysis of the composer's creative process and intellectual interests.
- Evidence supporting the theory of Tchaikovsky's suicide as a means to avoid scandal.
Scope Limits
- The text focuses primarily on the composer's personal life and death rather than a comprehensive musicological analysis of his entire body of work.
THE AUTHORITY PERSPECTIVE
Experts and music historians frequently cite this volume as a pivotal text for its role in challenging the long-standing official narrative regarding the composer's death. Readers often note the academic rigor of the primary source integration, which provides a stark contrast to more romanticized biographies of the era.
Page Count:
476
Publication Date:
1990-12-06
Publisher:
Oxford University Press
ISBN-10:
019315319X
ISBN-13:
9780193153196
Music
Biography
Non-Fiction
History
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