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1840 May 7; Peter Ilyrich Tchaikovsky was born in Votinsk, Russia.
1848; The Tchaikovsky family moves to moscow and then to St Petersburg.
1850; starts at the school of Jurisprudence in St Petersburg to be trained as a government servant.
1854; mother dies of Cholera, Begins to take an interest in music. He starts piano and singing lessons.
1859; at aged 19 becomes a clerk of the ministry of Justice in St Petersburg.
1861 July; He visits Germany, Belgium, France and Britain. He returns to St Petersburg three months later.
1862; He bigins studying at the St Petersburg Conservitoire, while still working at the ministry of Justice.
1863; now aged 23, resigns from his job at the Ministry of Justice at starts full time study at the Conservitoire.
1865; graduates from the St Petersburg conservitoire with a diploma.
1866; January; he becomes a tutor in Harmony at the Moscow Conservitoire.
1868; February; His first symphony is performed in its entirety, at the age of 29 he becomes engaged to the Belgian opera
singer Desiree Artot.
1869; after learning that Desiree has married a Spanish singer in Warsaw, he begins a period of intense composition.
1872; he composes his second symphony.
1874; His first opera, Vakula the Smith, wins a prize competition, but is a failure in performance. He begins writing
his piano concerto number 1.
1875; He composes his third symphony. The Moscow opera commisions the Ballet Swan Lake. October 25: The first performance
of piano Concerto No.1. is given in the the United States. It is a huge success.
1876; He begins correspondence with Nadia Von Meck.
1877; July 18; He marries Antonia Milyukova; he realises this was a mistake and goes into deep despair. October; His doctor
orders him not to see Antonia again: the marriage is over. Nadia von Meck promises to give him an annual allowance. He starts
a Tour of Europe.
1878; Returning to Moscow, he finishes his fourth Symphony and begins a period of fulltime compositions. He writes a violin
concerto and begins a piano senata his first orchestral suite and an opera, The Maid of New Orleans..
1880; He resigns as tutor from the Moscow Conservatoire. He begins his piano concerto no.2. and writes the 1812 overture.
His father dies.
- 1881 February; The Maid Of New Orleans is performed for the first time and is widely acclaimed. He declines the post of
Director of the Moscow Conservatiore.
- 1885; He setts up his own country Home near Klin. He writes The Manfred Symphony and a new opera, The Sorceress. He is
elected Director of the Moscow branch of The Russian Musical society.
- 1887 January; he conducts the first three performances of Cherevicki, a revised version of his first opera, Vakula the
Smith.
- 1888; He undertakes his first international tour as a conductor.
- 1889; He finishes the ballet for The Sleeping Beauty.
- 1890; He writes another opera, The Queen of Spades. After 14 years his correspondence with Nadia von Mede ends abruptly.
- 1891 March; He travels to the United States to take part in the opening festival of the Carnegil Hall in New York, which
is to be held in May. He goes on to conduct concerts in Baltimore and Philadelphia..
- 1892 March. The Nutcracker is performed for the first time, He starts work on his Sixth Symphony.
- 1893; He travels to Britain to recieve the Honorary degree of Doctor of music at Cambridge University. On his return,
he completes the Sixth Symphony, know as the Pathetique. October 28; The first performance of the Sixth Symphony is given
in St Petersburg. 2 November; He contracts Cholera and dies in St Petersburg.
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