Russian music bears its own styles and emotions, free from the outside influence of other European countries during the Romantic period. Politics play an indirect role in the development of Russian music, isolating the country both politically and musically.

Until the Decembrist revolt in 1825, Russia was under the unrelenting rule of czars. Russia retained the ways of the old -- its caste system, its severity of censorship -- while the rest of Europe had already shed its Middle Age characteristics. Since the revolt, it had become fashionable for the educated public to promote social reform.

Political activity in Russia was a dangerous game, likely to lead to death or exile. Because of this, Russians turned to their national roots, finding solace in rich folk culture and explorations in art, literature, and music. A new concern for national differences in language and the arts provoked a new age of nationalism. For Russia, music was seen as a particularly strong way of expressing the "soul" of a people.

In Russia, the leader of the nationalist revival was Mikhail Glinka. His followers - Rimsky-Korsakov, Balakirev, Cesar Cui, Borodin, and Mussorgsky - became known as "The Five." Th

Tchaikovsky's final ballet was The Nutcracker. The story is agbout a magic nutcracker which turns into a Prince, defeats the evil Mouse-King, and whisks Clara off into an enchanted kingdom of toys and sweets. Tchaikovsky utilized the new distinctive silvery sound of instruments such as the celeste, used to depict the Sugar Plum fairy.

It is believed that Tchaikovsky was having a scandalous relationship with the nephew of duke. Fearing that a scandal would shake society, the authorities gave Tchaikovsky the option of poisoning himself in return for a cover story that he had died from sudden illness, thus sparing his family from shame of either scandal or suicide. One week after "Pathetique's" first performance at St. Petersburg, Tchaikovsky committed suicide on November 6, 1893.

No one dared challenge the authority of "The Five." One man attempted to project his own voice. That man was Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. His music had a special appeal to his listeners: memorable tunes, whether passionately eloquent or stylishly graceful; wild, abandoned dance music; the sheer grandeur of pieces such as the 1812 Overture or the famous opening of his Piano Concert No. 1; and most strikingly, his masterful handling of a vast palette of orchestral color. Ironically, Tchaikovsky was to win far more renown for Russian music abroad than any of his fellow nationalists.

Tchaikovsky began to play the piano early in childhood. His first teacher was Maria Palchikova, a freed serf. As mentioned earlier, the influence of the czar retained the old caste system. Within a year, Tchaikovsky was able to play better than she could.

The first two movements of Symphony No. 1 had subtitles: "Daydreams of a Winter Journey," and "Land of Desolation, Land of Mists." Both movements possessed tunes influenced by Russian folk-melodies, and evoked the bleak Russian countryside in the grips of winter. Tchaikovsky's Symphony No. 1 was performed in 1868 with Anton Rubenstein conducting.

Rubenstein had been a moving force in Tchaikovsky's composing career by criticizing all of his compositions. In 1864, Rubenstein was very critical of Tchaikovsky's most important student piece, The Storm Overture, inspired by a melancholy play by Russian dramatist Ostrovsky. While Rubenstein had expected Tchaikovsky's composition to be dark and dreary, Tchaikovsky instead created a colorful, dramatic piece of "program music," including unusual instruments such as the harp, oboe, and tuba. Rubenstein was furious because this was not the kind of thing he expected from his normally obedient students. He was also very critical of Tchaikovsky's graduation exercise, a cantata representing Schiller's Ode to Joy. The cantata was performed January 12, 1866, in the presence of a distinguished audience - but Tchaikovsky was too nervous face the pressure of the occasion. Rubenstein threatened to withhold Tchaikovsky's diploma, but nobody could deny Pyotr's outstanding talent. His presence was now known.

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