Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky

Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky

Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (Russian: Пётр Ильи́ч Чайко́вский ; often "Peter Ilich Tchaikovsky" in English. His names are also transliterated "Piotr" or "Petr"; "Ilitsch", "Il'ich" or "Illyich"; and "Tschaikowski", "Tschaikowsky", "Chajkovskij"...

 (7 May 18406 November 1893) wrote several works well known among the general classical public—Romeo and Juliet

Romeo and Juliet (Tchaikovsky)

Romeo and Juliet is an orchestral work composed by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. It is styled an Overture-Fantasy, and is based on Shakespeare's play of the same name. Like other composers such as Berlioz and Prokofiev, Tchaikovsky was deeply inspired by Shakespeare and wrote works based on The...

, the 1812 Overture

1812 Overture

The Year 1812, Festival Overture in E flat major, Op. 49, popularly known as the 1812 Overture or the Overture of 1812 is an overture written by Russian composer Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky in 1880 to commemorate Russia's defense of Moscow against Napoleon's advancing Grande Armée at the Battle of...

, his three ballets The Nutcracker

The Nutcracker

The Nutcracker is a two-act ballet, originally choreographed by Marius Petipa and Lev Ivanov with a score by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. The libretto is adapted from E.T.A. Hoffmann's story "The Nutcracker and the Mouse King". It was given its première at the Mariinsky Theatre in St...

, Swan Lake

Swan Lake

Swan Lake ballet, op. 20, by Pyotr Tchaikovsky, composed 1875–1876. The scenario, initially in four acts, was fashioned from Russian folk tales and tells the story of Odette, a princess turned into a swan by an evil sorcerer's curse. The choreographer of the original production was Julius Reisinger...

, and The Sleeping Beauty. These, along with two of his four concerto

Concerto

A concerto is a musical work usually composed in three parts or movements, in which one solo instrument is accompanied by an orchestra.The etymology is uncertain, but the word seems to have originated from the conjunction of the two Latin words...

s, three of his six symphonies

Symphony

A symphony is an extended musical composition in Western classical music, scored almost always for orchestra. A symphony usually contains at least one movement or episode composed according to the sonata principle...

 (seven if Manfred is included) and two of his 10 operas, are probably among his most familiar works. Almost as popular are the Manfred Symphony

Manfred Symphony

The Manfred Symphony in B minor, Op. 58, is a programmatic symphony composed by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky between May and September 1885. It is based on the poem "Manfred" written by Lord Byron in 1817...

, Francesca da Rimini

Francesca da Rimini (Tchaikovsky)

Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky's symphonic poem Francesca da Rimini: Symphonic Fantasy after Dante, Op. 32, was composed in less than three weeks during his visit to Bayreuth in the autumn of 1876....

, the Capriccio Italien

Capriccio Italien

The Capriccio Italien, Op. 45, is a fantasy for orchestra composed between January and May of 1880 by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky.The Capriccio was inspired by a trip Tchaikovsky took to Rome, during which he saw the Carnival in full swing, and is reminiscent of Italian folk music and street songs...

 and the Serenade for Strings

Serenade for Strings (Tchaikovsky)

Tchaikovsky's Serenade for Strings in C major, Op. 48, premiered in 1880. It remains one of the late Romantic era's most definitive compositions.-Form:Serenade for Strings has 4 movements:...

. His three string quartet

String quartet

A string quartet is a musical ensemble of four string players – usually two violin players, a violist and a cellist – or a piece written to be performed by such a group...

s and piano trio

Piano trio

A piano trio is a group of piano and two other instruments, usually a violin and a cello, or a piece of music written for such a group. It is one of the most common forms found in classical chamber music...

 all contain beautiful passages, while recitalists still perform at least some of his 106 songs. Tchaikovsky also wrote over 100 piano works, which range the entire span of his creative life. While some of these can be challenging technically, they are mostly charming, unpretentious compositions intended for amateur pianists. However, there is more attractive and resourceful music in some of these pieces than one might be inclined to expect.

Tchaikovsky's formal conservatory training allowed him to write works with Western-oriented attitudes and techniques. His music showcases a wide range and breadth of technique, from a poised "Classical" form simulating 18th century Rococo

Rococo

Rococo , also referred to as "Late Baroque", is an 18th-century style which developed as Baroque artists gave up their symmetry and became increasingly ornate, florid, and playful...

 elegance, to a style more characteristic of Russian nationalists, or a musical idiom expressly to channel his own overwrought emotions. Despite his reputation as a "weeping machine," self-expression was not a central principle for Tchaikovsky. In a letter to von Meck dated December 5, 1878, he explained there were two kinds of inspiration for a symphonic composer, a subjective and an objective one, and that program music

Program music

Program music or programme music is a type of art music that attempts to musically render an extra-musical narrative. The narrative itself might be offered to the audience in the form of program notes, inviting imaginative correlations with the music...

 could and should exist, just as it was impossible to demand that literature make do without the epic element and limit itself to lyricism alone. Correspondingly, the large scale orchestral works Tchaikovsky composed can be divided into two categories—symphonies in one category, and other works such as symphonic poem

Symphonic poem

A symphonic poem or tone poem is a piece of orchestral music in a single continuous section in which the content of a poem, a story or novel, a painting, a landscape or another source is illustrated or evoked. The term was first applied by Hungarian composer Franz Liszt to his 13 works in this vein...

s in the other. Both categories were equally valid. Program music such as Francesca da Rimini or the Manfred Symphony was as much a part of the composer's artistic credo as the expression of his "lyric ego." There is also a group of compositions which fall outside the dichotomy of program music versus "lyrical ego," where he hearkens toward pre-Romantic aesthetics. Works in this group include the four orchestral suites, Capriccio Italien, the Violin Concerto and the Serenade for Strings.

Works by opus number

Works with opus number

Opus number

An Opus number , pl. opera and opuses, abbreviated, sing. Op. and pl. Opp. refers to a number generally assigned by composers to an individual composition or set of compositions on publication, to help identify their works...

s are listed in this section, together with their dates of composition. For a complete list of Tchaikovsky's works, including those without opus numbers, see here. For more detail on dates of composition, see here.

• Op. 1 Two Pieces for piano (1867)
  • Scherzo à la russe
    Scherzo a la russe
    "Scherzo à la russe", Op. 1, No. 1, is part of the first published work of Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, Two Pieces for Piano, Op. 1.It is based on a Ukrainian folk tune in B-flat major. It was first called Capriccio but was later changed to "Scherzo à la russe". The other piece in the work was...
    
    
  • Impromptu
• Op. 2 Souvenir de Hapsal
  Souvenir de Hapsal
  Souvenir de Hapsal is a suite of three pieces for piano by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. It was his first cycle of piano pieces and it was composed in 1867.-History:...
  
  , 3 pieces for piano (1867)
• Op. 3 The Voyevoda, opera (1868)
• Op. 4 Valse-caprice in D major, for piano (1868)
• Op. 5 Romance in F minor, for piano (1868)
• Op. 6 6 Romances (1869), including "None but the lonely heart
  None but the lonely heart
  Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky composed a set of six romances for voice and piano, Op. 6, in late 1869; the last of these songs is the melancholy "None but the Lonely Heart" ....
  
  "
• Op. 7 Valse-scherzo in A, for piano (1870)
• Op. 8 Capriccio in G-flat, for piano (1870)
• Op. 9 3 Morceaux, for piano (1870)
  • 1. Rêverie
  • 2. Polka de salon
  • 3. Mazurka de salon
• Op. 10 2 Morceaux, for piano (1871)
  • 1. Nocturne
  • 2. Humoresque
• Op. 11 String Quartet No. 1 in D
  String Quartet No. 1 (Tchaikovsky)
  String Quartet No. 1 in D major was the first of Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky's three string quartets, and his Opus 11.The quartet has 4 movements:# Moderato e semplice # Andante cantabile...
  
   (1871)
• Op. 12 The Snow Maiden (Snegurochka), incidental music
  Incidental music
  Incidental music is music in a play, television program, radio program, video game, film or some other form not primarily musical. The term is less frequently applied to film music, with such music being referred to instead as the "film score" or "soundtrack"....
  
   (1873)
• Op. 13 Symphony No. 1 in G minor Winter Daydreams
  Symphony No. 1 (Tchaikovsky)
  Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky wrote his Symphony No. 1 in G minor, Winter Daydreams , Op. 13, in 1866, just after he accepted a professorship at the Moscow Conservatory: it is the composer's earliest notable work. The composer's brother Modest claimed this work cost Tchaikovsky more labor and suffering...
  
   (1866)
• Op. 14 Vakula the Smith
  Vakula the Smith
  Vakula the Smith , is an opera in 3 acts, 8 scenes, by Pyotr Tchaikovsky, his Opus 14. The libretto was written by Yakov Polonsky and is based on Nikolai Gogol's story Christmas Eve . It was written for composer Alexander Serov, who died in 1871 leaving only fragments of an opera on the subject...
  
  , (revised as Cherevichki
  Cherevichki
  Cherevichki [alternative renderings are The Little Shoes, The Tsarina's Slippers, Les caprices d'Oxane, and Gli stivaletti] is a comic-fantastic opera in 4 acts, 8 scenes, by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. It was composed in 1885 in Maidanovo, Russia...
  
  ), opera (1874)
• Op. 15 Festival Overture in D on the Danish National Anthem
  Festival Overture on the Danish National Anthem
  During his time at the Moscow Conservatoire, around September 1866 the school's principal, Nikolay Rubinstein commissioned Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky to compose a Festival Overture on the Danish National Anthem to be played for the visit of the Tsarevich to Moscow, accompanied by his new Danish...
  
  , for orchestra (1866)
• Op. 16 6 Songs (1872)
  • No. 1 Lullaby (Cradle Song)
  • No. 2 Wait!
• Op. 17 Symphony No. 2 in C minor Little Russian
  Symphony No. 2 (Tchaikovsky)
  Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky composed his Symphony No. 2 in C minor, Op. 17 in 1872. One of Tchaikovsky's very joyous compositions, it was successful upon its premiere; it also won the favor of the group of nationalistic Russian composers known as "The Five", led by Mily Balakirev...
  
   (1872)
• Op. 18 The Tempest
  The Tempest (Tchaikovsky)
  The Tempest , Symphonic Fantasia after Shakespeare, Op. 18, is a symphonic poem in F minor by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky composed in 1873. It was premiered in December 1873, conducted by Nikolai Rubinstein....
  
  , symphonic fantasia in F minor, after Shakespeare
  William Shakespeare
  William Shakespeare was an English poet and playwright, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's national poet and the "Bard of Avon"...
  
   (1873)
• Op. 19 6 Pieces, for piano (1873)
  • 1. Rêverie du soir [Вечерние грезы] (G minor)
  • 2. Scherzo humoristique [Юмористическое скерцо] (D major)
  • 3. Feuillet d'album [Листок из альбом] (D major)
  • 4. Nocturne [Ноктюрн] (C-sharp minor)
  • 5. Capriccioso [Каприччиозо] (B-flat major)
  • 6. Thème original et variations [Тема и вариации] (F major)
• Op. 20 Swan Lake
  Swan Lake
  Swan Lake ballet, op. 20, by Pyotr Tchaikovsky, composed 1875–1876. The scenario, initially in four acts, was fashioned from Russian folk tales and tells the story of Odette, a princess turned into a swan by an evil sorcerer's curse. The choreographer of the original production was Julius Reisinger...
  
  , ballet (1876)
• Op. 21 6 Morceaux, for piano (1873)
• Op. 22 String Quartet No. 2 in F
  String Quartet No. 2 (Tchaikovsky)
  The String Quartet No. 2 in F major, Op. 22, by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, was composed between December 1873 and January 1874....
  
   (1874)
• Op. 23 Piano Concerto No. 1 in B-flat minor
  Piano Concerto No. 1 (Tchaikovsky)
  The Piano Concerto No. 1 in B-flat minor, Op. 23 was composed by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky between November 1874 and February 1875. It was revised in the summer of 1879 and again in December 1888. The first version received heavy criticism from Nikolai Rubinstein, Tchaikovsky's desired pianist....
  
   (1875)
• Op. 24 Eugene Onegin
  Eugene Onegin (opera)
  Eugene Onegin, Op. 24, is an opera in 3 acts , by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. The libretto was written by Konstantin Shilovsky and the composer and his brother Modest, and is based on the novel in verse by Alexander Pushkin....
  
  , opera (1878)
• Op. 25 6 Songs (1874)
  • No. 2 As When Upon Hot Ashes (Over Burning Ashes)
• Op. 26 Sérénade mélancolique in B minor, for violin and orchestra (1875)
• Op. 27 6 Songs (1875)
• Op. 28 6 Songs (1875)
• Op. 29 Symphony No. 3 in D Polish
  Symphony No. 3 (Tchaikovsky)
  Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky's Symphony No. 3 in D major, Op. 29, was written in 1875. He began it at Vladimir Shilovsky's estate at Ussovo on 5 June and finished it on 1 August at Verbovka. It is dedicated to Shilovsky.The Symphony No...
  
   (1875)
• Op. 30 String Quartet No. 3 in E-flat minor
  String Quartet No. 3 (Tchaikovsky)
  The String Quartet No. 3 in E-Flat minor, Op. 30, by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, was composed in 1876, and is the last of his three String Quartets. It was written as a memorial for Ferdinand Laub....
  
   (1876)
• Op. 31 Marche slave in B-flat minor, for orchestra (1876)
• Op. 32 Francesca da Rimini
  Francesca da Rimini (Tchaikovsky)
  Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky's symphonic poem Francesca da Rimini: Symphonic Fantasy after Dante, Op. 32, was composed in less than three weeks during his visit to Bayreuth in the autumn of 1876....
  
  , symphonic fantasia in E minor, after Dante Alighieri
  Dante Alighieri
  Durante degli Alighieri, mononymously referred to as Dante , was an Italian poet, prose writer, literary theorist, moral philosopher, and political thinker. He is best known for the monumental epic poem La commedia, later named La divina commedia ...
  
   (1876)
• Op. 33 Variations on a Rococo Theme in A
  Variations on a Rococo Theme
  The Variations on a Rococo Theme, Op. 33, for cello and orchestra was the closest Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky ever came to writing a full concerto for cello and orchestra. The style was inspired by Mozart, Tchaikovsky's role model, and makes it clear that Tchaikovsky admired the Classical style very...
  
  , for cello and orchestra (1876)
• Op. 34 Valse-scherzo in C, for violin and orchestra (1877)
• Op. 35 Violin Concerto in D
  Violin Concerto (Tchaikovsky)
  The Violin Concerto in D major, Op. 35, written by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky in 1878, is one of the best known of all violin concertos. It is also considered to be among the most technically difficult works for violin.-Instrumentation:...
  
   (1878)
• Op. 36 Symphony No. 4 in F minor
  Symphony No. 4 (Tchaikovsky)
  Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky's Symphony No. 4 in F minor, Op. 36, was written between 1877 and 1878. The symphony's first performance was at a Russian Musical Society concert in Saint Petersburg on February 10 /February 22 1878, with Nikolai Rubinstein as conductor.- Form :The symphony is in four...
  
   (1877)
• Op. 37a The Seasons
  The Seasons (Tchaikovsky)
  The Seasons, Op. 37a is a set of twelve short character pieces for solo piano by the Russian composer Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. Each piece is the characteristic of a different month of the year in the northern hemisphere. The work is also sometimes heard in orchestral and other arrangements by...
  
  , 12 pieces for piano (1876)
• Op. 37b Piano Sonata No. 1 in G (1878)
• Op. 38 6 Songs (1878)
• Op. 39 Album pour enfants, 24 pieces for piano (1878)
• Op. 40 12 Morceaux de difficulté moyenne, for piano (1878)
• Op. 41 Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom
  Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom (Tchaikovsky)
  Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky composed a Liturgy of St John Chrysostom, Op. 41, in 1880. The Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom is the primary worship service of the Eastern Orthodox Church, with a significant portion involving dialogue between the clergy and choir. Tchaikovsky used many traditional...
  
  , for unaccompanied chorus (1878)
• Op. 42 Souvenir d'un lieu cher
  Souvenir d'un lieu cher
  Souvenir d’un lieu cher , Op. 42, for violin and piano, was written by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky between March and May 1878...
  
  , 3 pieces for violin and piano (1878)
• Op. 43 Orchestral Suite No. 1 in D
  Orchestral Suite No. 1 (Tchaikovsky)
  Orchestral Suite No. 1 in D minor is an orchestral suite, Op. 43, written by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky in 1878 and 1879. It was premiered on December 20, 1879 at a Russian Musical Society concert in Moscow, conducted by Nikolai Rubinstein...
  
   (1879)
• Op. 44 Piano Concerto No. 2 in G
  Piano Concerto No. 2 (Tchaikovsky)
  Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky's Piano Concerto No. 2 in G major, Op. 44, was written in 1879-1880. It was dedicated to Nikolai Rubinstein, who had insisted he be allowed to perform it at the premiere as a way of making up for his harsh criticism of Tchaikovsky's First Piano Concerto. Rubinstein was...
  
   (1880)
• Op. 45 Capriccio Italien in A
  Capriccio Italien
  The Capriccio Italien, Op. 45, is a fantasy for orchestra composed between January and May of 1880 by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky.The Capriccio was inspired by a trip Tchaikovsky took to Rome, during which he saw the Carnival in full swing, and is reminiscent of Italian folk music and street songs...
  
  , for orchestra (1880)
• Op. 46 6 Vocal duets, with piano (1880)
• Op. 47 7 Songs (1880)
• Op. 48 Serenade in C for Strings
  Serenade for Strings (Tchaikovsky)
  Tchaikovsky's Serenade for Strings in C major, Op. 48, premiered in 1880. It remains one of the late Romantic era's most definitive compositions.-Form:Serenade for Strings has 4 movements:...
  
   (1880)
• Op. 49 1812 Overture
  1812 Overture
  The Year 1812, Festival Overture in E flat major, Op. 49, popularly known as the 1812 Overture or the Overture of 1812 is an overture written by Russian composer Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky in 1880 to commemorate Russia's defense of Moscow against Napoleon's advancing Grande Armée at the Battle of...
  
   (1880)
• Op. 50 Piano Trio in A minor
  Piano Trio (Tchaikovsky)
  Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky's Piano Trio in A minor, Op. 50, was written in Rome between December 1881 and late January 1882. It is subtitled In memory of a great artist, in reference to Nikolai Rubinstein, his close friend and mentor, who had died on 23 March 1881...
  
   (1882)
• Op. 51 6 Pieces, for piano (1882)
• Op. 52 Vespers, for unaccompanied chorus (1882)
• Op. 53 Orchestral Suite No. 2 in C
  Orchestral Suite No. 2 (Tchaikovsky)
  Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky composed his Orchestral Suite No. 2 in C major, Op. 53, in 1883. It was premiered on February 16, 1884 at a Russian Musical Society concert in Moscow, conducted by Max Erdmannsdörfer. The piece was well enough received to be repeated a week later...
  
   (1883)
• Op. 54 16 Children's songs (1883; the 5th song "Legend" was the basis of Anton Arensky
  Anton Arensky
  Anton Stepanovich Arensky -Biography:Arensky was born in Novgorod, Russia. He was musically precocious and had composed a number of songs and piano pieces by the age of nine...
  
  's Variations on a Theme by Tchaikovsky
  Variations on a Theme by Tchaikovsky (Arensky)
  Variations on a Theme by Tchaikovsky, Op. 35a, a piece for string orchestra by Anton Arensky, started out as the slow movement of his String Quartet No. 2 in A minor, Op. 35. It was written in 1894, the year after the death of Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, in a tribute to that composer...
  
  , Op. 35a)
• Op. 55 Orchestral Suite No. 3 in G
  Orchestral Suite No. 3 (Tchaikovsky)
  Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky composed his Orchestral Suite No. 3 in G, Op. 55 in 1884, writing it concurrently with his Concert Fantasia in G, Op. 56, for piano and orchestra. Its first performance was in St. Petersburg on January 24, 1885, under the direction of Hans von Bülow...
  
   (1884)
• Op. 56 Concert Fantasia in G
  Concert Fantasia (Tchaikovsky)
  The Concert Fantasia in G, Op. 56, for piano and orchestra, was written by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky between June and October 1884. It was premiered in Moscow on , with Sergei Taneyev as soloist and Max Erdmannsdörfer conducting. The Concert Fantasia received many performances in the first 20 years...
  
  , for piano and orchestra (1884)
• Op. 57 6 Songs (1884)
• Op. 58 Manfred Symphony in B minor
  Manfred Symphony
  The Manfred Symphony in B minor, Op. 58, is a programmatic symphony composed by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky between May and September 1885. It is based on the poem "Manfred" written by Lord Byron in 1817...
  
   (1885)
• Op. 59 Dumka in C minor, for piano (1886)
• Op. 60 12 Songs (1886)
  • No. 6 Wild Nights (Frenzied Nights)
  • No. 7 Gypsy's Song
  • No. 12 Gentle Stars Shone For Us (The Mild Stars Shone For Us)
• Op. 61 Orchestral Suite No. 4 "Mozartiana" (1887)
• Op. 62 Pezzo capriccioso in B minor
  Pezzo Capriccioso (Tchaikovsky)
  Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky composed his Pezzo capriccioso, Op. 62, for cello and orchestra in a single week in August 1887. Belying its title, this work is written in the somber key of B minor, the same key as the Pathetique symphony. The Pezzo is not capricious in a lighthearted sense...
  
  , for cello and orchestra (or piano) (1887)
• Op. 63 6 Songs (1887)
• Op. 64 Symphony No. 5 in E minor
  Symphony No. 5 (Tchaikovsky)
  The Symphony No. 5 in E minor, Op. 64 by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky was composed between May and August 1888 and was first performed in St Petersburg at the Hall of Nobility on November 6 of that year with Tchaikovsky conducting. It is dedicated to Theodore Avé-Lallemant.-Structure:A typical...
  
   (1888)
• Op. 65 6 Songs on French texts (1888)
• Op. 66 The Sleeping Beauty, ballet (1889)
• Op. 67a Hamlet
  Hamlet (Tchaikovsky)
  Hamlet provided material for two works by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, his fantasy overture after Shakespeare Hamlet, Op. 67a, and the incidental music he composed for Shakespeare's Hamlet, Op. 67b.-Overture-Fantasia, Op. 67a:...
  
  , fantasy overture in F minor (1889)
• Op. 67b Hamlet
  Hamlet (Tchaikovsky)
  Hamlet provided material for two works by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, his fantasy overture after Shakespeare Hamlet, Op. 67a, and the incidental music he composed for Shakespeare's Hamlet, Op. 67b.-Overture-Fantasia, Op. 67a:...
  
  , incidental music (1891)
• Op. 68 The Queen of Spades
  The Queen of Spades (opera)
  The Queen of Spades, Op. 68 is an opera in 3 acts by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky to a Russian libretto by the composer's brother Modest Tchaikovsky, based on a short story of the same name by Alexander Pushkin. The premiere took place in 1890 in St...
  
  , opera (1890)
• Op. 69 Iolanta
  Iolanta
  Iolanta, Op. 69, is a lyric opera in one act by Pyotr Tchaikovsky. The libretto was written by the composer's brother Modest Tchaikovsky, and is based on the Danish play Kong Renés Datter by Henrik Hertz. The play was translated by Fyodor Miller and adapted by Vladimir Zotov...
  
  , opera (1891)
• Op. 70 String Sextet in D minor Souvenir de Florence
  Souvenir de Florence
  The String Sextet in D minor "Souvenir de Florence", Op. 70, is a string sextet scored for 2 violins, 2 violas, and 2 cellos composed in the European summer of 1890 by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. Tchaikovsky dedicated the work to the St. Petersburg Chamber Music Society in response to his becoming an...
  
   (1890)
• Op. 71 The Nutcracker
  The Nutcracker
  The Nutcracker is a two-act ballet, originally choreographed by Marius Petipa and Lev Ivanov with a score by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. The libretto is adapted from E.T.A. Hoffmann's story "The Nutcracker and the Mouse King". It was given its première at the Mariinsky Theatre in St...
  
  , ballet (1892)
• Op. 71a The Nutcracker, suite from the ballet (1892)
• Op. 72 18 Pieces, for piano (1893)
• Op. 73 6 Songs (1893)
• Op. 74 Symphony No. 6 in B minor Pathétique
  Symphony No. 6 (Tchaikovsky)
  The Symphony No. 6 in B minor, Op. 74, Pathétique is Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky's final completed symphony, written between February and the end of August 1893. The composer led the first performance in Saint Petersburg on 16/28 October of that year, nine days before his death...
  
   (1893)

Opp. 75–80 were published posthumously.

• Op. 75 Piano Concerto No. 3 in E-flat
  Piano Concerto No. 3 (Tchaikovsky)
  Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky's Piano Concerto No. 3 in E-flat major, Op. post. 75, was begun as a symphony in E flat. The symphony was abandoned, only to become a single-movement Allegro brillante when published posthumously. Controversy remains, despite the composer's stated intentions, as to what...
  
   (1893)
• Op. 76 The Storm
  The Storm (Tchaikovsky)
  The Storm, Op. posth. 76, is an overture in E minor composed by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky between June and August 1864. The work is inspired by the play The Storm by the Russian playwright Alexander Ostrovsky...
  
  , overture in E minor (1864)
• Op. 77 Fatum
  Fatum (Tchaikovsky)
  Fatum, Op. 77, is a symphonic poem by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. It was written in 1868 and performed in 1869, but Tchaikovsky later destroyed the score, and it was published only three years after his death, with a posthumous opus number.-History:...
  
  , symphonic poem in C minor (1868)
• Op. 78 The Voyevoda
  The Voyevoda (symphonic ballad)
  The Voyevoda, Op. 78, is a "symphonic ballad" for orchestra, written by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky in 1891. It is based on Alexander Pushkin's translation of Adam Mickiewicz's poem of that name....
  
  , symphonic ballad in A minor (1893; unrelated to the earlier opera of the same name, Op. 3)
• Op. 79 Andante in B-flat and Finale in E-flat
  Andante and Finale (Tchaikovsky)
  Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky's Andante and Finale for piano and orchestra was initially intended as the slow movement and finale of the Symphony in E flat, a work he started in 1892 but eventually abandoned. Tchaikovsky began reworking the sketches for these two movements into the second and third...
  
  , for piano and orchestra (1893)
• Op. 80 Piano Sonata No. 2 in C-sharp minor
  Piano Sonata in C-sharp minor (Tchaikovsky)
  Piano Sonata in C-sharp minor, Op. posth. 80, was written by Russian composer Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky in 1865 during his last year as a student at St Petersburg Conservatory....
  
   (1865)

Ballet

Ballet

Ballet is a type of performance dance, that originated in the Italian Renaissance courts of the 15th century, and which was further developed in France and Russia as a concert dance form. The early portions preceded the invention of the proscenium stage and were presented in large chambers with...

s

Tchaikovsky is well known for his ballets, although it was only in his last years, with his last two ballets, that his contemporaries came to fully appreciate his finer qualities as ballet music

Ballet (music)

Ballet as a music form progressed from simply a complement to dance, to a concrete compositional form that often had as much value as the dance that went along with it. The dance form, originating in France during the 17th century, began as a theatrical dance. It was not until the 19th century that...

 composer.

• Swan Lake
  Swan Lake
  Swan Lake ballet, op. 20, by Pyotr Tchaikovsky, composed 1875–1876. The scenario, initially in four acts, was fashioned from Russian folk tales and tells the story of Odette, a princess turned into a swan by an evil sorcerer's curse. The choreographer of the original production was Julius Reisinger...
  
  , Op. 20, (1875–1876): Tchaikovsky's first ballet, it was first performed (with some omissions) at the Bolshoi Theatre
  Bolshoi Theatre
  The Bolshoi Theatre is a historic theatre in Moscow, Russia, designed by architect Joseph Bové, which holds performances of ballet and opera. The Bolshoi Ballet and Bolshoi Opera are amongst the oldest and most renowned ballet and opera companies in the world...
  
   in Moscow in 1877.

• The Sleeping Beauty, Op. 66, (1888–1889): This work by Tchaikovsky is considered to be one of his best. Commissioned by the director of the Imperial Theatres, Ivan Vsevolozhsky
  Ivan Vsevolozhsky
  Ivan Alexandrovich Vsevolozhsky was the Director of the Imperial Theatres in Russia from 1881 to 1898.A competent administrator, Vsevolozhsky ran the Imperial Theatres with a determination for excellence...
  
  , its first performance was in January, 1890 at the Mariinsky Theatre
  Mariinsky Theatre
  The Mariinsky Theatre is a historic theatre of opera and ballet in Saint Petersburg, Russia. Opened in 1860, it became the preeminent music theatre of late 19th century Russia, where many of the stage masterpieces of Tchaikovsky, Mussorgsky, and Rimsky-Korsakov received their premieres. The...
  
   in Saint Petersburg
  Saint Petersburg
  Saint Petersburg is a city and a federal subject of Russia located on the Neva River at the head of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea...
  
  .

• The Nutcracker
  The Nutcracker
  The Nutcracker is a two-act ballet, originally choreographed by Marius Petipa and Lev Ivanov with a score by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. The libretto is adapted from E.T.A. Hoffmann's story "The Nutcracker and the Mouse King". It was given its première at the Mariinsky Theatre in St...
  
  , Op. 71, (1891–1892): In Western countries, this ballet has become among the most popular ballet
  Ballet
  Ballet is a type of performance dance, that originated in the Italian Renaissance courts of the 15th century, and which was further developed in France and Russia as a concert dance form. The early portions preceded the invention of the proscenium stage and were presented in large chambers with...
  
  s performed, primarily around Christmas
  Christmas
  Christmas or Christmas Day is an annual holiday generally celebrated on December 25 by billions of people around the world. It is a Christian feast that commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ, liturgically closing the Advent season and initiating the season of Christmastide, which lasts twelve days...
  
   time.

Opera

Opera

Opera is an art form in which singers and musicians perform a dramatic work combining text and musical score, usually in a theatrical setting. Opera incorporates many of the elements of spoken theatre, such as acting, scenery, and costumes and sometimes includes dance...

s

Tchaikovsky completed ten operas, although one of these is mostly lost and another exists in two significantly different versions. In the West his most famous operas are Eugene Onegin

Eugene Onegin (opera)

Eugene Onegin, Op. 24, is an opera in 3 acts , by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. The libretto was written by Konstantin Shilovsky and the composer and his brother Modest, and is based on the novel in verse by Alexander Pushkin....

 and The Queen of Spades

The Queen of Spades (opera)

The Queen of Spades, Op. 68 is an opera in 3 acts by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky to a Russian libretto by the composer's brother Modest Tchaikovsky, based on a short story of the same name by Alexander Pushkin. The premiere took place in 1890 in St...

.

• The Voyevoda (Воевода – The Voivode, Op. 3, 1867–1868)

Full score destroyed by composer, but posthumously reconstructed from sketches and orchestral parts. Not related to the much later symphonic ballad The Voyevoda

The Voyevoda (symphonic ballad)

The Voyevoda, Op. 78, is a "symphonic ballad" for orchestra, written by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky in 1891. It is based on Alexander Pushkin's translation of Adam Mickiewicz's poem of that name....

, Op. 78.

• Undina
  Undina (Tchaikovsky)
  Undina is an opera in 3 acts by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. The work was composed in 1869. The libretto was written by Vladimir Sollogub, and is based on Vasily Zhukovsky's translation of Friedrich de la Motte Fouqué's Ondine.The opera was composed during the months of January to July, 1869, but...
  
   (Ундина or Undine, 1869)

Not completed. Only a march sequence from this opera saw the light of day, as the second movement of his Symphony No. 2 in C minor

Symphony No. 2 (Tchaikovsky)

Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky composed his Symphony No. 2 in C minor, Op. 17 in 1872. One of Tchaikovsky's very joyous compositions, it was successful upon its premiere; it also won the favor of the group of nationalistic Russian composers known as "The Five", led by Mily Balakirev...

 and a few other segments are occasionally heard as concert pieces. Interestingly, while Tchaikovsky revised the Second symphony twice in his lifetime, he did not alter the second movement (taken from the Undina material) during either revision. The rest of the score of Undina was destroyed by the composer.

• The Oprichnik
  The Oprichnik (opera)
  The Oprichnik or The Guardsman is an opera in 4 acts, 5 scenes, by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky to his own libretto after the tragedy The Oprichniks by Ivan Lazhechnikov . The subject of the opera is the oprichniks...
  
   (Опричник), 1870–1872

Premiere April 24 [OS April 12], 1874, Saint Petersburg

Saint Petersburg

Saint Petersburg is a city and a federal subject of Russia located on the Neva River at the head of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea...

• Vakula the Smith
  Vakula the Smith
  Vakula the Smith , is an opera in 3 acts, 8 scenes, by Pyotr Tchaikovsky, his Opus 14. The libretto was written by Yakov Polonsky and is based on Nikolai Gogol's story Christmas Eve . It was written for composer Alexander Serov, who died in 1871 leaving only fragments of an opera on the subject...
  
   (Кузнец Вакула or Kuznets Vakula), Op. 14, 1874;

Revised later as Cherevichki, premiere December 6 [OS November 24], 1876, Saint Petersburg

Saint Petersburg

Saint Petersburg is a city and a federal subject of Russia located on the Neva River at the head of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea...

• Eugene Onegin
  Eugene Onegin (opera)
  Eugene Onegin, Op. 24, is an opera in 3 acts , by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. The libretto was written by Konstantin Shilovsky and the composer and his brother Modest, and is based on the novel in verse by Alexander Pushkin....
  
   (Евгений Онегин or Yevgeny Onegin), Op. 24, 1877–1878

Premiere March 29 [OS March 17] 1879 at the Moscow Conservatory

Moscow Conservatory

The Moscow Conservatory is a higher musical education institution in Moscow, and the second oldest conservatory in Russia after St. Petersburg Conservatory. Along with the St...

• The Maid of Orleans (Орлеанская дева or Orleanskaya deva), 1878–1879

Premiere February 25 [OS February 13], 1881, Saint Petersburg

Saint Petersburg

Saint Petersburg is a city and a federal subject of Russia located on the Neva River at the head of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea...

• Mazepa (or Mazeppa)
  Mazeppa (opera)
  Mazeppa, properly Mazepa , is an opera in 3 acts by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. The libretto was written by Victor Burenin and is based on Pushkin's poem Poltava....
  
   (Мазепа), 1881–1883

Premiere February 15 [OS February 3] 1884, Moscow

• Cherevichki
  Cherevichki
  Cherevichki [alternative renderings are The Little Shoes, The Tsarina's Slippers, Les caprices d'Oxane, and Gli stivaletti] is a comic-fantastic opera in 4 acts, 8 scenes, by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. It was composed in 1885 in Maidanovo, Russia...
  
   (Черевички; revision of Vakula the Smith) 1885

Premiere January 31 [OS January 19], 1887, Moscow)

• The Enchantress (or The Sorceress, Чародейка or Charodeyka), 1885–1887

Premiere November 1 [OS October 20] 1887, Saint Petersburg

Saint Petersburg

Saint Petersburg is a city and a federal subject of Russia located on the Neva River at the head of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea...

• The Queen of Spades
  The Queen of Spades (opera)
  The Queen of Spades, Op. 68 is an opera in 3 acts by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky to a Russian libretto by the composer's brother Modest Tchaikovsky, based on a short story of the same name by Alexander Pushkin. The premiere took place in 1890 in St...
  
   (Пиковая дама or Pikovaya dama), Op. 68, 1890

Premiere December 19 [OS December 7] 1890, Saint Petersburg

Saint Petersburg

Saint Petersburg is a city and a federal subject of Russia located on the Neva River at the head of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea...

• Iolanta
  Iolanta
  Iolanta, Op. 69, is a lyric opera in one act by Pyotr Tchaikovsky. The libretto was written by the composer's brother Modest Tchaikovsky, and is based on the Danish play Kong Renés Datter by Henrik Hertz. The play was translated by Fyodor Miller and adapted by Vladimir Zotov...
  
   (Иоланта or Iolanthe), Op. 69, 1891

First performance: Mariinsky Theatre

Mariinsky Theatre

The Mariinsky Theatre is a historic theatre of opera and ballet in Saint Petersburg, Russia. Opened in 1860, it became the preeminent music theatre of late 19th century Russia, where many of the stage masterpieces of Tchaikovsky, Mussorgsky, and Rimsky-Korsakov received their premieres. The...

, Saint Petersburg

Saint Petersburg

Saint Petersburg is a city and a federal subject of Russia located on the Neva River at the head of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea...

, 1892. Originally performed on a double-bill with The Nutcracker

The Nutcracker

The Nutcracker is a two-act ballet, originally choreographed by Marius Petipa and Lev Ivanov with a score by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. The libretto is adapted from E.T.A. Hoffmann's story "The Nutcracker and the Mouse King". It was given its première at the Mariinsky Theatre in St...

(Note: A "Chorus of Insects" was composed for the projected opera Mandragora [Мандрагора] of 1870).

Incidental music

Incidental music

Incidental music is music in a play, television program, radio program, video game, film or some other form not primarily musical. The term is less frequently applied to film music, with such music being referred to instead as the "film score" or "soundtrack"....

• Dmitri the Pretender and Vassily Shuisky (1867), incidental music to Alexander Ostrovsky's play Dmitri the Pretender
• The Snow Maiden (Snegurochka), Op. 12 (1873), incidental music for Ostrovsky's play of the same name. Ostrovsky adapted and dramatized a popular Russian fairy tale
  Fairy tale
  A fairy tale is a type of short story that typically features such folkloric characters, such as fairies, goblins, elves, trolls, dwarves, giants or gnomes, and usually magic or enchantments. However, only a small number of the stories refer to fairies...
  
  , and the score that Tchaikovsky wrote for it was always one of his own favorite works. It contains much vocal music
  Vocal music
  Vocal music is a genre of music performed by one or more singers, with or without instrumental accompaniment, in which singing provides the main focus of the piece. Music which employs singing but does not feature it prominently is generally considered instrumental music Vocal music is a genre of...
  
  , but it is not a cantata
  Cantata
  A cantata is a vocal composition with an instrumental accompaniment, typically in several movements, often involving a choir....
  
   or an opera
  Opera
  Opera is an art form in which singers and musicians perform a dramatic work combining text and musical score, usually in a theatrical setting. Opera incorporates many of the elements of spoken theatre, such as acting, scenery, and costumes and sometimes includes dance...
  
  .
• Montenegrins Receiving News of Russia's Declaration of War on Turkey (1880), music for a tableau.
• The Voyevoda (1886), incidental music for the Domovoy scene from Ostrovsky's A Dream on the Volga
• Hamlet
  Hamlet (Tchaikovsky)
  Hamlet provided material for two works by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, his fantasy overture after Shakespeare Hamlet, Op. 67a, and the incidental music he composed for Shakespeare's Hamlet, Op. 67b.-Overture-Fantasia, Op. 67a:...
  
  , Op. 67b (1891), incidental music for Shakespeare's play
  Hamlet
  The Tragical History of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, or more simply Hamlet, is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1599 and 1601...
  
  . The score uses music borrowed from Tchaikovsky's overture of the same name
  Hamlet (Tchaikovsky)
  Hamlet provided material for two works by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, his fantasy overture after Shakespeare Hamlet, Op. 67a, and the incidental music he composed for Shakespeare's Hamlet, Op. 67b.-Overture-Fantasia, Op. 67a:...
  
  , as well as from his Symphony No. 3, and from The Snow Maiden, in addition to original music that he wrote specifically for a stage production of Hamlet. The two vocal selections are a song that Ophelia
  Ophelia
  Ophelia is a fictional character in the play Hamlet by William Shakespeare. She is a young noblewoman of Denmark, the daughter of Polonius, sister of Laertes, and potential wife of Prince Hamlet.-Plot:...
  
   sings in the throes of her madness, and a song for the First Gravedigger to sing as he goes about his work.

Symphonies

Symphony

A symphony is an extended musical composition in Western classical music, scored almost always for orchestra. A symphony usually contains at least one movement or episode composed according to the sonata principle...

Tchaikovsky's earlier symphonies are generally optimistic works of nationalistic character, while the later symphonies are more intensely dramatic, particularly the Sixth, generally interpreted as a declaration of despair. The last three of his numbered symphonies (the fourth, fifth and sixth) are recognized as highly original examples of symphonic form and are frequently performed.

• No. 1 in G minor
  Symphony No. 1 (Tchaikovsky)
  Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky wrote his Symphony No. 1 in G minor, Winter Daydreams , Op. 13, in 1866, just after he accepted a professorship at the Moscow Conservatory: it is the composer's earliest notable work. The composer's brother Modest claimed this work cost Tchaikovsky more labor and suffering...
  
  , Op. 13, Winter Daydreams (1866)
• No. 2 in C minor
  Symphony No. 2 (Tchaikovsky)
  Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky composed his Symphony No. 2 in C minor, Op. 17 in 1872. One of Tchaikovsky's very joyous compositions, it was successful upon its premiere; it also won the favor of the group of nationalistic Russian composers known as "The Five", led by Mily Balakirev...
  
  , Op. 17, Little Russian (1872)
• No. 3 in D major
  Symphony No. 3 (Tchaikovsky)
  Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky's Symphony No. 3 in D major, Op. 29, was written in 1875. He began it at Vladimir Shilovsky's estate at Ussovo on 5 June and finished it on 1 August at Verbovka. It is dedicated to Shilovsky.The Symphony No...
  
  , Op. 29, Polish (1875)
• No. 4 in F minor
  Symphony No. 4 (Tchaikovsky)
  Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky's Symphony No. 4 in F minor, Op. 36, was written between 1877 and 1878. The symphony's first performance was at a Russian Musical Society concert in Saint Petersburg on February 10 /February 22 1878, with Nikolai Rubinstein as conductor.- Form :The symphony is in four...
  
  , Op. 36 (1877–1878)
• Manfred Symphony
  Manfred Symphony
  The Manfred Symphony in B minor, Op. 58, is a programmatic symphony composed by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky between May and September 1885. It is based on the poem "Manfred" written by Lord Byron in 1817...
  
  , B minor, Op. 58; inspired by Byron's poem Manfred
  Manfred
  Manfred is a dramatic poem written in 1816–1817 by Lord Byron. It contains supernatural elements, in keeping with the popularity of the ghost story in England at the time. It is a typical example of a Romantic closet drama...
  
   (1885)
• No. 5 in E minor
  Symphony No. 5 (Tchaikovsky)
  The Symphony No. 5 in E minor, Op. 64 by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky was composed between May and August 1888 and was first performed in St Petersburg at the Hall of Nobility on November 6 of that year with Tchaikovsky conducting. It is dedicated to Theodore Avé-Lallemant.-Structure:A typical...
  
  , Op. 64 (1888)
• No. 6 in B minor
  Symphony No. 6 (Tchaikovsky)
  The Symphony No. 6 in B minor, Op. 74, Pathétique is Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky's final completed symphony, written between February and the end of August 1893. The composer led the first performance in Saint Petersburg on 16/28 October of that year, nine days before his death...
  
  , Op. 74, Pathétique (1893)
• Symphony in E-flat
  Symphony in E flat (Tchaikovsky)
  Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky's Symphony in E flat, Op. posth., was commenced after the Symphony No. 5, and was intended initially to be the composer's next symphony. Tchaikovsky abandoned this work in 1892, only to reuse much of it in the Third Piano Concerto and Andante and Finale for piano and...
  
   (sketched 1892 but not finished; reconstructed during the 1950s and subsequently published as Symphony No. 7)

Orchestral suite

Suite

In music, a suite is an ordered set of instrumental or orchestral pieces normally performed in a concert setting rather than as accompaniment; they may be extracts from an opera, ballet , or incidental music to a play or film , or they may be entirely original movements .In the...

s

In the ten years between the Fourth and Fifth Symphonies, Tchaikovsky also wrote four orchestral suites. He originally intended to designate one of these a symphony—the Third, he told Taneyev, "but the title is of no importance." The suites are symphonic hybrid works, containing movements written in scholarly counterpoint and salon style, folk music, bizarre scherzos and character pieces. The composer wrote to his patroness Nadezhda von Meck

Nadezhda von Meck

Nadezhda Filaretovna von Meck was a Russian businesswoman, who is best known today for her artistic relationship with Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. She supported him financially for 13 years, enabling him to devote himself full-time to composition, but she stipulated that they were never to meet. ...

 that he valued the orchestral suite precisely because of "the freedom it leaves the composer not to be bound by all sorts of traditions." For Tchaikovsky, the suite was a genre of unrestricted musical fantasy.

• Orchestral Suite No. 1 in D minor
  Orchestral Suite No. 1 (Tchaikovsky)
  Orchestral Suite No. 1 in D minor is an orchestral suite, Op. 43, written by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky in 1878 and 1879. It was premiered on December 20, 1879 at a Russian Musical Society concert in Moscow, conducted by Nikolai Rubinstein...
  
  , Op. 43 (1878–1879)
• Orchestral Suite No. 2 in C major
  Orchestral Suite No. 2 (Tchaikovsky)
  Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky composed his Orchestral Suite No. 2 in C major, Op. 53, in 1883. It was premiered on February 16, 1884 at a Russian Musical Society concert in Moscow, conducted by Max Erdmannsdörfer. The piece was well enough received to be repeated a week later...
  
  , Op. 53 (1883)
• Orchestral Suite No. 3 in G major
  Orchestral Suite No. 3 (Tchaikovsky)
  Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky composed his Orchestral Suite No. 3 in G, Op. 55 in 1884, writing it concurrently with his Concert Fantasia in G, Op. 56, for piano and orchestra. Its first performance was in St. Petersburg on January 24, 1885, under the direction of Hans von Bülow...
  
  , Op. 55 (1884)
• Orchestral Suite No. 4 in G major "Mozartiana", Op. 61 (1887)

In addition to the above suites, Tchaikovsky made a short sketch for a Suite in 1889 or 1890, which was not subsequently developed.

Tchaikovsky himself arranged the suite from the ballet The Nutcracker. He also considered making suites from his two other ballets, Swan Lake and The Sleeping Beauty. He ended up not doing so, but after his death, others compiled and published suites from these ballets.

Concerti and concert pieces

• Piano Concerto No. 1
  Piano Concerto No. 1 (Tchaikovsky)
  The Piano Concerto No. 1 in B-flat minor, Op. 23 was composed by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky between November 1874 and February 1875. It was revised in the summer of 1879 and again in December 1888. The first version received heavy criticism from Nikolai Rubinstein, Tchaikovsky's desired pianist....
  
   in B-flat minor, Op. 23 (1874–1875): Initially rejected by its dedicatee, pianist Nikolai Rubinstein, as poorly composed and unplayable, this work is now the best known and most highly regarded of Tchaikovsky's three piano concerti
  Piano concerto
  A piano concerto is a concerto written for piano and orchestra.See also harpsichord concerto; some of these works are occasionally played on piano...
  
  , and one of the most popular piano concertos ever written.
• Sérénade mélancolique, Op. 26, for violin and orchestra
• Variations on a Rococo Theme
  Variations on a Rococo Theme
  The Variations on a Rococo Theme, Op. 33, for cello and orchestra was the closest Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky ever came to writing a full concerto for cello and orchestra. The style was inspired by Mozart, Tchaikovsky's role model, and makes it clear that Tchaikovsky admired the Classical style very...
  
   Op. 33 for cello
  Cello
  The cello is a bowed string instrument with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is a member of the violin family of musical instruments, which also includes the violin, viola, and double bass. Old forms of the instrument in the Baroque era are baryton and viol .A person who plays a cello is...
  
   and orchestra, (1876), The piece was written between December 1876 and March 1877, for and with the help of the German cellist Wilhelm Fitzenhagen
  Wilhelm Fitzenhagen
  Wilhelm Karl Friedrich Fitzenhagen , was a German cellist, composer and instructor, best known today as the dedicatee of Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky's Variations on a Rococo Theme.-Life:...
  
  . Though not really a concerto, it was the closest Tchaikovsky ever came to writing a full concerto for cello.
• Valse-Scherzo, Op. 34, for violin and orchestra
• Violin Concerto
  Violin Concerto (Tchaikovsky)
  The Violin Concerto in D major, Op. 35, written by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky in 1878, is one of the best known of all violin concertos. It is also considered to be among the most technically difficult works for violin.-Instrumentation:...
  
   in D major
  D major
  D major is a major scale based on D, consisting of the pitches D, E, F, G, A, B, and C. Its key signature consists of two sharps. Its relative minor is B minor and its parallel minor is D minor....
  
  , Op. 35, (1878). This violin concerto, like the First Piano Concerto, called unplayable by its initial dedicatee, Leopold Auer
  Leopold Auer
  Leopold Auer was a Hungarian violinist, teacher, conductor and composer.-Early life and career:...
  
  , is today one of the most popular and frequently performed concertos for the instrument.
• Piano Concerto No. 2
  Piano Concerto No. 2 (Tchaikovsky)
  Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky's Piano Concerto No. 2 in G major, Op. 44, was written in 1879-1880. It was dedicated to Nikolai Rubinstein, who had insisted he be allowed to perform it at the premiere as a way of making up for his harsh criticism of Tchaikovsky's First Piano Concerto. Rubinstein was...
  
  , Op. 44, (1879), is an eloquent, less extroverted piece with a violin and cello added as soloists in the second movement.
• Concert Fantasia
  Concert Fantasia (Tchaikovsky)
  The Concert Fantasia in G, Op. 56, for piano and orchestra, was written by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky between June and October 1884. It was premiered in Moscow on , with Sergei Taneyev as soloist and Max Erdmannsdörfer conducting. The Concert Fantasia received many performances in the first 20 years...
  
   in G, Op. 56, for piano and orchestra
• Pezzo capriccioso
  Pezzo Capriccioso (Tchaikovsky)
  Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky composed his Pezzo capriccioso, Op. 62, for cello and orchestra in a single week in August 1887. Belying its title, this work is written in the somber key of B minor, the same key as the Pathetique symphony. The Pezzo is not capricious in a lighthearted sense...
  
  , Op. 62, (1888), for Cello and Orchestra
• Piano Concerto No. 3
  Piano Concerto No. 3 (Tchaikovsky)
  Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky's Piano Concerto No. 3 in E-flat major, Op. post. 75, was begun as a symphony in E flat. The symphony was abandoned, only to become a single-movement Allegro brillante when published posthumously. Controversy remains, despite the composer's stated intentions, as to what...
  
  , Op. 75 posth. (1892): Commenced after the Symphony No. 5, what became the Third Piano Concerto and Andante and Finale for piano and orchestra was intended initially to be the composer's next (i.e., sixth) symphony.
• Andante and Finale
  Andante and Finale (Tchaikovsky)
  Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky's Andante and Finale for piano and orchestra was initially intended as the slow movement and finale of the Symphony in E flat, a work he started in 1892 but eventually abandoned. Tchaikovsky began reworking the sketches for these two movements into the second and third...
  
  , Op. 79 posth. (1895): After Tchaikovsky's death, the composer Sergei Taneyev
  Sergei Taneyev
  Sergei Ivanovich Taneyev , was a Russian composer, pianist, teacher of composition, music theorist and author.-Life:...
  
   completed and orchestrated the Andante and Finale from Tchaikovsky's piano arrangement of these two movements, publishing them as Op. 79.
• Concertstück for Flute and Strings, TH 247 Op. posth. (1893): the piece, after having been lost for 106 years, was found and reconstructed by James Strauss
  James Strauss (flutist)
  James Strauss is a Brazilian virtuoso flautist and musicologist. He is an internationally known performer whose virtuosity has drawn comparisons to Jascha Heifetz and Vladimir Horowitz.-Biography:...
  
   in 1999 in Saint Petersburg.

For orchestra

• Romeo and Juliet
  Romeo and Juliet (Tchaikovsky)
  Romeo and Juliet is an orchestral work composed by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. It is styled an Overture-Fantasy, and is based on Shakespeare's play of the same name. Like other composers such as Berlioz and Prokofiev, Tchaikovsky was deeply inspired by Shakespeare and wrote works based on The...
  
   Fantasy Overture (1869 revised 1870, 1880). This piece contains one of the world's most famous melodies. The "love theme" has been used countless times in commercials and movies, frequently as a spoof to traditional love scenes.
• Festival Overture on the Danish National Anthem
  Festival Overture on the Danish National Anthem
  During his time at the Moscow Conservatoire, around September 1866 the school's principal, Nikolay Rubinstein commissioned Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky to compose a Festival Overture on the Danish National Anthem to be played for the visit of the Tsarevich to Moscow, accompanied by his new Danish...
  
  , Op. 15 (1866).
• The Tempest
  The Tempest (Tchaikovsky)
  The Tempest , Symphonic Fantasia after Shakespeare, Op. 18, is a symphonic poem in F minor by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky composed in 1873. It was premiered in December 1873, conducted by Nikolai Rubinstein....
  
   Symphonic Fantasia after Shakespeare, Op. 18 (1873)
• Slavonic March/Marche Slave, Op. 31 (1876). This piece is another well-known Tchaikovsky piece and is often played in conjunction with the 1812 Overture
  1812 Overture
  The Year 1812, Festival Overture in E flat major, Op. 49, popularly known as the 1812 Overture or the Overture of 1812 is an overture written by Russian composer Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky in 1880 to commemorate Russia's defense of Moscow against Napoleon's advancing Grande Armée at the Battle of...
  
  .
• Francesca da Rimini
  Francesca da Rimini (Tchaikovsky)
  Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky's symphonic poem Francesca da Rimini: Symphonic Fantasy after Dante, Op. 32, was composed in less than three weeks during his visit to Bayreuth in the autumn of 1876....
  
   Symphonic Fantasy, Op. 32 (1876). This piece has been described as "pure melodrama" similar to stretches of Verdi operas; http://www.shepherd-express.com/3_2_06/review_concerts.htm some passages are similar to sword-fight clashes in Romeo and Juliet.
• Capriccio Italien
  Capriccio Italien
  The Capriccio Italien, Op. 45, is a fantasy for orchestra composed between January and May of 1880 by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky.The Capriccio was inspired by a trip Tchaikovsky took to Rome, during which he saw the Carnival in full swing, and is reminiscent of Italian folk music and street songs...
  
  , Op. 45 (1880). Tchaikovsky stayed in Italy in the late 1870s to early 1880s and throughout the various festivals he heard many themes, some of which were played by trumpets, samples of which can be heard in this capriccio
  Capriccio (music)
  A capriccio or caprice , is a piece of music, usually fairly free in form and of a lively character...
  
  .
• Serenade in C for String Orchestra
  Serenade for Strings (Tchaikovsky)
  Tchaikovsky's Serenade for Strings in C major, Op. 48, premiered in 1880. It remains one of the late Romantic era's most definitive compositions.-Form:Serenade for Strings has 4 movements:...
  
  , Op. 48 (1880). The first movement, In the form of a sonatina, was an homage to Mozart
  Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
  Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart , baptismal name Johannes Chrysostomus Wolfgangus Theophilus Mozart , was a prolific and influential composer of the Classical era. He composed over 600 works, many acknowledged as pinnacles of symphonic, concertante, chamber, piano, operatic, and choral music...
  
  . The second movement is a Waltz
  Waltz
  The waltz is a ballroom and folk dance in time, performed primarily in closed position.- History :There are several references to a sliding or gliding dance,- a waltz, from the 16th century including the representations of the printer H.S. Beheim...
  
  , followed by an Elegy and a spirited Russian finale, Tema Russo. In his score, Tchaikovsky supposedly wrote, "The larger the string orchestra, the better will the composer's desires be fulfilled."
• 1812 Overture
  1812 Overture
  The Year 1812, Festival Overture in E flat major, Op. 49, popularly known as the 1812 Overture or the Overture of 1812 is an overture written by Russian composer Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky in 1880 to commemorate Russia's defense of Moscow against Napoleon's advancing Grande Armée at the Battle of...
  
  , Op. 49 (1880). Written by Tchaikovsky to commemorate the Russian victory over Napoleon I
  Napoleon I
  Napoleon Bonaparte was a French military and political leader during the latter stages of the French Revolution.As Napoleon I, he was Emperor of the French from 1804 to 1815...
  
   in the Napoleonic Wars
  Napoleonic Wars
  The Napoleonic Wars were a series of wars declared against Napoleon's French Empire by opposing coalitions that ran from 1803 to 1815. As a continuation of the wars sparked by the French Revolution of 1789, they revolutionised European armies and played out on an unprecedented scale, mainly due to...
  
  , it is known for its traditional Russian
  Music of Russia
  Music of Russia denotes music produced in Russia and/or by the Russians. Russia is a large and culturally diverse country, with many ethnic groups, each with their own locally developed music...
  
   themes (such as the old Tsarist National Anthem) as well as its 16 cannon shots and chorus of church bells in the coda.
• Festival Coronation March (1883). The mayor of Moscow commissioned this piece for performance in May 1883 at the coronation of Tsar Alexander III
  Alexander III of Russia
  Alexander Alexandrovich Romanov , historically remembered as Alexander III or Alexander the Peacemaker reigned as Emperor of Russia from until his death on .-Disposition:...
  
  . Tchaikovsky's arrangement for solo piano and E. L. Langer's arrangement for piano duet were published in the same year.
• Hamlet
  Hamlet (Tchaikovsky)
  Hamlet provided material for two works by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, his fantasy overture after Shakespeare Hamlet, Op. 67a, and the incidental music he composed for Shakespeare's Hamlet, Op. 67b.-Overture-Fantasia, Op. 67a:...
  
   Overture-Fantasia, Op. 67a (1888).
• The Storm
  The Storm (Tchaikovsky)
  The Storm, Op. posth. 76, is an overture in E minor composed by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky between June and August 1864. The work is inspired by the play The Storm by the Russian playwright Alexander Ostrovsky...
  
   Concert Overture, Op. 76 (1860).
• Fatum
  Fatum (Tchaikovsky)
  Fatum, Op. 77, is a symphonic poem by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. It was written in 1868 and performed in 1869, but Tchaikovsky later destroyed the score, and it was published only three years after his death, with a posthumous opus number.-History:...
  
  , Op. 77 (1868).
• The Voyevoda
  The Voyevoda (symphonic ballad)
  The Voyevoda, Op. 78, is a "symphonic ballad" for orchestra, written by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky in 1891. It is based on Alexander Pushkin's translation of Adam Mickiewicz's poem of that name....
  
  , Symphonic Ballad, Op. 78 (1891).

Solo and chamber music

• String Quartet in B-Flat Major, Op.Posth. (1865)
• String Quartet No. 1
  String Quartet No. 1 (Tchaikovsky)
  String Quartet No. 1 in D major was the first of Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky's three string quartets, and his Opus 11.The quartet has 4 movements:# Moderato e semplice # Andante cantabile...
  
   in D major, Op. 11 (1871)
• String Quartet No. 2
  String Quartet No. 2 (Tchaikovsky)
  The String Quartet No. 2 in F major, Op. 22, by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, was composed between December 1873 and January 1874....
  
   in F major, Op. 22 (1874)
• String Quartet No. 3
  String Quartet No. 3 (Tchaikovsky)
  The String Quartet No. 3 in E-Flat minor, Op. 30, by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, was composed in 1876, and is the last of his three String Quartets. It was written as a memorial for Ferdinand Laub....
  
   in E-Flat minor, Op. 30 (1875)
• The Seasons (Les saisons)
  The Seasons (Tchaikovsky)
  The Seasons, Op. 37a is a set of twelve short character pieces for solo piano by the Russian composer Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. Each piece is the characteristic of a different month of the year in the northern hemisphere. The work is also sometimes heard in orchestral and other arrangements by...
  
  , Op. 37b (1876), a set of 12 short pieces for piano
• Piano Sonata in G major
  Piano Sonata in G major (Tchaikovsky)
  The Grand Piano Sonata in G major, Op. 37, was written by Russian composer Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky in 1878. Though initially received with critical acclaim, the sonata has struggled to maintain a solid position in the modern repertoire. Nevertheless, the sonata has been recorded numerous times and...
  
  , Op.37 (1878)
• Souvenir d'un lieu cher
  Souvenir d'un lieu cher
  Souvenir d’un lieu cher , Op. 42, for violin and piano, was written by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky between March and May 1878...
  
   (Memory of a Cherished Place) for violin and piano, Op. 42 (Meditation, Scherzo and Melody) (1878)
• Six Morceaux for piano, Op. 51 (1882)
• Russian Vesper Service, Op. 52 (1881)
• Piano Trio in A minor, Op. 50
  Piano Trio (Tchaikovsky)
  Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky's Piano Trio in A minor, Op. 50, was written in Rome between December 1881 and late January 1882. It is subtitled In memory of a great artist, in reference to Nikolai Rubinstein, his close friend and mentor, who had died on 23 March 1881...
  
   (1882)
• Dumka, Russian rustic scene in C minor for piano, Op. 59 (1886)
• String Sextet Souvenir de Florence
  Souvenir de Florence
  The String Sextet in D minor "Souvenir de Florence", Op. 70, is a string sextet scored for 2 violins, 2 violas, and 2 cellos composed in the European summer of 1890 by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. Tchaikovsky dedicated the work to the St. Petersburg Chamber Music Society in response to his becoming an...
  
   (Recollections of Florence), Op. 70 (1890)
• 18 Morceaux for piano, Op.72 (1892). Some of these pieces were used in a cello concerto arrangement by Gaspar Cassadó
  Gaspar Cassadó
  Gaspar Cassadó i Moreu was a Spanish cellist and composer of the early 20th century. He was born in Barcelona to a church musician father and began taking cello lessons at age seven. When he was nine, he played in a recital where Pablo Casals was in the audience; Casals immediately offered to...
  
  .
• Piano Sonata No. 2 in C-sharp minor
  Piano Sonata in C-sharp minor (Tchaikovsky)
  Piano Sonata in C-sharp minor, Op. posth. 80, was written by Russian composer Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky in 1865 during his last year as a student at St Petersburg Conservatory....
  
  , Op. posth. 80 (1865)

Arrangements of the works of others

Composer	Work and forces	Arranged for	Date
Beethoven Ludwig van Beethoven Ludwig van Beethoven was a German composer and pianist. A crucial figure in the transition between the Classical and Romantic eras in Western art music, he remains one of the most famous and influential composers of all time.Born in Bonn, then the capital of the Electorate of Cologne and part of...	Piano Sonata No. 17 in D minor Piano Sonata No. 17 (Beethoven) The Piano Sonata No. 17 in D minor, Op. 31, No. 2, was composed in 1801/02 by Ludwig van Beethoven. It is usually referred to as "The Tempest" , but this title was not given by him, or indeed referred to as such during his lifetime; instead, it comes from a claim by his associate Anton Schindler... , Op. 31, No. 2, "Tempest", first movement	Orchestra (4 versions)	1863
Beethoven	Violin Sonata No. 9 in A Violin Sonata No. 9 (Beethoven) Violin Sonata No. 9 in A major, commonly known as the Kreutzer Sonata, is a violin sonata which Ludwig van Beethoven published as his Opus 47... , Op. 47 "Kreutzer", first movement	Orchestra	1863–64
Bortniansky	Complete Church Music, choir	Choir, edited	July – November 1881
Cimarosa Domenico Cimarosa Domenico Cimarosa was an Italian opera composer of the Neapolitan school...	"Le faccio un inchino", trio from Il matrimonio segreto Il matrimonio segreto Il matrimonio segreto is an opera in two acts, music by Domenico Cimarosa, on a libretto by Giovanni Bertati, based on the play The Clandestine Marriage by George Colman the Elder and David Garrick...  (available for 3 voices and piano)	3 voices and orchestra	1870
Dargomyzhsky Alexander Dargomyzhsky Alexander Sergeyevich Dargomyzhsky was a 19th century Russian composer. He bridged the gap in Russian opera composition between Mikhail Glinka and the later generation of The Five and Tchaikovsky....	Little Russian Kazachok, orchestra	Piano	1868
Dargomyzhsky	"The golden cloud has slept", 3 voices and piano	3 voices and orchestra	1870
Dubuque	Maria Dagmar Polka, piano	Orchestra	1869
Glinka Mikhail Glinka Mikhail Ivanovich Glinka , was the first Russian composer to gain wide recognition within his own country, and is often regarded as the father of Russian classical music...	"Slavsya" from A Life for the Tsar A Life for the Tsar A Life for the Tsar , as it is known in English, although its original name was Ivan Susanin is a "patriotic-heroic tragic opera" in four acts with an epilogue by Mikhail Glinka. The original Russian libretto, based on historical events, was written by Nestor Kukolnik, Georgy Fyodorovich Rozen,... , arr, couplets	Mixed chorus and orchestra	February 1883
Joseph Gungl Joseph Gungl Joseph Gungl , was a Hungarian composer, bandmaster, and conductor.He was born in Zsámbék, Hungary. After working as a school-teacher in Buda, and learning the elements of music from the school-choirmaster, he became first oboist at Graz, and, at twenty-five, bandmaster of the 4th Regiment of...	Le Retour, waltz, piano	Orchestra	1863–64
Haydn Joseph Haydn Franz Joseph Haydn , known as Joseph Haydn , was an Austrian composer, one of the most prolific and prominent composers of the Classical period. He is often called the "Father of the Symphony" and "Father of the String Quartet" because of his important contributions to these forms...	"Gott erhalte Franz den Kaiser Gott erhalte Franz den Kaiser Gott erhalte Franz den Kaiser was an anthem to Francis II, Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire and later of Austria. Lorenz Leopold Haschka wrote the lyrics, and Joseph Haydn composed the melody... ", 4 voices	Orchestra	by 24 February 1874
Kral	"Ceremonial March", piano	Orchestra	May 1867
Herman Laroche	Karmosina, Fantasy Overture, piano	Orchestra	August – September 1888
Liszt Franz Liszt Franz Liszt ; ), was a 19th-century Hungarian composer, pianist, conductor, and teacher.Liszt became renowned in Europe during the nineteenth century for his virtuosic skill as a pianist. He was said by his contemporaries to have been the most technically advanced pianist of his age...	"Es war ein Konig in Thule", voice and piano	Voice and orchestra	3 November 1874
Alexei Lvov	"God Save the Tsar! God Save the Tsar! "God Save the Tsar!" was the national anthem of the late Russian Empire. The song was chosen from a competition held in 1833. The composer was violinist Alexei Lvov, and the lyrics were by the court poet Vasily Zhukovsky... " (the then national anthem), chorus and piano	Mixed chorus and orchestra	February 1883
Sophie Menter Sophie Menter Sophie Menter was a German pianist and composer who became the favorite female student of Franz Liszt. She was called l'incarnation de Liszt in Paris because of her robust, electrifying playing style and was considered one of the greatest piano virtuosos of her time.Sophie Menter was born in...	Ungarische Zigeunerweisen Ungarische Zigeunerweisen Ungarische Zigeunerweisen [Hungarian Gypsy Melodies ] is a single-movement work for piano and orchestra of about 17 minutes' duration by Sophie Menter... , piano (short score)	Piano and orchestra	1892
Mozart Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart , baptismal name Johannes Chrysostomus Wolfgangus Theophilus Mozart , was a prolific and influential composer of the Classical era. He composed over 600 works, many acknowledged as pinnacles of symphonic, concertante, chamber, piano, operatic, and choral music...	4 works	arr. orchestra as Mozartiana (Suite No. 4)	June – August 1887
Mozart	Fantasia in C minor, K. 475, piano	Vocal quartet (Night)	15 March 1893
Anton Rubinstein Anton Rubinstein Anton Grigorevich Rubinstein was a Russian-Jewish pianist, composer and conductor. As a pianist he was regarded as a rival of Franz Liszt, and he ranks amongst the great keyboard virtuosos...	Ivan the Terrible, Op. 79, orchestra	Piano duet	18 October – 11 November 1869
Anton Rubinstein	Don Quixote, Op. 87, orchestra	Piano duet	1870
Schumann Robert Schumann Robert Schumann, sometimes known as Robert Alexander Schumann, was a German composer, aesthete and influential music critic. He is regarded as one of the greatest and most representative composers of the Romantic era....	Symphonic Studies, Op. 13 (piano), Adagio and Allegro brillante	Orchestra	1864
Schumann	"Ballade vom Haidenknaben", Op. 122, No. 1, declamation and piano	Declamation and orchestra	11 March 1874
Stradella Alessandro Stradella Alessandro Stradella was an Italian composer of the middle baroque. He enjoyed a dazzling career as a freelance composer, writing on commission, collaborating with distinguished poets, producing over three hundred works in a variety of genres.-Life:Not much is known about his early life, but he...	"O del mio dolce", song with piano	Voice and orchestra	10 November 1870
Tarnovsky	Song "I remember all", arr. Dubuque for piano	Piano duet	1868
Weber Carl Maria von Weber Carl Maria Friedrich Ernst von Weber was a German composer, conductor, pianist, guitarist and critic, one of the first significant composers of the Romantic school....	Piano Sonata in A-flat, J. 199, Scherzo Menuetto	Orchestra	1863
Weber	Piano sonata in C, J. 138 – Perpetuum mobile	Piano left hand	1871