Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky was born in Kamsko-Votkinsk, Russia, on May 7, 1840. He was introduced to music at age 5. His father was a Ukrainian mining engineer and his wife, his second, was of French ancestry. He went to school at the School of Jurisprudence and was a civil servant till 1861 when he entered Saint Petersburg Conservatory and graduated in 1865. In 1866 he was appointed professor of theory and harmony at Moscow Conservatory, which was established that year. He …showed first 75 words of 449 total…

…showed last 75 words of 449 total…Russian aristocracy which was addressed to the Tsar. In the letter, it complained of Tchaikovsky's affair with the aristocrat's nephew. The person who found the letter gathered six other classmates living in St. Petersburg and they confronted Tchaikovsky. They gave him a singular option to avoid publicity of the scandal, suicide. They felt the bad publicity would dishonor the school. Tchaikovsky wrote 3 ballets, 10 operas, 7 symphonies, and many other works including 1812 Overture and The Nutcracker Suite.