Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
1840-1893 · Russian (Votkinsk/Moscow/St. Petersburg) · Romanticism
Known for: Russia's most beloved composer - Swan Lake, The Nutcracker, the 1812 Overture, and symphonies of overwhelming emotion
Tchaikovsky's music is the most emotionally naked in the classical repertoire. Swan Lake, The Nutcracker, and the Pathetique Symphony overflow with feeling. He was tormented by his homosexuality in a deeply hostile society.
He entered a disastrous marriage to conceal his orientation, lasting only weeks. His patron Nadezhda von Meck supported him for 13 years on the condition they never meet. He died days after premiering his Sixth Symphony, officially of cholera.
Browse all 1,000 figures by category
Enable JavaScript to view the full "if they lived today" Q&A and personality profile.