h Symphony and Eugene Oniegin. Peter needed to find quiet and peace at mind, so he kept himself close to Switzerland and other European countries. Later that year of 1878 Peter resigned his professorship. He continued on his piece Eugene Oniegin, which was performed in Moscow and was overwhelmingly popular.Still struggling with his sexuality, he could not compose his music with the passion he once had. The next piece, which was written in 1882, was dedicated to the memory of the late Nicholas Rubenstein. Rubenstein, as stated earlier, had been a critic of his music in his early years of being a new composer (Mason 1). Two years later in 1884, at the request of Balakirev, he produced his Manfred Symphony (Abraham 14). Tchaikovsky traveled wildly for the next four years, which seem to help his troubled mind an enabled him to complete his Fifth Symphony. It kept him going strong for the next three years in order to complete his next two ballets, Sleeping Beauty and The Nutcracker. He also composed another opera, which was a Rocco piece of music that was set to Russian music and became very successful.The Nutcracker, which was written in 1892, was his most famous ballet. It is in ternary, or three-part form (A-B-A). There is a variety of instruments, such as brass horns. It is a very lively ballet with lots of wonderful dancing. The music itself practically paints the image of the story as you listen. The first act takes place at a Christmas party where two children are unwrapping gifts. The little girl Clara receives the nutcracker as a gift. Later that night she sneaks back down stairs to see her nutcracker. The second act takes place at the land of sweets, which is ruled by the sugar plum fairy. In Tchaikovsky’s The Nutcracker, he exhibits a full arrangement of musical sound giving the listener a suspenseful treat. The strings in this piece seem to fade just enough to keep you holding on until being swept away by...
