柴可夫斯基(1840～1893年)
Tchaikovsky, Pyotr Ilych
俄国作曲家。从幼年时代就对音乐灵敏，产生了浓厚的兴趣。柴可夫斯基十四岁时在他母亲去世後开始严肃作曲。1862年柴可夫斯基开始在新圣彼得堡音乐学院学习。1863年成为自由作曲家。从1866年开始柴可夫斯基在莫斯科音乐学院任教。他的《第一号钢琴协奏曲》由毕罗在波士顿初次公演，获得极大成功。1875年他受大剧院芭蕾舞团委托创作了《天鹅湖》。1877年他接受富有的梅克（N. von Meck，1831～1894）的委托，梅克後来成为柴科夫斯基的资助人并且长期信件往来（1877～1890），不过他们同意永不碰面。接着柴可夫斯基创作了《叶甫盖尼.奥涅金》（1878）。柴可夫斯基是同性恋者，但是仍有短暂的婚姻；三个月的不幸婚姻以後，柴可夫斯基试图自杀。这以後的创作也因为他的精神上的危机而失色。後来的创作有芭蕾舞剧《睡美人》（1889），歌剧《黑桃皇后》（1890）以及伟大的芭蕾舞剧《胡桃钳》（1892）。他的《b小调第六交响曲》（1893）在他死於霍乱的前四天首次公演。一种说法是他的性关系激怒了贵族，他被迫自杀，但这种说法毫无根据。他的芭蕾舞剧是19世纪最伟大的，他的交响乐也经久不衰。柴科夫斯基的音乐和谐、旋律优美感人，管弦乐作曲多彩、独特。
English version：
1840～1893年
Tchaikovsky, Pyotr Ilych
Russian composer. Sensitive and interested in music from his early childhood, Tchaikovsky turned to serious composition upon his mother's death, when he was 14. In 1862 he began studying at the new St. Petersburg Conservatory, and by 1863 he was living by freelancing as a musician. From 1866 he taught at the Moscow Conservatory. His [musiccomp]Piano Concerto No. 1 (1875) was premiered by H. von Bulow in Boston and became immensely popular. In 1875 he wrote [musiccomp]Swan Lake on commission from the Bolshoi Ballet. In 1877 came a commission from the wealthy Nadezhda von Meck (1831-1894), who became his patron and longtime correspondent (1877-90), though they agreed never to meet. The opera [musiccomp]Eugene Onegin (1878) soon followed. Though homosexual, he married briefly; after three disastrous months of marriage, he attempted suicide. His composition was overshadowed by his personal crisis for years. His [musiccomp]Sleeping Beauty ballet (1889) was followed by the opera [musiccomp]The Queen of Spades (1890) and the great ballet [musiccomp]The Nutcracker (1892). His [musiccomp]“Pathétique” Symphony (1893) premiered four days before his death from cholera; claims that he was forced to commit suicide by noblemen outraged by his sexual liaisons are unfounded. His ballets were the greatest of the 19th century, and his symphonies have never lost their popularity. His music is characterized by tuneful, open-hearted melodies, impressive harmonies, and colorful, picturesque orchestration.