The Story of Peter Tchaikovsky (Opal Wheeler)

The Story of Peter Tchaikovsky

Little Peter was born in the small mining town of Votkinsk, Russia, not far from the border of Asia. His father was a mine inspector. Miss Wheeler has shown sympathetically yet quite frankly what a nervous, unpredictable child Peter was and how his love for music, even as a very little boy, was almost greater than he could bear.

Any sort of routine or application to work was impossible for him, and as a result, when a young man he could not bring himself to practice law. However, music still beckoned, and under the great Anton Rubinstein, he made certain progress. Here again, though, he broke all the established rules for composing and drove his master to despair. It was early one morning, seated at a table in the deserted dining room of an inn, that he wrote the first draft of his first symphony.

Here is a fascinating picture of Tchaikovsky the brilliant composer and delightful companion. It is perfect for young readers.

In the Great Composers Series, Opal Wheeler also wrote:

• Robert Schumann and Mascot Ziff
• Ludwig Beethoven, and the Chiming Tower Bells
• The Young Brahms
• Mozart, the Wonder Boy
• Handel at the Court of Kings
• Sebastian Bach, the Boy from Thuringia
• Joseph Haydn, the Merry Little Peasant
• Frederic Chopin: Son of Poland (Early Years)
• Frederic Chopin: Son of Poland (Later Years)
• Edward MacDowell and his Cabin in the Pines
• Stephen Foster and his Little Dog Tray
• Paganini: Master of Strings
• The Story of Peter Tchaikovsky
• Peter Tchaikovsky and the Nutcracker Ballet
• Adventures of Richard Wagner