The Tchaikovsky House-Museum was the country home in Klin, 85 kilometers northwest of Moscow where Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky lived from May 1892 until his death in 1893. His last major work, the 6th Symphony, was written there. The house is now a museum.
Tchaikovsky in Klin
In 1885, Tchaikovsky wrote to his friend and patron: "These days I dream of settling in a village not far from Moscow. I can't wander any longer, and I'm anxious to come and stay at a place where I can feel at home." Early that year he rented a small house in the village of Maidanovo (Майданово) two kilometers from the small town of Klin. Later between 1888 and 1891 he rented a house in another nearby village, Frolovskoye (Фроловское). (Both the Maidanovo house and the later Frolovskoye house were later demolished.) Tchaikovsky lived in the Maidanovo house from February 1885 until March 1888. The house was located on the bank of the Sestra River, and had but overgrown park with ponds and old lime trees. It was not far from the railway station to both Moscow and St. Petersburg, but far enough from the city to deter unwelcome visitors, so he would not be disturbed. In the Maidanovo house Tchaikovsky rewrote an old opera he had composed in 1874, Vakula the Smith, transforming it into a new opera, Cherevichki. He also wrote the Manfred symphony and another opera, Charodeika. In the evenings Tchaikovsky read magazines and books, played the piano, had conversations with guests, strolled in the forest, gathered mushrooms, gardened and swam.
Unfortunately for Tchaikovsky, increasing numbers of vacationers came to Maidanovo, along with increasing numbers of people who wanted to see him. After a three-month concert tour to Europe, he decided to move to another house in the area, in the village of Frolovskoye. In May 1892, Tchaikovsky wrote to his brother Anatoly: "I rented a house in Klin to live there. Probably you saw it – the Sakharovs' house, large, comfortable, out-of-town, near the highway to Moscow... I am in need – and I feel it – of having a house in the countryside, or, which is almost the same, in Klin, to make sure that I can get, whenever I wish, a calm, quiet place to work. Besides, I've become accustomed to Klin. The view from inside the house is really wonderful, and there is a rather large garden. I am thinking of buying this house in the future."
During his time at the house in Klin, Tchaikovsky finished proof-reading the scores of Iolanta and The Nutcracker, wrote 18 Morceaux for piano, Op. 72, the vocal quartet Night, 6 Romances, Op. 73, and the Symphony No. 6 in B minor (Op. 74, Pathetique).
On October 3, 1893, he finished his Piano Concerto No. 3. On October 7 he departed from Klin for Moscow and then to St. Petersburg, where he conducted the premiere of his 6th symphony. He died in St. Petersburg on October 25 (November 6 new style) at the age of 53.
Tchaikovsky's work habits
Tchaikovsky's daily routine at Klin was described by his brother and biographer, Modest Tchaikovsky: "Pyotr Ilyich got up between 7 and 8 a.m. in the morning. After tea and reading, he would go for a walk which usually lasted about an hour. A conversation at breakfast, as well as a walk in someone's company, meant that Tchaikovsky was not going to compose that day; instead he would be busy with instrumentation, making corrections, or writing letters.
After dinner, he went for a walk again in any weather. Solitude during walks was as necessary for him as it was during work. In those moments he thought over the main musical themes and formed the ideas of future compositions".
The interior of the Tchaikovsky House
The house was built in the 1870s by V.S. Sakharov, on land given to the family by Emperor Nicholas I. It was rarely used by the Sakharov family, which rented and then sold it to Tchaikovsky. Tchaikovsky lived on the second floor, while the family of his servant, Alexei Sofronov, lived on the ground floor. The kitchen and dining room were also on the first floor.
The reception room and study on the second floor, where his piano is located, is the largest room of the house. The piano is a Becker, which was given him by the St. Petersburg firm in 1885, when he first arrived in Maidanovo. Tchaikovsky never played the piano in a concert hall for an audience, but he did play at home for his guests, and enjoyed playing duets on the piano with visiting musicians. His evening entertainments also usually included oral readings of literature.