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When the nice Russian classical music composer Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky visited the United States in late April/early Could in 1891 he was shocked and bewildered past perception.
The journey didn’t begin off nicely. Regardless of his title – Tchaikovsky in Russian means “like a sea gull” – the composer was undoubtedly not in his ingredient, experiencing debilitating sea illness whereas crossing the Atlantic. To not point out a hurricane!
When he arrived at his New York lodge he was bowled over by one beautiful shock after one other. Regardless of having stayed on the best motels in main European cities like Vienna, Paris, Rome and London he had by no means been in a lodge with electrical lights! Furthermore, the lodge had non-public bogs in each room with cold and hot operating water and a tubular system with which to speak instantly with the entrance desk ! The subsequent shock got here on his first evening in New York Metropolis when he was completely flabbergasted by the numerous “negroes” among the many pedestrians.
Tchaikovsky was not a vacationer, nonetheless, he was invited to conduct one in all his compositions and feted as an internationally well-known composer of the best order. He was particularly invited to take part within the inaugural live performance at Carnegie Corridor’s grand opening (initially simply known as “The Music Corridor”) and handled like a famous person.
Tchaikovsky hung out with the philanthropist who supplied the cash to construct the live performance corridor and was shocked to discover a man who – regardless of being one of many wealthiest males in America – did not placed on airs or act in any respect in a superior method. Pyotr Ilyich was additionally amazed by the uncanny resemblance of Carnegie to the nice Russian playwright Ostrovksy and that the philanthropist was a giant admirer of Moscow! The composer and the Capitalist extraordinaire acquired alongside extraordinarily nicely laughing and joking for hours on finish.
This nice shock was offset, nonetheless, by an disagreeable one. The day after his live performance the newspapers spent as a lot time describing his bodily look as they did his music. Pyotr Ilyich was not solely disturbed by this, he discovered it odd and remarkably superficial. After a live performance in Philadelphia, a newspaper columnist wrote about his disappointment in seeing a person who “didn’t appear like a composer”. Tchaikovsky had no concept what this journalist might probably imply. Furthermore, the journalist expressed additional disappointment that Tchaikovsky did not have your typical traditional “Slavic options” like Anton Rubenstein (!)
One other shock occurred when Tchaikovsky met with the Russian ambassador in Philadelphia. A gifted musician in his personal proper, the ambassador and Pyotr Ilyich wound up enjoying piano duets collectively at a celebration.
Amongst his different discoveries have been that the overwhelming majority of individuals have been mono-lingual and that males who have been shut associates or family shook fingers vigorously as a substitute of kissing every different.
Undoubtedly the best shock, nonetheless, was the truth that Tchaikovsky was – as he mentioned – “ten occasions extra fashionable in America than in Europe”.
That… was probably the most nice shock.
This publish first appeared on Russia Insider
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