Tchaikovsky and the Piano in St. Petersburg's Gilded Age

The piano in St. Petersburg during the 1880s served as an appropriate symbol of modernity in the capital's Gilded Age, a period that roughly coincided with Alexander III's reign (r.1881-1894). Piano production remained at an all-time high, as native-born artisans joined the ranks of the established European makers who founded piano workshops in the capital before 1850. With the support of the state, artisans and composers, together, reshaped the musical narrative and transformed the reach of the piano from the court to the middle class. Tchaikovsky, in particular, affirmed the tradition of the public concert hall and presented a distinctive modern repertoire to Russian audiences.

Musical examples, photographs, and evidence from rare Russian editions, letters, memoirs, economic society reports, and exhibition catalogues shed light on Tchaikovsky and the forgotten piano artisans who transformed St. Petersburg's urban landscape in the decade before the composer departed for America and Carnegie Hall.

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