Praskovya Tchaikovskaya

Tchaikovsky Research
Praskovya Tchaikovskaya (1864-1956)

Sister-in-law of the composer (b. 1864; d. 1956), born Praskovya Vladimirovna Konshina (Прасковья Владимировна Коншина); known after her marriage as Praskovya Vladimirovna Chaykovskaya (Прасковья Владимировна Чайковская).

Praskovya's father was the industrialist Vladimir Dmitriyevich Konshin (1835-1915), and her mother Yelizaveta (1835–1870) was the sister of the Russian businessman and art collector Pavel Tretyakov (1832–1898); Pavel's daughter Vera was married to the pianist Aleksandr Ziloti (1863–1945), who worked closely with Tchaikovsky in his later years.

In 1882, Praskovya married the composer's brother Anatoly Tchaikovsky (1850–1915), and the couple had one daughter: Tatyana (1883–1970).

Tchaikovsky often stayed with Anatoly and Praskovya at Tiflis during the 1880s, and he corresponded regularly with his sister-in-law.

Dedications

In 1883, Tchaikovsky dedicated his Suite No. 2 in C major, Op. 53, "À Madame Pauline Tschaikowsky".

Correspondence with Tchaikovsky

108 letters from Tchaikovsky to his sister-in-law Praskovya Tchaikovskaya have survived, dating from 1883 to 1893, of which those highlighted in bold have been translated into English on this website:

69 letters from Praskovya Tchaikovskaya to the composer, dating from 1883 to 1891, are preserved in the Tchaikovsky State Memorial Musical Museum-Reserve at Klin (a4, Nos. 5662–5730) [1].

Bibliography

Notes and References

  1. Including two letters written jointly with her husband Anatoly.