Aleksandra Tchaikovskaya

For Tchaikovsky's sister Aleksandra, see Aleksandra Davydova.

Aleksandra Tchaikovskaya (1812–1854)
From an original portrait. Klin House-Museum

Mother of the composer (b. 30 July/11 August 1812 in Saint Petersburg; d. 13/25 June 1854 in Saint Petersburg), born Aleksandra Andreyevna Assier (Александра Андреевна Ассиер); known after her marriage as Aleksandra Andreyevna Chaykovskaya (Александра Андреевна Чайковская).

Alexandra was the fifth child of Andrey Assier and his wife Yekaterina, and she was educated at the Patriotic Institute in Moscow from the age of four. On 1/13 October 1833 she married Ilya Tchaikovsky (1795–1880), and the couple had seven children:

• Yekaterina (d. in infancy)
• Nikolay (1838–1911)
• Pyotr (1840–1893), the composer
• Aleksandra (1841–1891)
• Ippolit (1843–1927)
• Anatoly (1850–1915)
• Modest (1850–1916)

Aleksandra Tchaikovskaya died of cholera on 13/25 June 1854, and was buried at Smolenskoye Cemetery in Saint Petersburg.

Correspondence with Tchaikovsky

39 letters from Tchaikovsky to his mother Aleksandra have survived, dating from 1850 to 1852, all of which have been translated into English on this website:

• Letter 9 – 21 October/2 November 1850, from Saint Petersburg (addressed jointly to Aleksandra and Ilya Tchaikovsky)
• Letter 10 – 8/20 November 1850, from Saint Petersburg (addressed jointly to Aleksandra and Ilya Tchaikovsky)
• Letter 11 – 23 November/5 December 1850, from Saint Petersburg (addressed jointly to Aleksandra and Ilya Tchaikovsky)
• Letter 12 – 10/22 December 1850, from Saint Petersburg (addressed jointly to Aleksandra and Ilya Tchaikovsky)
• Letter 13 – 17/29 December 1850, from Saint Petersburg (addressed jointly to Aleksandra and Ilya Tchaikovsky)
• Letter 14 – 24 December 1850/5 January 1851, from Saint Petersburg (addressed jointly to Aleksandra and Ilya Tchaikovsky)
• Letter 15 – 1/13 February 1851, from Saint Petersburg
• Letter 16 – 18 February/2 March 1851, from Saint Petersburg (addressed jointly to Aleksandra and Ilya Tchaikovsky)
• Letter 17 – 5/17 March 1851, from Saint Petersburg (addressed jointly to Aleksandra and Ilya Tchaikovsky)
• Letter 18 – 19/31 March 1851, from Saint Petersburg (addressed jointly to Aleksandra and Ilya Tchaikovsky)
• Letter 19 – 7/19 April 1851, from Saint Petersburg (addressed jointly to Aleksandra and Ilya Tchaikovsky)
• Letter 20 – 12/24 April 1851, from Saint Petersburg (addressed jointly to Aleksandra and Ilya Tchaikovsky)
• Letter 21 – 22 April/4 May 1851, from Saint Petersburg (addressed jointly to Aleksandra and Ilya Tchaikovsky)
• Letter 22 – 30 April/12 May 1851, from Saint Petersburg (addressed jointly to Aleksandra and Ilya Tchaikovsky)
• Letter 23 – 13/25 May 1851 (?), from Saint Petersburg (addressed jointly to Aleksandra and Ilya Tchaikovsky)
• Letter 24 – 20 May/1 June 1851, from Saint Petersburg (addressed jointly to Aleksandra and Ilya Tchaikovsky)
• Letter 25 – 26 May/7 June or 27 May/8 June 1851, from Saint Petersburg (addressed jointly to Aleksandra and Ilya Tchaikovsky)
• Letter 26 – early/mid-June 1851, from Saint Petersburg (addressed jointly to Aleksandra and Ilya Tchaikovsky)
• Letter 27 – 11/23 June 1851, from Nadino (addressed jointly to Aleksandra and Ilya Tchaikovsky)
• Letter 28 – 17/29 June 1851, from Nadino (addressed jointly to Aleksandra and Ilya Tchaikovsky)
• Letter 29 – 25 June/7 July 1851, from Nadino (addressed jointly to Aleksandra and Ilya Tchaikovsky)
• Letter 32 – 7/19 August 1851, from Saint Petersburg
• Letter 33 – 26 August/7 September 1851, from Saint Petersburg
• Letter 34 – 13/25 September 1851, from Saint Petersburg
• Letter 35 – 21 September/3 October 1851, from Saint Petersburg
• Letter 36 – 7/19 October 1851, from Saint Petersburg (addressed jointly to Aleksandra and Ilya Tchaikovsky)
• Letter 37 – 28 October/9 November 1851, from Saint Petersburg (addressed jointly to Aleksandra and Ilya Tchaikovsky)
• Letter 39 – 11/23 November 1851, from Saint Petersburg (addressed jointly to Aleksandra and Ilya Tchaikovsky)
• Letter 40 – 18/30 November 1851, from Saint Petersburg (addressed jointly to Aleksandra and Ilya Tchaikovsky)
• Letter 41 – 23 November/5 December 1851, from Saint Petersburg (addressed jointly to Aleksandra and Ilya Tchaikovsky)
• Letter 42 – 2/14 December 1851, from Saint Petersburg (addressed jointly to Aleksandra and Ilya Tchaikovsky)
• Letter 43 – 10/22 December 1851, from Saint Petersburg (addressed jointly to Aleksandra and Ilya Tchaikovsky)
• Letter 44 – 25 December 1851/6 January 1852, from Saint Petersburg (addressed jointly to Aleksandra and Ilya Tchaikovsky)
• Letter 45 – 1/13 January 1852, from Saint Petersburg (addressed jointly to Aleksandra and Ilya Tchaikovsky)
• Letter 46 – between 7/19 and 10/22 January 1852, from Saint Petersburg (addressed jointly to Aleksandra and Ilya Tchaikovsky)
• Letter 47 – late January or February 1852, from Saint Petersburg (addressed jointly to Aleksandra and Ilya Tchaikovsky)
• Letter 48 – 9/21 March 1852, from Saint Petersburg (addressed jointly to Aleksandra and Ilya Tchaikovsky)
• Letter 49 – 16/28 March 1852, from Saint Petersburg (addressed jointly to Aleksandra and Ilya Tchaikovsky)
• Letter 50 – 28 March/9 April 1852, from Saint Petersburg (addressed jointly to Aleksandra and Ilya Tchaikovsky)

33 letters written to Tchaikovsky by Aleksandra with her husband Ilya Tchaikovsky, dating from 1850 to 1852, are preserved in the Klin House-Museum Archive.

Bibliography

• Эпизоды из моей жизни (1913)
• Театральные интересы А. А. и И. П. Чайковских (1985)
• Ippolit Tchaikovsky (1999)
• Материалы к родословной Чайковского по материнской линии (2003)
• Weibliche Zuwendung und Geborgenheit (2004)
• Истоки. Из переписки родителей П. И. Чайковского (2009)