Part of a series providing comprehensive coverage of the life and works of great composers, this book focuses on Tchaikovsky and has been revised for the centenary of his death. The author assesses the operas, ballets and other works against the background of the author's eventful life: his ill-judged marriage, his curious pen-friendship with his patron Nadezhda von Meck and his relationship with Balakirev and other Russian composers. In this edition the author also examines the conflicting theories on the manner of Tchaikovsky's death. The book is suitable for musicians, students and the general reader alike.