Mussorgsky and the Mighty Handful

Tchaikovsky did not fit into either the “progressive” bloc of Russian composers or the “conservative” wing of composers. Rather, he was a bridge between them, since his music has characteristics of both sides of the divide in Russian music that was apparent from the 1860s forward. Tchaikovsky received a formal European musical education at the newly established St. Petersburg Conservatory, founded by Anton Rubinstein in 1862. This placed him closer to the conservatives in terms of training and respect for Western compositional forms. At the same time, Tchaikovsky took a deep interest in Russian folk music and made use of it in many of his compositions. Tchaikovsky adhered to traditional classical musical forms while composers of the Mighty Handful made use of forms inspired by Russian traditions. His works were more accessible than some of the compositions of the Mighty Handful (particularly those of Mussorgsky).

     Tchaikovsky had an important, though sometimes difficult, relationship with Balakirev, the leader of The Five. Early on, Balakirev encouraged Tchaikovsky to write Romeo and Juliet, which became one of his most famous works. However, Balakirev was often critical of Tchaikovsky's work and tried to exert influence over his compositions, which Tchaikovsky found frustrating. He admired Mussorgsky's originality but found his lack of formal training and his rough compositional style unappealing. Tchaikovsky once said that Mussorgsky's music was "talent gone to waste due to a lack of technique."  Tchaikovsky had a relatively cordial relationship with Rimsky-Korsakov, particularly later in life. Rimsky-Korsakov respected Tchaikovsky's talents and even conducted some of his works. However, their musical approaches remained very different, with Tchaikovsky being more aligned with Western traditions and Rimsky-Korsakov continuing to promote a Russian nationalist style.