Tchaikovsky's mysterious cause of death.

Tchaikovsky did his best to continue touring and travelling even though he lost his patronesse. The financial aspect of the relationship was not as important to him. The loss of a female friend made him feel really depressed but life stored so much for him, it was like the end of a chapter and the beginning of a new one.

In 1893 he was honored with a Doctorate in Music from the University of Cambridge. At this time, he was being considered as the world most famous composer. Thanks to his success and fame, he started to have a really packet schedule, his music and presence was in demand everywhere.

His newest piece of work, Symphony Nro.3 was premiered in October, 1893. It was scheduled all over Europe, Moscow, Saint Petersburg, London, Paris. Pitifully, before he could embark on this massive tour, he died.

Just six days after the premiere, he felt ill and died in Saint Petersburg at the age of 53. He died ‘officially” of Cholera. His funeral was held on November 9, 1893. Historians have been debating around his death. Was it as simple as getting Cholera? Was it something more and he decided to end his life? Why don’t he we revisit some of the theories on Tchaikovsky’s death so you can come to your own conclusions because, no one really knows, we can only speculate.

It is said that the composer asked for “unboiled water” in a restaurant. This story is less probable thanks to the fact that during those days Cholera was an endemic. People took it seriously and the consequences were fatal. Another piece of information that debunks this theory is the fact it was a well-known fact that Tchaikovsky had fame for excellent hygiene. Only this piece of information makes it less probable for him to indulge in something like this. Well, it depends if what you’re looking is not only to quench your thirst.

Another theory is based on the fact that his 6th Symphony is almost like a requiem, to some is can be considered a musical suicide note. It’s so dark and moving that according to witnesses on his premiere, it was so moving to the audience that many were moved to tears by the raw intensity of the music performed.

But why someone at the peak of his popularity could consider suicide as a legit option? Is thought that maybe he was frustrated by the fact that he was not able to love the person he wanted? Homosexuality was not something that the Russian population embraced in any sense. It was not a death sentence but it was not well received nevertheless, you could not be open about it, it was a well-hidden secret, and as such, it should remain.

Tchaikovsky wrote so many letters during his lifetime, and scholars affirm that there’s no indication that he was suicidal. He had his ups and downs like everybody else. That’s why this theory of suicide cannot be confirmed.

Others play with the fact that not only by drinking water you could contract the disease. If Tchaikovsky indulged in his sexual preferences and looked for the company of male prostitutes, that could lead to him getting infected. Due to the secrecy of such acts, he could easily put the blame on something else and hide his wrongdoings.

The mystery is still alive, there're some incongruences on how or why someone could inflict to himself such harm. What is more than evident is the fact that Tchaikovsky left an outstanding body of work behind. For music lovers like myself, he is a top-tier composer, one of the best if not the very best in the romantic era.

On my next article, I want to dig deeper and study his most beloved compositions. See you on my next entry.