Famous for composing "The Nutcracker" ballet, as well as numerous symphonies, concertos, operas, ballets, and chamber-music pieces, he's remembered as one of classical music's most popular composers.
Before Fame
He began taking piano lessons when he was five and was able to read music at the same level as his first piano teacher in only three years.
Trivia
He destroyed his first two operas, 1869's "The Voyevoda" and 1870's "Undina," because he was dissatisfied with the results. His 1874 opera, "The Oprichnik," was the first to survive the artist's creative wrath.
Family Life
He married former student Antonina Ivanovna Milyukova on July 6, 1877, but had the marriage annulled in September 1877 after discovering that they were psychologically and sexually incompatible.
Associated With
He was mentored by Anton Rubinstein at the Saint Petersburg Conservatory, who considered him a genius but disliked his progressive techniques.
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