his death was caused by cholera.[306]

[Footnote 306: The writer had this statement from the lips of
Tchaikowsky's own brother, Modeste.]

To turn now to his achievements, it may be asserted that Tchaikowsky
was marvellously versatile, composing in every form save for the
organ; for productiveness, only Mozart, Schubert and Liszt can be
compared with him. His works comprise eight operas, six symphonies,
six symphonic poems, three overtures, four orchestral suites, two
pianoforte concertos, a violin concerto, three string quartets, a
wonderful trio, about one hundred songs and a large number of
pianoforte pieces. In addition he made several settings of the Russian
liturgy and edited many volumes of church music. Whatever may be the
final estimate of his music, it assuredly has great vogue at present,
for it is an intense expression of that mental and spiritual unrest so
characteristic of our times. As Byron was said to have but one
subject, himself, so all Tchaikowsky's music is the message of his
highly emotional and feverish sensibility. He is invariably eloquent
in the presentation of his material, although the thoughts are often
slight and the impression made not lasting. He pours out his emotions
with the impulsiveness and abandon so characteristic of his race, and
this lack of serenity, of restraint, is surely his gravest weakness.
We are reminded by his music of a fire which either glows fitfully or
bursts forth into a fierce uncontrolled blaze, but where a steady
white heat is too often missing. His style has been concisely
described as fiery exultation on a basis of languid melancholy. To all
this we may retort that what he lacks in profundity and firm control,
he makes up in spontaneity, wealth of imagination and, above all,
warmth of color. It is illogical to expect his music to be different
from what it is. He expressed himself sincerely and his style is the
direct outcome of his own temperament plus his nationality.
Tchaikowsky was widely read in modern literature--Dickens and
Thackeray being favorite authors--and had travelled much. The breadth
of his cultivation is shown in the subjects of his symphonic poems and
the texts of his songs, which are from Shakespeare, Dante, Goethe and
Bryon. However much estimates may differ as to the import of
Tchaikowsky's message, he is universally recognized as a superb
"colorist," one of the masters of modern orchestral treatment; who, by
his subtle feeling for richne