“Dear my and great Pyotr Ilyich!” (about the correspondence of Alexander Ilyich Ziloti with Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky)

The present study is based on the materials of correspondence between the pianist and conductor A.I. Ziloti and his teacher P.I. Tchaikovsky in the period from 1886 till 1893. The last letter was sent by the great composer a month before his death. Throughout his life, Ziloti was a propagandist of Pyotr Ilyich’s works and one of the best editors and proofreaders of his works. The study reveals little-known facts about the life and creative activities of outstanding musicians Alexander Ilyich Ziloti and Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. The letters trace the features of the relationship between two talented individuals who were congenial souls. The epistolary legacy was a testament to their fruitful friendship, which left a noticeable mark in the history of Russian musical culture at the turn of 19th and 20th centuries. The correspondence between A.I. Ziloti and P.I. Tchaikovsky can be called a document of the epoch, reflecting in detail the specifics of its musical life and creative process. The study is dedicated to two memorable dates - the 180th anniversary of Tchaikovsky’s birth and the 75th anniversary of Ziloti’s death.