Revised to mark the centenary of Tchaikovsky's death and the recent upsurge of interest in his music, Edward Garden's study assesses the operas, ballets and other works against the background of the composer's eventful life: his ill-judged marriage, his curious pen-friendship with his patron Nadezhda von Meck, and his relationship with Balakirev and other Russian composers. Edward Garden also examines conflicting theories on the manner of Tchaikovsky's death.