In February 1877, Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky claimed that he could compose only "weak and rotten little themelets." The next year he composed the brave and cheerful tunes of his Violin Concerto in D ...

MONTAGNE: Those are the opening notes of Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky's ballet "The Nutcracker." Thousands of musicians and dancers all over America perform it during the holidays.