On May 7th, 1840, the Russian composer Pyotr Llyich Tchaikovsky was born in the small town of Votkinsk. In 1844, the family hired a twenty-two-year-old French governess named Fanny Dubach. At first, Pytor was deemed too young to learn alongside his older brother, but at Pyotr’s insistence he did and by age six he was fluent in French and German. At age five a began piano lessons and within three years he was as skilled at reading sheet music as his instructors were. The families income began to dwindle so at age twelve Pytor was sent to the Imperial School of Jurisprudent and began a seven year course.
