Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky had a close human connection and a creative rapprochement with Grand Duke Konstantin Konstantinovich Romanov, a passionate music lover and poet who published under the pseudonym K. R. The culmination of their communication was Tchaikovsky’s Six Romances, Op. 63 to words by K.R., and dedicated to him.

Grand Duke Konstantin Konstantinovich was one of the brightest and most gifted representatives of his dynasty. He was a poet, musician, playwright, translator and president of the Russian Academy of Sciences. He founded the Pushkin House, and was a career soldier, and father of nine children.

The diary of the Grand Duke preserved a description of the composer’s appearance: “Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky appears about 35 years of age, even though his face and graying hair make him look older. He is small, rather thin, with a short beard and gentle intelligent eyes. His movements, manner of speaking and his whole appearance reveal an extremely well-mannered, educated and nice person.” He wrote this passage in 1880, when the composer was 40 years old.

The correspondence between Tchaikovsky and the royal poet began immediately after their first meeting, and ended in 1893 — when the composer died. They exchanged their manuscripts, publications and statements about each other’s work. Having received a book of poems in 1886, Tchaikovsky wrote with gratitude to their author,

This collection of poems is dotted with notes and sketches of potential musical pieces reflecting how an idea matured.

Another poem by Konstantin Romanov “Blessed is He who smiles” inspired a chorus created in 1886 and dedicated to the student choir of the Moscow Conservatory. Consequently, Tchaikovsky was planning to write another series of vocal works based on the poems of K. R., but did not have the time before his death.

Shortly before the premiere of Symphony No. 6, in the late summer of 1893, the Grand Duke offered Tchaikovsky to put Aleksey Apukhtin’s “Requiem” to music and received a polite refusal in response, explaining that his “most recent symphony (especially the finale)” was largely imbued with the spirit of the requiem. K.R. was present at the premiere of the Sixth Symphony and after, he expressed his admiration to the composer.