Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky was a Russian composer born in 1840 who is known for his ballets and orchestral works. He received musical training from an early age and studied law but disliked his career and decided to pursue composition full time. His compositional style typically used clear and balanced melodies with conventional harmonic progressions and instrumentation that highlighted both delicate and gloomy orchestral sounds. His 1870 concert overture Romeo and Juliet utilized a sonata form with an introduction to depict Shakespeare's famous story of the star-crossed lovers.