Pyotr Il'yich Tchaikovsky (Russian: Пётр Ильич Чайковский, Russian pronunciation: [ˈpʲɵtr ɪlʲˈjit͡ɕ ˌt͡ɕɪjˈkofskʲɪj] listen (help·info)) (May 7 [O.S. April 25] 1840 – November 6 [O.S. October 25] 1893) was a Russian composer of the Romantic era. While not part of the nationalistic music group known as "The Five", Tchaikovsky wrote music which was istinctly Russian: plangent, introspective, with modally-inflected melody and harmony.