Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (, "Pëtr Il’ič Čajkovskij"; ) (born Kamsko-Votkinsk, 7 May 1840; died St Petersburg, 6 November 1893; pronounced chai-KOV-skee) was a Russian composer who lived in the Romantic period. He is one of the most popular of all Russian composers. He wrote melodies which were usually dramatic and emotional. He learned a lot from studying the music of Western Europe, but his music also sounds very Russian. His compositions include 11 operas, 3 ballets, orchestral music, chamber music and over 100 songs. His famous ballets ("Swan Lake", "The Nutcracker " and "Sleeping Beauty") have some of the best known tunes in all of romantic music. He is widely regarded as the greatest composer of ballets.