Tchaikovsky
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Iulii Konius (1869–1942)

Iulii Konius

Russian violinist, composer, and teacher (b. 19 January/1 February 1869 in Moscow; d. 3 January 1942 in Melenkii, near Vladimir), born Iulii Eduardovich Konius (Юлий Эдуардович Конюс, Julij Eduardovič Konjus, Yuly Eduardovich Konyus); also known outside Russia as Jules Conus.

The second son of the piano teacher and music teacher Eduard Konstantinovich Konius (1827–1902), and brother to Georgii Konius and Lev Konius, Iulii studied composition under Sergei Taneev at the Moscow Conservatory, graduating in 1888. He then studied in Paris, where he played the violin in Edouard Colonne's orchestra. From 1893 until 1901 he taught violin classes at the Moscow Conservatory, and he also advised Tchaikovsky on matters of violin technique in his Symphony No. 6 (1893), while his brother Lev assisted Tchaikovsky with the piano arrangement of the symphony.

Following the revolution, Konius left Russia for Paris in 1919, where he taught at the city's Russian Conservatory, but returned to his homeland in 1939.

Tchaikovsky's correspondence with Iulii Konius:

• 13 letters have survived from Tchaikovsky to Iulii Konius, dating from 1891 to 1893.