Traces the life of the great Russian composer and takes a critical look at his music David Brown learned Russian in the military and taught in secondary schools before becoming music librarian of London University. In 1962 he moved to Southampton University, retiring as Professor of Musicology in 1989. His books have often focused on the Russian composers, including his definitive biography of Tchaikovsky. As the official Soviet review acknowledges: "Frankly, we have nothing like it."