which piece of music was composed by tchaikovsky to commemorate the defeat of napoleon i?
The 1812 Overture. Written by the Russian composer Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky in 1880, the 1812 Overture shows the huge cultural impact of the Napoleonic Wars and their place in European memory. It commemorates Napoleonâs failed invasion of Russia in 1812 â a disaster for the French that led to Napoleonâs defeat and exile on the island of Elba.