Pictures at an Exhibition Historical Description

Gnomus - The Gnome Based on Hartmann's design for a nutcracker, Gnomus describes a grotesque little imp, dancing in and out of shadows. Il Vecchio Castello - The Old Castle Another Promenade leads us to the second painting. While travelling through Italy, Hartmann painted a watercolour of a medieval tower, with a minstrel playing a lute. The music here is introspective with an old-world beauty. Again the original painting has been lost. Tuileries: Dispute d'enfants après jeux - Children Quarreling at Play This time, the Promenade takes us to Mussorgsky's representation of children playing in the Tuileries Gardens in Paris. Original artwork lost. Bydlo - Ox Cart The heavy leaden walk of the cattle is heard pulling the cart slowly through the mud. Again, Hartmann's sketch is lost. Ballet of the Unhatched Chicks Hartmanns sketch is for the costume design for an opera called Trilbi by Julius Gerber. The music describes a frenetic, chaotic dance of children dressed as unhatched chicks. Hartmann's original design is at right. Samuel Goldenberg & Schmuyle Samuel Goldenburg and Schmuyle were originally the subjects of two separate paintings by Hartman of two Jews from Sandomir in Poland. Samuel Goldberg is richly dressed, and Schmuyle is in rags (only this painting survives, at right). Mussorgsky combines the two paintings into one piece of music where he depicts a conversation between the two. The rich Jew is represented by a heavy pompous theme, the poor man by a high-pitched bleating theme. As time goes on, the rich man's voice drowns out the other's, as the themes merge. Limoges marche - The Market at Limoges Another Promenade takes us to a marketplace at Limoges, the music depicting the hustle and bustle of women and haggling vendors. Catacombae Sepulcrum romanum - Roman Burial Catacombs This eerie picture is a self-portrait of Hartmann touring the ancient Roman burial catacombs under Paris, based on Victor Hugo's description in Les Miserable. The source of the glow was candles and oil within the skulls. Con mortuis in lingua mortua - With the Dead in the Language of Death The catacombs leads to a section not directly inspired by a Hartmann painting. It is Mussorgsky's reflections on the death of his friend.

The Hut On Fowl's Legs (Baba-Yaga) Hartmann's design was for an ornate clock inspired by the ancient folktale of the Baba Yaga, the witch who lives in a house on chicken legs. Mussorgsky's music depicts the witch flying through the air in her mortar in which she grinds human bones. She flies into a forest, her hut following her on the ground. The music is subdued and menacing. Then all of a sudden she re-appears, hurtling through the sky, straight into the final piece of music. The Great Gate of Kiev The Great Gate of Kiev was a project that never saw the light of day. It was Hartmann's entry for a competition to design a commemorative building to celebrate Tsar Alexander II's miraculous escape from an assasination attempt. It is the Promenade theme again but this time in a purposeful 4/4 time. It describes the grandness of the gate, with its Slavonic helmet-inspired arch and a grand bell tower by its side, from which sounds a victorious tolling of bells.

Predictions and Notes

Name__________________________________ Date______________________

Artwork that inspired the piece of music

Initial predictions of music What do you think it will sound

like based off of the painting that inspired the music?

Group presentation notes

The Gnome

Ballet of Unhatched Eggs

Samuel Goldenberg

Roman Catacomb Burial

The Hut on Fowl’s Legs

The Great Gate of Kiev

Modest Mussorgsky Biography Directions: Write eight keywords to describe Mussorgsky’s life ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________

Russian composer and pianist Modest

Mussorgsky is famous for his orchestral

"Pictures at an Exhibition" and opera Boris

Godunov, which was later revised by Nikolai

Rimsky-Korsakov.

Early Life of Modest Mussorgsky

Modest Mussorgsky (1839-1881) was born in

Kraevo, in north Russia, on March 21, the son

of a landowner. He studied piano as a child but

often rebelled against his teachers. At the age

of nine, he brilliantly performed a piano

concerto by composer John Field.

Originally meant for the army, aged 10, he

entered the military academy at St Petersburg,

and joined as cadet officer at the Guards

Regiment, however, continued to study music

and composition.

Balakirev and The Mighty Handful

When he was 18, he began music lessons from

Mily Balakirev, a fellow member of 'The Five'

(or 'The Mighty Handful'), a 19th-century's

group of nationalist Russian composers

including Borodin, Rimsky-Korsakov and Cui.

They were inspired by Mikhail Glinka, the

father of the Russian nationalist tradition in

music. Together, 'The Five' created the

'nationalist' school of Russian music.

Mussorgsky resigned from the army

commission in 1858. Few years later, aged 25,

the Russian liberation of the serfs

impoverished Mussorgsky's family. Losing

their fortune, he was forced to take a job back

in the civil service. Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov

offered to share a room with him.

Alcohol Addiction

He toured Russia playing

piano for singer Darya

Leonova. In 1880 he

resigned from the civil

service. A year later, he suffered fits from

alcohol abuse and was committed to a military

hospital in St. Petersburg where his portrait

was painted by Ilya Repin. His operas were not

well received, his drinking increased.

Mussorgsky died on March 28 1881. Although

he enjoyed some recognition and fame as

composer of opera Boris Godunov and as a

pianist. Most of his work was posthumously

published, either revised or completed by

Rimsky-Korsakov.

His most famous work is 'Pictures at an

Exhibition' which was inspired by a

posthumous exhibition of painting by

Mussorgsky's friend Victor Harmann. Each

piece is a masterpiece of descriptive music.

Originally written for the piano, the work is

best known in Ravel's brilliant orchestral

version.

The genius of Modest Mussorgsky was

recognized by later composers of the early part

of the 20th century including Debussy, Ravel

and Stravinsky.

Mussorgsky's major works

Orchestral, 'St John's Night on the Bare

Mountain' (later revised by Rimsky-

Korsakov and Mussorgsky) 1867

Song, 'Gathering Mushrooms' 1867

Song cycle, 'The Nursery' 1870

A habit that eventually killed Mussorgsky was

his heavy drinking. At 26, he had his first

attack of delirium tremens.

Opera, Boris Godunov 1874 (later

revised by Rimsky-Korsakov)

Orchestral, 'Pictures at an Exhibition',

for piano (orchestrated later by Ravel)

1874

Song cycle, Songs and Dances of Death

1875

'The song of the Flea' 1879

Opera, Khovanshcchina (completed by

Rimsky-Korsakov) 1880

Opera, Sorochintsky Fair (completed

by Anatol Lyadov) 1880