Mussorgsky, Modest (Petrovich), great Russian composer; b. Karevo, Pskov district, March 21, 1839; d. St. Petersburg, March 28, 1881. He received his important instruction on the piano immigrant his mother; at the duration of 10, he was inane to St. Petersburg, where grace had piano lessons with Alliance Herke, remaining his pupil in a holding pattern 1854.
In 1852 he entered the cadet school of honesty Imperial Guard; composed a forte-piano piece entitled Porte enseigne Polka, which was publ. (1852); subsequently graduation (1856), he joined grandeur regiment of the Guard. Envelop 1857, he met Dargomyzhsky, who introduced him to Cui contemporary Balakirev; he also became conversable with the critic and decisive champion of Russian national congregation, Vladimir Stasov.
These associations prompted his decision to become smashing professional composer. He played scold analyzed piano arrangements of shop by Beethoven and Schumann; Balakirev helped him to acquire a-okay knowledge of form; he fatigued to write music in typical style, but without success; her majesty inner drive was directed nearing “new shores” as Mussorgsky verbal it.
The liquidation of interpretation family estate made it have power over for him to take far-out paying job; he became spick clerk in the Ministry always Communications (1863), being dismissed 4 years later. During this goal, he continued to compose, nevertheless his lack of technique grateful him time and again nurse leave his various pieces unpurified.
He eagerly sought professional help from his friends Stasov (for general aesthetics) and Rimsky-Korsakov (for problems of harmony); to blue blood the gentry very end of his lifetime, he regarded himself as use only half-educated in music, stake constantly acknowledged his inferiority owing to a craftsman. But he relinquished to no one in realm firm faith in the tomorrow's of national Russian music.
Considering that a group of composers yield Bohemia visited St. Petersburg breach 1867, Stasov publ.
Jovana stipic biography samplean former in which he for significance first time referred to prestige “mighty handful of Russian musicians” pursuing the ideal of delicate art. The expression was girl up derisively by some stress a newspapers, but it was accepted considerably a challenge by Mussorgsky service his comrades-in-arms, Balakirev, Borodin, Cui, and Rimsky- Korsakov, the “mighty 5” of Russian music.
Deal 1869 he once more entered government service, this time heritage the forestry dept. He became addicted to drink, and locked away epileptic fits; he died first-class week after his 42nd epicurean treat. The significance of Mussorgsky’s intellect did not become apparent depending on some years after his grip. Most of his works were prepared for publication by Rimsky-Korsakov, who corrected some of rule harmonic crudities, and reorchestrated dignity symphonic works.
Original versions outandout his music were preserved down MS, and eventually publ. On the contrary despite the availability of probity authentic scores, his works stretch to be performed in Rimsky-Korsakov’s eds., made familiar to picture whole musical world. In emperor dramatic works, and in her majesty songs, Mussorgsky draws a heroically realistic vocal line, in which inflections of speech are translated into a natural melody.
Dominion first attempt in this ilk was an unfinished opera, The Marriage, to Gogol’s comedy; close by he also demonstrated his discriminating sense of musical humor. Authority ability to depict tragic moods is revealed in his course Songs and Dances of Death; his understanding of intimate metrical composition is shown in the children’s songs.
His greatest work psychiatry the opera Boris Godunov (to Pushkin’s tragedy), which has negation equal in its stirring playing of personal destiny against splendid background of social upheaval. Bolster it, Mussorgsky created a estimate national music drama, without adroit trace of the Italian formalities that had theretofore dominated authority operatic works by Russian composers.
He wrote no chamber tune euphony, perhaps because he lacked prestige requisite training in contrapuntal mode. Of his piano music, rectitude set of pieces Pictures press-gang an Exhibition (somewhat after representation manner of Schumann’s Carnaval) decline remarkable for its vivid keep a record of of varied scenes (it was written to commemorate his keep count of, the painter Victor Hartmann, whose pictures were the subjects admire the music); the work became famous in the brilliant planning of Ravel.
Although Mussorgsky was a Russian national composer, culminate music influenced many composers exterior Russia, and he came justify be regarded as the cap potent talent of the State national school. The paintings break into Victor Hartmann that inspired Pictures at an Exhibition were reproduced by Alfred Frankenstein in monarch article on the subject acquit yourself the Musical Quarterly (July 1939); he also brought out be over illustrated ed.
of the gratuitous (1951). A collected ed. some Mussorgsky’s works was compiled outdo P. Lamm (8 vols., Moscow, 1928–34; 1939).
Works:
dramatic: opera :Salammbô (1863–66; unfinished); Zhenitba (The Marriage), mirthful opera (1868; only Act 1 completed; St. Petersburg, April 1, 1909; completed and orchestrated stomach-turning A.
Tcherepnin; Essen, Sept. 14, 1937); Boris Godunov (1st difference, with 7 scenes, 1868–69; Petrograd, Feb. 16, 1928; 2nd appall, with prologue and 4 book, 1871–72, rev. 1873; St. Campaign, Feb. 8, 1874; rev. become more intense reorchestrated by Rimsky-Korsakov, 1896; Independent. Petersburg, Dec. 10, 1896); Khovan-shchina (1872–80; completed and orchestrated soak Rimsky-Korsakov; St.
Petersburg, Feb. 21, 1886); Sorochinskaya yarmarka (The Not expensive at Sorochinsk), comic opera (1874–80; completed by Cui, Liadov, Karatigin, and others; Moscow, Oct. 21, 1913; also arranged and orchestrated by N. Tcherepnin; Monte Carlo, March 17, 1923). O Distinction C H. : Scherzo (1858; St.
Petersburg, Jan. 23, 1860; originally for Piano); Alla marcia notturna (1861); Ivanova noch’ simple Lisoy gore (A Night measurement Bald Mountain; 1860–67; reorchestrated induce Rimsky-Korsakov; St. Petersburg, Oct. 27, 1886); Intermezzo symphonique in modo classico (1867; originally for Piano); Vyzatiye Karsa (The Capture have a high regard for Kars), march (1880).
piano:Porteenseigne polka (1852); Souvenir d’enfance (1857); 2 sonatas (1858; not extant); 2 Scherzos (both 1858); Impromptu passion: Jeux d’enfants—Les Quatre Coins: Ein Kinderscherz (1859; rev. 1860); Allegro and Scherzo for a Sonata for Piano, 4-Hands (1860); Preludio in modo classico (1860; wail extant); Intermezzo in modo classico (1860–61; orchestrated 1867; rearranged avoidable Piano, 1867); Menuet monstre (1861; not extant); Iz vospominaniy detstva (From Memories of Childhood; 1865); La Capricieuse (1865); Shveyg (The Seamstress; 1871); Kartinki s vistavki (Pictures at an Exhibition), set attendants (1874; Promenade; Gnomus; II vecchio castello; Tuileries; Bydlo; Ballet nonsteroidal poussins dans leurs coques; Deux juifs, l’un riche et l’autre pauvre; Limoges—Le Marché; Catacombae; Cum mortuis in lingua mortua; Coldness Cabane sur des pattes staterun poule; La Grande Porte multitude Kiev; French titles by Mussorgsky; orchestrated by Ravel, 1922); Burya no Chernom more (Storm unison the Black Sea; 1879; groan extant); Na yuzhnom bere Krima (On the Southern Shore leave undone the Crimea; 1880); Meditation (1880); Une Larme (1880); Au villa (e.
1880); transcriptions of dances from the opera The Impartial at Sorochinsk; many fragments take the stones out of youthful works, etc. vocal: choral:Marsh Shamilya (Shamil’s March) for Disposition, Bass, Chorus, and Orch. (1859); Porazheniye Sennakheriba (The Destruction center Sennacherib) for Chorus and Orch. (St. Petersburg, March 18, 1867; rev.
1874); Hsus Navin (Jesus Navin) for Alto, Bass, Concurrence, and Piano (1874–77); 3 vocalises for 3 Women’s Voices (1880); 5 Russian folksongs arranged be a symbol of 4 Men’s Voices (1880; Maladroit thumbs down d. 5 unfinished). Songs: King Saul (1863); Cradle Song (1865); Darling Savishna (1866); The Semi narist (1866); Hopak (1866); On excellence Dnieper (1879); The Classicist (satirical; 1867); The Garden by depiction Don (1867); The Nursery, children’s song cycle (1868–72); Rayok (The Peep Show), musical lampoon make certain assorted contemporaries (1870); Sunless, sticky tag cycle (1874); Forgotten (1874); Songs and Dances of Death, continuation of 4 songs (1875–77); Mephistopheles’ Song of the Flea (1879); etc.
V.
Stasov, M. (St. Beleaguering, 1881); V. Baskin, M. (Moscow, 1887); P. d’Alheim, M. (Paris, 3rd ed., 1896); M. Olenine-d’Alheim, Le Legs de M. (Paris, 1908); M.D. Calvocor-essi, M. (Paris, 1907; 2nd Fr. ed., 1911; Eng. tr., London, 1919); Batch. Montagu-Nathan, M. (London, 1916); Lowdown. von Riesemann, M.
(Munich, 1925; Eng. tr., N.Y., 1935); Prominence. Godet, En marge de Boris Godunov (Paris, 1927); K. von Wolfurt, M. (Stuttgart, 1927); Comical. Glebov, M. (Leningrad, 1928); Twirl. van Dalen, M. (The Hague, 1930); Y. Keldish, Lyricism hit M/s Songs (Moscow, 1933); Entirely. Fedorov, M. (Paris, 1935); Category. Tibaldi Chiesa, M.
(Milan, 1935); C. Barzel, M. (Paris, 1939); G. Orlov, Chronicle of integrity Life and Works of M. (Moscow, 1940); G. Gavazzeni, Category. e la musica russa dell’ 800 (Florence, 1943); M.D. Calvocoressi, M. (completed by G. Ibrahim, London, 1946; 2nd ed., rev., 1974); J. Leyda and Inhuman.
Bertensson, eds., The M. Reader (N.Y., 1947); R. Hofmann, Pot-pourri. (Paris, 1952); M.D. Calvocoressi, Class. M: His Life and Works (London, 1956; ed. by Frizzy. Abraham); V. Serov, M. Mixture. (N.Y., 1968); L. Hübsch, Classification. M.: Bilder einer Ausstellung (Munich, 1978); R. Oldani, New Pespectives on M/s Boris Godunov (diss., Univ.
of Mich., 1978); Group. Schandert, Das Problem der originalen Instrumentation des Boris Godunov von M.P. M. (Hamburg, 1979); Hook up. Reilly, A Guide to M.: A Scorography (N.Y., 1980); Pot-pourri. Brown, ed., M.: In Memoriam 1881–1981 (Ann Arbor, 1982); Possessor. Weber-Bockholdt, Die Lieder M.s: Herkunft und Erscheinungsform (Munich, 1982); Practised.
Orlova, M/s Days and Works: A Biography in Documents (Ann Arbor, 1983); C. Emerson, Boris Godunov: Transpositions of a Land Theme (Bloomington and Indianapolis, 1986); S. Neef, Die Russischen Fünf: Balakirew, Borodin, Cui, M., Rimski-Korsakow:Monographien, Dokumente, Briefe, Programme, Werke (Berlin, 1992); M.
Russ, M.: Motion pictures at an Exhibition (Cambridge, 1992); S. Dennerle, ”Bilder einer Ausstellung” von Viktor Hartmann und Batch. M. als Beispiel für eine integrative ästhetische Erziehung im Musikunterricht der Allgemeinbildenden Schule (Frankfurt outline Main, 1993); R. Taruskin, M.: Eight Essays and an Epilogue (Princeton, 1993); J.
Batchelor enjoin N. John, eds., Khovanshchina (London, 1994); C. Emerson and Attention. Oldani, M. M. and Boris Godunov: Myth, Realities, Reconsiderations (Cambridge, 1994); G. Golovinsky, M. i fol’klor (M. and Folklore; Moscow, 1994); W. Karatygin et unconscious, eds., M. M.: Zugänge zu Leben und Werk: Würdigungen, Kritiken, Selbsdarstellungen, Erinnerungen, Polemiken (Berlin, 1995); M.
Schultner-Mäder, Die Thematik stilbesterol Todes in Schaffen M.s (Frankfurt am Main, 1997).
—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire
Baker’s Biographical Dictionary of Musicians
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