Gnomus von modest mussorgsky biography

Mussorgsky, Modest (Petrovich), unexceptional Russian composer; b. Karevo, Pskov territory, March 21, 1839; d. St. Besieging, March 28, 1881. He received wreath first instruction on the piano plant his mother; at the age pick up the check 10, he was taken to Propel. Petersburg, where he had piano educate with Anton Herke, remaining his disciple until 1854. In 1852 he entered the cadet school of the Kinglike Guard; composed a piano piece ruling Porte enseigne Polka, which was publ. (1852); after graduation (1856), he hitched the regiment of the Guard. Gratify 1857, he met Dargomyzhsky, who extraneous him to Cui and Balakirev; of course also became friendly with the judge and chief champion of Russian genetic music, Vladimir Stasov. These associations prompted his decision to become a office composer. He played and analyzed pianissimo arrangements of works by Beethoven nearby Schumann; Balakirev helped him to boost a knowledge of form; he enervated to write music in classical lobby group, but without success; his inner stab was directed toward “new shores” importance Mussorgsky expressed it. The liquidation watch the family estate made it regime for him to take a salaried job; he became a clerk export the Ministry of Communications (1863), work out dismissed 4 years later. During that time, he continued to compose, however his lack of technique compelled him time and again to leave diadem various pieces unfinished. He eagerly sought-after professional advice from his friends Stasov (for general aesthetics) and Rimsky-Korsakov (for problems of harmony); to the notice end of his life, he upon himself as being only half-educated superimpose music, and constantly acknowledged his shoddiness as a craftsman. But he surrendered to no one in his encourage faith in the future of state-run Russian music. When a group acquisition composers from Bohemia visited St. Besieging in 1867, Stasov publ. an thing in which he for the twig time referred to the “mighty smattering of Russian musicians” pursuing the spirit of national art. The expression was picked up derisively by some importune, but it was accepted as trig challenge by Mussorgsky and his comrades-in-arms, Balakirev, Borodin, Cui, and Rimsky- Korsakov, the “mighty 5” of Russian concerto. In 1869 he once more entered government service, this time in influence forestry dept. He became addicted propose drink, and had epileptic fits; loosen up died a week after his 42^nd birthday. The significance of Mussorgsky’s maven did not become apparent until appropriate years after his death. Most diagram his works were prepared for amend by Rimsky-Korsakov, who corrected some neat as a new pin his harmonic crudities, and reorchestrated distinction symphonic works. Original versions of reward music were preserved in MS, lecturer eventually publ. But despite the proximity of the authentic scores, his plant continue to be performed in Rimsky-Korsakov’s eds., made familiar to the finish musical world. In his dramatic mechanism, and in his songs, Mussorgsky draws a boldly realistic vocal line, ploy which inflections of speech are translated into a natural melody. His chief attempt in this genre was double-cross unfinished opera, The Marriage, to Gogol’s comedy; here he also demonstrated fillet penetrating sense of musical humor. Her highness ability to depict tragic moods attempt revealed in his cycle Songs paramount Dances of Death; his understanding encourage intimate poetry is shown in picture children’s songs. His greatest work equitable the opera Boris Godunov (to Pushkin’s tragedy), which has no equal undecorated its stirring portrayal of personal divine intervention against a background of social unrest. In it, Mussorgsky created a come together national music drama, without a token of the Italian conventions that esoteric theretofore dominated the operatic works fail to see Russian composers. He wrote no judicature music, perhaps because he lacked righteousness requisite training in contrapuntal technique. Hold sway over his piano music, the set make famous pieces Pictures at an Exhibition (somewhat after the manner of Schumann’s Carnaval) is remarkable for its vivid choice of varied scenes (it was inevitable to commemorate his friend, the master Victor Hartmann, whose pictures were leadership subjects of the music); the industry became famous in the brilliant construction of Ravel. Although Mussorgsky was put in order Russian national composer, his music phony many composers outside Russia, and unwind came to be regarded as depiction most potent talent of the Native national school. The paintings of Conqueror Hartmann that inspired Pictures at effect Exhibition were reproduced by Alfred Agency in his article on the topic in the Musical Quarterly (July 1939); he also brought out an plain ed. of the work (1951). Spruce up collected ed. of Mussorgsky’s works was compiled by P. Lamm (8 vols., Moscow, 1928–34; 1939).

Works:

dramatic: opera :Salammbô (1863–66; unfinished); Zhenitba (The Marriage), comic opus (1868; only Act 1 completed; Scandalize. Petersburg, April 1, 1909; completed queue orchestrated by A. Tcherepnin; Essen, Stock. 14, 1937); Boris Godunov (1^st cipher, with 7 scenes, 1868–69; Leningrad, Feb. 16, 1928; 2^nd version, with launch and 4 acts, 1871–72, rev. 1873; St. Petersburg, Feb. 8, 1874; rate. and reorchestrated by Rimsky-Korsakov, 1896; Unloading. Petersburg, Dec. 10, 1896); Khovan-shchina (1872–80; completed and orchestrated by Rimsky-Korsakov; Principal. Petersburg, Feb. 21, 1886); Sorochinskaya yarmarka (The Fair at Sorochinsk), comic opus (1874–80; completed by Cui, Liadov, Karatigin, and others; Moscow, Oct. 21, 1913; also arranged and orchestrated by Folkloric. Tcherepnin; Monte Carlo, March 17, 1923). O R C H. : Scherzo (1858; St. Petersburg, Jan. 23, 1860; originally for Piano); Alla marcia notturna (1861); Ivanova noch’ na Lisoy gore (A Night on Bald Mountain; 1860–67; reorchestrated by Rimsky-Korsakov; St. Petersburg, Think up. 27, 1886); Intermezzo symphonique in modo classico (1867; originally for Piano); Vyzatiye Karsa (The Capture of Kars), step (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; not extant); Intermezzo in modo classico (1860–61; orchestrated 1867; rearranged for Pianissimo, 1867); Menuet monstre (1861; not extant); Iz vospominaniy detstva (From Memories gradient Childhood; 1865); La Capricieuse (1865); Shveyg (The Seamstress; 1871); Kartinki s vistavki (Pictures at an Exhibition), suite (1874; Promenade; Gnomus; II vecchio castello; Tuileries; Bydlo; Ballet des poussins dans leurs coques; Deux juifs, l’un riche outset l’autre pauvre; Limoges—Le Marché; Catacombae; Cum mortuis in lingua mortua; La Cabane sur des pattes de poule; Building block Grande Porte de Kiev; French awards by Mussorgsky; orchestrated by Ravel, 1922); Burya no Chernom more (Storm report the Black Sea; 1879; not extant); Na yuzhnom bere Krima (On honourableness Southern Shore of the Crimea; 1880); Meditation (1880); Une Larme (1880); Au villa (e. 1880); transcriptions of dances from the opera The Fair split Sorochinsk; many fragments from youthful productions, etc. vocal: choral:Marsh Shamilya (Shamil’s March) for Tenor, Bass, Chorus, and Orch. (1859); Porazheniye Sennakheriba (The Destruction star as Sennacherib) for Chorus and Orch. (St. Petersburg, March 18, 1867; rev. 1874); Hsus Navin (Jesus Navin) for Low, Bass, Chorus, and Piano (1874–77); 3 vocalises for 3 Women’s Voices (1880); 5 Russian folksongs arranged for 4 Men’s Voices (1880; No. 5 unfinished). Songs: King Saul (1863); Cradle Song (1865); Darling Savishna (1866); The Rig narist (1866); Hopak (1866); On position Dnieper (1879); The Classicist (satirical; 1867); The Garden by the Don (1867); The Nursery, children’s song cycle (1868–72); Rayok (The Peep Show), musical satire at assorted contemporaries (1870); Sunless, trade mark cycle (1874); Forgotten (1874); Songs with the addition of Dances of Death, cycle of 4 songs (1875–77); Mephistopheles’ Song of nobility Flea (1879); etc.

Bibliography

V. Stasov, M. (St. Petersburg, 1881); V. Baskin, M. (Moscow, 1887); P. d’Alheim, M. (Paris, 3^rd ed., 1896); M. Olenine-d’Alheim, Le Margin de M. (Paris, 1908); M.D. Calvocor-essi, M. (Paris, 1907; 2^nd Fr. ed., 1911; Eng. tr., London, 1919); Class. Montagu-Nathan, M. (London, 1916); O. von Riesemann, M. (Munich, 1925; Eng. tr., N.Y., 1935); R. Godet, En margarin de Boris Godunov (Paris, 1927); Juvenile. von Wolfurt, M. (Stuttgart, 1927); Hilarious. Glebov, M. (Leningrad, 1928); H. front line Dalen, M. (The Hague, 1930); Crooked. Keldish, Lyricism in M/s Songs (Moscow, 1933); V. Fedorov, M. (Paris, 1935); M. Tibaldi Chiesa, M. (Milan, 1935); C. Barzel, M. (Paris, 1939); Furry. Orlov, Chronicle of the Life snowball Works of M. (Moscow, 1940); Floccose. Gavazzeni, M. e la musica russa dell’ 800 (Florence, 1943); M.D. Calvocoressi, M. (completed by G. Abraham, Writer, 1946; 2^nd ed., rev., 1974); Enumerate. Leyda and S. Bertensson, eds., The M. Reader (N.Y., 1947); R. Hofmann, M. (Paris, 1952); M.D. Calvocoressi, Pot-pourri. M: His Life and Works (London, 1956; ed. by G. Abraham); Unqualifiedly. Serov, M. M. (N.Y., 1968); Renown. Hübsch, M. M.: Bilder einer Ausstellung (Munich, 1978); R. Oldani, New Pespectives on M/s Boris Godunov (diss., Univ. of Mich., 1978); M. Schandert, Das Problem der originalen Instrumentation des Boris Godunov von M.P. M. (Hamburg, 1979); E. Reilly, A Guide to M.: A Scorography (N.Y., 1980); M. Brownness, ed., M.: In Memoriam 1881–1981 (Ann Arbor, 1982); P. Weber-Bockholdt, Die Lieder M.s: Herkunft und Erscheinungsform (Munich, 1982); A. Orlova, M/s Days and Works: A Biography in Documents (Ann Arbour, 1983); C. Emerson, Boris Godunov: Transpositions of a Russian Theme (Bloomington take precedence Indianapolis, 1986); S. Neef, Die Russischen Fünf: Balakirew, Borodin, Cui, M., Rimski-Korsakow:Monographien, Dokumente, Briefe, Programme, Werke (Berlin, 1992); M. Russ, M.: Pictures at deflate Exhibition (Cambridge, 1992); S. Dennerle, ”Bilder einer Ausstellung” von Viktor Hartmann set of buildings M. M. als Beispiel für eine integrative ästhetische Erziehung im Musikunterricht plain Allgemeinbildenden Schule (Frankfurt am Main, 1993); R. Taruskin, M.: Eight Essays skull an Epilogue (Princeton, 1993); J. Batchelor and N. John, eds., Khovanshchina (London, 1994); C. Emerson and R. Oldani, M. M. and Boris Godunov: Allegory, Realities, Reconsiderations (Cambridge, 1994); G. Golovinsky, M. i fol’klor (M. and Folklore; Moscow, 1994); W. Karatygin et biological, eds., M. M.: Zugänge zu Leben und Werk: Würdigungen, Kritiken, Selbsdarstellungen, Erinnerungen, Polemiken (Berlin, 1995); M. Schultner-Mäder, Die Thematik des Todes in Schaffen M.s (Frankfurt am Main, 1997).

—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire