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 Initial predictions of music Group presentation notes

the piece of music What do you think it will sound
like based off of the painting that
inspired the music?
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