Analysis of the work of M. Mussorgsky "Pictures at an Exhibition"

It is impossible to imagine without the famous cycle "Pictures at an Exhibition". Bold, truly innovative musical solutions were implemented by the composer in this work. Bright satirical images, theatricality - that's what is typical for this cycle.

History of creation "Pictures at an Exhibition" Mussorgsky, the content of the works and many interesting facts, read on our page.

History of creation

Modest Mussorgsky was a sympathetic person by nature, so people were drawn to him and tried to establish friendly relations with him. One of the best friends of the composer was a talented artist and architect Victor Hartman . They spent a lot of time talking, often met, discussing art. The death of such a congenial person horrified the musician. After the tragic event Mussorgsky he recalled that at the last meeting he did not pay attention to the terrible state of the architect's health. He thought that such attacks in breathing are the consequences of active nervous activity, which is so characteristic of creative people.

One year after death Hartmann , at the behest of Stasov, a huge exhibition was organized, which included the works of a talented master from watercolors to oil paintings. Of course, Modest Petrovich could not miss this event. The exhibition was a success. Artistic works made a strong impression on the composer, so he immediately set about composing a cycle of works. In that spring of 1874, the writer limited himself to improvisation, but already in the summer, in just three weeks, all the miniatures were ready.

Interesting Facts

  • During the life of the author, the cycle was never published. The first edition took place only five years after his death.
  • There are 19 orchestrations of this suite.
  • Modest Mussorgsky wrote this cycle of works for piano, the most successful orchestration was created by the famous composer Maurice Ravel . The selection of timbres fully corresponds to the images. The premiere of the orchestrated version took place in the autumn of 1922 in Paris. After the first performance, the forgotten "Pictures at an Exhibition" regained popularity. Many world-famous conductors wanted to perform the cycle.
  • Hartmann's dwarf is a nutcracker with crooked legs.
  • About four hundred different exhibits were presented at the exhibition. Mussorgsky chose only a few of the most striking, in his opinion, paintings.
  • Unfortunately, the samples of drawings on which the miniatures were written were lost.
  • Despite the fact that the inspiration was the work Hartmann , the cycle was dedicated to Stasov, who provided great assistance and assistance in the implementation of Mussorgsky's plans.
  • The edition of the first collection, published in print, belongs to the brilliant Rimsky-Korsakov . At the same time, as a teacher at the conservatory, the composer tried hard to correct all sorts of author's "mistakes". So, the works have lost a lot, they have lost their innovation. Nevertheless, the circulation sold out quickly enough. The second edition was under the direction of Stasov, who did not change anything in the manuscripts. The popularity of this edition did not live up to the expectations of critics, pianists believed that they were too heavy to perform.

"Pictures at an Exhibition" is a unique suite woven from piano miniatures. The author helps the listener feel like a visitor to the Hartmann exhibition. Pictures change one after another, unites the whole cycle " Walk ". Despite the fact that the suite has a program, the music draws quite free images and plots, interconnected by the musical material of the first number. Depending on the attitude of the author to what he saw, it changes. Thus, the cross-cutting form of the work can be traced, it is continuously developing. The alternation of numbers is carried out according to the contrast principle.

Walk . The first number seems to draw steps. The melody resembles a Russian folk song, not only with a variable meter, but also with its own breadth and depth. The hero entered the exhibition hall. Slowly it approaches, the sonority grows, leading to a climax. In letters to Stasov, one can read that the author depicts himself looking at various exhibits. Light, purity and spaciousness are the sensations that music gives. As mentioned earlier, the theme of the walk will permeate the suite from beginning to end, constantly changing. The only thing that will remain unchanged is the people's warehouse and stateliness.

"Walk" (listen)

Dwarf. Funny and touching at the same time. A fantastic slightly ridiculous creature, which is characterized by constant jumps, angularities in the melody, also knows how to feel the world. Mournful intonations show that the dwarf is sad. This psychological portrait reveals the versatility of the image. The development of the image is rapid. After reaching the climax, the composer again returns the theme "Walks", significantly reduced in comparison with the first version, it connects two numbers.

old lock . The lyrical hero approaches the next work of art, a watercolor painting painted in Italy. What he sees: an old medieval castle, in front of which a troubadour in love is singing. A sad melody flows from the lips of a young musician. Thoughtfulness, emotion and sadness permeate the musical number. The constantly repeated bass allows you to reproduce the music of the Middle Ages, the theme varies, reminiscent of live singing. The middle part is filled with light, which is again replaced by gloomy shades. Everything gradually subsides, only the last phrase in fortissimo breaks the silence. A short walk to the next picture allows you to modulate into the key of the next number in B major.

"Old Castle" (listen)


tuileries garden. A luxurious garden near the Tuileries Palace in Paris is filled with light and joy. Small children frolic and enjoy life in the company of nannies. The rhythm is fully consistent with children's teasers and counting rhymes. The work is polyphonic, two themes are carried out simultaneously, one of them is the image of children, and the other of nannies.

redneck. The play begins with a sharp fortissimo, this is a strong contrast. A heavy cart is coming. Double meter emphasizes the simplicity and uncouthness of the melody. The creaking of wheels of heavy carts, the lowing of oxen and the joyless song of a peasant are heard. Gradually the music subsides, the cart has gone far, far away. The theme of the first number enters, but it sounds in a minor key. This conveys the mood of the lyrical hero, he is immersed in his own thoughts.

Ballet of unhatched chicks. The hero did not immediately pay attention to the next exhibit. Bright sketches for the ballet "Trilby". The light and serene scherzo is written in the three-part da capo form. This is the dance of the little canaries. Comic and naivety literally permeate the number.

"Ballet of the Unhatched Chicks" (listen)

Samuel Goldberg and Shmuyle or Two Jews - Rich and Poor. Modest Petrovich Mussorgsky especially admired two pictures in the exhibition. Figurative expressiveness manifested itself in this musical number. A special color is created using the gypsy scale. The second theme is filled with mournful intonations. In the future, the topics will be connected and sound together. According to the plot, a poor Jew asks a rich man for help, but he does not agree. The rich man has the last word. This number is characterized by polytonality.

"Two Jews - rich and poor" (listen)

The first part of the cycle ends walk, which almost completely repeats the musical material of the first number.

Limoges. In a small town in France, the most notorious gossips gathered at the market. The buzz of conversation does not stop for a second. Around reigns the spirit of vanity and fun. One of the most cheerful and cheerful rooms of the suite. But the gaze of the lyrical hero falls on another picture, the music breaks off and another number begins.

Catacombs. Everything seems to be frozen, hopelessness and pain dominate this work. The key in B minor has always been a symbol of tragic predestination. The intonation of the complaint conveys the horror of what he saw. The tonal instability determines the drama of the suite number. The composer seems to want to convey the irreplaceable feeling of loss that arose after the death of the talented artist Hartmann. The continuation of this issue “With the dead in a dead language” sounds. It is based on the theme of a walk, which sounds slow and tragic. The feeling of grief is conveyed by dissonant harmonies. Tremolo in high registers creates an atmosphere of tension. Gradually, there is a modulation into a major, which means that a person has measured himself with the fate prepared for him.

Hut on chicken legs or Baba Yaga. Quite a smooth transition to the festive finale can be considered the number "Hut on Chicken Legs". Fairy tale and mythology are clearly manifested in the play. The key of C major is enriched with altered steps, which adds gloominess. The ominous atmosphere is conveyed with the help of broken chords, everything in the image of the sorceress is angular and fantastic. The music is written in the genre of Russian folk songs, which determines the folklore and closeness to the national culture. The dynamic number ends with a takeoff. The chords of the final appear sharply.

"Hut on chicken legs" (listen)

Bogatyr Gates. The first theme sounded in many ways resembles the melody of "Walks", now it sounds even more proud and majestic. Music fills the space, gaining strength and power. Like a hero rises to defend the Motherland. The theme alternates with strict church chant, which sounds chamber, soulful and touching. Such contrasts make it possible to express a rich emotional spectrum. The number ends with a festive bell ringing.

Many well-known directors actively use individual numbers from Mussorgsky's Pictures at an Exhibition cycle. Each musical number has a pronounced image. The accuracy of musical figurative transmission allows you to accurately depict the atmosphere of the films listed:

  • The Simpsons (2016);
  • Tree of Life (2011);
  • "Fetish" (2008);
  • Burn After Reading (2008);
  • "The Curiosity of George" (2008);
  • "I am very high" (2007);
  • Looney Tunes: Back in business (2003);
  • "Histeria" (2000);
  • "Every Sunday" (1999);
  • "The Ren and Stimpy Show" (1994);
  • "Wittgenstein" (1992);
  • "The Little Mermaid" (1992);
  • "Atomic Cafe" (1982);
  • "Psychiatric Hospital" (1972).

« Pictures from the exhibition”is a work that allows you to perpetuate a moment. Mussorgsky managed to reveal a variety of artistic images and plots with a variety of musical colors.

Video: listen to Mussorgsky's "Pictures at an Exhibition"

Modest Petrovich Mussorgsky born March 9th, 1839. His mother was the first to teach him music. By the age of seven, Modest Petrovich already played the piano well. At the age of ten, following the family tradition, his father sent the boy to St. Petersburg to the School of Guards Ensigns.

In parallel with studying at school, music lessons continued, M. Mussorgsky composed well and a lot. A. Gerke taught the composer during this period.

After school, he, as one of the best students, was sent to serve in the Preobrazhensky Regiment. But the service seemed to Modest Petrovich empty and boring, he really saw his vocation in music, namely in Russian music. Thanks to his interest, he met A.S. Dargomyzhsky, in whose house interesting musicians gathered. Here he found himself a future mentor Balakiyev.

Captured by creativity, Mussorgsky quits service in the regiment and retires. Friends and acquaintances dissuaded Modest Petrovich from such a decision, because being a guards officer promises a simple and successful life. But he finally decided what he decided, explaining it as the need to serve his people. He became a wanderer (the so-called "commune" formed by young painters), one of those who scorned the life of most young people, full of emptiness, sybaritism, doing nothing.

From August 15, 1868 to August 15, 1869, the composer worked with great enthusiasm on an opera libretto called "Boris Godunov". He wanted not just to "musicize" Pushkin's text, but to create his own interpretation, corresponding to the scale of the work.


From some moments of the opera "Boris Godunov" goosebumps run on the skin ...

But the opera "Boris Godunov" in its original version was not accepted by the directorate of the imperial theaters and Mussorgsky was refused. Shortly after editing, and only thanks to the intervention of artist friends, the libretto was staged in 1974 at the Mariinsky Theater under the direction of E.F. Napravnik. The premiere was successful, but was not accepted by the royal family. Therefore, she was soon removed from the stage.
In general, many of the works of Modest Petrovich were not accepted by the public, he composed because it was not accepted at that time, therefore he could not become popular.

Modest Petrovich Mussorgsky - "Pictures at an Exhibition"

The suite "" was written by Mussorgsky in 1874 as a tribute to his friendship with the artist and architect Viktor Hartmann (he died before he was forty). It was the posthumous exhibition of paintings by a friend that gave Mussorgsky the idea to create a composition.

The cycle begins with the play "Walk", which personifies the composer's walk through the gallery from picture to picture, so this theme is repeated in the intervals between the descriptions of the paintings. The work consists of ten parts, each of which conveys the image of a picture.

The first image - "Gnome" appears to the listener as a funny creature endowed with human feelings.

The second sketch is designed to convey the atmosphere of a medieval castle and the only thing that enlivens it is the image of a troubadour singing nearby.

Sketch three - "Tuile garden. Quarrel of children after the game. Describes children against the backdrop of the Paris city park.

"Cattle" - in Mussorgsky's music one feels not only the heaviness of a huge cart-two-wheeler drawn by oxen, depicted in the picture, but also the heaviness of the peasants' forced life, its monotony.

"The Ballet of Unhatched Chicks" is a semi-joking scherzo, the prototype of which is Hartmann's canvas for the ballet "Trilibi" (the ballet was based on the motif of Charles Nodier's fairy tale). The canvas depicts costumes in the form of eggshells.

"Two Jews, rich and poor" is the title of the sixth part of the series "Pictures at an Exhibition". The artist presented two portrait sketches from nature. Using contrast as a device, Mussorgsky portrayed two completely opposite characters in music.

"Limoges. Market" - Sketch number seven - depicts the daily bustle of one of the provincial cities of France, in particular local gossips.

Work number eight - "Catacombs. Roman tomb" Conveys the composer's philosophical reflections, reinforced by the feeling of losing a friend, rather than an attempt to convey the mystical atmosphere felt by a person examining an ancient Roman tomb with a lantern in his hands. In this work, one can discern an attempt to communicate with an already dead person with the help of music, grief is felt in the sound.

"Hut on chicken legs" - this work personifies the flight of Baba Yaga on a broom, menacingly tapping with a stick.

The final composition is "Bogatyr Gates. In the capital city of Kyiv." This play conveys the epic power of the ancient city and its grandeur, the chime of bells and the sublime chorale are heard in it. The play worthily leads to the final suite "".

List of works

Operas:
"Marriage" (1868).
"Boris Godunov" (1874).
"Khovanshchina" (completed by Rimsky-Korsakov 1886).
"Midsummer Night on Bald Mountain" Musical picture (1867).
Pieces and suite for piano "Pictures at an Exhibition" (1874).

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Introduction

The first large finished work after the opera "Boris Godunov" was "Pictures at an Exhibition". This became a new page in the work of not only Mussorgsky himself, but also in the piano program music of his time.

In the difficult life of Mussorgsky, June 1874 became a rare island of pure joy and complete intoxication with creativity.

At this time, the composer created a work truly unique in world musical literature - the piano suite "Pictures at an Exhibition".

The title exactly corresponds to the content. “Pictures” were written by Mussorgsky under the impression of the posthumous exhibition of the artist and architect V.K. Hartmann.

Hartmann was a lively, easy-to-communicate, enthusiastic person. The richness of fantasy and imagination, ingenuity in all sorts of inventions and practical jokes made the artist indispensable in a friendly company. With Mussorgsky, Hartmann had a warm friendship and mutual respect. Therefore, the terrible news of the sudden death of a friend in 1873 shocked Modest Petrovich. Mussorgsky originally titled his work, born under the impression of an exhibition in memory of a friend, Hartmann.

The organizers of the exhibition collected paintings, watercolors, architectural projects, sketches of theatrical scenery and costumes, drawings from life, as well as artistic products - for example, a Russian-style stone clock in the form of a hut on chicken legs, tongs for cracking nuts. Here were genre scenes and types drawn by Hartmann during his travels in Italy, France and Poland, as well as borrowed from Russian national poetry and life. Of these, Mussorgsky translated 10 works into the language of music, which made up a pre-original suite - an alternation of picture sketches.

"Pictures at an Exhibition" were created by him at the height of inspiration and in an unusually short time - for 3 weeks in June 1874. During work, he tells Stasov: “My dear generallissime, Hartmann boils like Boris boiled,” sounds and thoughts hung in the air, I swallow and overeat, I barely have time to scratch on paper. I want to do it faster and more reliably ... I still consider it successful.” MP Mussorgsky in the memoirs of his contemporaries. Moscow, 2009

This recognition of good luck is especially valuable, because the author has always been strict to himself to the point of captiousness.

He very freely approached the interpretation of certain works of Hartmann. Taking as a basis for a separate issue of the suite the plot of one or another drawing, sketch or layout, he then gave complete freedom to his imagination. So a whole series of musical sketches grew up. These included pictures of everyday life and nature, portraits, comic and even fairy-tale scenes.

1. The structure of the work

The unity given to Pictures at an Exhibition by the development of the refrain far from exhausts the means of unification used in this work. "Walk" is a refrain of a very special kind. This is not the usual main idea in the rondo, but rather a kind of background against which the play-pictures unfold, a kind of embodiment of the author's "angle of view" in the perception of all the pictures. Therefore, the refrain is associated with the embodiment of the subject of experiences (let us recall Stasov's interpretation of it), the play-picture - with the objects of experiences. The refrain, therefore, plays in this case, on the one hand, a greater role than the constructive fastening of the entire suite, and on the other hand, a smaller one than in the usual rondo.

Imagine for a while that the suite has no refrain at all and that it consists of a series of pieces. However, in this case, you can find factors that contribute to their unification into a single whole.

All the pieces-pictures of the suite are clearly divided into two groups - fast and slow.

The first ones (fast ones) cover all odd numbers:

No. 1 - "Gnome",

No. 3 - "Tuillier Garden",

No. 5 - "Ballet of unhatched chicks",

No. 7 -- Limoges. Market",

No. 9 - "Baba Yaga".

All the pieces of this group (except for "Gnome") are distinguished by a vivid characteristic of images, common features characteristic of the scherzo genre, and (with the exception of "Gnome") the predominance of the major mode. Symmetry is found in the very arrangement of the pieces. The extreme and central numbers (1st, 5th, 9th) contain significant contrasting forms with very clear and defined edges of sections. At the same time, the central piece - "The Ballet of the Unhatched Chicks" - was written in the clearest form with a classical trio. By its nature, this is a pure joke - the embodiment of the scherzo genre in its original understanding and the only piece in the suite, noted by the composer: scherzino. The extreme pieces are brought together by the fabulousness, the fantasticness of the characters embodied in them and the angularity of the melodic outlines associated with this, the sharpness of the rhythm; Numbers 3 and 7 do not contain significant internal contrasts. Their plots are similar. These are original sketches of French everyday scenes Berchenko R. E. Composer direction of Mussorgsky. Moscow: URSS, 2003. .

The second group is pieces written in a slow tempo and in a minor key:

No. 2 -- "Old Castle",

No. 4 - "Cattle",

No. 6 - "Two Jews",

No. 8 - "Catacombs",

No. 8a - “With the dead in a dead language” (variant of the refrain).

No. 10 - "Bogatyr Gates" - the final synthetic finale of the suite.

The second group is characterized by the development from pure lyrics ("Old Castle") through characteristic dramatic plays ("Cattle" and "Two Jews") to drama ("Catacombs").

The version of the refrain "With the dead in a dead language" adjoining the last play brings us back to the lyrics, although of a completely different nature than in the "Old Castle". As a result, symmetry is also formed.

The extreme plays are quiet, as if far from reality. On the one hand, this is a picture of the past (“The Old Castle”), on the other hand, a “musical obituary” about a departed friend (“With the Dead in a Dead Language”). Three middle plays are loud, dramatic pictures: "Cattle", a Polish cart drawn by oxen, is a symbol of peasant poverty, "Two Jews" is the embodiment of the social contrast between wealth and poverty, "Catacombs" is a tragic image of the past .

These play-pictures are brief but significant in concept. Of the five slow pieces, only one - and it is precisely the central one" (No. 6, "Two Jews") - is based on thematic contrast, the remaining four are mono-dark.

In the fast plays, out of five, only two were in one dark. The successive contrast of odd and even numbers is the usual periodic opposition of fast and slow works. But their relationship is of particular interest. Finally, the general order of the plays by type of content creates a many-part symmetry.

Fast pieces of the scherzo type (up to and including Baba Yaga) predominate, and slow pieces take place against their background. Therefore, the first ones are a kind of genre refrain:

"Pictures at an Exhibition" by Mussorgsky is a worthy and inexhaustible object for numerous studies. This work can be viewed from many different points of view. This article analyzes only the general compositional principles that ensure the complete unity of this unique suite. After all, unlike many other works of this genre, "Pictures at an Exhibition" are perceived as an integral non-cyclical work, although each of the pieces of the cycle is complete and independent.

The unity of any cyclic work (let's call it cyclic unity) is based mainly on an ideological and figurative basis and, to a much lesser extent, on a structural and thematic one. Therefore, the regularities of the cyclic form, and especially the suite, are mobile, diverse and in many cases appear in a uniquely individualized form. But at the same time, a general trend can be noted: the strength of cyclic unity depends on the unity and special properties of the ideological content. The multiplicity of parts of the cyclic form arises in this case as a consequence of the fact that the very idea of ​​the work requires the division of the musical whole into a number of separate independent pieces. These conditions are fully met by the suite "Pictures at an Exhibition". Comparison of Mussorgsky's music with the artistic prototypes of Hartmann (some have come down to us in reproductions, some are known from descriptions) suggests that the artist's plots were significantly transformed by the composer's creative imagination.

So, for example, the model of a toy - a gnome - evokes in Mussorgsky a deeply tragic image of a person offended by fate. Other objects of musical embodiment are subjected to the same creative rethinking. Mussorgsky conveyed with sounds not so much what could be directly seen in the paintings and sketches of Hartmann, but what he himself saw behind them Kholopov Yu. N. Mussorgsky as a composer of the XX century // Mussorgsky and music of the XX century Moscow, 2009. .

The unity of the suite is reflected primarily in the special role of the play "The Walk". The meaning of "Walk" is well known - it combines the functions of one of the parts of the suite with the function of a refrain. The combination of functions is one of the factors of the cyclical unity of Pictures at an Exhibition. Therefore, the analysis of the latter should begin with the "advancement" of the refrain in the form of the suite. For simplicity, in the future, all its numbers are divided into a series of refrains and play-pictures (like episodes of a rondo).

2. Analysis of form and musical material

As an example for analysis, consider only slow pieces:

1. "In the old castle" . The modal nature of the piece is a natural minor (gis-moll) with some complication in the process of development towards the Phrygian mode (second lower step). Deviation into the realm of the subdominant also creates a Phrygian variety of the minor and leads to close contact of chords at a distance of a tritone. The intonational basis of the piece is a melodious melody, not without the participation of trichord chants with a large role of the initial “call-up” ascending fourth and subsequent “dense” second moves. A calm rhythm complements the picture, forming an artistically justified static.

2. "Cattle" . The modal nature of the piece is similar to the previous example, the same gis-moll with a Phrygian tinge and tritone juxtapositions. The intonation basis, while similar to the previous example, is new in many ways. In addition, the heavy chord texture, creating clear pictorial associations, contains certain dramatic expressive possibilities, fully realized in the joint action of all components of the musical language. In addition, we note the symmetry abc c1b1a1 of the first integral melodic turn of this piece: In this case, "a1" is a development of "b".

3. Two Jews" The dramatic nature of the piece is closely connected with its modal system, based on the natural and harmonic minor with the IV raised step with the Phrygian mode in the middle section. This alone brings this play closer to The Gnome. In addition, the initial melodic turn contains the same emphasis on the third of the tonic, which is familiar to us from the "Gnome". Next, let's pay attention to the descending chromatism in the code of the piece. The symmetry of the initial period of the play is also important. The rhythm of the play is brightly individual and forms a contrast between the two sections, associated with the social characteristics of the characters. The grace note and the splitting of the strong beat in the trio of the piece play a particularly large expressive role.

4. "Catacombs". The mode of the piece is basically a chromatically complicated minor with a Phrygian element. It should be noted the expressive value of descending chromatism in the bass, which evokes associations with ancient genres. Then d-moll appears, that is, a minor key at a distance of a minor third, revealed through a deviation into its subdominant (g-moll), which sounds on the dominant bass. Thus, the "Catacombs" contains the strongest diatonic violation in the series of slow pieces.

5. "With the Dead in a Dead Language" To what has been said about this piece as a variant of the refrain, the following should be added. Of great importance is the descending chromatism of the upper voice, "undermining" the already disturbed diatonic of the lower layer. A glimpse of "chromatic chanting" reinforces this process. An essential role in the overall "atmosphere" of the piece is played by the tremolo of the upper voice. Let us recall the author's remark on the manuscript: "the skulls quietly glowed...". In all likelihood, the tremolo directly reflects the "glow" - after all, this is Mussorgsky's favorite technique, as, for example, in the corresponding stanza of Martha's song in "Khovanshchina" by Vasiliev A. Russian labyrinth. Biography of M. P. Mussorgsky. Pskov: Pskov Regional Printing House, 2008. . The picture here is close to what we observed in the fast plays. The similarity lies in a noticeable violation of diatonicism in the Catacombs, similar to the same phenomenon in Baba Yaga. But there are also differences: firstly, the initial slow pieces, according to their lyrical and lyrical-dramatic character (“In the Old Castle” and “Cattle”), are more diatonic than fast pieces. Therefore, the through development in the plays of the studied group is more rapid, more intense. Secondly, after the maximum departure from diatonicism (“Catacombs”), there is a slight decrease in the role of chromatism (return to the position of the play “Two Jews”), which as a result creates a semblance of an open wave.

The intonation "arches" within the slow pieces are simple. The most typical of the “arch” connections can be noted in the plays “In the Old Castle” and “Cattle” (let us recall what role the second lower step and the deviation into the subdominant play in them). An important role is also played by the ratio of the concentric type formed between the extreme pieces - "In the Old Castle" and "With the Dead in a Dead Language" - they are dominated by the pianissimo sound, the general softness noted in the analysis of the static.

The whole cycle of "Pictures at an Exhibition" can be divided into a number of large sections. The border of the first two runs between the play "Cattle" and the fourth refrain. Here, as mentioned above, a sharp tonal jump (gis-moll - d-moll) is formed, the beginning of the second section forms the filling of this jump. In this place is the line between the subdominant and dominant tonal spheres. After the fourth refrain, a tendency towards greater unity begins to operate. The fourth passage of the refrain in the harmonic minor is the beginning of "disturbances" - the first manifestation of the influence of chromatic violations of the diatonic and the minor of the pieces-pictures on the pure diatonic and the major of the refrain. The line between the second and third sections is the fifth passage of the refrain in its initial key of B-dur, followed by the piece-picture Limoges in the main key of the Es-dur cycle, playing the role of a tonal reprise.

It is also necessary to note intergroup intonational and structural connections. The refrain correlates mainly with slow pieces. The plays "In the Old Castle" and "Cattle" are united by a large role in them trichord.

Structural analogies also attract attention - the symmetrical structure of the “properly thematic grain” (the first two-bar) of “Walks” is reflected in the symmetry of the initial constructions of the plays “Cattle” and “Two Jews”. However, there are also significant differences here. If in "The Walk" symmetry extends to a laconic two-bar cell, then in the other two pieces it covers more detailed constructions, which is explained by the brevity of the refrain and the greater scale of the pieces.

The links between the refrain and the fast pieces are weak and of an accidental nature, which, naturally, results from the sharp figurative-genre contrast of these two groups of pieces.

The analogies between the two types of play-pictures are more definite and are based primarily on the modal commonality of all plays of a dramatic nature. These are plays - "Dwarf", "Two Jews", "Catacombs", "With the dead in a dead language". They are united (as partly indicated above) by the following complex of intonational and modal phenomena: minor with an elevated IV degree, Phrygian minor, descending chromatism, chromatic singing.

To this we must add similar register oppositions within these two pieces, close flat keys.

The main contrast that determines the unity of the modal and intonation development is the contrast of the mostly pure diatonics of the natural major of the refrain and various types of chromatic disturbances of the natural major and minor in the picture pieces; the contrast of the trichord structure of the refrain and the chromatism of the play-pictures. The struggle between the two spheres leads to an intensification of the onslaught of chromaticism, to an "assault" of the original pure diatonic and trichord nature of the refrain. "Storm" reaches its greatest strength in the plays "Catacombs", "With the Dead" and "Baba Yaga". In the latter, for a long time, on the sound of fortissimo, with a lively rhythmic movement, forces are raging, trying to “explode” the diatonic of the refrain, the diatonic of the main intonational background of “Pictures at an Exhibition”. This raging stream invades with great force (there is no caesura between pieces) into the finale of the cycle and immediately turns into its opposite - into a dynamized and final reprise of the original pure diatonic and trichord. Thus, the struggle of the diatonic basis of the cycle with the "hostile" forces turns the latter into a creative principle that contributes to the reconstruction of the original thesis on a stronger basis. This is the essence and logic of the modal-intonation through development Fedyakin S. R. Mussorgsky // Life of remarkable people. Moscow: Young Guard, 2009. .

In Pictures at an Exhibition, texture is also the most important formative factor. An important role in the through development of the suite is played by the contrast of the registers of adjacent pieces, the strength of which increases towards the end of the cycle. Its effect is especially clear in those cases where two neighboring pieces-pictures are connected without interruption with the help of attacca.

Note the contrast between the high register of the "Ballet of the Unhatched Chicks" and the low register of the immediately following play "Two Jews". Added to this is the contrast of the actual texture. Sharply different from each other and three consecutive plays: Limoges, Catacombs and With the Dead in a Dead Language.

The principle of transition from the first of the above-mentioned pieces (Lomoges) to the second is repeated in the transition from Baba Yaga to the finale - the same type of piano presentation - alternating blows of the right and left hands, forming a magnificent cascade of sounds.

Conclusion

As a result of the analysis, the following factors of the “cyclic unity” of the “Pictures at an Exhibition” suite can be formulated:

1. Cross-cutting development in structural terms - from dismemberment to greater unity.

2. End-to-end development in terms of modal-intonation based on the contrast of diatonic and trichordic refrain with different forms of their chromatic complication. "Storm" of diatonic by the end of the cycle.

3. Generalizing synthesizing and summarizing final.

4. The presence of a common dynamic culmination of the cycle.

5. Concentricity in the arrangement of the play-pictures.

6. The organization of the cycle is similar to the non-cyclic double three-part form.

7. The introduction of refrain into the suite, the presence of "arches", intonation connections.

In the last two, purely compositional factors, regularities are manifested, the influence of which can be traced in many cyclic works of the 19th century, which go beyond the norms of a strictly regulated symphony or sonata.

It is not only about the penetration of reference or the formation of a double tripartiteness. A single continuous through development, the presence of a common culmination in Mussorgsky's suite are also factors that are primarily inherent in non-cyclic forms.

Two oppositely directed shifts play a decisive role in the composition of Pictures at an Exhibition. This is a special, new form of implementing a dramatic device based on the principle of preliminary diversion of the action to the side opposite to that where the true goal lies. This technique is a manifestation of the essential principle of artistic influence not only in music, but also in other arts. The other is the “principle of multiple and concentrated action”, meaning that “an essential artistic result, an important expressive effect ... is usually achieved using not any one means, but several means aimed at the same goal” - embodied in the composition "Pictures at an Exhibition" is especially graphic. The introduction of the principle of a non-cyclic form into a cyclic one, rondality and rondality (double tripartiteness) into a suite is the first link in the chain of these means. Further links are the transformation of the refrain into a passing refrain and the associated compositional modulation from the suite to the contrast-composite form. This is the first consequence of the introduction of the principle of non-cyclic form into a cyclic one - after all, the contrast-composite form occupies an intermediate position between them, making it possible to manifest the principles of through development more clearly than in a cycle and at the same time not depriving the composition of contrasts of a cyclic type. The emerging through development, in turn, merges the individual stages of the form, since the two pre-final climax-cadences (within the emerging contrast-composite form) form the zone of compositional preparation of the last highest final climax. This is how a single undulating line of ascending compositional and related modal-intonational development from the “Walk” to the “Bogatyr Gates” arises. This whole chain of factors combined with each other forms that special individual form of cyclic unity, which was found by Mussorgsky in this particular work. The composer's creative imagination transformed the individual disparate impressions from Hartmann's paintings.

List of used literature

suite musical composition

1. Berchenko R. E. Composer direction of Mussorgsky. Moscow: URSS, 2003. - 400 p.

2. Vasilyeva A. Russian labyrinth. Biography of M. P. Mussorgsky. Pskov: Pskov Regional Printing House, 2008. - 255 p.

3. M. P. Mussorgsky in the memoirs of his contemporaries. Moscow, 2009. - 279 p.

4. Fedyakin S. R. Mussorgsky // Life of wonderful people. Moscow: Young Guard, 2009. - 378 p.

5. Kholopov Yu. N. Mussorgsky as a composer of the 20th century // Mussorgsky and music of the 20th century. Moscow, 2009. - 320 p.

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Preview:

Lesson outline

Subject: "Musical painting by Modest Petrovich Mussorgsky"

Lesson form: lesson - study

Target: to acquaint students with the images of M. Mussorgsky's music

Tasks:

Development of an emotionally conscious attitude to works of various types of art, understanding of their vital and spiritual and moral content

Mastering a more complex musical genre - MP Mussorgsky's piano suite "Pictures at an Exhibition";

- the formation of musical and practical skills and skills of musical activity (perception, performance), as well as the creative abilities of children.

Equipment: computer, media projector, Power Point presentation “Musical painting by Modest Petrovich Mussorgsky”.

Expected Result

Students should be able to correlate different types of art and find their common visual properties. When developing a lesson, the technology of developing education is used, the use of elements of health-saving technologies, methods: "brainstorming", the method of "immersion" in the historical era,method of artistic, moral and aesthetic knowledge of music, creative task for writing syncwine. Each student gives an assessment of the effectiveness of the lesson, which is a kind of indicator for the teacher: whether the student understood the material of the lesson or not, what needs to be paid attention to in subsequent lessons.

List of literature used in the preparation, including Internet resources:

L.A. Isaeva "Music teacher: ways of professional development": -Saratov, 2007

Note. During the preparation period, the teacher appointed assistants - "art critics" who independently carried out research work: the biography of M. Mussorgsky, the history of the creation of M. Mussorgsky's piano suite "Pictures at an Exhibition", the creation of symphonic works by M. Ravel.

Lesson progress

I. Org. moment. Greetings.

II. Introduction to the topic of the lesson

Teacher. (Sings to G. Struve's song "Music"):

I want to see music

I want to hear music.

What is this music

Tell me quickly.

Schoolchildren (at the sign of the teacher) continue:

Bird trills are music

And drops are music

There is special music

In the quiet rustle of the branches.

Teacher. What topic of the semester will we continue today in our lesson? (Relationship between music and visual arts). Today we are waiting for a meeting with the work of the great Russian composer Modest Petrovich Mussorgsky.

I want to say that this composer is especially dear to me - once I studied at the music school named after M.P. Mussorgsky; near this school in the city of Velikie Luki, a monument to the great Russian composer was erected. Today we must explore the musical works of the great Russian composer Mussorgsky and answer the question: can music "paint" pictures? (possible, but needs to be proven)

Teacher. My assistants - "art critics" will present the work done. The most significant information of the lesson you guys should reflect in the “Lesson Diary”. Let's take a look at this diary and define the steps of our lesson.

The teacher comments on the upcoming work - filling out the table (see Appendix to the lesson), compiling a syncwine, and at the end of the lesson, students will have to reflect their attitude to the work done in the lesson.

III. The main part of the lesson.

Guys, you are already familiar with the name of Mussorgsky. What can you tell about it?(Composer of the XIX century, was a member of the community "Mighty handful"

Let's find out interesting facts about the biography of this composer

Speech by "art critics":

Biography of M.P. Mussorgsky:

1) Modest Petrovich was born in the village of Karevo, Toropetsky district, Pskov province, but he spent most of his time in Naumov (3 kilometers from Karev), on the estate of the Chirikovs, his mother's relatives.

The first music teacher of the future composer was his mother Yu.I. Mussorgskaya (Chirikova).

"Mussorgsky spent his first 10 years in Karev and for the rest of his life remained deeply impressed by the folk life, those scenes and types that surrounded him," wrote the music critic V.V. Stasov at the end of the 19th century.

M.P. Mussorgsky repeatedly came to his native places. Here he worked on the opera "Boris Godunov", wrote many romances.

In the village of Naumovo, the remains of the Chirikovs' estate have been preserved: a manor house, a stone greenhouse building, part of an old park, a semi-overgrown pond planted with fir trees.

Mussorgsky's house-museum hosts traditional musical festivals dedicated to the composer, attended by famous opera singers.

2). M. P. Mussorgsky graduatedSchool of Guards Ensigns. Then he briefly served in the Life GuardsPreobrazhensky Regiment, then in the main engineering department, in the Ministry of State Property and in the state control.

Balakirev's musical circle had a great influence on Mussorgsky's creative development. Balakirev forced Mussorgsky to pay serious attention to musical studies. Under his guidance, Mussorgsky read orchestral scores, got acquainted with the analysis of musical works and their critical evaluation.

The composer lived a very short, bright life, but there was a lot of suffering and loneliness in it. There was no family, no children. Mussorgsky died at the age of 42 in the Nikolaev military hospital, was buried in St. Petersburg in the Alexander Nevsky Lavra.

2). M.P. Mussorgsky created a work that is truly unique in world music - the piano suite "Pictures at an Exhibition".

We learn the history of the creation of this work.

Presentation by art critics.

  1. Mussorgsky had a friend - the architect and artist Viktor Aleksandrovich Hartman. In St. Petersburg, in the halls of the Academy of Arts, a posthumous exhibition of his works was organized, which presented almost everything that Hartmann had created.

Mussorgsky visited the exhibition and especially liked 10 paintings. They inspired him to create the suite. In June 1874, 35-year-old Modest Petrovich Mussorgsky, in an exceptionally short time - about 3 weeks - creates "Pictures at an Exhibition".

“Sounds and thought hung in the air ... I barely have time to scratch on paper,” the composer wrote to Stasov. “I want to do it faster and more reliably ... I still consider it successful.”

This recognition of good luck is especially valuable, because the author has always been strict to himself to the point of captiousness.

2 student. The musical images of "Pictures ..." are bright and picturesque:
"Dwarf",
"Hut on chicken legs" ("Baba Yaga"),
"Ballet of unhatched chicks" -
fabulous pictures;

"Quarrel of children during the game", "Cattle",
"Two Jews"
"Limoges market" -
household;

"Old lock",
"Catacombs" -
romantic.

In the finale of the suite, called "Bogatyr Gates", the mighty strength of the people is sung. A bright, picturesque picture is created. The bells are ringing. Wanderers who came from distant lands to the capital city of Kyiv pass with singing. Gradually, a sense of festivity grows.

All pieces are united by a common theme, which the composer called "Walk". This theme is heard in the suite 4 times, changes and develops.

The composer called the theme "Walks""intermedes" (interludes, which means in latin intermediate).

According to the composer, he depicted himself walking around the exhibition of Hartmann's works with this theme.

Conclusion: what is a suite?

SUITE (from French Suite - "series", "sequence") - a piece of music from several diverse pieces, united by a unity of design

  1. ) Listening. Music by M. Mussorgsky "Walk", "Baba Yaga". "Ballet of the Unhatched Chicks"

Diary work.

3) Group work.

Writing a syncwine for works (groups 1, 2, 3, respectively, create the syncwines "Walk", "Baba Yaga", "Chicks")

Speech by students, reading syncwines.

Hearing. Music by M. Mussorgsky "The Old Castle"

Analysis of a musical work.Diary work.

3). Mussorgsky wrote the suite for piano. What do you think mCan music be enriched?

Presentation by art critics.

Mussorgsky's work "Pictures at an Exhibition" knows no analogies either in European or in Russian musical art.

Symphonic composers were constantly attracted to them by the richness of colors.

One of the orchestral arrangements of the cycle was brilliantly performed by the French impressionist composer Maurice Ravel in 1922.

What do we know about the symphony orchestra?

Hearing. Music by M. Mussorgsky "Bogatyr Gates"

Analysis. Conclusion: the image of the Motherland reveals the sounded music.

III. Summing up the lesson.

Teacher. Today we explored the works of Mussorgsky

Let's conclude, what images were revealed in the "Pictures at an Exhibition" suite?

  1. The image of a walk
  2. Image of Baba Yaga
  3. The image of the chicks
  4. Image of an old castle
  5. The image of the heroic gate

Now you are ready to answer the question: can music "paint" pictures? (Music can "draw" nature with sounds, listening to music, we present pictures and images)

What composer are we talking about today? What kind of music was played in the lesson?

Students mark and evaluate the lesson in the "Diary" and submit their work for verification.

Homework:draw a picture for any of Mussorgsky's sounded works from the Pictures at an Exhibition suite.

DIARY OF A LESSON

"Musical painting

Modest Petrovich Mussorgsky

Surname, name ____________________________________________

Title of the work

What character

In the work, what mood does it evoke

What is the development of music? How does it change?

(Beginning of the work, middle part, final)

What image does the music create?

What visual qualities does music have?

Your answer:____________________________________________

The suite is _________________________________

_______________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________

The word cinquain comes from a French word that means "five". Thus, a cinquain is a poem consisting of five lines.
Cinquain is not an ordinary poem, but a poem written in accordance with certain rules. Each line contains a set of words that must be reflected in the poem.

MEMO FOR COMPILING SINKWINE

1 line - a noun, which, in fact, needs to be comprehended.

2 line - two adjectives defining this noun and describing your idea of ​​it.

3 line - three verbs: actions that the noun produces.

4 line - a four-word phrase that conveys your attitude towards a noun.

line 5 - one word - a noun - your associations, conclusion, summary.

INVENTING SINKWINE!

1___________________________________________________________________

  1. I had difficulties throughout the lesson

Piano cycle M.P. Mussorgsky's "Pictures at an Exhibition" is an original, unparalleled piece of music, which is included in the repertoire of the most famous pianists around the world.

The history of the creation of the cycle

In 1873, the artist W. Hartmann died suddenly. He was only 39 years old, death caught him in the prime of life and talent, and for Mussorgsky, who was a friend and like-minded artist, she was a real shock. “What horror, what grief! - he wrote to V. Stasov. “This incompetent fool mows down death without reasoning ...”

Let's say a few words about the artist V.A. Hartmann, because without a story about him, the story of M. Mussorgsky's piano cycle cannot be complete.

Viktor Aleksandrovich Hartman (1834-1873)

V.A. Hartmann

V.A. Hartmann was born in St. Petersburg in the family of a French staff doctor. Orphaned early and brought up in the family of an aunt, whose husband was a famous architect - A.P. Gemilian.

Hartman successfully graduated from the Academy of Arts and worked in various types and genres of art: he was an architect, stage designer (he was engaged in the design of performances), an artist and ornamentalist, one of the founders of the pseudo-Russian style in architecture. The pseudo-Russian style is a trend in Russian architecture of the 19th - early 20th centuries, based on the traditions of ancient Russian architecture and folk art, as well as elements of Byzantine architecture.

Increased interest in folk culture, in particular, in the peasant architecture of the XVI-XVII centuries. Among the most famous buildings of the pseudo-Russian style was the Mamontov printing house in Moscow, created by V. Hartmann.

The building of the former printing house of Mamontov. contemporary photography

It was precisely the desire in his work for Russian originality that brought Hartmann closer to the participants in the Mighty Handful, which included Mussorgsky. Hartmann sought to introduce Russian folk motifs into his projects, which was supported by V. V. Stasov. Mussorgsky and Hartmann met in his house in 1870, becoming friends and like-minded people.

Returning from a creative trip to Europe, Hartmann began the design of the All-Russian Manufactory Exhibition in St. Petersburg and in 1870 received the title of academician for this work.

Exhibition

A posthumous exhibition of works by V. Hartmann was organized in 1874 on the initiative of Stasov. It featured the artist's oil paintings, sketches, watercolors, sketches of theatrical scenery and costumes, and architectural projects. There were also some products that Hartmann made with his own hands at the exhibition: a clock in the form of a hut, tongs for cracking nuts, etc.

Lithograph based on a sketch by Hartmann

Mussorgsky visited the exhibition, it made a huge impression on him. There was an idea to write a software piano suite, the content of which would be the works of the artist.

Of course, such a powerful talent as Mussorgsky interprets the exhibits in his own way. For example, the sketch for the ballet "Trilby" depicts Hartmann's tiny chicks in their shells. Mussorgsky turns this sketch into the Ballet of Unhatched Chicks. The clock-hut inspired the composer to create a musical drawing of Baba Yaga's flight, etc.

Piano cycle by M. Mussorgsky “Pictures at an Exhibition”

The cycle was created very quickly: in three weeks in the summer of 1874. The work is dedicated to V. Stasov.

In the same year, "Pictures" received the author's subtitle "Memories of Viktor Hartmann" and were prepared for publication, but published only in 1876, after Mussorgsky's death. But several more years passed before this original work entered the repertoire of pianists.

It is characteristic that in the play "The Walk", which connects the individual pieces of the cycle, the composer meant himself walking around the exhibition and moving from picture to picture. Mussorgsky in this cycle created a psychological portrait, penetrated into the depths of his characters, which, of course, was not in Hartmann's simple sketches.

So, Walk. But this play constantly varies, showing a change in the mood of the author, and its tone also changes, which is a kind of preparation for the next play. Sometimes the melody of "Walks" sounds ponderous, which indicates the author's gait.

"Dwarf"

This piece is written in the key of E-flat minor. Its basis is Hartmann's sketch depicting nutcrackers ("nutcracker") in the form of a gnome on crooked legs. First, the gnome sneaks, and then runs from place to place and freezes. The middle part of the play shows the character's thoughts (or his rest), and then he, as if frightened of something, starts his run again with stops. The climax is the chromatic line and departure.

"Old lock"

The key is G-sharp minor. The play was created based on a watercolor by Hartmann, created by him while studying architecture in Italy. The drawing depicted an ancient castle, against which a troubadour with a lute was drawn. Mussorgsky created a beautiful drawn-out melody.

« Tuileries garden. Children quarrel after playing»

Key in B major. The intonations, the tempo of the music, its major scale depict an everyday scene of children's games and quarrels.

"Bydło" (translated from Polish - "cattle")

The play depicts a Polish cart on large wheels, drawn by oxen. The heavy step of these animals is conveyed by a monotonous rhythm and rough strokes of the lower register keys. At the same time, a sad peasant tune sounds.

"Ballet of the Unhatched Chicks"

This is one of the most popular pieces in the cycle. It was created in the key of F major according to Hartmann's sketches for the costumes for Y. Gerber's ballet Trilby staged by Petipa at the Bolshoi Theater (1871). In an episode of the ballet, as V. Stasov wrote, “a group of little pupils and pupils of the theater school, dressed up as canaries and running around the stage. Others were inserted into the eggs, as if into armor. In total, Hartmann created 17 costume designs for the ballet, 4 of them have survived to this day.

V. Hartman. Costume design for the ballet "Trilby"

The theme of the play is not serious, the melody is playful, but, created in a classical form, it receives an additional comic effect.

"Samuel Goldenberg and Shmuyle", in the Russian version "Two Jews, rich and poor"

The play was created on the basis of two drawings presented to Mussorgsky by Hartmann: “A Jew in a fur hat. Sandomierz” and “Sandomierz [Jew]”, created in 1868 in Poland. According to Stasov, "Mussorgsky greatly admired the expressiveness of these pictures." These drawings served as prototypes for the play. The composer not only combined two portraits into one, but also forced these characters to speak among themselves, revealing their characters. The speech of the first one sounds confident, with imperative and moralizing intonations. The speech of the poor Jew is in contrast to the first one: on the top notes with a rattling tint (flamboyant notes), with mournful and pleading intonations. Then both themes sound simultaneously in two different keys (D-flat minor and B-flat minor). The play ends with a few loud notes in an octave, it can be assumed that the rich have the last word.

"Limoges. Market . Big news »

Hartmann's drawing has not survived, but the piece's melody in E-flat major conveys the noisy bustle of the market, where you can find all the latest news and discuss them.

« Catacombs. Roman tomb»

Hartmann depicted himself, V. A. Kenel (a Russian architect) and a guide with a lantern in his hand in the Roman catacombs in Paris. Faintly lit skulls are visible on the right side of the picture.

V. Hartmann "Paris Catacombs"

The dungeon with the tomb is depicted in the music with unisons of two octaves corresponding to the theme and quiet "echoes". The melody appears among these chords like shadows of the past.

"Hut on chicken legs (Baba Yaga)"

Hartmann has a sketch of an elegant bronze clock. Mussorgsky has a vivid, memorable image of Baba Yaga. It is drawn with dissonances. At first, several chords sound, then they become more frequent, imitating a "run-up" - and a flight in a mortar. Sound "painting" very clearly depicts the image of Baba Yaga, her lame walk (after all, a "bone leg").

"Bogatyr Gates"

The play is based on Hartmann's sketch for the architectural design of the Kyiv city gates. On April 4 (according to the old style) April 1866, an unsuccessful attempt was made on the life of Alexander II, which later became officially called the “April 4 event”. In honor of the emperor's salvation, a gate project competition was organized in Kyiv. Hartmann's project was created in the old Russian style: a dome with a belfry in the form of a heroic helmet and a decoration above the gate in the form of a kokoshnik. But later the competition was canceled, and the projects were not implemented.

V. Hartman. Sketch for the gate project in Kyiv

Mussorgsky's play paints a picture of the people's triumph. The slow rhythm gives the piece grandeur and solemnity. The broad Russian melody is replaced by a quiet theme, reminiscent of church singing. Then the first theme enters with renewed vigor, another voice is added to it, and in the second part a real bell ringing is heard, created by the sounds of the piano. First, the ringing is heard in a minor, and then goes into a major. Smaller and smaller bells join the big bell, and at the end small bells sound.

Orchestrations of M. Mussorgsky's cycle

Bright and picturesque "Pictures at an Exhibition", written for the piano, were repeatedly arranged for the symphony orchestra. The first orchestration was done by Rimsky-Korsakov's student M. Tushmalov. Rimsky-Korsakov himself also orchestrated one play in the cycle, The Old Castle. But the most famous orchestral embodiment of "Pictures" was the work of Maurice Ravel, a passionate admirer of Mussorgsky's work. Created in 1922, Ravel's orchestration became as popular as the author's piano version.

The orchestra in the orchestral arrangement of Ravel includes 3 flutes, a piccolo flute, 3 oboes, an English horn, 2 clarinets, a bass clarinet, 2 bassoons, a contrabassoon, an alto saxophone, 4 horns, 3 trumpets, 3 trombones, a tuba, timpani, triangle, snare drum, whip, rattle, cymbals, bass drum, tom-tom, bells, bell, xylophone, celesta, 2 harps, strings.