Transcript MusicTech project

In 1874, Modest Mussorgsky, a Russian
composer, visited a memorial exhibition of
paintings by his artist friend,
Viktor
Hartmann.
Hartmann Exhibit…
Hartmann, a well-known artist and architect,
had died the previous year at the age of 39
Deeply moved by his friend’s pictures,
Mussorgsky chose ten of them for musical
illustration.
Although Mussorgsky composed the music
for piano, Maurice Ravel arranged the most
well known orchestral setting.
Now, let’s try to imagine how each of
these ten paintings may have
appeared…
Promenade I
Depicts our
composer walking
into the gallery,
then moving from
painting to
painting.
Gnome
A little gnome, clumsily running
with crooked legs
Promenade II
Key of A flat major.
The promenade theme,
illustrating the
composer walking from
work to work.
The Old Castle
A muted alto saxophone
conjures images of a
troubadour singing outside
the walls of a medieval
castle.
Promenade III
Key of B major. The promenade theme,
extremely short (8 measures).
Tuileries
Children’s sol-mi chant
evokes images of hide & seek
and tag… and running home
for dinner at the end of the
day.
Bydlo (Ox Cart)
The ox cart approaches from
the distance, plodding along
as its driver deeply sings a
Russian folk song. Then they
both disappear into the
distance…
Promenade IV

Key of D minor. The promenade theme
is now sad and pensive
Ballet of the Unhatched
Chicks
AABA’ form:
The last A’ section ends
with what sounds like
the peeping of the
hatched chick
Goldenberg and Schmuyle
Strong Strings and a
Trembling Trumpet
depict a verbal
disagreement between
two old friends… one
particularly
overbearing and the
other somewhat mildmannered and
nervous. Who gets the
last word?
The Marketplace
Rapid, high-pitched
notes simulate the
chattering voices of
women and vendors
bartering in the in the
market
The Catacombs/ Cum
Mortuis in lingua mortua
Loud and soft
chords
mysteriously
evoke the
cavernous
acoustics of the
catacombs. The
second part
features a ghostly,
hymn-like
variation of the
promenade
theme.
•ternary form
(ABA)
The Hut of Baba Yaga
Grunting
strings…
snarling
brass…
shrieking
woodwinds…
All create
Baba Yaga’s
mysterious
hut on
chicken’s
legs!
The Great Gate of Kiev
Long
Live
Hartmann
and
Mussorgsky!
CREDITS:
•Audio excerpts, for educational purposes only, from:
Philips Digital Classics: Muossorgsky; Philadelphia
Orchestra under the direction of Riccardo Muti, 1991
•Some descriptive wordings of the various suite sections
from the album insert written by Bernard Jacobson