Pictures at an Exhibition
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Who was Mussorgsky?
Modest Mussorgsky (1839–1881) was a Russian composer, part of The Five, known for creating a nationalist Russian music style. Pictures at an Exhibition, composed in 1874, is a suite of 10 movements for solo piano inspired by an art exhibition.
Mussorgsky composed Pictures as a memorial to his friend, the artist Viktor Hartmann, after his death in 1873. Each movement depicts one of the artworks displayed. The suite is interspersed with a recurring "Promenade" theme, representing the composer strolling through the exhibition. Though originally for solo piano, Pictures at an Exhibition gained fame in orchestral form, notably arranged by Maurice Ravel in 1922.
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What is 'Pictures at an Exhibition'?
Pictures at an Exhibition is a suite in 10 movements by Russian composer Modest Mussorgsky, written in 1874 for solo piano. The work was inspired by Mussorgsky's visit to an art exhibition of his friend, Russian artist Viktor Hartmann, who died in 1873. Each movement represents one of the drawings or artworks on display.
The suite consists of musical depictions of ten paintings by Hartmann, interspersed with a recurring "Promenade" theme, which represents the composer strolling through the exhibition. Pictures is better known in orchestral form, especially as arranged by French composer Maurice Ravel in 1922.
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Why did Mussorgsky compose 'Pictures at an Exhibition'?
Modest Mussorgsky composed Pictures at an Exhibition in 1874 as a memorial to his friend, the Russian artist Viktor Hartmann, who had died in 1873. Mussorgsky visited an exhibit of Hartmann’s sketches, stage designs, and architectural studies and wanted to capture the experience in music. Each of the movements represents one of the drawings or artworks on display. The suite consists of musical depictions of 10 paintings by Hartmann, interspersed with a recurring “Promenade” theme that represents the composer strolling through the exhibition.
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What kind of music makes up 'Pictures at an Exhibition'?
Pictures at an Exhibition is a suite in 10 movements by Russian composer Modest Mussorgsky. Each movement represents a drawing or artwork from an art exhibition, connected by a recurring “Promenade” theme that portrays the composer strolling through the exhibition.
The movements musically depict scenes such as an awkward dwarf in "The Gnome," a medieval troubadour in "The Old Castle," children playing in "Tuileries," and a lumbering ox cart in "Cattle." Other movements include "The Ballet of Unhatched Chicks in Their Shells," "Two Jews: One Rich, One Poor," "The Market at Limoges," "The Catacombs," "The Hut on Fowl’s Legs," and "The Great Gate of Kiev".
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What are some of the most famous movements in 'Pictures at an Exhibition'?
Pictures at an Exhibition is a suite in ten movements by Modest Mussorgsky, each representing a drawing or artwork from an exhibition.
Some of the most famous movements include:
* "The Gnome," which uses irregular rhythms and forceful outbursts to depict an awkward dwarf.
* "The Old Castle," a solemn and lyrical portrayal of a medieval troubadour singing.
* "Ballet of the Unhatched Chicks," inspired by a costume design for a children’s ballet.
* "The Hut on Fowl’s Legs," a nightmarish portrayal of the witch Baba-Yaga.
* "The Great Gate of Kiev," which brings the piece to a majestic close.1 Britannica SourceCreated from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles. -
How has 'Pictures at an Exhibition' been arranged or performed by other musicians?
Pictures at an Exhibition by Modest Mussorgsky was originally composed in 1874 for solo piano. Later, it became better known in orchestral form, especially the arrangement by Maurice Ravel in 1922. Other composers who have also orchestrated the work include Sir Henry J. Wood (1918), Leopold Stokowski (1939), and Vladimir Ashkenazy (1982). In 1971, the British popular music group Emerson, Lake, and Palmer created an art-rock interpretation of the piece on an entire album.
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Pictures at an Exhibition, musical work in 10 movements by Russian composer Modest Mussorgsky that was inspired by a visit to an art exhibition. Each of the movements represents one of the drawings or artworks on display. Although originally composed in 1874 for solo piano, Pictures became better known in orchestral form, particularly as arranged by French composer Maurice Ravel in 1922. The work was also orchestrated by other composers, such as Sir Henry J. Wood (1918), Leopold Stokowski (1939), and Vladimir Ashkenazy (1982). In 1971 the British popular music group Emerson, Lake and Palmer devoted an entire album to their own art-rock interpretation of the piece.
Mussorgsky composed Pictures as a memorial to his friend, the Russian artist Viktor Hartmann, who had died in 1873 at age 39. Shortly after the artist’s death, Mussorgsky visited a retrospective exhibit of Hartmann’s sketches, stage designs, and architectural studies and felt the need to capture the experience in music. By early summer 1874, he had completed the work, a lengthy and fiendishly difficult suite for solo piano. At the time of Mussorgsky’s death in 1881 from alcoholism, the piece had been neither performed nor published. It fell to his friend and colleague Nikolay Rimsky-Korsakov to tidy up the manuscript and bring it to print in 1886.
The suite consists of musical depictions of 10 paintings by Hartmann, interspersed with a recurring “Promenade” theme, or intermezzo, that represents a visitor—in this case, the composer himself—strolling through the exhibition. The powerful nature of the intermezzi, Mussorgsky acknowledged in one of his letters, reflects his own large physique.
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Following the opening “Promenade,” the first four movements, or “pictures,” in order of appearance, are: “The Gnome,” a depiction of an awkward dwarf conveyed through irregular rhythms and forceful outbursts; “The Old Castle,” a solemn and lyrical portrayal of a medieval troubadour singing on the grounds of a grand castle; “Tuileries,” a sprightly sketch of children at play in the well-known Tuileries Gardens in Paris; and “Cattle,” a ponderous characterization of the lumbering of a large Polish ox cart.
The scampering fifth movement, “The Ballet of Unhatched Chicks in Their Shells,” represents a costume design by Hartmann for a children’s ballet. The sixth scene evokes an image of “Two Jews: One Rich, One Poor” through the interplay of a strident melody in the lower register and a twittering chantlike theme in the upper. The folksy and cheerful quality of the seventh movement, “The Market at Limoges,” is neutralized by the eighth, “The Catacombs,” which casts an eerie shadow with ominous chords and variations on the recurring intermezzo.
The last two scenes of Pictures at an Exhibition are the most renowned. “The Hut on Fowl’s Legs” is a nightmarish portrayal of the cackling witch Baba-Yaga on the prowl for her prey. She charges—bounding in a virtuosic passage in octaves—right into the tenth and final picture, “The Great Gate of Kiev.” With a depiction of Hartmann’s sketch of a proposed city gate topped by cupolas in which carillons ring, Mussorgsky brings the piece to a majestic close.