1 janv. 1874 - "Pictures at an Exhibition" by Modest Mussorgsky (1874)

Description:

"Pictures at an Exhibition" by Modest Mussorgsky was composed in the year 1874. This song comes from the Romantic Era. Modest Mussorgsky composed this to tell the story of viewing art in a gallery. This was based after Mussorgsky’s own experience after visiting a memorial exhibition. So each of the movements from the song represented a different story and art piece. As Pictures was a memorial to his friend, Mussorgsky wanted to capture what he was feeling through music (Schwarm, 2024).

To start, Pictures at an Exhibition was not a well-known piece. But after his death in 1881, his friend Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov published it as a modified ten movement piece for piano. This proved that friendship, collaboration, and community played a big role in the song’s narrative and creation (Asheville Symphony, 2023). Now ever since it was posted, it is known as an important staple in symphonic repertoire.

Going back to the piece itself, it was made as a piano suite with a total of 10 movements. It is meant to be played as an orchestra. As for musical musical elements that stand out throughout the song, the dynamic range from the song is medium as the notes go from high to low. The texture is thick as the song has many layers. The form of the song has no repetition. The melody is tense as there is a lot of buildup leading to the climax. Then, the mood is mysterious.

Overall, the song "Pictures at an Exhibition" composed by Modest Mussorgsky, connects greatly to the Romantic Era of music as it portrays personal feelings and individualism. This is shown through Mussorgsky's personal feelings towards the art he had seen at the exhibition. This includes how friendship and collaboration played a big role behind why he wanted to write the song in the first place. Each movement was able to represent a different set of emotions and narratives.

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