Composer Dates of life Place of birth Opera Instrumental music Vocal music Mussorgsky Modest Petrovich (1839–1881) village of Karevo, Toropetsk district, Pskov province Marriage, Boris Godunov, Khovanshchina Sorochinsk fair Night on Bald Mountain, Pictures from the exhibition Songs and dances of death, songs and romances to words by N. A. Nekrasov, to his own texts

He studied at the Peter and Paul School, and then retired from the School of Guards Ensigns.

In early childhood, he learned to play the piano under the guidance of his mother; the first experiments in musical improvisation date back to the same time. In 1854, he studied with the famous pianist and teacher A.A. Gerke, studied at the Peter and Paul School, and then at the School of Guards Ensigns the first composition of Mussorg's polka was published. Sub-ensign” for piano. After graduating from school, he was promoted to ensign of the Preobrazhensky Regiment and retired.

Subsequently, due to financial difficulties, he was forced to serve as an official of the Engineering Department, Forestry Department and in the Audit Commission of State Control, made a concert tour in the south of Russia with the singer D. M. Leonova 1880 was an accompanist in the singing school (courses) she opened; acquaintance with D.S. .Dargomyzhsky, M.D. Balakirev, V.V. Stasov. Mussorgsky becomes a permanent member of the Balakirev circle of the “Mighty Handful,” which declared its goal to be the struggle for national art. By the mid-60s. Mussorgsky created a number of realistic vocal scenes from folk life (based on his own words, N. A. Nekrasov, A. N. Ostrovsky, etc.) “Svetik Savishna”, “Kalistrat”, “Lullaby to Eremushka”, “Sleep, sleep, peasant son ”, “Orphan”, “Seminarist”, etc., which, being “studies” for operas, captured unique national characters.

186869; 2nd ed. creation of one of the greatest creations of folk musical drama “Boris Godunov” (according to A.S. Pushkin and N.M. Karamzin). 70s Mussorgsky worked on the folk musical drama “Khovanshchina” (on the historical plot proposed by Stasov, libretto by Mussorgsky, vocal cycles were created based on the words of A. A. Golenishchev-Kutuzov “Without the Sun” (1874), “Songs and Dances of Death” (187577), as well as “Children’s” (words by Mussorgsky, 1872), romances to words by A.K. Tolstoy (1877), piano cycle “Pictures at an Exhibition” (1874) the Mussorgsky Museum-Estate was opened in the village of Naumovo (now Kunyinsky district of the Pskov region).

Characters: Boris Godunov, Tsar Fyodor and Xenia, his children Prince Vasily Shuisky Pimen, chronicler Grigory Otrepiev, Pretender (False Dmitry) Marina Mnishek, daughter of the Polish governor Rangoni, secret Jesuit Varlaam and Misail, wandering monks Holy Fool The action takes place in Russia and Poland in years

Opera plan Prologue 1 scene Courtyard of the Novodevichy Convent 2 scene Square in the Kremlin in front of the Assumption Cathedral. Scene of the crowning of the kingdom Act I 1 scene In the cell of the Chudov Monastery Monologue of Pimen 2 scene In the tavern on the Lithuanian border Varlaam's Song Act II The Tsar's tower in the Kremlin Scene with the chimes

Opera plan III act 1 scene Sandomierz Castle in Poland Marina Mniszech's Aria 2 scene In the garden by the fountain Act IV 1 scene Square in front of St. Basil's Cathedral Lament of the Holy Fool Choir "Bread!..." 2 scene In the Faceted Chamber of the Moscow Kremlin Scene of Boris' death Scene 3 Near the village Kromy Song of Varlaam and Misail Lament of the Holy Fool

The jester and the holy fool in medieval culture Questions for comparisonThe jesterThe holy fool Appearance Cap with a tassel, special costume. Barefoot, dressed in rags, with chains on his body. Peculiarities of worldview Does not know a world without God, therefore he is a rebel against doctrines, but not against God, ridicules the vices of individual people and society as a whole. Condemns people for deviating from Christian commandments and himself tries to live according to the norms of Christianity, believes that it is necessary to mortify the flesh in the name of spiritual improvement Role in public life They reveal the truth about the world and power, help overcome fear and uncertainty about the future, try to erase hierarchical boundaries and return to human relationships; beyond the threshold of official culture they are trying to build a world of anticulture. Relations with official authorities Any universal truth was allowed only in rex cases when it was presented in a harmless form, arousing laughter and not claiming any more serious role in life. They were recognized only to a certain extent; the demonstrative closeness of monarchs and holy fools goes back to the most ancient cultural archetype identifying the king and the outcast slave, the leper

Modest Petrovich Mussorgsky 1839 1839

Life story Modest Mussorgsky was born on March 21, 1839 in the village of Karevo, Toropetsk district, on the estate of his father, a poor landowner Pyotr Alekseevich. He spent his childhood in the Pskov region, in the wilderness, among forests and lakes. He was the youngest, fourth son in the family. The two eldest died one after another in infancy. All the tenderness of the mother, Yulia Ivanovna, was given to the remaining two, and especially to him, the youngest, Modinka. It was she who first began to teach him to play the old piano that stood in the hall of their wooden manor house. Modest Mussorgsky was born on March 21, 1839 in the village of Karevo, Toropetsk district, on the estate of his father, the poor landowner Pyotr Alekseevich. He spent his childhood in the Pskov region, in the wilderness, among forests and lakes. He was the youngest, fourth son in the family. The two eldest died one after another in infancy. All the tenderness of the mother, Yulia Ivanovna, was given to the remaining two, and especially to him, the youngest, Modinka. It was she who first began to teach him to play the old piano that stood in the hall of their wooden manor house. But Mussorgsky's future was predetermined. At the age of ten, he and his older brother came to St. Petersburg. Here he was supposed to enter the privileged military school, the School of Guards Ensigns. But Mussorgsky's future was predetermined. At the age of ten, he and his older brother came to St. Petersburg. Here he was supposed to enter the privileged military school, the School of Guards Ensigns. After graduating from the School, Mussorgsky was assigned to the Preobrazhensky Guards Regiment. Modest was seventeen years old. His duties were not onerous. But unexpectedly for everyone, Mussorgsky resigns and turns away from the path he had so successfully begun. After graduating from the School, Mussorgsky was assigned to the Preobrazhensky Guards Regiment. Modest was seventeen years old. His duties were not onerous. But unexpectedly for everyone, Mussorgsky resigns and turns away from the path he had so successfully begun. Not long before, one of the fellow Preobrazhenskys, who knew Dargomyzhsky, brought Mussorgsky to him. The young man immediately captivated the musician not only with his piano playing, but also with his free improvisations. Dargomyzhsky highly appreciated his extraordinary musical abilities and introduced him to Balakirev and Cui. Thus began a new life for the young musician, in which Balakirev and the “Mighty Handful” circle took the main place. Not long before, one of the fellow Preobrazhenskys, who knew Dargomyzhsky, brought Mussorgsky to him. The young man immediately captivated the musician not only with his piano playing, but also with his free improvisations. Dargomyzhsky highly appreciated his extraordinary musical abilities and introduced him to Balakirev and Cui. Thus began a new life for the young musician, in which Balakirev and the “Mighty Handful” circle took the main place.

Creative activity Mussorgsky's creative activity began vigorously. Each work opened up new horizons, even if it was not completed. Thus, the operas Oedipus Rex and Salammbo remained unfinished, where for the first time the composer tried to embody the most complex intertwining of the destinies of the people and a strong, powerful personality. Mussorgsky's creative activity began vigorously. Each work opened up new horizons, even if it was not completed. Thus, the operas Oedipus Rex and Salammbo remained unfinished, where for the first time the composer tried to embody the most complex intertwining of the destinies of the people and a strong, powerful personality. An extremely important role for Mussorgsky’s work was played by the unfinished opera Marriage (Act 1, 1868), in which he used the almost unchanged text of N. Gogol’s play, setting himself the task of musically reproducing human speech in all its subtlest bends. Fascinated by the idea of ​​programming, Mussorgsky created a number of symphonic works, including Night on Bald Mountain (1867). An extremely important role for Mussorgsky’s work was played by the unfinished opera Marriage (Act 1, 1868), in which he used the almost unchanged text of N. Gogol’s play, setting himself the task of musically reproducing human speech in all its subtlest bends. Fascinated by the idea of ​​programming, Mussorgsky created a number of symphonic works, including Night on Bald Mountain (1867). But the most striking artistic discoveries were made in the 60s. in vocal music. Songs appeared where, for the first time in music, a gallery of folk types, humiliated and insulted people appeared: Kalistrat, Gopak, Svetik Savishna, Lullaby to Eremushka, Orphan, Po Mushrooms. Mussorgsky’s ability to accurately and accurately recreate living nature in music, reproduce vividly characteristic speech, and give the plot stage visibility is amazing. And most importantly, the songs are imbued with such a force of compassion for a disadvantaged person that in each of them an ordinary fact rises to the level of tragic generalization, to socially accusatory pathos. It is no coincidence that the song Seminarist was banned by censorship! But the most striking artistic discoveries were made in the 60s. in vocal music. Songs appeared where, for the first time in music, a gallery of folk types, humiliated and insulted people appeared: Kalistrat, Gopak, Svetik Savishna, Lullaby to Eremushka, Orphan, Po Mushrooms. Mussorgsky’s ability to accurately and accurately recreate living nature in music, reproduce vividly characteristic speech, and give the plot stage visibility is amazing. And most importantly, the songs are imbued with such a force of compassion for a disadvantaged person that in each of them an ordinary fact rises to the level of tragic generalization, to socially accusatory pathos. It is no coincidence that the song Seminarist was banned by censorship!

The pinnacle of Mussorgsky's creativity in the 60s. became the opera Boris Godunov. The democratically minded public greeted Mussorgsky's new work with true enthusiasm. The pinnacle of Mussorgsky's creativity in the 60s. became the opera Boris Godunov. The democratically minded public greeted Mussorgsky's new work with true enthusiasm. However, the further fate of the opera was difficult, because this work most decisively destroyed the usual ideas about an opera performance. Everything here was new: the acutely social idea of ​​​​the irreconcilability of the interests of the people and the royal power, and the depth of revelation of passions and characters, and the psychological complexity of the image of the child-killer king. However, the further fate of the opera was difficult, because this work most decisively destroyed the usual ideas about an opera performance. Everything here was new: the acutely social idea of ​​​​the irreconcilability of the interests of the people and the royal power, and the depth of revelation of passions and characters, and the psychological complexity of the image of the child-killer king.

Work on Khovanshchina was difficult - Mussorgsky turned to material that went far beyond the scope of the opera performance. At this time, Mussorgsky was deeply affected by the collapse of the Balakirev circle, the cooling of relations with Cui and Rimsky-Korsakov, and Balakirev’s withdrawal from musical and social activities. However, despite everything, the creative power of the composer during this period amazes with the strength and richness of artistic ideas. In parallel with the tragic Khovanshchina, since 1875, Mussorgsky has been working on the comic opera Sorochinskaya Fair (based on Gogol). In the summer of 1874, he created one of the outstanding works of piano literature - the cycle Pictures at an Exhibition, dedicated to Stasov, to whom Mussorgsky was eternally grateful for his participation and support. Work on Khovanshchina was difficult - Mussorgsky turned to material that went far beyond the scope of the opera performance. At this time, Mussorgsky was deeply affected by the collapse of the Balakirev circle, the cooling of relations with Cui and Rimsky-Korsakov, and Balakirev’s withdrawal from musical and social activities. However, despite everything, the creative power of the composer during this period amazes with the strength and richness of artistic ideas. In parallel with the tragic Khovanshchina, since 1875, Mussorgsky has been working on the comic opera Sorochinskaya Fair (based on Gogol). In the summer of 1874, he created one of the outstanding works of piano literature - the cycle Pictures at an Exhibition, dedicated to Stasov, to whom Mussorgsky was eternally grateful for his participation and support.

The idea to write the series Pictures at an Exhibition arose under the influence of the posthumous exhibition of works by the artist W. Hartmann in February 1874. He was a close friend of Mussorgsky, and his sudden death deeply shocked the composer. The work proceeded rapidly, intensely: Sounds and thoughts hung in the air, I swallowed and overeat, barely having time to scratch on the paper. And in parallel, one after another, 3 vocal cycles appear: Children’s (1872, based on his own poems), Without the Sun (1874) and Songs and Dances of Death (both on the station by A. Golenishchev-Kutuzov). They become the result of the composer’s entire chamber and vocal work. The idea to write the series Pictures at an Exhibition arose under the influence of the posthumous exhibition of works by the artist W. Hartmann in February 1874. He was a close friend of Mussorgsky, and his sudden death deeply shocked the composer. The work proceeded rapidly, intensely: Sounds and thoughts hung in the air, I swallowed and overeat, barely having time to scratch on the paper. And in parallel, 3 vocal cycles appear one after another: Children’s (1872, based on his own poems), Without the Sun (1874) and Songs and Dances of Death (both on the station by A. Golenishchev-Kutuzov). They become the result of the composer’s entire chamber and vocal work.

Seriously ill, severely suffering from poverty, loneliness, lack of recognition, Mussorgsky stubbornly insists that he will fight to the last drop of blood. Shortly before his death, in the summer of 1879, together with the singer D. Leonova, he made a large concert tour in the south of Russia and Ukraine, performed the music of Glinka, the Kuchkists, Schubert, Chopin, Liszt, Schumann, excerpts from his opera Sorochinskaya Fair and wrote significant words: Life calls to new musical work, broad musical work... to new shores of the still boundless art! Seriously ill, severely suffering from poverty, loneliness, lack of recognition, Mussorgsky stubbornly insists that he will fight to the last drop of blood. Shortly before his death, in the summer of 1879, together with the singer D. Leonova, he made a large concert tour in the south of Russia and Ukraine, performed the music of Glinka, the Kuchkists, Schubert, Chopin, Liszt, Schumann, excerpts from his opera Sorochinskaya Fair and wrote significant words: Life calls to new musical work, broad musical work... to new shores of the still boundless art!

Fate decreed otherwise. Mussorgsky's health deteriorated sharply. In February 1881 there was a shock. Mussorgsky was placed in the Nikolaev Military Ground Hospital, where he died without having time to complete the Khovanshchina and the Sorochinsky Fair. Fate decreed otherwise. Mussorgsky's health deteriorated sharply. In February 1881 there was a stroke. Mussorgsky was placed in the Nikolaev Military Ground Hospital, where he died without having time to complete the Khovanshchina and the Sorochinsky Fair. After his death, the entire composer’s archive went to Rimsky-Korsakov. He finished Khovanshchina, carried out a new edition of Boris Godunov and achieved their production on the imperial opera stage. The Sorochinsky fair was completed by A. Lyadov. After his death, the entire composer’s archive went to Rimsky-Korsakov. He finished Khovanshchina, carried out a new edition of Boris Godunov and achieved their production on the imperial opera stage. The Sorochinsky fair was completed by A. Lyadov.

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Modest Petrovich Mussorgsky is a Russian composer, member of the “Mighty Handful”. Mussorgsky's father came from an old noble family of Mussorgsky. In 1849, having moved to St. Petersburg, Modest entered a German school. A few years later, without finishing college, he left the School of Guards Ensigns, which he graduated in 1856. Youth

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By the time he joined Balakirev’s musical circle, Mussorgsky was a superbly educated and erudite Russian officer (he could read and speak fluently in French and German, and understood Latin and Greek) and aspired to become (as he himself put it) a “musician.” Balakirev forced Mussorgsky to pay serious attention to musical studies. Under his guidance, Mussorgsky read orchestral scores and developed his musical skills. Interest in music

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Russian national traits found original and vivid expression in Mussorgsky's musical creativity. This defining feature of his style manifested itself in a variety of ways: in his ability to handle folk songs, in the melodic, harmonic and rhythmic features of the music, and finally, in the choice of subjects, mainly from Russian life. Mussorgsky is a hater of routine; for him there were no authorities in music. He paid little attention to the rules of musical “grammar”, seeing in them not the principles of science, but only a collection of compositional techniques from previous eras. Hence the constant desire of Mussorgsky the composer for novelty in everything. Mussorgsky's specialty is vocal music. On the one hand, he strived for realism, on the other hand, for a colorful disclosure of the word. Love lyrics attracted him little. Mussorgsky's specific style is widely manifested when he turns to Russian peasant life. Mussorgsky’s songs “Kalistrat”, “Eryomushka’s Lullaby”, “Sleep, Sleep, Peasant Son”, “Gopak”, “Svetik Savishna” and “Mischief” and many others are noted for their rich colorfulness. etc. In such songs and romances, Mussorgsky finds a truthful musical expression for the hopelessness that is hidden under the external humor of the song lyrics. Humor, irony and satire generally worked well for Mussorgsky. Creation

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Mussorgsky began work on the large form with the music for Sophocles’ tragedy “Oedipus,” but did not finish it. The next big plans - an opera based on Flaubert's novel "Sala mbo" and on the plot of Gogol's "Marriage" - were also not fully realized. Mussorgsky used music from these sketches in his later compositions. First works

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The next major plan - the opera "Boris Godunov" based on the tragedy of A. S. Pushkin - Mussorgsky brought to the end. The premiere took place on the stage of the Mariinsky Theater in St. Petersburg in 1874. Over the next 10 years, “Boris Godunov” was performed 15 times and then removed from the repertoire. Only at the end of November 1896 “Boris Godunov” saw the light again - in the edition of N. A. Rimsky-Korsakov “Boris Godunov”

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In 1872, Mussorgsky conceived the dramatic opera Khovanshchina, while simultaneously working on a comic opera based on the plot of Gogol's Sorochinsky Fair. “Khovanshchina” was almost completely finished in clavier, but not instrumented. The first stage version of “Khovanshchina” was performed by N. A. Rimsky-Korsakov in 1883. In the same year, Bessel and Co. published her score and clavier. The first performance of “Khovanshchina” took place in 1886 in St. Petersburg, in the Kononov Hall. "Khovanshchina" These experiences of misrecognition and “misunderstanding” were expressed in a “nervous fever” that intensified in the 2nd half of the 1870s, and as a result, in an addiction to alcohol. Mussorgsky died in a military hospital, where he was admitted after an attack of delirium tremens. Last years

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The great Russian composer M.P. Mussorgsky was born on March 9 (21), 1839 on his parents’ estate in the small village of Karevo-Toropetsk district, Pskov province. He spent his childhood here, and he returned here several times. The Mussorgsky family has been known in the Pskov region since ancient times. The founder of the family, Roman Vasilyevich Monastyrev, nicknamed Musorga, came from the princes of Smolensk and considered himself a descendant of Rurik. He was the grandson of Andrei Yuryevich Monastyr, Rurikovich of the sixteenth generation. However, the princely dignity of the Mussorgskys was lost in the 15th century. 175 years since the birth of the great Russian composer M. P. Mussorgsky “The time of writing at leisure has passed: give your all to people - that’s what is needed in art now.” M. Mussorgsky

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The future composer's first teacher was his mother, Yulia Ivanovna Mussorgskaya (Chirikova), an intelligent and well-educated woman. Under her guidance, the boy made great progress in playing the piano. But no one imagined that the boy would become a musician. A different fate was in store for him. All Mussorgskys served in the military. The impressions of his childhood spent in the village determined the direction and nature of Mussorgsky’s work. The nanny told him Russian folk tales, and under their impression he improvised on the piano. “Nanny,” Mussorgsky wrote in his “Autobiographical Note,” “introduced me closely to Russian fairy tales, and they sometimes kept me awake at night. They were also the main impetus for musical improvisations on the piano at a time when I still had no idea about the most basic rules of playing the piano."

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In 1856 he began serving in the Life Guards Preobrazhensky Regiment. At the same time, he took piano lessons from pianist A. A. Gerke. At the same time, he met A. S. Dargomyzhsky and M. A. Balakirev, with whose help he studied the theory of music and composition. Soon Mussorgsky became a regular participant in the meetings of the musical group “The Mighty Handful”. In 1858, he retired with the rank of ensign in order to devote himself entirely to music. In 1867, the symphonic painting “Night on Bald Mountain” was painted. By 1868, Mussorgsky created romances based on poems by N. A. Nekrasov and A. N. Ostrovsky, as well as on his own texts. On the advice of literary critic V.V. Nikolsky, the composer began work on an opera based on the plot of A.S. Pushkin’s poem “Boris Godunov” based on his own libretto.

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In 1874, the premiere of “Boris Godunov” took place on the stage of the Mariinsky Theater in St. Petersburg; the opera was a great success. This was a triumph for the entire “Mighty Handful”; it was in this opera that Mussorgsky especially vividly embodied the main ideas of the members of the circle. The central role of Boris was F.I. Chaliapin's favorite in the repertoire. In 1872, Mussorgsky wrote his first vocal cycle, “Children’s,” for which he himself composed the text. In 1873, he began work on the “folk musical drama” “Khovanshchina” based on a plot proposed by critic V.V. Stasov. The opera was completed in rough form in the summer of 1880, but only after Mussorgsky’s death was it finally completed and instrumented by N. A. Rimsky-Korsakov. In 1874, Mussorgsky wrote ten musical illustrations for the watercolor drawings of the artist V. E. Hartmann “Pictures at an Exhibition” - virtuoso pieces for piano. A year later, he began work on the vocal cycle “Songs and Dances of Death” (based on poems by A. A. Golenishchev-Kutuzov), which he completed in 1877.

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In 1876, Mussorgsky conceived a new lyric-comedy opera “Sorochinskaya Fair” based on the story by N.V. Gogol. He worked on it until the end of his life, but never had time to finish it (the opera was completed by C. A. Cui). In 1879, a difficult financial situation forced Mussorgsky to re-enter service in the Audit Commission of the State Control, where he served until his death. He died on March 28, 1881 in St. Petersburg, being in complete poverty.

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THE DEPARTMENT OF LITERATURE ON ART PRESENTS BOOKS ABOUT THE LIFE AND WORK OF THE COMPOSER

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Orlova A. “Works and days of M. P. Mussorgsky. Chronicle of life and creativity." - Moscow: State Music Publishing House, 1963. - 702s.

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ORLOVA A. A. MUSORGSKY IN ST. PETERSBURG (SERIES “OUTSTANDING FIGURES OF LITERATURE, ART AND SCIENCE IN ST. PETERSBURG – PETROGRAD – LENINGRAD”). L., LENIZDAT, 1974.

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Novikov N. S. At the origins of great music: Searches and finds in the homeland of M. P. Mussorgsky. – L.: Lenizdat, 1989.

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Novikov N. S. Mussorgsky’s Prayer: Searches and Finds. Ed. 2nd, add. – Velikiye Luki, 2009.

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The finest features of human nature and human masses, annoying picking at these
little-explored countries and their conquest - this is the real calling of the artist.”
From a letter from M. Mussorgsky to V. Stasov

Modest Petrovich Mussorgsky (slide 1) is one of the most daring innovators of the 19th century, a brilliant composer who anticipated the art of the 20th century and had a huge influence on the development of Russian and European musical art.

His aesthetic views were formed under the influence of the democratic and people's liberation ideas of the 60s - a time of high spiritual uplift and acute social conflicts. The composer saw the purpose of his art in a truthful reflection of the life of the people, in the psychological authenticity of the images, in love and compassion for disadvantaged people, which brought his music closer to many works of modern literature and painting. He embodied his basic creative principle - “life, wherever it is true, no matter how salty it is” - in various works.

The main genres for Mussorgsky have always been opera and chamber vocal music. It was in them that the composer constantly looked for new means of musical expression. Boldly experimenting, he came to a synthesis of Russian peasant songwriting and characteristic declamation, which absorbed the lively intonations of colloquial speech, and his innovative harmonies, timbre richness, free play of tonalities anticipated many discoveries of Russian and European composers of the 20th century.

Modest Petrovich Mussorgsky (slide 2) was born on March 9, 1839 in the village of Karevo, Pskov province, on the estate of his father, Pyotr Alekseevich, a poor landowner, a representative of the old noble family of the Rurikovichs. The first ten years of his life passed in the picturesque estate. The beauty and poetry of nature, the simple and unhurried rural life of an old Russian family, peasant labor, folk customs and holidays, songs and legends left a deep mark on the soul of the future composer. Subsequently, he recalled that, under the direct influence of his nanny, he very early became acquainted with Russian fairy tales.

He was the youngest, fourth son in the family. The two eldest died one after another in infancy, and Modest was raised with his brother Philaret. All the tenderness of the mother, Yulia Ivanovna, a kind and gentle woman, was given to the remaining two, and especially to him, the youngest, Modinka. It was she who first began to teach him to play the old piano that stood in the hall of their wooden manor house. Under her guidance, the boy made great progress in playing the piano. Already at the age of seven he played short works by Liszt, and at the age of 9 (slide 3) he performed a major concerto by J. Field. On that memorable evening, Mussorgsky’s parents heard many enthusiastic compliments from those invited about the boy’s unconditional talent. We can say that this children's performance predetermined Mussorgsky's further biography. At the family council, it was decided to make every effort to develop Modest’s creative inclinations. But no one imagined that the boy would become a musician. A different fate was in store for him. All the Mussorgskys, who came from a noble family, served in the military, with the exception of the composer's father.

Until 1849, Modest was educated at home, and then (slide 4) together with his brother he entered the Peter and Paul School in St. Petersburg, which was known for its thoughtful humanitarian program. Here, among other things, he studied German and Latin, and also became seriously interested in literature. His music teacher was the famous St. Petersburg pianist and teacher, student of the famous John Field, Anton Gerke (slide 5). In 1852, with the assistance of the teacher, Mussorgsky's first piano work, the Ensign, was published.

Without graduating from college, the future composer entered (slide 6) the St. Petersburg School of Guards Ensigns (1852–1856). The spirit of military drill reigned at school, and the desire for knowledge and work was not particularly welcomed. Mussorgsky's spiritual maturation in this environment was very contradictory. An inner desire for serious development encouraged him to study foreign languages, history, literature, art, take piano lessons, and attend opera performances, despite the discontent of the military authorities. On the one hand, he excelled in military sciences, for which he was awarded the especially kind attention of the emperor; His skillful playing and improvisations on the piano, as well as his singing of arias from fashionable Italian operas, attracted everyone's attention and were loved by his comrades. On the other hand, he was a welcome participant in parties with card games, where he played polkas and quadrilles all night long.

After graduating from school in 1856 (slide 7), Mussorgsky was enlisted as an officer in the Preobrazhensky Life Guards Regiment; A brilliant military career opened up before him. Then, in 1856, Mussorgsky met A.P. Borodin, who became his close friend.

In the winter of 1857, another important event occurred in Mussorgsky’s life: he was invited (slide 8) to an evening at the house of A.S. Dargomyzhsky. The owner himself, the atmosphere of the musical meeting, and the works of Glinka and Dargomyzhsky performed there made an indelible impression on the young musician. He began to visit Dargomyzhsky often, who fell in love with the gifted young man. Under the influence of Russian music, which was new to him, Mussorgsky composed his first romance “Where are you, little star?” (to the words of N. Grekov) in the character of a Russian drawn-out song. In Dargomyzhsky’s house in the same year he met (slide 9) his future musical friends and associates - Ts. A. Cui and M. A. Balakirev, and art critic V.V. Stasov. Soon Mussorgsky became a member of the “Mighty Handful”.

Although Balakirev was only twenty years old, he was already a recognized musician - composer, concert pianist. Balakirev had the right taste, critical instinct, and immediately recognized Mussorgsky as an extraordinary talent. He began to study composition with him, play together works by Beethoven, Schubert, Schumann, Berlioz, Liszt and, using their example, explain the features of form, orchestration, and texture. Modest Petrovich eagerly studied the works of classical and modern authors, attended concerts and performances. A thirst for creativity awakened in him, a desire for improvement in the art of music, which became the goal of his life. Mussorgsky was drawn to Balakirev from the first meetings. He began to show him his first experiments, despite the fact that Balakirev was harsh and merciless in his criticism. He dreamed that Balakirev would give him composition lessons, and he agreed. The young Mussorgsky, musically gifted but poorly educated, certainly benefited greatly from his studies with Balakirev. Sometimes Cesar Antonovich Cui came to music lessons with him, V.V. was often there. Stasov.

The young officer in the company of Stasov and Balakirev felt like an ignoramus. Coming home, he hurried to “catch up” with them - he sat all night long over books. And during the day - inspections, divorces, stupid army life. I was drawn to music, books, I wanted to see friends, but I didn’t have enough energy or time. And then the decision came - to leave the service. Friends were alarmed - is it worth the risk when a musician’s career is so bleak and shaky? But the young man was firm in his decision. The result of the struggle between a passionate craving for creativity and the inability to combine his true calling with military service is a request for resignation, which took place in the summer of 1858. Music was calling him.

He started with romances, with small orchestral pieces. No matter what he wrote, he saw living people, scenes from folk life, funny, sad, sometimes bitter to the point of tears.

Mussorgsky begins working on music for the tragedy of the ancient playwright Sophocles

Having retired, Mussorgsky seriously thinks about the structure of his destiny, does a lot of self-education, studies Russian and European literature, as well as the works of Glinka, Mozart, Beethoven and contemporary composers. He is interested in a variety of problems - philosophical and religious, as well as issues of psychology and even natural science and geology.

Mussorgsky was also distinguished by his democratic views and actions. This became especially evident after the peasant reform of 1861. For two years after the liberation of the peasants, he was forced to participate in the management of the family estate. In order to relieve his serfs from redemption payments, Modest Petrovich renounced his share of the inheritance in favor of his brother (slide 10). Due to financial difficulties, he has to constantly work in the public service: in the Main Engineering Directorate, the Forestry Department of the Ministry of State Property, the Ministry of Internal Affairs, and the Audit Commission of the State Audit Office. He also made money by performing.

He was fascinated by the ideas of Russian people's democrats. At one time (slide 11) Mussorgsky lived in a “commune”, of which quite a few appeared among the advanced intelligentsia of the sixties after the publication of Chernyshevsky’s novel “What is to be done?” in 1863. V.V. Stasov, in a biographical sketch about Mussorgsky at that time, said: “...In the autumn of 1863, returning from the village, he settled, together with several young comrades, in a common apartment, which they jokingly called a “commune,” perhaps in imitation of that the theory of living together, which was preached by the then famous novel “What is to be done?”. Each of the comrades had his own separate room... and then there was one common large room, where everyone gathered in the evenings, when they were free from their studies, to read, listen to reading, talk, argue, and finally, just talk or listen Mussorgsky playing the piano or singing romances and excerpts from operas. There were many such small comradely “cohabitations” in St. Petersburg at that time, and perhaps in the rest of Russia. There were six comrades in this circle... All of these were very smart and educated people; each of them was engaged in some favorite scientific or artistic activity, despite the fact that many of them served in the Senate or ministries; none of them wanted to be idle intellectually, and each looked with contempt at that life of sybaritism, emptiness and idleness, which the majority of Russian youth had led for so long until that time.”

Soon the period of accumulation of knowledge gave way to a period of active creative activity. The composer decided to write an opera in which his passion for large folk scenes and for depicting a strong-willed personality would be embodied. Mussorgsky's creative activity proceeded rapidly. The work proceeded feverishly, each work opened up new horizons, even if it was not completed. So the opera “Oedipus the King” (Sophocles) remained unfinished (slide 12) and “Salammbo” (Flaubert), where for the first time the composer tried to embody the most complex intertwining of the destinies of the people and a strong, powerful personality.

In the early 1860s, Mussorgsky often lived for long periods of time in the village, taking care of the affairs of the estate, which was disorganized after the death of his father. It was during these years that he, closely peering into the difficult, bitter life of the peasants, noticed in them their character traits, natural intelligence and talent. His faith in the wisdom of the people, their perseverance and kindness, and the will to fight against evil and injustice strengthened in him. These observations, comprehension of peasant images, listening to the intonation of folk speech and songs were then embodied in the best works: “I notice typical women and typical men - both can be useful. How many fresh sides, untouched by art, teem in Russian nature, oh, so many ! And how juicy and glorious." Mussorgsky expressed these impressions in the romances of the 60s, (slide 13) in which the most striking artistic discoveries were made: “Svetik Savishna” - which, according to Stasov, is a sketch from life, “Eremushka’s Lullaby” (words by N. Nekrasov), “Hopak” (words by T. Shevchenko), “Seminarist”, “Orphan”, “Mischief” (words by M. Mussorgsky). All of them are original “folk pictures”, imbued with compassion for disadvantaged people. Mussorgsky’s ability to accurately and accurately recreate living nature in music (“I’ll notice some peoples, and then, on occasion, I’ll emboss them”), to reproduce a vividly characteristic speech, and to give the plot stage visibility is amazing. And most importantly, the songs are imbued with such a force of compassion for a disadvantaged person that in each of them an ordinary fact rises to the level of tragic generalization, to socially accusatory pathos. It is no coincidence that the song “Seminarist” was banned by censorship!

An extremely important role for Mussorgsky’s work was played (slide 14) by the unfinished opera “Marriage” (Act 1, 1868). In it, under the influence of Dargomyzhsky's opera “ Stone Guest" he used the almost unchanged text of N. Gogol's play. The composer set himself the task of musically reproducing “human speech in all its subtlest bends.” The originality of the concept and the boldness of the experiment in creating “musical prose” made “Marriage” a kind of creative laboratory in which the search for “musical truth” was carried out and the means of expression for “Boris Godunov” and “Khovanshchina” were honed. According to the author, having begun the composition of “Marriage,” he put himself in a “cage of experience.” After the end of the first act, the experience ended, enriching the composer with new facets of skill.

The pinnacle of Mussorgsky's creativity in the 60s. became (slide 15) opera “ Boris Godunov "(based on the drama by A. Pushkin). Mussorgsky began writing it in 1868 and presented it in the first edition (without the Polish act) in the summer of 1870 to the directorate of the imperial theaters, which rejected the opera, allegedly due to the lack of a female part and the complexity of the recitatives. “The novelty and unusualness of the music,” recalled Rimsky-Korsakov in “Chronicle of My Musical Life,” “baffled the venerable committee.” Distressed and offended, Mussorgsky took his score back, but, after thinking about it, decided to subject it to thorough alterations and additions.” After revision (one of the results of which was the famous scene near Kromy), in 1873, with the assistance of the singer Y. Platonova, 3 scenes from the opera were staged, and on February 8, 1874 - the entire opera (albeit with large bills).

All innovations (slide 16) of Mussorgsky met with the warm approval of his comrades - members of the “Mighty Handful”. At this time, the composer (slide 17) developed the closest relationship with Rimsky-Korsakov - they even lived together for some time: “Our life with Modest,” Rimsky-Korsakov recalled, “was, I believe, the only example of two composers living together. How could we not interfere with each other? That's how. From morning until 12, Mussorgsky used the piano, and I either rewrote or orchestrated something that had already been completely thought out. By 12 o'clock he left for work at the ministry, and I used the piano. In the evenings, things happened by mutual agreement... During this fall and winter, we both worked a lot, constantly exchanging thoughts and intentions.”

The support of friends, among whom were (slide 18) outstanding opera artists - D. Leonova, Y. Platonova, F. Komissarzhevsky, G. Kondratiev, helped the composer survive the heavy blow of the secondary refusal of the theater committee, then achieve the production of “Boris Godunov” on stage “ Mariinsky Theater - first only three scenes, and on January 27, 1874 - the entire opera.

The premiere (slide 19) was a great success, according to V.V. Stasov, “it was a great triumph for Mussorgsky.” However, the further fate of the opera was difficult, because this work most decisively destroyed the usual ideas about an opera performance. Everything here was new: the acute social idea of ​​​​the irreconcilability of the interests of the people and the royal power, and the depth of revelation of passions and characters, and the psychological complexity of the image of the child-killer king. The musical language turned out to be unusual, about which Mussorgsky himself wrote: “By working on human speech, I reached the melody created by this speech, I reached the embodiment of recitative in melody.”

The public’s delight was contrasted with the hostility of the critics: Mussorgsky’s work was so innovative, so much destroyed the usual ideas about opera and stood out for its unusual musical language that reviewers reproached the author for ignorance, desire for “originality,” lack of melody, monotony of recitatives, distortion of Pushkin and others.” sins."

Over the years of work on “Boris Godunov” (1868-1872), the composer became close and truly became friends with V.V. Stasov, often visited his St. Petersburg apartment and in the summer at his dacha. He had sincere love (slide 20) for Stasov’s younger brother, Dmitry Vasilyevich, and his children, who responded to “Garbage Man” with delight and adoration.

Mussorgsky expressed his warm and tender attitude towards them, towards the poetic world of their feelings, sorrows and joys in the vocal cycle “Children’s”. Friendship with V.V. Stasov meant a lot to him: the composer was in dire need of support and cordial attitude, since Mussorgsky did not have his own family, and his fellow composers were gradually moving away from each other.

Even while working on “Boris Godunov,” Mussorgsky hatched the idea “ Khovanshchiny” (slide 21) and soon begins to collect materials. All this was carried out with the active participation of V. Stasov, who in the 70s. became close to Mussorgsky and was one of the few who truly understood the seriousness of the composer’s creative intentions. V.V. Stasov became the inspirer and closest assistant of Mussorgsky in the creation of this opera, on which he worked from 1872 almost until the end of his life. “I dedicate to you the entire period of my life when Khovanshchina will be created... you gave it its beginning,” Mussorgsky wrote to Stasov on July 15, 1872.

The composer was again attracted by the fate of the Russian people at a turning point in Russian history. The rebellious events of the late 17th century, the bitter struggle between the old boyar Rus' and the new young Russia of Peter I, the Streltsy riots and the schismatic movement gave Mussorgsky the opportunity to create a new folk musical drama. The author dedicated “Khovanshchina” to V.V. Stasov.

Work on " Khovanshchina ” proceeded in a complex manner - Mussorgsky turned to material that went far beyond the scope of the opera performance. However, he wrote intensively (“ Work is in full swing!”), although with long interruptions caused by many reasons. At this time, Mussorgsky was deeply affected by the collapse of the Balakirev circle, the cooling of relations with Cui and Rimsky-Korsakov, and Balakirev’s withdrawal from musical and social activities. He felt that each of them had become an independent artist and had already followed their own path. The bureaucratic service left only the evening and night hours for composing music, and this led to severe overwork and increasingly prolonged depression. However, despite everything, the creative power of the composer during this period amazes with the strength and richness of artistic ideas.

In the summer of 1874, he created one of the outstanding works of piano literature - (slide 22) the cycle “Pictures from an Exhibition” ” , dedicated to Stasov, to whom Mussorgsky was eternally grateful for his participation and support: “ No one warmed me up in all respects more warmly than you... no one showed me the path more clearly...

The idea to write a piano cycle arose under the impression (slide 23) of the posthumous exhibition of the works of the artist W. Hartmann in February 1874. He was a close friend of Mussorgsky, and his sudden death deeply shocked the composer. The work arose as a passionate response and proceeded rapidly, intensely (only 3 weeks): “Sounds and thoughts hung in the air, I swallowed and overeat, barely having time to scratch on the paper.” The suite consists of ten plays, the prototype of which were (slide 24) various works of Hartmann: his watercolors (“Catacombs”), drawings (“Hut on Chicken Legs”), architectural projects (“Bogatyr Gate”), sketches of toys (“Gnome” ) and costumes for a ballet performance (“Ballet of the Unhatched Chicks”), and finally, picturesque portraits (“Two Jews - rich and poor”) and genre sketches (“Tuileries Garden”). But the pieces in the suite are not just musical illustrations, but free fantasies of the composer’s creative thought. They are connected by the constant return of the initial theme of the work - “Walking”, which has become a kind of self-portrait of the author himself, moving from one exhibit to another. In “Pictures at an Exhibition,” all facets of Mussorgsky’s brilliant pianism found their full embodiment - from spectacular virtuoso visualization and timbre color to exquisite sound recording of psychological characteristics (Already in the 20th century, the French composer Maurice Ravel, captivated by the beauty and richness of expressive means of “Pictures,” made a brilliant orchestration of the suite).

In parallel with the tragic “Khovanshchina”, since 1875 Mussorgsky has been working (slide 25) on the comic opera “ Sorochinskaya fair ” (according to Gogol). “ This is good as an economy of creative forces, wrote Mussorgsky. “Two pudoviki: “Boris” and “Khovanshchina” can crush you next to each other”... In subsequent years, the composer from time to time composed separate scenes for her, but the opera remained unfinished.

Another, but already vocal (slide 26) “picture at an exhibition”, the dramatic ballad “Forgotten” - Mussorgsky wrote under the impression of the painting of the same name by V. Vereshchagin to the text by A. Golenishchev-Kutuzov. The composer and poet became friends. As a result of their creative union, the vocal cycles “Without the Sun” and “Songs and Dances of Death” also appeared, reflecting Mussorgsky’s difficult mental state. If the cycle “Without the Sun” became a lyrical confession of the composer, imbued with deep melancholy and loneliness! then “Songs and Dances of Death” was one of the most tragic works. The vocal cycles “Without the Sun” (1874) and “Songs and Dances of Death” (1875-77) become the result of the composer’s entire chamber vocal work.

In the last years of his life, Mussorgsky's distance from his fellow Kuchkists continued. He had a hard time with the cooling of his friendship with them; only with Borodin did he maintain a warm and cordial relationship. Seriously ill, severely suffering from poverty, loneliness, lack of recognition, Mussorgsky stubbornly insists that “he will fight to the last drop of blood.”

Shortly before his death, in the summer of 1879, he made (slide 27) together with the famous singer D. Leonova as an accompanist a large concert tour in the south of Russia and Ukraine. Touring brought him fresh impressions and artistic success. In concerts he also performed as a solo pianist, performing his piano pieces and transcriptions of fragments from operas. But upon returning to St. Petersburg (slide 28), life’s hardships again washed over Mussorgsky. His health continued to deteriorate; in February 1881 he suffered a stroke. Through the efforts of Mussorgsky's friends, he was placed in the Nikolaev Military Hospital, where a month later, on March 16, 1881, he died.

After the death (slide 29) of Mussorgsky, Rimsky-Korsakov completed “Khovanshchina” and, wanting to return “Boris Godunov” to the stage, made a new edition of the opera. In the 1920s, Russian musicologist P.A. Lamm did a great job of restoring the original text of the opera from autographs. The latest edition of “Boris Godunov”, regarding instrumentation, belongs to D. D. Shostakovich. Shostakovich also re-edited “Khovanshchina”, returning the episodes shortened by Rimsky-Korsakov, and created the opera’s instrumentation. But it was in Rimsky-Korsakov’s edition that “Boris Godunov” gained worldwide fame; The great Russian singer F.I. became an unsurpassed performer of the role of Boris. Chaliapin. In 1917, Cui completed and orchestrated the Sorochinsky Fair. Later, another version of the edition was carried out by composer V.Ya. Shebalin.