The ideas and thoughts of M.P. Mussorgsky (1839–1881), a brilliant self-taught composer, were much ahead of their time and paved the way for 20th century musical art. In this article we will try to most fully describe the list of works by Mussorgsky. Everything written by the composer, who considered himself a follower of A.S. Dargomyzhsky, but went further, is distinguished by a deep penetration into the psychology of not only a single person, but also the masses of the people. Like all members of The Mighty Handful, Modest Petrovich was inspired by the national direction in his activities.
Vocal music
The list of works by Mussorgsky works of this genre covers three types of moods:
- Lyrical in the early works and passing into the later lyric-tragic. The peak is the "Without the Sun" cycle created in 1874.
- "Folk pictures." These are sketches and sketches from the life of peasants (“Lullaby to Eremushke”, “Svetik Savishna”, “Calistrat”, “Orphan”). Their culmination will be "Trepak" and "Forgotten" (cycle "Dance of Death").
- Social satire. These include the romances "Goat", "Seminar", "Classic", created during the 1860s of the next decade. The peak is the "Rayok" suite, in which the satyr gallery is embodied.
Mussorgsky’s list of works separately includes the vocal cycle “Children’s” and “Songs and Dances of Death” created in his own words in 1872, in which everything is filled with tragic moods.
In the forgotten ballad, created based on the impression of V.V. Vereshchagin’s painting, which was later destroyed by the artist, the composer and the author of the text contrasted the image of a soldier lying on the battlefield and the gentle lullaby that the peasant sings to her son, promising to meet with her father. But her child will never see him.
Goethe's “flea” with brilliance and encore was always performed by Fedor Chaliapin.
Means of musical expression
M. Mussorgsky updated the entire musical language, taking as a basis recitative and peasant songs. His harmonies are completely unusual. They correspond to new feelings. They are dictated by the development of experience and mood.
Operas
One cannot but include his opera work in the list of Mussorgsky’s works. Over 42 years of his life, he managed to write only three operas, but what! Boris Godunov, Khovanshchina and Sorochinskaya Fair. In them, he boldly combines tragic and comic features, which recalls the works of Shakespeare. The image of the people is the fundamental beginning. In addition, each character is given personal traits. Most of all, the composer cares about his native country during times of turmoil and upheaval.
In Boris Godunov, the country is on the verge of the Time of Troubles. It reflects the relations of the king and the people as a single person, which is animated by one idea. The composer wrote the folk drama "Khovanshchina" according to his own libretto. In it, the composer was interested in Streltsy rebellion and church schism. But he did not have time to orchestrate her and died. He finished the orchestration of N. A. Rimsky-Korsakov. The role of Dosifey in the Mariinsky Theater was played by F. Chaliapin. There are no familiar protagonists in it. Society is not opposed to personality. Power is in the hands of one or another character. It recreates episodes of the struggle of the old reactionary world against Peter's reforms.
“Pictures from the exhibition”
Creativity for piano is presented by the composer in one cycle, created in 1874. "Pictures from the exhibition" is a unique work. This is a suite of ten diverse plays. Being a virtuoso pianist, M. Mussorgsky took advantage of all the expressive capabilities of the instrument. These musical works of Mussorgsky are so vivid and virtuoso that they amaze with their “orchestration” of sound. Six pieces under the general title “Walk” are written in the key in B flat major. The rest are in B minor. By the way, they were often shifted for the orchestra. M. Ravel did it best of all. The vocal motives of the composer, with their recitativeness, songwriting and declamationism, organically entered this work of M. Mussorgsky.
Symphonic creation
Modest Mussorgsky creates a number of musical works in this area. The most important is Ivan's Night on the Bald Mountain. Continuing the theme of G. Berlioz, the composer depicted the coven of witches.
He first showed Russia evil fantastic pictures. The main thing for him was maximum expressiveness with a minimum of means used. Contemporaries did not understand the novelty, but took it for the ineptitude of the author.
In conclusion, it is necessary to name the most famous works of Mussorgsky. In principle, we have listed almost all of them. These are two major operas on a historical theme: Boris Godunov and Khovanshchina are staged on the best world stages. These include the vocal cycles “Without the Sun” and “Songs and Dances of Death”, as well as “Pictures from the Exhibition”.
The ingenious author was buried in St. Petersburg at the Tikhvin Cemetery. The Soviet government, doing a redevelopment, destroyed his grave, poured this place with asphalt and made a bus stop. So we relate to recognized world geniuses.