Today we will consider the work that M. P. Mussorgsky created - “The Old Castle”. It was originally written for piano, but was repeatedly arranged by composers for orchestral performance and was processed in various musical styles.
Story
Let's start with how Mussorgsky created his work. The Old Castle is a play that is part of the Pictures from the Exhibition suite. A series of musical “images” is dedicated to the memory of the composer's friend - artist and architect V. A. Hartmann.
Mussorgsky, “Old Castle”: compositional features
The work was created in 1874. The basis for the play was Hartmann's watercolor with Italian architecture. The sketch of the picture was not preserved. The exhibited works were actively sold, the location of the inspirational canvas is unknown. Mussorgsky's work “The Old Castle” describes the corresponding medieval structure. A troubadour sings before him. The composer manages to revive this character. To do this, he uses a thoughtful, flowing melody that sounds against the background of a monotonous measured accompaniment. Such music causes a lyrical contemplative mood. The troubadour song is filled with the knightly Middle Ages. Music conveys the idea that the artist depicted through colors.
Author
Mussorgsky, according to contemporaries, is an excellent pianist. He fascinated the audience as he sat down at the instrument. Through sound, he was able to recreate any picture. At the same time, this composer composed relatively little. He was most attracted to opera. It was Mussorgsky who devoted most of his creative forces to it. The "Old Castle", however, is one of his most famous works. He set himself the artistic task of creating a psychological portrait and penetrated the souls of his characters.