Modest Mussorgsky

Modest Petrovich Mussorgsky (Russian: ??????? ????????? ???????????) (March 21, 1839 – March 28, 1881; sometimes spelled Modeste Moussorgsky), was an innovative Russian composer famed for his colourful, exotic, and lush orchestral pieces dedicated to various subjects of medieval Russian history. His major works include the great national opera, Boris Godunov, and the piano suite called Pictures at an Exhibition.

Life

Mussorgsky was born in Karevo in the province of Pskov. Mussorgsky's family descended from the first Russian ruler, Rurik, through the sovereign princes of Smolensk. Modest was prepared by his parents for a military career, but under the influence of Mily Balakirev quit the service when he was twenty-two and joined The Five, a group of composers dedicated to promoting a distinctly Russian kind of music. His first published works were an unfinished opera Salambbo and a cycle of songs. He wrote the opera Boris Godunov when he was twenty-nine. It was based on Pushkin's play of the same title. It became a great success. However, when the choruses sang against the czar were heard, the opera was withdrawn from the Imperial Opera. After the withdrawal of Boris Godunov, Mussorgsky left The Five and was bitterly alone.

Related Topics:
Karevo - Pskov - Rurik - Smolensk - Mily Balakirev - The Five - Song - Opera - Pushkin

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During his lifetime, Mussorgsky was but little known, was an alcoholic (note the red nose in Repin's painting), lived in dismal poverty, and shared his lodging with fellow composer Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov, who edited many of his works when he died. He died from alcohol intoxication on March 28, 1881 and was interred at the Tikhvin Cemetery of the Alexander Nevsky Monastery in Saint Petersburg. Rimsky-Korsakov then completed and recomposed some of Mussorgsky's works, and these were made famous through the criticism of Vladimir Stasov.

Related Topics:
Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov - Alcohol - March 28 - 1881 - Tikhvin Cemetery - Alexander Nevsky Monastery - Saint Petersburg - Vladimir Stasov

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