Hearing Pictures from “Pictures” from Musorgsky Now that we are familiar with the program and a few pictures from Musorgsky’s “Pictures at an Exhibition,” let’s look (listen) to the complete work. Below you will find the names of the sections which total ten, not including the Promenade (which we know is used between pictures to symbolize the composer strolling from work to work). Each of the three videos features several pictures so you will want to pay close attention to the captions that appear on the bottom of the screen that indicates which picture is being featured. Below you will be given the order of the pictures and a comment on each from Vladamir Stasov, who was a well-respected Russian critic. By using the name of the picture and the comment from Stasov, you will listen to each of the pictures and describe how the music reflects both. Only a few of the pictures that served as the inspiration for this work are still in existence. The three pictures that are available for the seven you have to choose from can be accessed by links on the respective picture title. Please be sure that when you make your choices that not all three are those that have pictures available. In your analysis, you will want to incorporate what you know about the elements of music including: rhythm/meter, melody, harmony, texture, dynamics etc. Although this work was originally written for solo piano and orchestrated by Ravel many years later, you may also discuss the instruments used and how they are effective in portraying the likeness of each picture. Please choose three of the following pictures to write your description(again make sure that not all of your choices have an actual image available). Your answers should be in paragraph form which means you should not just list your descriptions vertically. Finally, please briefly discuss whether or not you felt that the music was effective in describing the program and why. These will be posted on the discussion board under the title, Hearing Pictures from “Pictures” from Musorgsky. The Gnome The Old Castle The Tuileries Gardens Ballet of the Chickens in Their Shells https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YvP34sZzf00 The Marketplace at Limoges The Catacombs https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6TBFnHDBB1o The Hut on Fowl’s Legs (Baba-Yagá) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tO5p-gNyVlo Picture Descriptions and Order Pictures in red indicate those available for analysis: Promenade Stasov comment: In this piece Mussorgsky depicts himself “roving through the exhibition, now leisurely, now briskly in order to come close to a picture that had attracted his attention, and at times sadly, thinking of his departed friend.”
