Music

Pictures at an Exhibition

Modest Mussorgsky was born in Karevo on March 21, 1839. His mother gave him piano lessons, and at nine he played a Field concerto before an audience in his parents' house. In 1852 he entered the Guards' cadet school in St Petersburg. Eventually in 1874 Modest Mussorgsky composed his famous Pictures at an Exhibition, based on ten drawings and watercolors produced by his recently deceased friend, the architect and artist Victor Hartmann.

Pictures at an Exhibition is a very interesting piece. It varies in pitch, dynamic, rhythm, timbre, texture, and form. I believe the disparity introduced amongst these specific qualities brings about a uniqueness of the piece. Pitch is the relative highness or lowness of the sound. Dynamic is the loudness or softness of the composition. Rhythm is the controlled movement of music over time. Timbre is the quality of the sound. Texture is the vertical structure of the composition. Form is the structure of the composition.

Pitch

The different sections of the piece alternate in sound to engage the audience in different moods. The opening promenade introduces the viewer. The pitch is high in the introduction and I believe that Mussorgsky was trying to hold audience, in a sense, giving them a reason to keep listening.

Dynamics

The dynamics of the piece raise and lower at a relatively quick pace. When the instruments are being played at a fortissimo or a forte, Mussorgsky is trying to engage, frighten, or enlighten the audience. In the introduction the trumpets are played at a forte and they gradually increase in dynamic. Then the violins are introduced at a piano level, but they slowly crescendo to a forte.

Rhythm

The movement of the music is very inconsistent throughout the piece. If one were listening to this piece for the first time, he or she would not be able to predict what would happen next. The pitches, dynamics, and pulse of the piece are too complicated to forecast. The meter changes from section to section. Mussorgsky