“Gnomes” from Pictures at an Exhibition

Modest Mussorgsky Born: March 21, 1839 In addition to his instrumental Died: March 28, 1881 music, Mussorgsky wrote songs, and several operas. His operatic Modest Mussorgsky was born in masterpiece is Boris Godunov, the Russian village of Karevo. about a Russian Tsar who lived His mother gave him his first in the 1500’s. piano lessons, and it was clear early on that Mussorgsky was a Mussorgsky wrote Pictures at very good pianist. an Exhibition to honor his friend Victor Hartman, an artist and Modest went to military architect who died at the age of boarding school, and when he 39. After viewing a memorial graduated, he joined the army exhibition of Hartman’s work, as an officer. Then, Mussorgsky Mussorgsky decided to create his started studying music with own tribute - music depicting ten Russian composer Mily pieces of art in the show. Pictures Balakirev, and left the army to at an Exhibition was originally become a composer. He was written for piano, but there have part of a group of five Russian been many orchestrations of the composers known as “The Five,” piece. The most famous is by or the “Mighty Handful.” Maurice Ravel.

Mussorgsky had a hard time The first picture in Mussorgsky’s making a living as a composer, musical exhbition is a sketch especially after his family lost all for a nutcracker shaped like a its money; so he found a gnome. government job, and continued to spend all his spare time composing.

Picture This Modest Mussorgsky We can not see the painting of the “Gnomes” Mussorsky saw. We have the picture he painted with his music. Which gnome do YOU think matches the sounds you hear.

Follow the listening map below as you listen to the music. “Gnomes”

The gnome The gnome scurries The instruments He crashes down and The instruments try again to take finally crashes into the music try to play another shatters the rhythms. back the music. You can hear them down on the tune. struggle with the gnome. music and it ends! WGUC sincerely thanks The Charles H. Dater Foundation for its sustaining support since the inception of Time for Halloween Classics for Kids®.

Match Up

What are you going to be for Halloween? sforzando Mussorgsky was great at creating pictures with fortissimo his music. He did this by choosing the right instruments to create his scenes. What treble clef instruments would you choose to describe the forte Halloween costumes above? Write down your mezzo piano answer and why you chose the instrument for each character. sharp ______

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