Mussorgsky: Pictures at an Exhibition for Piano Quartet - 2nd Edition - Score Only
by Modest Petrovich Mussorgsky
Piano Quartet - Digital Sheet Music

Piano Quartet - Level 5 - Digital Download

SKU: A0.1397796

Composed by Modest Petrovich Mussorgsky. Arranged by James M. Guthrie. 19th Century,Chamber,Contest,Festival,Historic,Romantic Period. 104 pages. Jmsgu3 #981065. Published by jmsgu3 (A0.1397796).

The Second edition features more textural variety and interplay between the strings and piano.
Mussorgsky is known for his ability to evoke vivid pictures through his music. He creates soundscapes that transport listeners to other places and times. Using complex harmonies and shifting tonalities, Mussorgsky creates sonic paintings that are as diverse and varied as any works of art in a museum. He takes listeners on a journey through different landscapes and environments, ranging from pastoral settings to the underworld depths. In his famous suite, Pictures at an Exhibition, Mussorgsky gives each movement a title referencing a painting, sculpture, or architectural feature from an art museum. The suite is composed to capture the moods and emotions the artworks evoke. From the bright and energetic Promenade to the somber and mysterious Catacombs, Mussorgsky's Pictures at an Exhibition paints a vivid sonic landscape that brings the listener into the art museum.

The composition was inspired by a visit to an art exhibition featuring the works of Mussorgsky's friend, the Russian artist Viktor Hartmann. The "Pictures at an Exhibition" pieces aim to capture the sketches, watercolors, and architectural designs displayed at the exhibition. Mussorgsky links the suite's movements to depict the viewer's progress through the exhibition. Two "Promenade" movements serve as portals to the various pictures, representing the composer himself strolling through the exhibition. Mussorgsky and Hartmann were devoted to the cause of an intrinsically Russian art, and their friendship likely developed in the home of the influential critic Vladimir Stasov, who followed both of their careers with interest. Mussorgsky's original composition is known for its multi-layered music imbued with energy and vitality, requiring the performer to move between soothing melodies, humorous tunes, and pounding rhythms. The suite's diverse range of musical styles and moods is a testament to Mussorgsky's skill as a composer.

Pictures at an Exhibition (Картинки с выставки) by Modest Petrovič Musorgskij, 1874
(Модест Петрович Мусоргский) Arranged for Piano Quartet by James M. Guthrie (Джеймс М. Гатри)
Score: 103 pages, 924 measures, duration: 34:30. 
Contents:
 Promenade 1 Allegro giusto, nel modo russico; senza allegrezza, ma poco sostenuto 
1. GNOMUS (The Gnome) Sempre vivo 
 Promenade 2 Moderato commodo assai e con delicatezza 
 2. IL VECCHIO CASTELLO (The Old Castle) Andante molto cantabile e con dolore 
 Promenade 3 Moderato non tanto, pesamente 
 3. TUILLERIES Dispute d'enfants après jeux (Children's Quarrel after Games)
      Allegretto non troppo, capriccioso
 4. BYDLO (Cattle) Sempre moderato pesante
 Promenade 4 Tranquillo
 5. Ballet of the Unhatched Chicks Балет невылупившихся птенцов   Scherzino
 6. "Samuel" Goldenberg und "Schmuÿle"  Еврей в меховой шапке. Cандомир Andante
 Promenade 5 Allegro giusto, nel modo russico, poco sostenuto
 7. LIMOGES. LE MARCHÉ. (La grande nouvelle) The Market (The Great News)
      Allegretto vivo, sempre scherzando
 8. CATACOMBAE (Sepulchrum romanum) (Roman Tomb) Парижские катакомбы Largo 
      CON MORTUIS IN LINGUA MORTUA (With the Dead in a Dead Language)
      Andante non troppo, con lamento
 9. The Hut on Hen's Legs (Baba Yaga) Избушка Бабы-Яги на курьих ожках. Часы в русском стиле
      Allegro con brio, feroce 
 10. The Bogatyr Gates (In the Capital in Kiev) Проект городских ворот в Киеве. Главный фасад
"The Great Gates of Kiev" Allegro alla breve Maestoso con grandezza.