History Music / ModestMussorgsky

* CoveredUp: Many of his compositions are better known in orchestral arrangements by Rimsky-Korsakov or Ravel.

* MotherRussiaMakesYouStrong: Mussorgsky was a patriotic Russian and this is seen in themes and musical styles of many of his compositions.

* StandardSnippet: ''Night on Bald Mountain'' for anything relating to dark magic, especially after it was featured in ''Disney/{{Fantasia}}''. The ''Pictures at an Exhibition'' suite is also used, funnily enough, for art programmes. Although at one exhibition of Russian holograms staged in London, ''Pictures at an Exhibition'' was about the only well-known piece of Russian classical music that ''wasn't'' used.

* ''Theatre/{{Khovanshchina}''

* ''Theatre/{{Khovantschina}}

Modest Petrovich Mussorgsky (1839 - 1881) was a Russian composer of great originality, though almost all of his most popular works are best known in forms created by other composers, notably Rimsky-Korsakov. A member of 'The Five' (Or 'The Mighty Handful'), Mussorgsky trained as a soldier, and then became a civil servant, though wasn't particularly successful at either. A decline fuelled by alcohol and penury resulted in his early death at the age of 42.

* TsaristRussia: His opera ''Boris Godunov'' is about the life (and death) of the eponymous Tsar.

* TheAlcoholic: Mussorgsky hung out with a group of artists who saw drinking as a way to [[TheManIsKeepingUsDown rebel against the establishment]]. A [[http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-lnVhvYOjzks/UCbZq5fdFCI/AAAAAAAALyM/YQw13a2QReg/s1600/Repin-portrait-of-the-composer-modest-mussorgsky-1881.jpg famous portrait of the composer]] shows him clearly suffering the symptoms of alcoholism; sadly, he died of its effects a few days after the painting was completed.

In his lifetime, Mussorgksy's works were not well received, but the arrangements of his ''Music/PicturesAtAnExhibition'' (by Music/MauriceRavel) and ''A Music/NightOnBaldMountain'' (by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov) established both as popular concert pieces, while the reputations of the original versions are also undergoing much [[VindicatedByHistory re-evaluation]], while his only finished opera, ''Boris Godunov'', is among the most popular of all Russian operas.

'''Modest Petrovich Mussorgsky''' (1839 - 1881) was a Russian composer of great originality, though almost all of his most popular works are best known in forms created by other composers, notably Rimsky-Korsakov. A member of 'The Five' (Or 'The Mighty Handful'), Mussorgsky trained as a soldier, and then became a civil servant, though wasn't particularly successful at either. A decline fuelled by alcohol and penury resulted in his early death at the age of 42.

* TheAlcoholic: Mussorgsky hung out with a group of artists who saw drinking as a way to [[TheManIsKeepingUsDown rebel against the establishment]]. A [[https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/43/Ilya_Repin_-_%D0%9F%D0%BE%D1%80%D1%82%D1%80%D0%B5%D1%82_%D0%BA%D0%BE%D0%BC%D0%BF%D0%BE%D0%B7%D0%B8%D1%82%D0%BE%D1%80%D0%B0_%D0%9C.%D0%9F.%D0%9C%D1%83%D1%81%D0%BE%D1%80%D0%B3%D1%81%D0%BA%D0%BE%D0%B3%D0%BE_-_Google_Art_Project.jpg famous portrait of the composer]] shows him clearly suffering the symptoms of alcoholism; sadly, he died of its effects a few days after the painting was completed.

* RussianMythologyAndTales: Several of these are portrayed musically in various movements of "Pictures at an Exhibition" as well as "Night On Bald Mountain."

In his lifetime, Mussorgksy's works were not well received, but the arrangements of his ''Pictures at an Exhibition'' (by Ravel) and ''A Night on Bald Mountain'' (by Rimsky-Korsakov) established both as popular concert pieces, while the reputations of the original versions are also undergoing much [[VindicatedByHistory re-evaluation]], while his only finished opera, ''Boris Godunov'', is among the most popular of all Russian operas.

* TsaristRussia: His opera ''Boris Godunov'' is about the life (and death) of the eponymous Tsar.

* StandardSnippet: ''Night on Bald Mountain'' for anything relating to dark magic, especially after it was featured in ''Disney/{{Fantasia}}''. The ''Pictures at an Exhibition'' suite is also used, funnily enough, for art programmes. Although at one exhibition of Russian holograms staged in London, ''Pictures at an Exhebition'' was about the only well-known piece of Russian classical music that ''wasn't'' used.

* StandardSnippet: ''Night on Bald Mountain'' for anything relating to dark magic, especially after it was featured in ''Disney/{{Fantasia}}''. The ''Pictures at an Exhibition'' suite is also used, funnily enough, for art programmes.

* StandardSnippet: ''Night on Bald Mountain'' for anything relating to dark magic, especially after it was featured in {{Fantasia}}. The ''Pictures at an Exhibition'' suite is also used, funnily enough, for art programmes.

'''Modest Petrovich Mussorgsky''' (1839 - 1881) was a Russian composer of great originality, though almost all of his most popular works are best known in forms created by other composers, notably Rimsky-Korsakov. A member of 'The Five' (Or 'The Mighty Handful'), Mussorgsky trained as a soldier, and then became a civil servant, though wasn't particularly successful at either. A decline fuelled by alcohol and penury resulted in his early death at the age [[WhatCouldHaveBeen of 42]].

* TsaristRussia: His opera ''Boris Godunov'' is about the life (and death) of the eponymous Tsar.
* WithFriendsLikeThese: Balakirev, later one of Mussorgsky's main supporters, referred to him as "little short of an idiot".

In his lifetime, Mussorgksy's works were not well received, but the arrangements of his ''Pictures at an Exhibition'' (by Ravel) and ''A Night on Bald Mountain'' (by Rimsky-Korsakov) established both as popular concert pieces, while the reputations of the original versions are also undergoing much [[VindicatedByHistory re-evaluation]].

* TsaristRussia: His opera ''Boris Godunov'' is about the life of the eponymous Tsar.

In his lifetime, Mussorgksy's works were not well received, but the arrangements of his ''Pictures at an Exhibition'' (by Ravel) and ''A Night on Bald Mountain'' (by Rimsky-Korsakov) established both as popular concert pieces, while the reputations of the original versions are also undergoing much re-evaluation.

* VindicatedByHistory

'''Modest Petrovich Mussorgsky''' (1839 - 1881) was a Russian composer of great originality, though almost all of his most popular works are best known in forms created by other composers, notably Rimsky-Korsakov. A member of 'The Five' (Or 'The Mighty Handful'), Mussorgsky trained as a soldier, and then became a civil servant, though wasn't particularly successful at either. A decline fuelled by alcohol and penury resulted in his early death at the age[[WhatCouldHaveBeen of 42]].