Pictures at an Exhibition

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Pictures at an Exhibition (or Pictures from an Exhibition; Russian: ) is a famous suite of 15 musical pieces, composed by Modest Petrovich Mussorgsky in 1874. Mussorgsky wrote the work for piano, but it is probably better known in the form of various orchestrations and arrangements that have been produced by other musicians and composers (see below). Mussorgsky composed the work in commemoration of his friend, the artist and architect Viktor Hartmann (Виктор Гартман), who was only 39 when he died in 1873; the original title for the suite was Hartmann.

It was probably in 1870 and through the highly influential critic Vladimir Stasov that Mussorgsky had met Hartmann, whose devotion to the cause of an intrinsically Russian art must have made him a congenial spirit. It was at Stasov's instigation that a posthumous exhibition of over 400 of the artist's works was mounted in the Academy of Fine Arts in St Petersburg, in February and March 1874, and Pictures at an Exhibition, composed a few months later, takes the form of an imaginary musical tour around such a collection. As the pictorial basis for his musical 'exhibition', Mussorgsky mostly selected drawings and watercolours that Hartmann had produced during his travels abroad; oddly enough, only three of the ten pictures represented in the music actually appeared in the 1874 Hartmann exhibition (These are: 'Ballet of the Unhatched Chicks', 'The Hut on Fowl's Legs' (Baba Yaga)', and 'The Bohatyr Gate (at Kiev, the Ancient Capital)'). Sadly, we cannot in all cases be certain which Hartmann work Mussorgsky was alluding to, because not all the paintings and drawings have survived.

Remarkably, Mussorgsky structures the suite in a manner that actually allows him to represent his own progress through the 'exhibition'. This he does by means of the opening 'Promenade' and the four interludes (only the last of which is also labelled 'Promenade') that are clear variations of its material: "My physiognomy can be seen in the interludes", he wrote in a letter to Stasov. More remarkable still, however, is the fact that by the end of the work the 'Promenade' theme has stopped functioning as a merely 'linking' device and instead started to appear within the actual 'pictures' themselves: the theme features prominently in the movements 'Con mortuis in lingua mortua' and 'The Bohatyr Gate (at Kiev, the Ancient Capital)' — mysterious in one, celebratory in the other.

Publication history

As with most of Mussorgsky's works, Pictures at an Exhibition has a complicated publication history. Although composed very rapidly (between 2nd and 22nd June 1874), the work did not appear in print until 1886 (five years after the composer's death), when an edition by the composer's great friend Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov was published. This publication, moreover, was not a completely accurate representation of Mussorgsky's score, but presented an edited and revised text that had been subjected to a certain amount of 'polishing', as well as containing a substantial number of errors and misreadings. Only in 1931, more than half a century after the work's composition, was Pictures at an Exhibition published in a musicologically responsible edition in agreement with the composer's manuscript. In 1940 the Italian composer Luigi Dallapiccola published an important critical edition of Mussorgsky's work with extensive commentary. Mussorgsky's hand-written manuscript was published in facsimile in 1975.

Arrangements

The first musician to arrange Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition for orchestra was the little-known Russian composer and conductor Michael Touschmaloff (1861-96). However, his version (first performed in 1891 and possibly produced as early as 1886 when he was a student of Rimsky-Korsakov) does not include the entire suite: only seven of the ten pictures are present (no 'Gnomus', 'Tuileries', or 'Bydlo'), and all the 'Promenades' are omitted except for the last one, which is used in place of the first.

After him, the next orchestration was that undertaken by British conductor Sir Henry Wood in 1915. This too eliminated some of the appearances of the 'Promenade' theme.

The first person to orchestrate the piece in its entirety was the Slovenian-born conductor and violinist Leo Funtek, who finished his version in 1922 while living and working in Finland.

The version by Maurice Ravel (also produced in 1922, to a commission by Serge Koussevitsky) is a virtuoso effort by a master colourist, and has proved the most popular in the concert hall and on record. Ravel does, however, omit the fifth and last 'Promenade' movement.

Conductor Leopold Stokowski introduced Ravel's version to Philadelphia audiences in November 1929; he produced his own, very free orchestration (incorporating much that could accurately be called re-composition) ten years later. Stokowski revised his version over the years, and made three gramophone recordings of it (1939, 1941 and 1965). The score was not printed until 1971.

Many other orchestrations and arrangements have been created, and the original piano composition is also frequently performed and recorded. A brass ensemble arrangement was made by Elgar Howarth for the Philip Jones Brass Ensemble in the 1970s. There is even an adaption for solo guitar by Kazuhito Yamashita.

There have also been several very different non-classical interpretations: one incorporating progressive rock, jazz and folk music elements by the British trio Emerson, Lake and Palmer (1971; see Pictures at an Exhibition (album)), and an electronic music adaptation by Isao Tomita (1975). A heavy metal arrangement made by German band Mekong Delta also exists. Death Cab For Cutie has also released a track of the same title. In 2002, electronic musician-composer Amon Tobin paraphrased Gnomus for the track "Back From Space", from the album Out From Out Where. In 2003, guitarist-composer Trevor Rabin released his electric guitar adaptation of "Promenade," once intended for the Yes album Big Generator, but included with his demo album 90124.

Orchestral Arrangements

A listing of orchestral arrangements of Pictures at an Exhibition:

1. Michael Touschmaloff (?1886; 3 'Pictures' and 4 'Promenades' omitted);
2. Henry Wood (1915; 4 'Promenades' omitted);
3. Leo Funtek (1922);
4. Maurice Ravel (1922; '[Promenade V]' omitted);
5. Giuseppe Becce (1922; for 'Salon-Orchestra');
6. Leonidas Leonardi (1924);
7. Lucien Cailliet (1937);
8. Leopold Stokowski (1938; 'Tuileries' and 'Limoges' omitted);
9. Walter Goehr (1942; includes a subsidiary part for piano);
10. Sergei Gortschakow (1954);
11. Lawrence Leonard (1977; for Piano and Orchestra);
12. Vladimir Ashkenazy (1982);
13. Thomas Wilbrandt (1992);
14. Mekong Delta (for group and Orchestra; 1997);

This is an [Incomplete listsincomplete list], which may never be able to satisfy certain standards for completeness. Revisions and additions are welcome.

Non-Orchestral Arrangements

A listing of non-orchestral arrangements of Pictures at an Exhibition:

1. Giuseppe Becce (Piano Trio; 1930);
2. Emerson, Lake & Palmer (Rock group, 1971; see Pictures at an Exhibition (album));
3. Isao Tomita (Synthesizer; 1975);
4. Oskar Gottlieb Blarr (Organ; 1976);
5. Elgar Howarth (Brass Ensemble; 1979);
6. Heinz Wallisch (2 Guitars; 1970's);
7. Arthur Willis (Organ; 1970s);
8. Dr. Keith Chapman (Organ; viz., for the [Wanamaker Organ[link]] 1970's)
9. Günther Kaunzinger (Organ; 1980);
10. Elgar Howarth (Brass Band; 1981);
11. Kazuhito Yamashita (Guitar; 1981);
12. Reginald Haché (2 Pianos; 1982);
13. Jean Guillou (Organ; 1980's);
14. Hans Wilhelm Plate (44 Pianists and 44 Grand Pianos and One 'Prepared Piano'; 1993);
15. Elmar Rothe (3 Guitars; 1995);
16. Mekong Delta (metal version; 1997);
17. Joachim Linckelmann (wind quintet; ca. 1999);

This is an [Incomplete listsincomplete list], which may never be able to satisfy certain standards for completeness. Revisions and additions are welcome.

In addition to the above, 'Pictures' has proven a very popular source of music for marching bands and drum & bugle corps for decades. For example, the Santa Clara Vanguard Drum and Bugle Corps has often used Russian or Russian Themed music, and in 1987 their program was: Russian Christmas Music (Alfred Reed), Dance of the Tumblers (Rimsky-Korsakov), Lezghinka (from the ballet 'Gayaneh') (Khachaturian), Lullaby, Hut of Baba-Yaga (Mussorgsky), and Great Gate of Kiev (Mussorgsky); note that the program closed with pieces from Pictures at an Exhibition.

Movements of the Suite

The order of movements in Pictures at an Exhibition is as follows:

• Promenade (French). B flat major. In this piece Mussorgsky depicts himself entering the exhibition and walking through the gallery to the first exhibit. The melody and rhythm resemble Russian folk songs. The piece has simple, strong rhythms, but a changing meter. Ravel's arrangement uses a ceremonial solo trumpet and brass chorale.

Gnomus (Latin, (the) Gnome). e flat minor. This piece is based on Hartmann's design sketch of a toy nutcracker shaped like "a little gnome walking awkwardly on deformed legs". It is in 3/4 time.

Promenade 2. A flat major. The promenade theme, illustrating the viewer walking from work to work. Ravel's arrangement uses a solo horn alternating with a woodwind.

Il vecchio castello (Italian, The Old Castle). g sharp minor. This piece is based on Hartmann's painting of a troubadour singing in front of a castle. Ravel's arrangement uses an alto saxophone for the melody (presumably representing the troubador) over a drone ostinato. The time signature is 6/8.

Promenade 3. B major. Extremely short (8 measures).

Tuileries (Dispute d'enfants après jeux) (French, Tuileries (Dispute between Children at Play)). B major. Hartmann originally pictured an empty garden near the Louvre in Paris, France. Mussorgsky musically added children chattering and playing in the garden.

Bydło (Polish, Cattle). g sharp minor. This was probably a drawing of a Polish oxcart. Ravel represents the bulk of the oxcart using a solo Tuba (euphonium is often used because of the range of the solo). It is in 2/4 time.

Promenade 4. d minor.

Balet nevylupivshikhsya ptentsov (Russian: , Ballet of the Unhatched Chicks). F major. This is based on Hartmann's costume design sketches for the ballet Trilbi; the chicks are canaries. The time signature is 2/4.

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