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68-412: The composition has become a showpiece for virtuoso pianists, and became widely known from orchestrations and arrangements produced by other composers and contemporary musicians, with Maurice Ravel 's 1922 adaptation for orchestra being the most recorded and performed. The suite, particularly the final movement, "The Bogatyr Gates", is widely considered one of Mussorgsky's greatest works. The composition

136-410: A bagpipe -playing bald man has been identified as a merrier depiction of the home life of Peter and Catherine. Some other scholars have interpreted these lubki motifs as reflecting a concept of Baba Yaga as a shaman . The "crocodile" would in this case represent a monster who fights witches, and the print would be something of a "cultural mélange" that "demonstrate[s] an interest in shamanism at

204-571: A "master" or "ace" who excels technically within any particular field or area of human knowledge—anyone especially or dazzlingly skilled at what they do. The meaning of virtuoso has its roots in the Italian usage of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, signifying an honorific term reserved for a person distinguished in any intellectual or artistic field. The term evolved with time, simultaneously broadening and narrowing in scope as interpretations went in and out of fashion and debates unraveled. Originally

272-441: A 21st-century virtuosi is primarily a performing musician. As virtuosic playing has gained popularity over the centuries, more exciting music has ingrained itself into the culture in unique ways. Many music pedagogues emphasize technique in private teaching as a way to approach modern, virtuosic repertoire. Additionally, much of classical music that becomes popular among non-musicians tends to lean into difficult, flashy styles. In

340-472: A Cloud, Moon, Death, Winter, Snake, Bird, Pelican or Earth Goddess, totemic matriarchal ancestress, female initiator, phallic mother , or archetypal image". Baba Yaga appears on a variety of lubki (singular lubok ), wood block prints popular in late 17th and early 18th century Russia. In some instances, Baba Yaga appears astride a pig going to battle against a reptilian entity referred to as "crocodile". Dmitry Rovinsky interpreted this scene as

408-482: A musician was considered a virtuoso by being an accomplished composer , theorist , or maestro , rather than a skilled performer. In the 17th and 18th centuries, the word shifted in meaning, and many musicians applied it without considering merit, sometimes to themselves. Sébastien de Brossard , in his Dictionnaire de Musique ( Paris , 1703), approached the word virtuoso by its Latin root virtu emphasizing exceptional training, especially in theory. This position

476-455: A new work glimpsed. A turn is taken in the work at the "Catacombae" when the Promenade theme stops functioning as merely a linking device and becomes, in "Cum mortuis", an integral element of the movement itself. The theme reaches its apotheosis in the suite's finale, "The Bogatyr Gates". The first two movements of the suite—one grand, one grotesque—find mirrored counterparts, and apotheoses, at

544-471: A particular art or field such as fine arts , music, singing , playing a musical instrument , or composition. This word also refers to a person who has cultivated appreciation of artistic excellence, either as a connoisseur or collector . The plural forms of virtuoso is either virtuosi or the Anglicisation virtuosos , and the feminine forms are virtuosa and virtuose . According to Music in

612-505: A picturesque scene in the ballet Trilby ." Gerald Abraham provides the following details: " Trilby or The Demon of the Heath , a ballet with choreography by Petipa , music by Julius Gerber, and décor by Hartmann, based on Charles Nodier 's Trilby , or The Elf of Argyle , was produced at the Bolshoi Theatre , Saint Petersburg, in 1871. The fledglings were canary chicks." The movement

680-524: A political parody . Peter the Great persecuted Old Believers , who in turn referred to him as a crocodile. Rovinsky notices that some lubki feature a ship below the crocodile, interpreted as a hint to the rule of Peter the Great, while Baba Yaga dressed in a Finnish dress ("chukhonka dress") is a hint to Peter the Great's wife Catherine I , sometimes derisively referred to as the chukhonka ('Finnish woman'). A lubok that features Baba Yaga dancing with

748-457: A regular occurrence. Baba Yaga Baba Yaga is an enigmatic or ambiguous character from Slavic folklore (or one of a trio of sisters of the same name) who has two opposite roles. In some motifs she is described as a repulsive or ferocious-looking old woman who fries and eats children, while in others she is a nice old woman who helps out the hero. She is often associated with forest wildlife. Her distinctive traits are flying around in

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816-525: A small hut identical to the first. This Baba Yaga makes the same comments and asks the same question as the first, and Ivan asks the same question. This second Baba Yaga does not know either and directs him to the third, but says that if she gets angry with him "and wants to devour you, take three horns from her and ask her permission to blow them; blow the first one softly, the second one louder, and third still louder." Ivan thanks her and continues on his journey. After walking for some time, Ivan eventually finds

884-463: A stove, being intended as storehouses and not for living. The Karelian figure Syöjätär has some aspects of Baba Yaga, but only the negative ones, while in other Karelian tales, helpful roles akin to those from Baba Yaga may be performed by a character called akka ('old woman'). Mussorgsky 's 1874 suite Pictures at an Exhibition has a movement titled "The Hut on Hen's Legs (Baba Yaga)". The rock adaptation of this piece recorded by

952-405: A touch of melancholy and a more flowing, gloomy Andante that introduces the Promenade theme into the scene. Virtuoso A virtuoso (from Italian virtuoso , Italian: [virˈtwoːzo] or Italian: [virtuˈoːso] ; Late Latin virtuosus ; Latin virtus ; 'virtue', 'excellence' or 'skill') is an individual who possesses outstanding talent and technical ability in

1020-427: A wooden mortar , wielding a pestle, and dwelling deep in the forest in a hut standing on chicken legs. Variations of the name Baba Yaga are found in many Slavic languages . In Serbian , Macedonian , Croatian , Bosnian , Romanian and Bulgarian , baba means 'grandmother' or 'old woman'. In contemporary Polish and Russian, baba / баба is also a pejorative synonym for 'woman', in particular one that

1088-488: Is based on pictures by the artist, architect, and designer Viktor Hartmann . It was probably in 1868 that Mussorgsky first met Hartmann, not long after the latter's return to Russia from abroad. Both men were devoted to the cause of an intrinsically Russian art and quickly became friends. They likely met in the home of the influential critic Vladimir Stasov , who followed both of their careers with interest. According to Stasov's testimony, in 1868, Hartmann gave Mussorgsky two of

1156-412: Is boiling as Boris boiled—sounds and ideas hung in the air, I am gulping and overeating, and can barely manage to scribble them on paper. I am writing the 4th No.—the transitions are good (on the 'promenade'). I want to work more quickly and steadily. My physiognomy can be seen in the interludes. So far I think it's well turned ... The music depicts his tour of the exhibition, with each of

1224-416: Is capable of displaying feats of skill well above the average performer. Especially in music, both critics and musicians have mixed opinions on virtuosity. While the skill implied is clearly positive, musicians focused on virtuosity have been criticized for overlooking substance and emotion in favor of raw technical prowess. More commonly applied in the context of the fine arts , the term can also refer to

1292-461: Is cast in ternary form (ABA) with a literal repeat and terse extension ( coda ). Stasov's comment: "Two Jews: rich and poor" (Russian: Два еврея: богатый и бедный ) Stasov's explanatory title elucidates the personal names used in Mussorgsky's original manuscript. Published versions display various combinations, such as "Two Polish Jews, Rich and Poor (Samuel Goldenberg and Schmuyle)". The movement

1360-407: Is cast in through-composed ternary form (ABA) with coda. Mussorgsky's original piano version of this movement begins fortissimo ( ff ), suggesting that the lumbering oxcart 's journey begins in the listener's foreground. After reaching a climax ( con tutta forza ), the dynamic marking is abruptly piano (bar 47), followed by a diminuendo to a final pianississimo ( ppp ), suggesting

1428-589: Is mentioned twice among other figures largely from Slavic tradition. The second of the two mentions occurs within a list of Slavic gods and beings next to their presumed equivalence in Roman mythology (the Slavic god Perun , for example, appears equated with the Roman god Jupiter ). Baba Yaga, however, appears in a third section without an equivalence, highlighting her perceived uniqueness even in this first known attestation. In

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1496-449: Is old, dirty or foolish. As with other kinship terms in Slavic languages, baba may be used in other ways, potentially as a result of taboo ; it may be applied to various animals, natural phenomena, and objects, such as types of mushrooms, cake or pears. In the Polesia region of Ukraine, the plural baby may refer to an autumn funeral feast. The element may appear as a means of glossing

1564-416: Is shown below: Stasov's comment: "A sketch depicting a little gnome, clumsily running with crooked legs." Hartmann's sketch, now lost, is thought to represent a design for a nutcracker displaying large teeth. The lurching music, in contrasting tempos with frequent stops and starts, suggests the movements of the gnome. A placid statement of the promenade melody depicts the viewer walking from one display to

1632-484: Is thought to be based on two separate extant portraits. The use of augmented second intervals approximates Jewish modes such as the Phrygian dominant scale . The movement is in ternary form A – B – A+B : A nearly bar-for-bar restatement of the opening promenade. Differences are slight: condensed second half, block chords voiced more fully. Structurally, the movement acts as a reprise, giving listeners another hearing of

1700-445: The "triviality and exhibitionist talents of the performer" voicing his opinion strongly: "The real dignity of the virtuoso rests solely on the dignity he is able to preserve for creative art; if he or she trifles and toys with this, he casts his honour away. He or she is the intermediary of the artistic idea. " In the nineteenth century, the public beliefs and attitudes surrounding virtuosity in music greatly varied. Many believed that it

1768-606: The "true virtuoso", once again emphasizing theory (" der wahre Virtuose "), while describing the "highly gifted musician" (" der glückselige Musicus ") or "performer virtuoso" as having nothing more than practical facility. The concept of virtuosity today is typically associated with flashy, technical performance rather than accomplishments as a composer, theorist, etc. Modern virtuosi are known for fast, exciting works and often for using their talents in spaces like international competitions. While historical virtuosi like Niccolò Paganini and Franz Liszt were performers as well as composers,

1836-890: The Bulgarian gorska maika (Горска майка', 'Forest Mother', also the name of a flower ); the Hungarian vasorrú bába ('Iron-nose Midwife'), the Serbian Baba Korizma , Gvozdenzuba ('Iron-tooth'), Baba Roga (used to scare children in Bosnia , Croatia , Montenegro , North Macedonia and Serbia ), šumska majka ('Forest Mother'), and the babice; and the Slovenian jaga baba or ježibaba , Pehta or Pehtra baba and kvatrna baba or kvatrnica . In Romanian folklore, similarities have been identified in several figures, including Mama padurii ('Forest Mother') or Baba Cloanța referring to

1904-532: The English progressive rock band Emerson, Lake & Palmer includes a two-part track "The Hut of Baba Yaga", interrupted by "The Curse of Baba Yaga" (movements 8 to 10). Animated segments telling the story of Baba Yaga were used in the 2014 documentary The Vanquishing of the Witch Baba Yaga , directed by American filmmaker Jessica Oreck . GennaRose Nethercott's first novel, Thistlefoot , "reimagines Baba Yaga as

1972-611: The Fair ", " Marya Moryevna ", "Realms of Copper, Silver, and Gold"  [ fr ] , " The Sea Tsar and Vasilisa the Wise ", and "Legless Knight and Blind Knight" (English titles from Magnus's translation). Andreas Johns describes Baba Yaga as "one of the most memorable and distinctive figures in eastern European folklore", and observes that she is "enigmatic" and often exhibits "striking ambiguity". He characterizes Baba Yaga as "a many-faceted figure, capable of inspiring researchers to see her as

2040-411: 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. Mussorgsky based his musical material on drawings and watercolours by Hartmann produced mostly during the artist's travels abroad. Locales include Italy, France, Poland, Russia, and Ukraine. Today most of

2108-461: The Western civilization by Piero Weiss and Richard Taruskin : ..."A virtuoso was, originally, a highly accomplished musician, but by the nineteenth century the term had become restricted to performers, both vocal and instrumental, whose technical accomplishments were so pronounced as to dazzle the public." The defining element of virtuosity is the performance ability of the musician in question, who

Pictures at an Exhibition - Misplaced Pages Continue

2176-508: The chicken-legged hut of the youngest of the three sisters turning in an open field. This third and youngest of the Baba Yagas makes the same comment about "the Russian smell" before running to whet her teeth and consume Ivan. Ivan begs her to give him three horns and she does so. The first he blows softly, the second louder, and the third louder yet. This causes birds of all sorts to arrive and swarm

2244-571: The composer's friend and colleague Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov was published. This edition, however, was not a completely accurate representation of Mussorgsky's score but presented a revised text that contained a number of errors and misreadings. Only in 1931, marking the 50th anniversary of the composer's death, was Pictures at an Exhibition published in a scholarly edition in agreement with his manuscript, to be included in Volume 8 of Pavel Lamm's M. P. Mussorgsky: Complete Collected Works (1939). In 1940,

2312-483: The composition of the musical illustrations for Pictures from an Exhibition by the architect Hartmann, he reached the acme of that musical radicalism, to whose 'new shores' and to whose 'unfathomed depths' the admirers of his 'Peepshows' and 'Savishnas' had pushed him so diligently. In music for these illustrations, as Mussorgsky called them, he represented [chicks], children, Baba Yaga in her wooden house on chicken legs, catacombs, gates, and even rattling carts. All this

2380-560: The element iaga has been linked to Lithuanian engti ('to abuse (continuously)', 'to belittle', 'to exploit'), Old English inca ('doubt', 'worry", 'pain'), and Old Norse ekki ('pain', 'worry'). Vladimir Propp wrote that depictions of Baba Yaga taken from various fairy tales do not create a coherent image. The first clear reference to Baba Yaga ( Iaga baba ) occurs in 1755 in Mikhail V. Lomonosov 's Russian Grammar  [ ru ] . In Lomonosov's grammar book, Baba Yaga

2448-626: The end. The suite traces a journey that begins at an art exhibition, but the line between observer and observed vanishes at the Catacombs when the journey takes on a different character. The table below shows the order of movements. Vladimir Stasov 's comment: In this piece Mussorgsky depicts himself "roving through the exhibition, now leisurely, now briskly in order to come close to a picture that had attracted his attention, and at times sadly, thinking of his departed friend." The piece has simple, strong rhythms in asymmetrical meter . The promenade theme

2516-443: The exhibition the two pictures Hartmann had given him, and viewed the show in person. Later in June, two-thirds of the way through composing his song cycle Sunless , Mussorgsky was inspired to compose Pictures at an Exhibition , quickly completing the score in three weeks (2–22 June 1874). In a letter to Stasov (see photo), probably written on 12 June 1874, he describes his progress: My dear généralissime, Hartmann

2584-454: The fiery river, lives the Baba Yaga." In some tales, a trio of Baba Yagas appears as sisters, all sharing the same name. For example, in a version of "The Maiden Tsar" collected in the 19th century by Alexander Afanasyev , Ivan, a handsome merchant's son, makes his way to the home of one of three Baba Yagas: He journeyed onwards, straight ahead ... and finally came to a little hut; it stood in

2652-522: The forest" plainly resembles huts raised on one or several stilts using stump with roots for the stilts, in popular use by Finno-Ugric peoples and also found in forests rather than villages. The stumps with roots may be uprooted and laid in a new place as in the example exhibited in Skansen, or in ground where it was felled. Like Baba Yaga's hut, these are normally cramped for a person, though unlike Baba Yaga's house they do not actively walk and also do not contain

2720-640: The garden of the Tuileries, with a swarm of children and nurses." Hartmann's picture of the Jardin des Tuileries near the Louvre in Paris (France) is now lost. Figures of children quarrelling and playing in the garden were likely added by the artist for scale (see note on No. 2 above). The movement is cast in through-composed ternary form (ABA). Stasov's comment: "A Polish cart on enormous wheels, drawn by oxen." The movement

2788-465: The hut to another. Baba Yaga may sense and mention the russkiy dukh ('Russian scent') of those that visit her. Her nose may stick into the ceiling. Particular emphasis may be placed by some narrators on the repulsiveness of her nose, breasts, buttocks, or vulva. Sometimes Baba Yaga is said to live in the Faraway or Thrice-ninth Tsardom : "Beyond the thrice-nine kingdoms, in the thirtieth realm, beyond

Pictures at an Exhibition - Misplaced Pages Continue

2856-469: The hut. One of the birds is the firebird , which tells him to hop on its back or Baba Yaga will eat him. He does so and the Baba Yaga rushes him and grabs the firebird by its tail. The firebird leaves with Ivan, leaving Baba Yaga behind with a fistful of firebird feathers. In Afanasyev's collection of tales, Baba Yaga also appears in "Baba Yaga and Zamoryshek", "By Command of the Prince Daniel", " Vasilisa

2924-517: The last two songs of Sunless and then resumed work on Khovanshchina , composing the prelude to Act 1 ("Dawn on the Moscow River") in September. As with most of Mussorgsky's works, Pictures at an Exhibition has a complicated publication history. Although composed very rapidly, during June 1874, the work did not appear in print until 1886, five years after the composer's death, when an edition by

2992-506: The late 18th century, people began to use the term to describe an instrumentalist or vocalist who pursued a career as a soloist. The tension about the merit of practical virtuosity started to grow at the same time and intensified in the 19th century, only to remain an open debate since then. Franz Liszt , considered one of the greatest of all virtuosos, declared that "virtuosity is not an outgrowth, but an indispensable element of music" ( Gesammelte Schriften , iv, 1855–9). Richard Wagner opposed

3060-603: The limited Slavic area—East Slavic nations, Slovakia, and the Czech lands —in which references to Ježibaba are recorded. Jędza  [ pl ] , another figure related to Baba Yaga, appears in Polish folklore. Similarities between Baba Yaga and other beings in folklore may be due to either direct relation or cultural contact between the Eastern Slavs and other surrounding peoples. In Central and Eastern Europe, these figures include

3128-416: The manuscript. The movement is a scherzo in through-composed ternary form (ABA). A scurrying coda leads without a break into the next movement. Stasov's comment: "Hartmann represented himself examining the Paris catacombs by the light of a lantern." The movement is in two distinct parts. Its two sections consist of a nearly static Largo consisting of a sequence of block chords with elegiac lines adding

3196-443: The narratives in which Baba Yaga appears, she displays a number of distinctive attributes: a turning, chicken-legged hut; and a mortar, pestle , and/or mop or broom. Baba Yaga may ride on the broom or, most recognizably, inside a mortar, using the broom to sweep away her tracks. Russian ethnographer Andrey Toporkov  [ ru ] explains Baba Yaga's selection of tools by numerous pagan rituals involving women. He suggests that

3264-553: The next. Stasov's comment: "A medieval castle before which a troubadour sings a song." This movement is thought to be based on a watercolor depiction of an Italian castle and is portrayed in Ravel's orchestration by a bassoon and alto saxophone duet. Hartmann often placed appropriate human figures in his architectural renderings to suggest scale. Another brief statement of the promenade melody (8 measures) gives it more extroversion and weight than before. Stasov's comment: "An avenue in

3332-516: The nose as a bird's beak. In neighboring Germanic Europe, similarities have been observed between the Alpine Perchta and Holda or Holle in the folklore of Central and Northern Germany, and the Swiss Chlungeri . Some scholars have proposed that the concept of Baba Yaga was influenced by East Slavic contact with Finno-Ugric and Siberian peoples . The " hut on chicken legs deep in

3400-579: The open field, turning on chicken legs. He entered and found Baba Yaga the Bony-legged. "Fie, fie," she said, "the Russian smell was never heard of nor caught sight of here, but it has come by itself. Are you here of your own free will or by compulsion, my good youth?" "Largely of my own free will, and twice as much by compulsion! Do you know, Baba Yaga, where lies the thrice tenth kingdom?" "No, I do not," she said, and told him to go to her second sister; she might know.. Ivan walks for some time before encountering

3468-474: The opening material before these are developed in the second half of the suite. Many arrangements, including Ravel's orchestral version, omit this movement. Stasov's comment: "French women quarrelling violently in the market." Limoges is a city in central France. Mussorgsky originally provided two paragraphs in French that described a marketplace discussion (the 'great news'), but subsequently crossed them out in

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3536-404: The oxcart receding into the distance. Rimsky-Korsakov 's edition, and arrangements based on it such as Ravel's, begin quietly, build gradually ( crescendo ) to fortissimo and then undergo a diminuendo , suggesting the oxcart approaching, passing the listener, and then receding. A reflective 10-measure presentation of the promenade theme . Stasov's comment: "Hartmann's design for the décor of

3604-428: The pestle was first to be used by Baba Yaga, because it may be used as a weapon (as such, it was used in a number of rituals) and the mortar was added later by an association. Baba Yaga often bears the epithet Baba Yaga kostyanaya noga ('bony leg'), or Baba Yaga s zheleznymi zubami ('with iron teeth') and when inside her dwelling, she may be found stretched out over the stove, reaching from one corner of

3672-728: The pictures from the Hartmann exhibition are lost, making it impossible to be sure in many cases which Hartmann works Mussorgsky had in mind. Arts critic Alfred Frankenstein gave an account of Hartmann, with reproductions of his pictures, in the article "Victor Hartmann and Modeste Mussorgsky" in The Musical Quarterly (July 1939). Frankenstein claimed to have identified seven pictures by catalogue number, corresponding to: The surviving works that can be shown with certainty to have been used by Mussorgsky in assembling his suite, along with their titles, are as follows: Note: Mussorgsky owned

3740-623: The pictures that later formed the basis of Pictures at an Exhibition . In 1870, Mussorgsky dedicated the second song ("In the Corner") of the cycle The Nursery to Hartmann. Stasov remarked that Hartmann loved Mussorgsky's compositions, and particularly liked the "Scene by the Fountain" in his opera Boris Godunov . Mussorgsky had abandoned the scene in his original 1869 version, but at the requests of Stasov and Hartmann, he reworked it for Act 3 in his revision of 1872. The years 1873–74 are associated with

3808-522: The public tumultuously called for Mussorgsky." The composer's victory, however, was overshadowed by the hostile press he received from critics. Other circumstances conspired to dampen Mussorgsky's spirits. The disintegration of The Mighty Handful and their failure to understand his artistic goals contributed to the isolation he experienced as an outsider in Saint Petersburg's musical establishment. Golenishchev-Kutuzov wrote: "[The Mighty Handful's] banner

3876-946: The second element, iaga , with a familiar component or may have also been applied as a means of distinguishing Baba Yaga from a male counterpart. Yaga is more etymologically problematic and there exists no clear consensus among scholars about its meaning. In the 19th century, Alexander Afanasyev proposed the derivation of Proto-Slavic * ož and Sanskrit ahi ('serpent'). This etymology has been explored by 20th-century scholars. Related terms appear in Serbian and Croatian jeza ('horror', 'shudder', 'chill'), Slovene jeza ('anger'), Old Czech jězě ('witch', 'legendary evil female being'), modern Czech jezinka ('wicked wood nymph', ' dryad '), and Polish jędza ('witch', 'evil woman', 'fury'). The term appears in Old Church Slavonic as jęza/jędza ('disease'). In other Indo-European languages

3944-401: The six known extant pictures suggest the ten pieces that make up the suite correspond to eleven pictures by Hartmann, with "Samuel Goldenberg und Schmuÿle" accounting for two. The five Promenades are not numbered with the ten pictures and consist in the composer's manuscript of two titled movements and three untitled interludes appended to the first, second, and fourth pictures. Mussorgsky links

4012-454: The staging of Boris Godunov , the zenith of Mussorgsky's career as a composer—at least from the standpoint of public acclaim. Mussorgsky's distant relative, friend, and roommate during this period, Arseniy Golenishchev-Kutuzov , describing the January 1874 premiere of the opera, remarked: "During the winter, there were, I think, nine performances, and each time the theatre was sold out, each time

4080-403: The suite's movements in a way that depicts the viewer's own progress through the exhibition. Two Promenade movements stand as portals to the suite's main sections. Their regular pace and irregular meter depict the act of walking. Three untitled interludes present shorter statements of this theme , varying the mood, colour, and key in each to suggest reflection on a work just seen or anticipation of

4148-555: The ten numbers of the suite serving as a musical illustration of an individual work by Hartmann. Five days after finishing the composition, he wrote on the title page of the manuscript a tribute to Vladimir Stasov, to whom the work is dedicated. One month later, he added an indication that he intended to have it published. Golenishchev-Kutuzov gives the following (perhaps biased) account of the work's reception among Mussorgsky's friends and colleagues and an explanation for his failure to follow through on his plans to publish it: Soon, with

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4216-509: The time these prints were made." Ježibaba  [ cs ] , a figure closely related to Baba Yaga, occurs in the folklore of the West Slavic peoples . The two figures may originate from a common figure known during the Middle Ages or earlier; both figures are similarly ambiguous in character, but differ in appearance and the different tale types they occur in. Questions linger regarding

4284-427: The time". According to Andreas Johns, "Neither of these two interpretations significantly changes the image of Baba Yaga familiar from folktales. Either she can be seen as a literal evil witch, treated somewhat humorously in these prints, or as a figurative 'witch', an unpopular foreign empress. Both literal and figurative understandings of Baba Yaga are documented in the nineteenth century and were probably present at

4352-485: The two pictures that together inspired No. 6, the so-called "Two Jews". The title of No. 6b, as provided by the Soviet editors of his letters, is Сандомирский [еврей] ( Sandomirskiy [yevrey] or Sandomierz [Jew] ). The bracketed word yevrey ( lit. "Hebrew") is the sanitized form of the actual word in the title, very likely the derogatory epithet жид ( zhid or yid ). Vladimir Stasov 's program, identified below, and

4420-506: Was also defended in Johann Gottfried Walther 's Musicalisches Lexicon (1732) favoring the theorist over the performer. Johann Mattheson 's Der brauchbare Virtuoso (1720) maintained the respect for the traditional " theoretische Virtuosen " (theoretical virtuoso) but also paid tribute to the " virtuosi prattici " (performer virtuoso). Johann Kuhnau in his The Musical Charlatan ( Der musikalische Quack-Salber , 1700) defined

4488-411: Was essential for success, while others believed it was a detriment. The celebrity status obtained by such performers was often fueled by tabloid-like rumors, mythical comparisons, and manipulative marketing tactics. On one such occasion, a London theatre critic referred to a Paganini concert as his "fifth and final concert." Purposefully presenting misinformation to gain publicity for the performers became

4556-635: Was held by Mussorgsky alone; all the other members had left it and pursued his own path ..." Hartmann's sudden death on 4 August 1873 from an aneurysm shook Mussorgsky along with others in Russia's art world. The loss of the artist, aged only 39, plunged the composer into deep despair. Stasov helped to organize a memorial exhibition of over 400 Hartmann works in the Imperial Academy of Arts in Saint Petersburg in February and March 1874. Mussorgsky lent to

4624-541: Was not done jokingly, but 'seriously'. There was no end to the enthusiasm shown by his devotees; but many of Mussorgsky's friends, on the other hand, and especially the comrade composers, were seriously puzzled and, listening to the 'novelty,' shook their heads in bewilderment. Naturally, Mussorgsky noticed their bewilderment and seemed to feel that he 'had gone too far.' He set the illustrations aside without even trying to publish them. Mussorgsky devoted himself exclusively to Khovanshchina . In August, Mussorgsky completed

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