Modest Mussorgsky: Where am I!? Between the partition of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth (1795) and Gleb Krzhizhanovsky, Sergei Korolev. Reflections after reading half of the book "Mussorgsky" (the author of the book - Sergei Fedyakin)
Аннотация: Modest Mussorgsky: Where am I!? Between the partition of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth (1795) and Gleb Krzhizhanovsky, Sergei Korolev. Reflections after reading half of the book "Mussorgsky" (the author of the book - Sergei Fedyakin).
Modest Mussorgsky: Where am I!? Between the partition of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth (1795) and Gleb Krzhizhanovsky, Sergei Korolev. Reflections after reading half of the book "Mussorgsky" (the author of the book - Sergei Fedyakin).
1. My overall impression of reading.
Reading a book about Mussorgsky (the author of the book - Sergei Fedyakin) [Сергей Федякин 'Мусоргский'] is a very tedious task. It feels like you are swallowing food that is not suitable for swallowing. A tedious task.
An incomprehensible person appears before the reader. He seems to be settled comfortably. But he does not feel himself comfortably. But he is not happy at all. Everything is somehow wrong.
What is he doing? He talks, he produces a conversations, he creates a music ...
Why is everything going wrong? It's not clear...
2. Mussorgsky does not want to live where he ended up.
1857 - piano piece "Childhood Recollection".
1858 - song "Where are you, little star?" with the words of N. Grekov.
1865 - piece for piano "From childhood memories - No. 1."
1867 - score for the "Ivan's Night on Lysaya Gora [Ivan's Night on Bald Mountain]".
1868 - finished the song "The Orphan" (with using his own words). Beginning of work on the recitative opera "The Marriage" based on the comedy of the same name by Nikolai Gogol.
1869 - the score for the opera "Boris Godunov" was completed.
1872 - the beginning of work on the opera "Khovanshchina".
1874, January - the first performance of the opera "Boris Godunov" ...
1874, autumn - The idea of the cycle "Songs and Dances of Death" ...
Childhood memories ...
Marriage - in accordance to Gogol - ...
Boris Godunov and Khovanshchina are historical episodes of the transfer of power (Khovanshchina is the transfer of power to tsarevna Sophia; Khovansky is the head of the Streltsy, who advocated a change of power). Alexander Pushkin completed writing "Boris Godunov" in 1825 ... Alexander Pushkin's "Boris Godunov" was about the transience, fleetingness of government figurs ...
Sergei Fedyakin quotes Pushkin: 'He [Mussorgsky] could not be either a supporter or an opponent of Peter [the First - whose rival in his childhood was tsarevna Sophia (Sophia Alekseyevna ruled as regent of Russia from 1682 to 1689)]. Did he [Mussorgsky] know or did he not know those words of Pushkin that he would utter about the defeat of the Decembrists? - "Let's look at this tragedy through the eyes of Shakespeare."
The Bald Mountain - with all its inhabitants.
Where is love, passion, Sun, pleasures? ... Where, at last, are the umbrellas of Cherbourg?
3. Mussorgsky is not a desirable person there - where he ended up.
The society in which Mussorgsky lived was far from his creative interests.
By the will of events, he found a few people who were interested in the new Russian music. But even members of this friendly community evaluated Mussorgsky's work (creative result) with high level of critisizm - after the resounding success of the opera "Boris Godunov".
Four admirers, women, privately prepared a wreath for Mussorgsky. They planned to present the wreath on stage, - in any case, publicly. The public presentation of the wreath was disrupted. (Obstacles have been created). The fact of handing the wreath, albeit, even in a private setting, caused constant hostile comments from people close to music (and to Mussorgsky) (including in the press).
The production of the opera "Boris Godunov" was the result of, in general, random events.
If not for a happy coincidence of circumstances, Mussorgsky would have been destined to endlessly remake ('improve') his opera, until this fascinating process would end with a creative crisis and a loud life catastrophe.
A certain number of "ardent admirers"; a getting into the mood of a part of the audience (in the operas "Boris Godunov" and "Khovanshchina" there is a hint of illicit free-thinking. Such accent attracted part of the audience).
Mussorgsky is needed by his brother and those few people with whom he periodically draws closer on the basis of musical interests.
3. Financial and career problems of Mussorgsky.
There is no sign of any special favor to Mussorgsky from the side of the "top".
Mussorgsky's estate (manor) is not in a positive state. He is forced to serve as an official in the civil service ... Traveling abroad to meet with famous European composers is an (insurmountable) problem for him due to lack of funds. It would seem that the resounding success of the opera 'Boris Godunov' should improve Mussorgsky's financial situation. But I have already read half of the book "Mussorgsky", and there is still no mention of the composer's financial well-being ...
Mussorgsky's personal life is in an unsettled state ...
4. Incomprehensible (almost suspicious) person. Mussorgsky feels himself not comfortably.
There is no financial abundance, no stable social position. Mussorgsky has no money to buy any real estate in the capital. The book tell of saving money when Musorgsky rented housing in the capital ... To save money, he lives with his brother's family, visits his friends (he lived in their houses).
If finances allowed, then Mussorgsky could leave the service ... But who would he become in that case?
Playing piano as a touring pianist is a separate profession ... A living off at expense of music lessons? - In his youth, he gave piano lessons for some time in a family of distant relatives, in their village estate (manor) ... To be busy with such job in the capital?
Only the noble origin, without the good estate (manor), during a life in St. Petersburg, did not give a stable reputation and a stable social position.
A widely-known (in narrow circles) composer? There is something slightly dubious in such position, close to the concept of "incomprehensible (suspicious) person" ...
In part, Mussorgsky, who had deep and extensive knowledge in the field of musical art, could himself appreciate the own creative level and own contribution to the art of music, to Russian culture. In part, the role of Mussorgsky became clear after many years.
Yes, Mussorgsky is able to hear music; music spontaneously arises in his mind; visible pictures of reality by themselves are transformed in his head into musical melodies.
It would seem that this is a happy creative gift (artistic talent). But in the biography of Mussorgsky, the words "mental illness", "addiction to alcohol" appear.
The time has not yet come for either Gleb Krzhizhanovsky or Sergei Korolev. Mussorgsky is somewhat confuses, he is bewildered a little... What's wrong with him? What are the sources of un-positive line of events, of the discomfortable situation? Where does the unfavorable occasions come from? What's wrong with him?
From his historical and human position, Mussorgsky cannot understand that everything is all right with him. Even more, he is one of those who create the classic Russian culture of the 19th century.
The environment have the problems - the environment into which Modest Mussorgsky got by the will of historical events, and in which he lives.
Mussorgsky feels himself not comfortably ...
These are my impressions after the reading of half of the book "Mussorgsky".
September 28, 2021 20:53
Translation from Russian into English: September 29, 2021 21:06.
Владимир Владимирович Залесский 'Модест Мусоргский: Куда я попал!? Между разделом Речи Посполитой (1795) и Глебом Кржижановским, Сергеем Королевым. Размышления после прочтения половины книги 'Мусоргский' от Сергея Федякина'.
{ 2425. Модест Мусоргский: Куда я попал!? Между разделом Речи Посполитой (1795) и Глебом Кржижановским, Сергеем Королевым. Размышления после прочтения половины книги 'Мусоргский' от Сергея Федякина. }