Modest Mussorgsky in 1870

Zhenitba (Russian: Женитьба, Zhenit'ba, The Marriage) is an unfinished opera begun in 1868 by Modest Mussorgsky to his own libretto based on Nikolai Gogol's comedy (1842). The Marriage is a satire of courtship and cowardice, which centres around a young woman, Agafya, who is wooed by four bachelors, each with his own idiosyncrasies. Image File history File links Download high resolution version (459x654, 230 KB)Public Domain This image is in the public domain because its copyright has expired in the United States and those countries with a copyright term of life of the author plus 100 years or less. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (459x654, 230 KB)Public Domain This image is in the public domain because its copyright has expired in the United States and those countries with a copyright term of life of the author plus 100 years or less. ... Sydney Opera House: one of the worlds most recognisable opera houses and landmarks. ... 1868 (MDCCCLXVIII) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar or a leap year starting on Friday of the 12-day-slower Julian calendar. ... Modest Mussorgsky Modest Petrovich Mussorgsky (more accurately spelled Musorgsky) (Russian: , Modest Petrovič Musorgskij, French: ) (March 9/21, 1839 – March 16/28, 1881), one of the Russian composers known as the Five, was an innovator of Russian music. ... A libretto is the complete body of words used in an extended musical work such as an opera, operetta, masque, sacred or secular oratorio and cantata, musical, and ballet. ... Nikolai Gogol Gogol redirects here. ... Comedy has a classical meaning (comical theatre) and a popular one (the use of humour with an intent to provoke laughter in general). ... 1842 was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ...

Mussorgsky's inscription

Title page of Mussorgsky's manuscript of Zhenitba, 1868

«Женитьба (Совершенно невероятное событие в трёх действиях). Опыт драматической музыки в прозе.» — “The Marriage. A completely improbable event in three acts. (An experiment of dramatic music in the prose).”

Mussorgsky continues: "The work began on Tuesday , June 11, 1868 in Petrograd [St Petersburg], and was finished on Tuesday, July 8, 1868 in the village Shilovo, Tula District."

History of creation

The idea to write this opera came from the advice and influence of Alexander Dargomyzhsky, who began to compose his own experimental opera, The Stone Guest, to Pushkin's tragedy just two years earlier (in 1866). Dargomyzhsky declared that the text would be set "just as it stands, so that the inner truth of the text should not be distorted", and in a manner that abolished the 'unrealistic' division between aria and recitative in favour of a continuous mode of syllabic but lyrically heightened declamation somewhere between the two. In 1868, Mussorgsky rapidly set the first eleven scenes of Zhenitba, with his priority being to render into music the natural accents and patterns of the play's naturalistic and deliberately humdrum dialogue. The aim of Mussorgsky was to create individual musical signatures for each character using the natural rhythms of the text. The first act was completed in 1868 in a vocal score. Alexander Sergeyevich Dargomyzhsky Александр Сергеевич Даргомыжский (February 14, 1813–May 17, 1869) was a 19th century Russian composer. ... The Stone Guest is a poetic drama by Aleksandr Pushkin based on the Spanish legend of Don Juan. ... Pushkin may refer to: People Aleksandr Pushkin - a famous Russian poet Apollo Mussin-Pushkin - chemist and plant collector Aleksei Musin-Pushkin - statesman, historian, art collector Other Pushkin, a town in Russia Pushkin Square - square in Moscow Pushkin Museum - fine arts museum in Moscow This is a disambiguation page — a navigational... This article is about the musical term aria. ... Recitative, a form of composition often used in operas, oratorios, cantatas and similar works, is described as a melodic speech set to music, or a descriptive narrative song in which the music follows the words. ... Vocal score or Piano-vocal score is a music score of an opera, or a vocal or choral composition with orchestra (like oratorio or cantata) where the vocal parts are written out in full but the accompaniment is reduced to two staves and adapted for playing on piano. ...

The Marriage was one of Mussorgsky's first musical masterpieces. It was an experiment in Russian opera, using grotesque and satirical musical language.

First Performance

The first concert performance at Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov's house took place in 1906. It was staged with a piano accompaniment in 1908, St Petersburg. Portrait of Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov by Valentin Serov (1898) Nikolai Andreyevich Rimsky-Korsakov (Russian: , Nikolaj Andreevič Rimskij-Korsakov), also Nikolay, Nicolai, and Rimsky-Korsakoff, (March 6/18, 1844 – June 8/21, 1908) was a Russian composer and teacher of harmony and orchestration. ... 1908 (MCMVIII) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will take you to calendar). ... Saint Petersburg (Russian: Санкт-Петербу́рг, English transliteration: Sankt-Peterburg), colloquially known as Питер (transliterated Piter), formerly known as Leningrad (Ленингра́д, 1924–1991) and Petrograd (Петрогра́д, 1914–1924), is a city located in Northwestern Russia on the delta of the river Neva at the east end of the Gulf of Finland...

Roles

Baritone (French: baryton; German: Bariton; Italian: baritono) is most commonly the type of male voice that lies between bass and tenor. ... Felix Mikhailovich Blumenfeld, (born 17/19 April 1863, Kovalevka, [Kherson] - died 21 January 1931 in Moscow) was a Russian composer, conductor and pianist. ... In music, a tenor is a male singer with a high voice (although not as high as the modern countertenor). ... A mezzo-soprano (meaning medium soprano in Italian) is a female singer with a range usually extending from the A below middle C to the F an eleventh above middle C. Mezzo-sopranos generally have a darker (or lower) vocal tone than sopranos, and their vocal range is between that... Portrait of Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov by Valentin Serov (1898) Nikolai Andreyevich Rimsky-Korsakov (Russian: , Nikolaj Andreevič Rimskij-Korsakov), also Nikolay, Nicolai, and Rimsky-Korsakoff, (March 6/18, 1844 – June 8/21, 1908) was a Russian composer and teacher of harmony and orchestration. ... A bass (or basso in Italian) is a male singer who sings in the lowest vocal range of the human voice. ... Igor Fyodorovich Stravinsky (Russian: И́горь Фёдорович Страви́нский Igor Fjodorovič Stravinskij) (June 17, 1882 – April 6, 1971) was a Russian-born composer of modern classical music. ...

Publication

A vocal score was first published in 1908 by Vasily Bessel (St Petersburg) edited by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov. The original composer’s version was published by Muzgiz (Moscow) together with Universal Edition in 1933 (in the second issue of Volume IV of the Complete Works by Mussorgsky"). Vocal score or Piano-vocal score is a music score of an opera, or a vocal or choral composition with orchestra (like oratorio or cantata) where the vocal parts are written out in full but the accompaniment is reduced to two staves and adapted for playing on piano. ... Saint Petersburg (Russian: Санкт-Петербу́рг, English transliteration: Sankt-Peterburg), colloquially known as Питер (transliterated Piter), formerly known as Leningrad (Ленингра́д, 1924–1991) and Petrograd (Петрогра́д, 1914–1924), is a city located in Northwestern Russia on the delta of the river Neva at the east end of the Gulf of Finland... Portrait of Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov by Valentin Serov (1898) Nikolai Andreyevich Rimsky-Korsakov (Russian: , Nikolaj Andreevič Rimskij-Korsakov), also Nikolay, Nicolai, and Rimsky-Korsakoff, (March 6/18, 1844 – June 8/21, 1908) was a Russian composer and teacher of harmony and orchestration. ... Universal Edition (UE) are a classical music publishing firm. ...

Revisions and versions

Rimsky-Korsakov

The first full production in Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov's revision took place in Petrograd 1917. Portrait of Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov by Valentin Serov (1898) Nikolai Andreyevich Rimsky-Korsakov (Russian: , Nikolaj Andreevič Rimskij-Korsakov), also Nikolay, Nicolai, and Rimsky-Korsakoff, (March 6/18, 1844 – June 8/21, 1908) was a Russian composer and teacher of harmony and orchestration. ... Saint Petersburg  listen (Russian: Санкт-Петербу́рг, English transliteration: Sankt-Peterburg), colloquially known as Питер (transliterated Piter), formerly known as Leningrad (Ленингра́д, 1924–1991) and Petrograd (Петрогра́д, 1914–1924), is a city located in Northwestern Russia on the delta of the river Neva at the east end of the Gulf of... 1917 (MCMXVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar (see link for calendar) or a common year starting on Tuesday of the 13-day slower Julian calendar. ...

Gauk

The opera was also orchestrated by the Russian conductor Alexander Gauk and staged in 1917, 1917 (MCMXVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar (see link for calendar) or a common year starting on Tuesday of the 13-day slower Julian calendar. ...

d'Harcourt

French opera conductor and composer Eugène d'Harcourt created his orchestation in 1930. 1930 (MCMXXX) is a common year starting on Wednesday. ...

Duhamel

Duhamel's version is dated as 1954. 1954 (MCMLIV) was a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Ippolitov-Ivanov

In 1931 Mikhail Ippolitov-Ivanov added three acts (acts 2-4) to this opera and orchestrated a complete score. This version was given in 1931 at the Radioteatr, Moscow. 1931 (MCMXXXI) was a common year starting on Thursday (link is to a full 1931 calendar). ... Mikhail Mikhailovich Ippolitov-Ivanov (November 19, 1859 – January 28, 1935) was a Russian composer, conductor and teacher. ... 1931 (MCMXXXI) was a common year starting on Thursday (link is to a full 1931 calendar). ... For other uses, see Moscow (disambiguation). ...

Tcherepnin

Another complete version by Alexander Tcherepnin (German: Die Heirat) was premiered on September 14, 1937, Essen, Germany. Here are the details: Alexander Nikolayevich Tcherepnin (January 20, 1899 – September 29, 1977) was a Russian composer, and pianist. ... German (called Deutsch in German; in German the term germanisch is equivalent to English Germanic), is a member of the western group of Germanic languages and is one of the worlds major languages. ... September 14 is the 257th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (258th in leap years). ... 1937 (MCMXXXVII) was a common year starting on Friday (link will take you to calendar). ... [Essen], german for Meal [essen], german for eat Essen is the name of the following places: Essen, Germany, one of the major cities of the Ruhr area Essen, Belgium Essen, Netherlands, a village in the province of Groningen German: to eat, eating, food This is a disambiguation page — a navigational...

WoO Die Heirat (The Marriage), in 2 scenes after a comedy by Nikolai Gogol (65') Nikolai Gogol Gogol redirects here. ...

Music: First scene by Modest Mussorgsky (1863) (30')

Second scene by Alexander Tcherepnin (1934-1935) (35')

The entire work was orchestrated by Alexander Tcherepnin.

Text in Russian and German. (German translation by Heinrich Burkard)

Roles Modest Mussorgsky Modest Petrovich Mussorgsky (more accurately spelled Musorgsky) (Russian: , Modest Petrovič Musorgskij, French: ) (March 9/21, 1839 – March 16/28, 1881), one of the Russian composers known as the Five, was an innovator of Russian music. ... Alexander Nikolayevich Tcherepnin (January 20, 1899 – September 29, 1977) was a Russian composer, and pianist. ...

• Agafya Tikhonovna, soprano
• Arina Panteleimononva, mezzo-soprano
• Fiokla Ivanovna, alto
• Dunyashka, soprano
• Podkolesin, baritone
• Kochkarev, tenor
• Stepan, bass.

Orchestration 2222 / 4221 / percussion / harp / strings Look up Soprano in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... In music, an alto or contralto is a singer with a vocal range somewhere between a tenor and a mezzo-soprano. ...

Publisher: Universal Edition

Rozhdestvensky

Gennady Rozhdestvensky orchestrated the opera in 1982. Gennady Rozhdestvensky (Генна́дий Рожде́ственский) (born May 4, 1931) is a Russian conductor. ... 1982 (MCMLXXXII) was a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

• The recording: Olympia CD OCD145 76 minutes : DDD

Rimsky-Korsakov "Mozart and Salieri", Mussorgsky "The Marriage" Roles: Vladimir Khrulev, baritone (Podkolesin) / Alexander Podbolotor, tenor (Kochkarev) / Ludmilla Kolmakoa, mezzo-soprano (Fiokla Ivanovna) / Vladimir Ribasenko, bass (Stepan) / Gennadi Rozhdestvensky, conductor / USSR Ministry of Culture Symphony Orchestra

Recording 1982

Playing Time 38:11

Orchestrated by Gennadi Rozhdestvensky based on the vocal score by the composer

Tracks:

25-30. Scene 1

31-36. Scene 2

37-40. Scene 3

41-49. Scene 4

Synopsis

The idle bachelor Podkolesin attempts to find a wife: “Well, when one considers carefully, one sees that marriage can be very useful.” He currently leads a chaotic life, with his poor servant, Stepan, constantly at his beck and call.

A marriage broker, Fiokla Ivanovna, arrives to give Podkolesin details of a girl she has chosen for him. However, he is more interested in her dowry: “And what kind of dowry will I receive? Let’s start from the beginning and discuss the dowry…” He also worries that she is not sufficiently highly bred for him: “I don’t suppose she is the daughter of an Officer?... So, is this really the best bargain?”

Fiokla suggests that he can’t afford be fussy with his poor looks and greying hair! Unexpectedly Kochkarev, Podkolesin’s best friend, turns up and is angry to see the marriage broker. He complains that she has married him off to a troublesome, bossy woman. He sends her away, and decides to take over the match-making duties himself. He paints an idealistic and hassle-free picture of married life for his friend: “There will be a bird in its cage and some embroidery. Just imagine yourself in your chair, quiet and serene and at your side a little caressing woman, all round and pretty. Her hand will stroke you…like this…”

A reluctant Podkolesin resists Kochkarev’s demands that he at least visit the girl:”Leave it for now… come on, we’ll go tomorrow”. And Kochkarev answers: “You’re an idiot and coward! You are even worse… you’re a sissy and an ass!” And Kochkarev literally shoves Podkolesin out of the door of his apartment. Here the 1st act ends.

Music and sound samples

The opening bars of the opera

Software development stages Development stage terminology expresses how the development of a piece of software has progressed and how much further development it may require. ...

Quotations

“I would very much like my characters on the stage to speak like living people, and in such a manner that the character and force of the intonation, supported by the orchestra and forming the background for their speech, would gain its object, that is, my music must be the artistic reproduction of human speech in all its subtle nuances.” (Mussorgsky).

“I have completed the first act. It rained without stopping for three days running and I worked without stopping in keeping with the weather. The Marriage gave me not a minute of calm – so I wrote it” (Mussorgsky, Summer 1868)

"With all its jolting contrasts and exaggerations, when the composer, in the best Russian- Petersburg tradition, mocks his characters but at the same time "weeps" over them." (Solomon Volkov) Solomon Volkov is a Russian musicologist. ...

Reviews

Composed in 1868, The Marriage is his most outré composition, a document of calculatedly experimental 'realism' - abandoned as a one-act fragment in piano score only - Gennadi Rozhdestvensky is the latest in a succession of orchestrators, and if his scoring occasionally sounds like a cross between Janacek and an accompaniment to cartoon comedy, it should be remembered that Mussorgsky's music is itself far ahead of its time. The recording dates from 1982 and is less vivid than it might be, nor is the singing uniformly first-class (though Vladimir Khrulev is excellent in the all-important part of Podkolesin). A minor distraction is the eccentric transliteration in an otherwise admirable booklet. But for the moment beggars can't be choosers—there is no other current version in the catalogue, and no aficionado of Russian opera can afford not to know this extraordinary work.' (Gramophone: Olympia CD OCD145 76 minutes : DDD) Gennady Rozhdestvensky (Генна́дий Рожде́ственский) (born 1931) is a Russian conductor. ...

External links

• The Musical Pointers' review