Download Modest Mussorgsky Born March 21, 1839 in Karevo, Russia Died

Modest Mussorgsky
Born March 21, 1839 in Karevo, Russia
Died March 28, 1881 in St. Petersburg, Russia
Modest Mussorgsky was one of the five Russian nationalist composers known
as the "Russian Five." He was born to a well-to-do landowner and began
taking piano lessons from his mother around the age of six. By the time he
was nine, he was playing so well that he began performing for family and
friends. In 1852, Mussorgsky entered the Cadet School of the Guards in St.
Petersburg . While at school, he showed interest in history and German
philosophy, and he sang in the school choir. It was during his first year at
school that he wrote Porte-enseigne polka which he dedicated to his school
friends.
In 1857, Mussorgsky left Cadet school and entered the Prebrazhensky
Regiment of the Guards. A year later he convinced composer Balakirev to
give him composition lessons, but in 1858, Mussorgsky suffered a nervous or
spiritual crisis and left the guards to return home. He continued to compose
but his music did not gain popularity.
Mussorgsky began working for the Russian government and completed the
historic opera, Boris Godunov which was at first rejected by theatres. At the
same time that he was finishing Boris Godunov, Mussorgsky was working on
a second opera Khovanshchina.
Through music, Mussorgsky wanted to portray life however rough and
beautiful but when Mussorgsky died, he left many of his works unfinished.
Russian composer Rimsky-Korsakov took on the task of editing and
publishing Mussorgsky's music.