Download Name: Listening Journal #7 Date Due: Directions: For this Listening

Name: _________________________________________________
Listening Journal #7
Date Due: __________________________
Directions: For this Listening Journal you must find a time to log into a computer with
internet access. The follow these directions:
1. Open up your internet browser and go to grooveshark.com.
2. In the search box type “Night on Bald Mountain”.
3. Scroll down in the list of results until you come across the version by the London
Symphony Orchestra (should be 4th on the list).
*This song can also be accessed for free at the website below if grooveshark is not
working properly: http://www.dsokids.com/listen/ComposerDetail.aspx?composerID=26
4. Read the information provided BEFORE listening to the song.
5. Listen to the song and answer the questions below in complete sentences.
“Night on Bald Mountain” by Modest Mussorgsky – Listening Guide
Mussorgsky's 'dark' and often stormy Night on Bald Mountain is often associated with
Halloween. It was inspired by a short story by Russian writer, Nikolai Gogol, who
describes a 'sabbath' of witches gathering around 'Bald Mountain'. Mussorgsky was
inspired to explore the limits of orchestral tone and rhythm in order to create the idea of
summoning up spirits and demons as they 'shape-shift' throughout a night on Bald
Mountain. The result has been called a 'dreadfully haunting piece of music'. Mussorgsky
chose the 'witches sabbath' as the theme of his original 'tone poem'.
After Mussorgsky's death in 1881, it was arranged by his friend Rimsky-Korsakov.
Interestingly, it was never performed in any arrangement while Mussorgsky was still
alive. The Rimsky-Korsakov arrangement premiered in 1886 and has remained a concert
favorite since.

What could the flutes at the very beginning of the piece represent in this story?
(Remember you are on a mountain and it is night time.)

What dynamic words could you use to describe the beginning of the piece?

What is the tempo at the beginning of the song? Use your vocabulary words we
learned when we talked about tempo in class. Please refer to your notes if you
need to.

List what instruments you can hear being played in this piece of orchestral music.
6. Once you’ve listened and answered the questions above, search for “Night on
Disco Mountain”.
(If grooveshark is not working properly, try kazaa.com – it will let you listen to a 30
second clip for free.)
7. Listen to this version of the piece and answer the questions below:

What instrument or instruments are added to the piece that are not in the original
version and give the piece a pop sound?

Compare this version of the piece to the original version you heard before by
using the Venn Diagram attached. Remember to talk about the elements we’ve
talked about in class. Write at least one item for each element (Rhythm, Melody,
Harmony, Meter, Dynamics, Tempo) and also don’t forget to talk about the
change in instruments.