The shaping of Modest Moussorgsky's musical language: An assimilation of social, artistic and folk influences.

摘要

Deeply concerned with the social role of the artist, Russian national music, and the fate of the Russian people, Moussorgsky's musical language was shaped by musical and philosophical ideas, his social stance, his rejection of musical convention, his subjects, and by the artistic statement he wished to make. His aspirations demanded new expressive forms and modalities. This study surveys his attempts to find a distinctly Russian compositional voice, and the various elements that inform it. Chapter 1 explores his identification with the life and values of the Russian peasantry, his knowledge of folk traditions, and the influence of these on his music, including his adaptation of various folk genres such as the lullaby and the "protracted song." Chapter 2 introduces several influential Russians whose aesthetic and musical ideas inspired his own art. Strongly influenced by Dargomiszhsky's theory of "truth in music," he explored how the rhythms and intonation of the Russian language could inform his music. Chapter 3 traces the roots of Moussorgsky's musical realism in Russian Realist painting and literature. Chapter 4 investigates his use of folk elements, including rhythm and meters, linear melodic and harmonic composition, tetrachords, polyphony and heterophony, unity of text and music, folk song variants, and unison and parallel intervals. Chapter 5 addresses the posthumous changes to his music by editors, publishers, and orchestrators in various attempts to "correct" and "improve" his music, regarded by many as too raw and rough.