(9. III. 1839, Karevo, Pskovskaya province - 16. III.

1881, Petersburg)
Son of squire. Beginning a military career, continues in Petersburg the
study of music the first lessons of which he got as early as Karevo, and
becomes a wonderful pianist and good singer. Communicates with
Dargomyzhskim and Balakirevym; in 1858 goes out in retirement;
liberation of peasants in 1861 is reflected on his financial welfare. In
1863, being on service in the Forest department, becomes the member of
the "Mighty small group". In 1868 acts on service in Ministry of internal
affairs, since for the sake of amendment of health conducted three years
in the estate of brother in Minkino. Between 1869 and by 1874 years
works above the different releases of "Boris Godunova". Undermining
because of sickly predilection for an alcohol and without togo weak
health, invents with interruptions. . Lives for different friends, in 1874 -
for a count Golenischeva-kutuzova (author of poems, fixed Musorgskim
on music, for example, in tsikle of "Song and dance of death"). In 1879
accomplishes a very successful tour joint with a singer Dar'ey Leonovoy.
Operas: Salambo (1863-1866, 1980), Marriage (1868, 1917, 1930),
Boris Godunov (1874, 1928), Khovanschina (1886, 1892),
Sorochinskaya, is a fair (1874-1880, 1911).

Years, when the project of "Boris Godunova" appeared and when this
opera was created, - are fundamental for the Russian culture. At this time
such writers, as Dostoevsky, created and Thick, and more youths, as
Chechov, artists-peredvizhniki asserted priority of maintenance above a
form in the realistic art, incarnating poverty of people, drunkenness of
priests, cruelty of police. Vereschagin created truthful pictures, devoted
Russian-Japanese war, and in "Apotheosis of war" devoted all
conquerors of the pas, nastoyaschego and future pyramid from skulls;
the great portrait-painter of Repin spoke also to the landscape and
historical painting. With respect to music, the most characteristic at this
time phenomenon was the "Mighty small group" which put the purpose
to promote the value of national school, using folk legends for creation
of romantizirovannoy picture of the pas. In consciousness of
Musorgskogo national school appeared as nothing ancient, in truth
archaic, immobile, including izvechnye folk values, almost sacred
objects which can it was be found in orthodox religion, in the folk choral
singing, finally, in a tom language, that keeps mighty sonority of distant
sources yet. Here some of his ideas, outspoken between 1872 and by
1880 years in the letters of Stasovu: "To dig up black earth not first to
become, and to dig up not on fertilized, but it is desirable in raw
material, not to meet with people, but fraternize zhazhdetsya... Black
earth force will show up, when to the bottom will dig up..."; "Artistic
image of one beauty, in its financial value, rough puerility is child's age
of art. Thinnest lines of nature of man and human the masses, obtrusive
digging up in these maloizvedannykh countries and conquest them - here
the real calling of artist". Calling of composer constantly induced him
promoted the sensible, mutinous soul to aspire to new, to openings, that
resulted in continuous alternation of the creative gettings up and
depressions to which interruptions in activity or its spreading were
related to on too to many to directions. "To such degree I become strict
to itself, - Musorgskiy Stasovu writes, - speculatively, and than become
strictly, the done besputnee. On the shallow things of mood it is not;
however much making of little plays is rest at deliberation of large
creations. And for me rest is become by

Besides two largest operas Musorgskiy began and completed other

works for a theater, not to mention about magnificent lyric cycles
(wonderful embodiment of colloquial speech) and famous innovative
"Pictures from an exhibition", which testify and about his large talent of
pianist. Very bold garmonizator, author of of genii imitations to the folk
songs, to both the solos and choral, gifted unusual sense of a stage
music, consistently vnedryavshiy idea of theater, distant ot de bene esse-
entertaining charts, ot subjects, dear the European melodrama (mainly
loves), a composer gave a historical genre vitality, sculptural clearness,
baking flaming and such depth and vizionerskuyu clarity, that every hint
on a rhetoric quite disappears and there are only appearances of
universal value. Nobody how he, did not cultivate in a musical theater an
exceptionally national, Russian epos up to the waiver of every opened
imitation the West. But in the depths of panslavyanskogo language he
managed to find consonantness sufferings and gladnesses of everybody,
which expressed accomplished and always modern facilities.