Pictures at an Exhibition

Pictures at an Exhibition (Russian: Картинки с выставки – Воспоминание о Викторе Гартмане, Kartínki s výstavki – Vospominániye o Víktore Gártmane, Pictures from an Exhibition – a Remembrance of Viktor Hartmann) is a famous suite of ten piano pieces composed by Modest Mussorgsky in 1874. It is generally acknowledged to be Mussorgsky’s greatest solo piano composition, and has become a showpiece for virtuoso pianists. It has also become known through various orchestrations and arrangements produced by other musicians and composers (see: Versions by other hands, below, for further discussion), with Ravel's arrangement being the most recorded and performed.

Composition history

Mussorgsky composed the work in commemoration of his friend, the artist and architect Viktor Hartmann, who was only 39 when he died in 1873. The original working title for the suite was Hartmann. It was probably in 1870, and through the highly influential critic Vladimir Stasov, that Mussorgsky had met Hartmann, whose devotion to the cause of an intrinsically Russian art must have made him a congenial spirit. It was at Stasov’s instigation that a posthumous exhibition of over 400 of the artist’s works was mounted in the Academy of Fine Arts in St Petersburg, in February and March 1874. Pictures at an Exhibition, composed a few months later, takes the form of an imaginary musical tour around such a collection.

As the pictorial basis for his musical exhibition, Mussorgsky mostly selected drawings and watercolours that Hartmann had produced during his travels abroad; however, only three of the ten pictures represented in the music actually appeared in the 1874 Hartmann exhibition (these are: Ballet of the Unhatched Chicks, The Hut on Hen’s Legs (Baba Yaga), and The Bogatyr Gates). Sadly, we cannot in all cases be certain which Hartmann work Mussorgsky was alluding to, because not all the paintings and drawings have survived.

Remarkably, Mussorgsky structures the suite in a manner that actually allows him to represent his own progress through the exhibition. This he does by means of the opening Promenade and the four interludes (only the last of which is also labelled "Promenade") that are clear variations of its material: "My physiognomy can be seen in the interludes," he wrote in a letter to Stasov. More remarkable still, however, is the fact that by the end of the work the Promenade theme has stopped functioning as a merely linking device and instead started to appear within the actual "pictures" themselves: The theme features prominently in the movements Cum mortuis in lingua mortua and The Bogatyr Gates, mysterious in one, celebratory in the other.

Publication history

As with most of Mussorgsky’s works, Pictures at an Exhibition has a complicated publication history. Although composed very rapidly (during June 2-22, 1874), the work did not appear in print until 1886 (five years after the composer’s death), when an edition by the composer’s great friend Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov was published. This publication, moreover, was not a completely accurate representation of Mussorgsky’s score, but presented an edited and revised text that had been reworked to a certain amount, as well as containing a substantial number of errors and misreadings.

Only in 1931, more than half a century after the work’s composition, was Pictures at an Exhibition published in a scholarly edition in agreement with the composer’s manuscript. In 1940, the Italian composer Luigi Dallapiccola published an important critical edition of Mussorgsky’s work with extensive commentary. Mussorgsky’s hand-written manuscript was published in facsimile in 1975.

Movements of the suite

The ten pieces comprising the suite correspond to ten pictures by Hartmann. The five ‘Promenade’ movements, consisting of an introduction and four links, are not numbered among the ten pictures. The 2nd, 3rd, and 4th ‘Promenade’ movements are untitled in the composer's manuscript.

  • Promenade (French): Key of B flat major, alternating 5/4 and 6/4 time. In this piece Mussorgsky depicts himself entering the exhibition and walking through the gallery to the first exhibit. The melody and rhythm resemble Russian folk songs. The piece has simple, strong rhythms, but a changing meter.
  • No. 1 "Gnomus" (Latin: The Gnome): Key of e flat minor, in 3/4 time. This piece is based on Hartmann’s design sketch of a toy nutcracker shaped like "a little gnome walking awkwardly on deformed legs".
  • [Untitled]: Key of A flat major. The promenade theme, illustrating the composer walking from work to work.
  • No. 2 "Il vecchio castello" (Italian: The Old Castle): Key of g sharp minor, in 6/8 time. This piece is based on Hartmann’s painting of a troubadour singing in front of a castle.[citation needed]
  • [Untitled]: Key of B major. The promenade theme, extremely short (8 measures).
  • No. 3 "Tuileries" (Dispute d'enfants après jeux) (French: Tuileries (Dispute between Children at Play)): Key of B major, in 4/4 time. Hartmann originally pictured an empty garden, presumably the Jardin des Tuileries, near the Louvre in Paris, France. Mussorgsky musically added children chattering and playing in the garden.
  • No. 4 "Bydło" (Polish: Cattle): Key of g sharp minor, in 2/4 time. This was probably a drawing of a Polish oxcart.
  • [Untitled]: Key of d minor. The promenade theme.
  • No. 5 "Балет невылупившихся птенцов"' [Balet nevylupivshikhsya ptentsov] (Russian: Ballet of the Unhatched Chicks): Key of F major, in 2/4 time. This is based on Hartmann’s costume design sketches for the ballet Trilbi. The chicks are canaries. This movement is in ternary form (ABA):

1. Scherzino, 2. Trio, 3. Scherzino (repeat of first), 4. Coda.

  • No. 6 "Samuel Goldenberg und Schmuÿle" (Yiddish): Key of b flat minor, in 4/4 time. Vladimir Stasov provided the description "Два еврея: богатый и бедный" (Russian: "Two Jews: Rich and Poor"). Some have incorrectly perceived this description to be part of the original title. Some arrangements have retitled this piece as "Two Polish Jews, Rich and Poor (Samuel Goldenberg and Schmuyle)". The title given here is the one used in Mussorgsky’s original manuscript. These are two separate pencil drawings, presented by Hartmann to Mussorgsky.The use of augmented second intervals approximate Jewish modes such as the Phrygian dominant scale.
  • Promenade: Key of B flat major. Many arrangements including Ravel’s omit it.
  • No. 7 "Limoges, le marché" (La grande nouvelle) (French: The Market at Limoges (The Great News)): Key of E flat major, in 4/4 time. Limoges is a city in central France. Musically this piece represents a bustling market place with chattering merchants and customers. The coda leads without a break into the next movement.
  • No. 8 "Catacombae" (Sepulcrum romanum) (Latin: The Catacombs (Roman sepulcher)): In this picture, Hartmann depicts himself in the subterranean tombs of Paris. The movement is in two parts:
  1. Largo – Key of b minor, in 3/4 time.
  2. Andante – Key of b minor, in 6/4 time.

In the first part, alternating loud and soft chords mysteriously evoke the cavernous acoustics of the catacombs.

In the composer's manuscript, the second part is accompanied by the following penciled notes in Russian: "NB – Latin text: With the dead in a dead language", and "A Latin text would be fine: The creative spirit of the dead Hartmann leads me towards the skulls, calls to them; the skulls begin to glow softly." This portion of Catacombs is accordingly called "Cum mortuis in lingua mortua" (Latin: With the Dead in a Dead Language), often incorrectly 'Con mortuis'.

  • No. 9 "Избушка на курьих ножках" (Баба-Яга) [Izbushka na kur'ikh nozhkakh (Baba-Yaga)] (Russian: The Hut on Hen’s Legs (Baba Yaga)): Key of C minor, in 2/4 time. This movement is based on a drawing of an elaborately carved clock representing the hut of Baba Yaga (a witch in old Russian legends). This movement is in ternary form (ABA):

1. Allegro, 2. Andante, 3. Allegro (similar to 1.), 4. Coda.

The central andante is one of the more demanding portions of the suite, featuring a 16th notetriplettremolo throughout. The coda leads without a break to the next and final movement.

  • No. 10 "Богатырские ворота" (В стольном городе во Киеве) [Bogatyrskie vorota (v stol'nom gorode vo Kieve)] (Russian: The Bogatyr Gates (in the Capital in Kiev)): Key of E flat major, in 4/4 time. This movement is commonly translated as "The Great Gate of Kiev." The title is also sometimes rendered "The Heroes' Gate at Kiev."

It is based on sketches Hartmann made for a planned (but never built) monumental gate for Tsar Alexander II. This gate was to have commemorated the Tsar’s narrow escape from an assassination attempt on 1866April 4. Hartmann felt that his design for the gate was the finest work he had yet done, and it won the competition for the gate’s design.

The movement has the following form (roughly ABABCA):

  1. Majestic
  2. Solemn (piano)
  3. Majestic (with descending and ascending 8th note scales)
  4. Solemn (fortissimo)
  5. Bells (with a final variation of the 'promenade' theme)
  6. Majestic (half note triplets)
  7. Coda

Versions by other hands

The first musician to arrange Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition for orchestra was the little-known Russian composer and conductor Mikhail Tushmalov (1861-1896). However, his version (first performed in 1891 and possibly produced as early as 1886 when he was a student of Rimsky-Korsakov) does not include the entire suite: Only seven of the ten “pictures” are present, leaving out Gnomus, Tuileries, and Bydło, and all the Promenades are omitted except for the last one, which is used in place of the first.

The next orchestration was that undertaken by British conductor Henry Wood in 1915. This too eliminated some of the appearances of the Promenade theme.

The first person to orchestrate the piece in its entirety was the Slovenian-born conductor and violinist Leo Funtek, who finished his version in 1922 while living and working in Finland.

The version by Maurice Ravel (also produced in 1922, to a commission by Serge Koussevitzky) is a virtuoso effort by a master colourist, and has proved the most popular in the concert hall and on record. Ravel does, however, omit the Promenade between “Samuel” Goldenberg und “Schmuÿle” and Limoges.

Conductor Leopold Stokowski introduced Ravel’s version to Philadelphia audiences in November 1929; he produced his own very free orchestration (incorporating much re-composition) ten years later. Stokowski revised his version over the years, and made three gramophone recordings of it (1939, 1941 and 1965). The score was not printed until 1971.

Many other orchestrations and arrangements have been created, and the original piano composition is also frequently performed and recorded. A brass ensemble arrangement was made by Elgar Howarth for the Philip Jones Brass Ensemble in the 1970s. There is even an adaptation for solo classical guitar by Kazuhito Yamashita.

There have also been several very different non-classical interpretations: one incorporating progressive rock, jazz and folk music elements by the British trio Emerson, Lake & Palmer in their 1971 album Pictures at an Exhibition, and an electronic music adaptation by Isao Tomita in 1975. A heavy metal arrangement of the entire suite was released by German band Mekong Delta. Another metal band, Armored Saint, use the "Great Gate of Kiev"'s main theme as the introduction to the track "March of the Saint". In 2002, electronic musician-composer Amon Tobin paraphrased Gnomus for the track Back From Space on his album Out from Out Where. In 2003, guitarist-composer Trevor Rabin released his electric guitar adaptation of "Promenade," once intended for the Yes album Big Generator, later included in his demo album 90124.

Orchestral arrangements

A listing of orchestral arrangements of Pictures at an Exhibition:

  • Mikhail Tushmalov (ca. 1886; three “pictures” and four Promenades omitted)
  • Henry Wood (1915; four Promenades omitted)
  • Leo Funtek (1922)
  • Maurice Ravel (1922; the fifth Promenade omitted)
  • Giuseppe Becce (1922; for “salon-orchestra”)
  • Leonidas Leonardi (1924)
  • Lucien Cailliet (1937)
  • Leopold Stokowski (1938; Tuileries, fifth Promenade and Limoges omitted)
  • Walter Goehr (1942; includes a subsidiary part for piano)
  • Sergei Gorchakov (1954)
  • Daniel Walter (1959)
  • Helmut Brandenburg (ca. 1970)
  • Emile Naoumoff (ca. 1974, for piano and orchestra)
  • Zdenek Macal (ca. 1977)
  • Lawrence Leonard (1977; for piano and orchestra)
  • Vladimir Ashkenazy (1982)
  • Pung Siu-Wen (ca. 1983; for orchestra of Chinese instruments)
  • Thomas Wilbrandt (1992)
  • Byrwec Ellison (1995)
  • Mekong Delta (1997; for group and orchestra)
  • Carl Simpson (1997)
  • Julian Yu (2002; for chamber orchestra)
  • Hanspeter Gmur (date unknown)

Non-orchestral arrangements

A listing of non-orchestral arrangements of Pictures at an Exhibition:

  • Vladimir Horowitz (1946; revised version for solo piano)
  • Giuseppe Becce (1930; for piano trio)
  • Rudolf Wurthner (ca. 1954; fir accordion orchestra; abridged version)
  • Ralph Burns (1957; for jazz orchestra)
  • Erik Leidzen (ca. 1960; for band)
  • Allyn Ferguson (ca. 1963; for jazz orchestra)
  • Mark Hindsley (ca. 1963; for band)
  • Dale Eymann (ca. 1965; for band; The Bogatyr Gates only)
  • B. Futerman (ca. 1968; Russian folk instruments orchestra, The Bogatyr Gates only)
  • Roger Boutry (ca. 1970; for band)
  • Emerson, Lake & Palmer (1971; rock group)
  • Harry van Hoof (ca. 1972; brass ensemble; The Bogatyr Gates only)
  • Isao Tomita (1975; for synthesizer)
  • Oskar Gottlieb Blarr (1976; for organ)
  • Elgar Howarth (ca. 1977; for brass ensemble)
  • Arthur Willis (1970s; for organ)
  • Dr. Keith Chapman (1970s; for the Wanamaker organ)
  • Günther Kaunzinger (1980; for organ)
  • Elgar Howarth (1981; for brass band)
  • Kazuhito Yamashita (1981; for classical guitar)
  • Reginald Haché (1982; for two pianos)
  • Henk de Vlieger (1984; for 14 percussion players, celesta and harp)
  • Arie AbbenesHerman Jeurissen (ca. 1984; for carillon & band; The Bogatyr Gates only)
  • James Curnow (1985; for concert band; abridged version)
  • Jan Hala (ca. 1988; for guitar and pop orchestra; Baba-Yaga only)
  • Jean Guillou (ca. 1988; for organ)
  • Heinz Wallisch (ca. 1989; for two guitars)
  • Yuri Chernov (ca. 1991; for Russian folk instrument orchestra; The Bogatyr Gates only)
  • Gert van Keulen (1992; for band)
  • Hans Wilhelm Plate (1993; for 44 grand pianos and one prepared piano)
  • Jim PrimeThom Hannum (ca. 1994; for brass quintet and band; abridged version)
  • Hans-Karsten Raecke (ca. 1994; for chorus, vocal soloists, synthesizers, brass and percussion)
  • Tangerine Dream (1994)
  • Trevor Parks (1994; for two pianos and wind band)
  • Elmar Rothe (1995; for three guitars)
  • Mekong Delta (1997; for metal band)
  • Joachim Linckelmann (ca. 1999 for wind quintet)
  • Vladimir Boyashov (ca. 2000 for Russian folk orchestra)
  • Tim Seddon (ca. 2002 two pianos)
  • Clare & Brent Fisher (2004; for jazz bigband)
  • Carl Simpson (2004; for wind orchestra)
  • Wayne Lytle, for the DVD Animusic 2 (2005; for synthesizer; Promenade + 3 movements)
  • Cameron Carpenter (2006, for organ)
  • Sergei V. Korschmin (2006; for brass ensemble)
  • David Aydellot (2006; for marching band)
  • Ward Swingle (date unknown; for vocal ensemble, double bass and percussion; Limoges only)
  • John Boyd (date unknown; for band)
  • Vyacheslav Rozanov (date unknown; for bayan orchestra; The Old Castle only)
  • William Schmidt (date unknown; for saxophone choir);
  • Andres Segovia (date unknown; for guitar; The Old Castle only)
  • Elias Seppala (date unknown; for band)
  • Atsushi Sugahara (date unknown; for percussion ensemble)
  • Tohru Takahashi (date unknown; for band)
  • Simon Wright (date unknown; for band)
  • Akira Yodo (date unknown; for clarinet choir)
  • Michael Sweeney (date unknown; for band)
  • Massimo Gabba (2006; for organ)
  • Nicholas Sprenger and Co-Arranger Carter Page (2007; for electric 7-String Guitar and electric 4-String Bass Guitar, Shortened versions of Promenade, The Old Castle, Bydlo and a reprise of Promenade in place of The Great Gate Of Kiev for the Experimental/Avant-Garde/Metal band KHAZM)
  • Mauricio Romero (2007; complete transcription for double bass alone)