After viewing the PowerPoint and listening to the work, select 4 of these images. For each image, listen to the section of music written for that work while viewing the image. Write a 1-2 page paper analyzing how well the associated movements reflect their associated images. For each movement, give a description of the image and the music (using musical terminology from the course) and give your reaction to how well the music matches the image in mood, tone, etc.

After viewing the PowerPoint and listening to the work, select 4 of these images. For each image, listen to the section of music written for that work while viewing the image. Write a 1-2 page paper analyzing how well the associated movements reflect their associated images. For each movement, give a description of the image and the music (using musical terminology from the course) and give your reaction to how well the music matches the image in mood, tone, etc.

Pictures at an Exhibition Listening Paper

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Pictures at an Exhibition Listening Paper
Modest Mussorgsky, a Russian Romantic composer, is regarded as one of “The Five” for his brilliance in music composition. He wrote a masterpiece for the piano called Pictures at an Exhibition, which consists of ten main movements and five changes throughout his career. The main movements depict watercolor sketches, the majority of which were created by Victor Hartman, a buddy of Mussorgsky who died the year before the masterpiece. Every sequence in this masterpiece has its own design and represents each of the paintings, taking the viewer on a trip similar to that which one would have in a museum enclosed by Hartman’s works, hence the name Pictures at an Exhibition.

Pictures at an Exhibition Listening Paper

The combos in Mussorgsky’s creation contradict and complement one another, portraying various inflections, allowing for these pictures to be drawn for every movement, explicitly numbers 5, 8, and 10. When representing Hartman’s style, the fifth main movement of the piece, “Ballet of the Unhatched Chicks,” has the chirpiest role relative to the other gestures. This part of the work has a light, ballet-like feel to it (Bolton, 2015). Two children in dresses, one in the seated pose and the other in the profile posture, are shown in the painting. The mask consists of a whole egg with openings for the head, hands, legs, and yellow socks for the legs, and a hat that resembles a chick’s head. Hartman created the idea for the children in a ballet called Trilby, which is where the drawing came from. Whenever one listens to an ensemble perform this part and hears the title, the picture that comes to mind is of little chicks running about and hopping while they try to hatch (Bolton, 2015). The illustration it’s attempting to convey is from a scene in Trilby, in which the school’s young men and women are dressed as these little crows and running about on their platform from Theater School.
The “Ballet of the Unhatched Chicks” movement is composed in the style of F major, with many short notes in the higher voices, giving the movement a feeling of purpose and raised tempo (Ludowise, 2015). The F main key’s emphasis allows F dominant chords a prominent place in this dance, allowing for illustrations and sequences of the rhythms to accompany the themes written. The soprano vocals are used heavily throughout the suite, with grace notes accounting for the bulk of the melody. In reality, the segment starts, finishes, and includes a solo with some grace notes in the center. The slight addition to these notes allows the narrator to communicate with the viewer, making them a frantic portrayal.
Along with these movements, Mussorgsky uses a brief transition to draw attention to the solo that he puts to offer a sense of resolution (Roach, 1980). The solo is performed in a soprano voice and appears urgent, negating the previous measures’ attempts. The image conveyed by the solo is erroneous, with the kids on stage fleeing and causing more confusion than those attempting to maintain order.
 
References
Bolton, P. (2015). Graduate Recital: Rory Bolton.
Ludowise, K. D. (1985). Movement to music: Ten activities that foster creativity. Childhood Education, 62(1), 40-43.
Roach, D. W. (1980). Dalcroze Eurhythmics: Active Musicianship Training. The American Music Teacher, 29(3), 42.