Night on Bald Mountain is a composition by
Modest MussorgskyModest Petrovich Mussorgsky , one of the Russian composers known as the Five, was an innovator of Russian music in the romantic period...
that exists in at least two versions — a seldom performed 1867 version or a later (1886) and very popular '
fantasy for orchestraThe fantasia is a musical composition with its roots in the art of improvisation. Because of this, it seldom approximates the textbook rules of any strict musical form ....
' arranged by
Nikolai Rimsky-KorsakovNikolai Andreyevich Rimsky-Korsakov , also Nikolay, Nicolai, and Rimsky-Korsakoff, was a Russian composer, and a member of the group of composers known as "The Five." Noted particularly for a predilection for folk and fairy-tale subjects as well as his extraordinary skill in orchestration, his...
,
A Night on the Bare Mountain , based on the vocal score of the "Dream Vision of the Peasant Lad" (1880) from The Fair at Sorochyntsi with some revisions, most notably the omission of the choir. There is also a version orchestrated by twentieth-century conductor
Leopold StokowskiLeopold Stokowski was a famous orchestral conductor, well known for his free-hand performing style that spurned the traditional baton and for obtaining a characteristically sumptuous sound from many of the great orchestras he conducted.In America, Stokowski performed with the Cincinnati Symphony...
; this is the version used in the now-classic 1940
Walt DisneyWalter Elias "Walt" Disney was an American film producer, director, screenwriter, voice actor, animator, entrepreneur, entertainer, international icon and philanthropist. Disney is famous for his influence in the field of entertainment during the twentieth century. As the co-founder Walter Elias...
animated film
FantasiaFantasia is a American animated feature produced by Walt Disney and the third film in the Walt Disney Animated Classics series. Fantasia features animation set to classical music and no dialogue—only spoken introductions by the host, American composer and music critic Deems Taylor, before segments...
.
Inspired by Russian literary works and legend, Mussorgsky made a witches'
sabbathThe Witches' Sabbath or Sabbat is a supposed meeting of those who practice Paganism, Wicca, or other rites.European records tell of innumerable cases of persons being accused or tried for taking part in Sabbat gatherings, from the Middle Ages to the 17th century or later...
the theme of the original tone poem, completed on June 23, 1867 (
St. John's EveThe evening of June 23, St John's Eve, is the eve of celebration before the Feast Day of St John the Baptist. The Gospel of Luke states that John was born about six months before Jesus, therefore the feast of John the Baptist falls on June 24, six months before Christmas...
).
St. John's Night on the Bare Mountain and Rimsky-Korsakov's 'musical picture'
SadkoNikolai Rimsky-Korsakov wrote his "musical tableau" Sadko, Op. 5, in 1867 but revised the work in 1869 and 1892. It has sometimes been called the first symphonic poem written in Russia...
(also composed in 1867) share the distinction of being the first tone poems by Russian composers.
As with so much of Mussorgsky's music, the work had a tortuous compositional history and was arranged after his death in 1881 by his friend and fellow member of the
The Mighty HandfulThe Five, also known as The Mighty Handful , refers to a circle of composers who met in Saint Petersburg, Russia, in the years 1856-1870: Mily Balakirev , César Cui, Modest Mussorgsky, Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov, and Alexander Borodin...
Rimsky-Korsakov. It was never performed in any form during Mussorgsky's lifetime. The Rimsky-Korsakov edition premiered in 1886, and has become a concert favorite.
Note on the title: The Russian word "" (lïsaya) literally means "bald", but is used in this case figuratively for a mountain supposedly barren of trees. In English, the titles
A Night on the Bare Mountain or
Night on Bald Mountain are used.
History
Composition history
The following list traces the evolution of the
Night on Bald Mountain music:
Opera Project: St. John's Eve (1858)
A sheet of paper apparently found among Mussorgsky's manuscripts contains the following statement: "Program of the opera
St. John's Night, in three acts, after the tale by Gogol, written by P. Boborykin, in the presence and with the help of Modest Mussorgsky, Eugen Mussorgsky, and Vasiliy. Witness to the proceedings: Mily Balakirev." This curious fragment, dated December 25, 1858, has been interpreted as an indication of Mussorgsky's intention of writing an opera on the subject of Gogol's short story
St. John's EveSt. John's Eve is the second tale in the collection Evenings on a Farm Near Dikanka by Nikolai Gogol. It was written in 1831.-Plot summary:...
. Gogol's tale contains the elements of
witchcraftWitchcraft, in various historical, anthropological, religious and mythological contexts, is the use of certain kinds of supernatural or magical powers. Witchcraft can refer to the use of such powers in order to inflict harm or damage upon members of a community or their property...
common to other stories in the
Evenings on a Farm near DikankaEvenings on a Farm Near Dikanka is a collection of short stories by Nikolai Gogol, written from 1831-1832. They appeared in various magazines and were published in book form when Gogol, who had spent his life in the Ukraine up to the age of nineteen, was twenty two...
collection, but does not, as is often claimed, feature a witches' sabbath. Although Mussorgsky may have composed thematic sketches for this project, his plans were not mentioned.
Opera Project: The Witch (1860)
The theme of a witches'
sabbathThe Witches' Sabbath or Sabbat is a supposed meeting of those who practice Paganism, Wicca, or other rites.European records tell of innumerable cases of persons being accused or tried for taking part in Sabbat gatherings, from the Middle Ages to the 17th century or later...
, the central theme in all subsequent
Night on Bald Mountain projects, appears to have been derived from the nonextant play
The Witch by Baron Georgy Mengden, a military friend of the composer. In 1860 Mussorgsky informed Balakirev that he had been commissioned to write one act of an opera on this subject. However, as with the previous project, it is unknown whether any materials were composed, and if so, whether they were transferred to subsequent projects.
Work for piano and orchestra (early 1860s)
Rimsky-Korsakov declares in his memoirs (
Chronicle of My Musical Life) that in the early 1860s Mussorgsky had written a version of the
Night on Bald Mountain music for piano and orchestra, under the influence of
Franz LisztFranz Liszt was a Hungarian composer, virtuoso pianist and teacher....
's
TotentanzTotentanz. Paraphrase on "Dies irae." , S.126, is the name of a symphonic piece for solo piano and orchestra by Franz Liszt, which is notable for being based on the Gregorian plainchant melody Dies Irae as well as for daring stylistic innovations...
. However, it is believed that Mussorgsky did not hear Liszt's work until 1866, by which time he was planning the orchestral tone poem
St. John's Night on the Bare Mountain (see below). No trace of a work for piano and orchestra has survived outside Rimsky-Korsakov's recollections, so it is assumed that the score was lost, or, more likely, that it had never existed.
Tone Poem: St. John's Night on the Bare Mountain (1867)
In 1866 Mussorgsky wrote to Balakirev expressing a desire to discuss his plans for
The Witches, his informal name for his
Night on Bald Mountain music. In early June 1867, he began composing the orchestral version of the piece, and finished the score on 23 June (St. John's Eve). He described the event in a letter to Vladimir Nikolsky:
"My St. John's Night on the Bare Mountain (a far better title than The Witches) is, in form and character, RussiaRussia , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia . It is a semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
n and original; and I want to feel sure that it is thoroughly in keeping with historic truth and Russian folk tradition — otherwise it would not be good enough. I wrote it quickly, straight away in full score without preliminary rough drafts, in twelve days. It seethed within me, and I worked day and night, hardly knowing what was happening within me. And now I see in my wicked prank an independent Russian product, free from German profundity and routine, and, like my Savishna, grown on our country's soil and nurtured on Russian bread."
He also stated — wrongly, as it turned out — that he would never re-model it: "with whatever shortcomings, it is born; and with them it must live if it is to live at all." Having finally completed the work, Mussorgsky was crushed when his mentor
Mily BalakirevMily Alexeyevich Balakirev was a Russian pianist, conductor and composer. He is known today primarily for his work promoting nationalism in Russian music...
was savagely critical of it. The score of this 'first version' was put aside, and did not appear in print until 1968.
Unfinished Opera: MladaMlada was a project originally envisioned as a ballet to be composed by Alexander Serov and choreographed by Marius Petipa. The project was later revised in 1872 as an opera-ballet in four acts, with the composition of the score to be divided between César Cui, Léon Minkus, Modest Mussorgsky,...
(1872)
The first re-modelling of the work took place in 1872, when Mussorgsky revised and recast it for
chorusA choir, chorale, or chorus is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform.A body of singers who perform together is called a choir or chorus...
and
orchestraAn orchestra is an instrumental ensemble, usually fairly large with string, brass, woodwind sections, and possibly a percussion section as well. The term orchestra derives from the name for the area in front of an ancient Greek stage reserved for the Greek chorus...
as part of Act III that he was assigned to contribute to the collaborative opera-ballet
MladaMlada was a project originally envisioned as a ballet to be composed by Alexander Serov and choreographed by Marius Petipa. The project was later revised in 1872 as an opera-ballet in four acts, with the composition of the score to be divided between César Cui, Léon Minkus, Modest Mussorgsky,...
. In this new version the music was to form the basis of the
Night on Mt. Triglav scene. Mussorgsky referred to this piece under the title
Glorification of Chornobog in a list of his compositions given to Stasov.
Mlada was a project doomed to failure, however, and this 'second version' languished along with the first.
Unfinished Opera: The Fair at Sorochyntsi (1880)
The work's 'third version', the
Dream Vision of the Peasant Lad , came into existence eight years later when the composer revived and revised the second version (see
Night on Mount Triglav above) to function as a 'dream
intermezzoIn music, an intermezzo , in the most general sense, is a composition which fits between other musical or dramatic entities, such as acts of a play or movements of a larger musical work...
' in his opera
The Fair at Sorochyntsi (1874–80), a work which was still incomplete at the time of his death in 1881. Mussorgsky originally chose the end of Act I of the opera as the location for his choral intermezzo. It is now generally performed in the Shebalin version (1930) of the opera, where it is more logically relocated to Act III, just after the peasant lad's dumka. The theme of the dumka also serves as one of the main themes of the new quiet ending in this version (which also finds its way into the Rimsky-Korsakov edition), thus forming a musical frame to the intermezzo.
Performance history
- Mussorgsky's original tone poem St. John's Night on the Bare Mountain (1867) was not performed until the 20th century. Gerald Abraham makes the claim that this version was performed by Nikolai Malko
Nikolai Malko was a Ukrainian conductor.Malko was born in Semaky, Ukraine. In his youth Malko published articles on music criticism in the Russian press and performed as a pianist and later a conductor...
on 3 February, 1932, apparently in EnglandEngland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the North Sea to the east, with the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. Calvocoressi gives the year as 1933. According to the Grove Dictionary of Music this version premiered in Moscow in 1968. This was presumably in Kirkor's edition (see below).
- The score of Glorification of Chornobog (1872) from Mlada has not survived and the piece was never performed.
- The Dream Vision of the Peasant Lad (1880) was first performed as part of Shebalin's performing edition of The Fair at Sorochyntsi, which premiered in 1931 in Leningrad
Leningrad is the former name of Saint Petersburg, Russia.Leningrad may also refer to:Places:* Leningrad Oblast, a federal subject of Russia, around Saint Petersburg* Leningrad, Tajikistan, capital of Muminobod district in Khatlon Province...
at the Maly Theater, conducted by Samuil SamosudSamuil Abramovich Samosud was a Russian conductor. He started his musical career on the cello, before conducting in the Mariinsky Theater, Petrograd in 1917. From 1918 to 1936 he conducted at the Maly Operny, Leningrad. In 1936 he became musical director at the Bolshoi Theater, Moscow...
.
- Rimsky-Korsakov's edition of A Night on the Bare Mountain (1886) received its premiere on 15 October 1886, in St. Petersburg, at Kononov Hall. It was performed by the orchestra of the Russian Symphony Concerts conducted by Rimsky-Korsakov himself.
Publication history
- The original tone poem St. John's Night on the Bare Mountain was composed and orchestrated by Mussorgsky in 1867. A new edition was prepared by Georgiy Kirkor and published in 1968.
- The score of Glorification of Chornobog (1872) from Mlada has not survived and was never published.
- Mussorgsky's piano-vocal score of the Dream Vision of the Peasant Lad, intended as an intermezzo in the opera The Fair at Sorochyntsi, was finished in 1880. It was edited and orchestrated by Vissarion Shebalin
Vissarion Yakovlevich Shebalin was a Russian composer.-Biography:...
, and was published by Muzgiz in 1934.
- Rimsky-Korsakov's recomposition of Mussorgsky's work, titled A Night on the Bare Mountain, was completed in 1886, and was published that year by V. Bessel and Co.
V. Bessel and Co. was a musical firm founded in 1869 in St Petersburg by Vasily Vasil’yevich Bessel . His brother N. V. Bessel was a co-owner of the firm....
.
Instrumentation
Original Tone Poem (1867)
- Strings: Violins, Violas, Cellos, Double Basses
- Woodwinds: 1 Piccolo, 2 Flutes, 2 Oboes, 2 Clarinets, 2 Bassoons
- Brass: 4 Horns, 2 Cornets, 2 Trumpets, 3 Trombones, 1 Tuba
- Percussion: Timpani, Bass Drum, Snare Drum, Triangle, Tambourine, Cymbals, Tam-tam
Rimsky Korsakov Edition (1886)
- Strings: Violins, Violas, Cellos, Double Basses
- Woodwinds: 1 Piccolo, 2 Flutes, 2 Oboes, 2 Clarinets, 2 Bassoons
- Brass: 4 Horns, 2 Trumpets, 3 Trombones, 1 Tuba
- Percussion: Timpani, Bass Drum, Cymbals, Tam-tam, Bell
- Other: Harp
Program
Original Tone Poem (1867)
Setting:
Russian legend tells of a witches' sabbath taking place on St. John's Night (June 23-24) on the
Lysa HoraLysa Hora is a large woody hill in the Ukrainian capital Kyiv , near the confluence of the Dnipro and Lybid' rivers. The mount supposedly takes its name from the fact that its top was not covered by trees...
(Bald Mountain), near Kiev.
Program:
The following program is taken from the score:
- Сбор ведьм, их толки и сплетни (Assembly of the witches, their chatter and gossip)
- Поезд Сатаны (Cortège of Satan)
- Чёрная служба, Messe noire (Black service, Black mass)
- Шабаш (Sabbath)
More details and a variation to this program may be found in a letter written by the composer to Vladimir Nikolsky:
"So far as my memory doesn't deceive me, the witches used to gather on this mountain, gossip, play tricks and await their chief — SatanSatan is an embodiment of antagonism that originates from the Abrahamic religions, being traditionally considered an angel in Judeo-Christian belief, and a Jinn in Islamic belief...
. On his arrival they, i.e. the witches, formed a circle round the throne on which he sat, in the form of a kid, and sang his praise. When Satan was worked up into a sufficient passion by the witches' praises, he gave the command for the sabbath, in which he chose for himself the witches who caught his fancy. –So this is what I've done. At the head of my score I've put its content: 1. Assembly of the witches, their talk and gossip; 2. Satan's journey; 3. Obscene praises of Satan; and 4. Sabbath... The form and character of the composition are both Russian and original".
Glorification of Chornobog
from Mlada
(1872)
Mussorgsky's score for the Glorification of Chornobog
portion of Mlada
has not survived. The following scenario is taken from Rimsky-Korsakov's later (1890) 'magic opera-ballet' based on the same libretto.
Setting:
Mlada
is set in the 9th or 10th century city of Retra, in the (formerly) Slavic lands between the Baltic SeaThe Baltic Sea is a brackish inland sea located in Northern Europe, from 53°N to 66°N latitude and from 20°E to 26°E longitude. It is bounded by the Scandinavian Peninsula, the mainland of Europe, and the Danish islands. It drains into the Kattegat by way of the Øresund, the Great Belt and the...
coast and the Elbe River. This would be the land of the pre-ChristianA Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic, religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth, who Christians believe was the Messiah prophesied in the Old Testament/Hebrew Bible, and the Son of God.The term "Christian" is also used adjectivally to...
Polabian SlavsPolabian Slavs is a collective term applied to a number of West Slavic tribes who lived along the Elbe, between the Baltic Sea to the north, the Saale and Limes Saxonicus to the west, the Sudetes and Franconia to the south, and Poland to the east. They have also been known as the Elbe Slavs and as...
, in the region corresponding to the modern German areas of Vorpommern, MecklenburgMecklenburg is a region in northern Germany comprising the western and larger part of the federal state Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. The largest cities of the region are Rostock, Schwerin, and Neubrandenburg....
, or HolsteinHolstein is the region between the rivers Elbe and Eider. It is part of Schleswig-Holstein, the northernmost state of Germany....
.
The Mlada
scenario is the only Night on Bald Mountain setting that mentions a 'Mt. Triglav', where the supernatural events of Act III take place. It is reasonable to assume that this Mt. Triglav is not the famous
peakTriglav is the highest mountain in Slovenia and the highest peak of the Julian Alps. While its name, meaning "three-headed", can describe its shape as seen from the Bohinj area, the mountain was most probably named after the Slavic god Triglav...
in
SloveniaSlovenia , officially the Republic of Slovenia , is a country in Central Europe bordering Italy to the west, the Adriatic Sea to the southwest, Croatia to the south and east, Hungary to the northeast, and Austria to the north...
, some 750 kilometers distant. It is certainly not the Lysa Hora near
KievKiev or Kyiv , is the capital and the largest city of Ukraine, located in the north central part of the country on the Dnieper River. The population as of the 2001 census was 2,611,300...
, as is often mentioned in program and liner notes. However, the description of it in the
librettoA libretto is the text used in an extended musical work such as an opera, operetta, masque, sacred or secular oratorio and cantata, musical, and ballet. The term "libretto" is also sometimes used to refer to the text of major liturgical works, such as mass, requiem, and sacred cantata.Libretto ,...
, as possessing a snow-covered peak, gorges, and glaciers, makes it difficult to place it among the low mountains and hills of northeast Germany. Incidentally, the name
TriglavTriglav also sometimes called troglav is a god or complex of gods in Slavic mythology, similar in nature to the Trinity in Christianity or Trimurti in Hinduism...
['tri'(three) + 'glav'(heads)] happens to be the name of an ancient three-headed Slavic deity or a trinity of deities.
Plot:
Voyslava and her father Mstivoy, the Prince of Retra, have poisoned Mlada, the betrothed of Yaromir, Prince of
ArkonaCape Arkona is a cape on the island of Rügen in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany. Cape Arkona is the tip of the Wittow peninsula, just a few kilometres north of the Jasmund National Park....
. Voyslava sells her soul to Morena, an evil goddess, to obtain her aid in making Yaromir forget Mlada so she may have him to herself. In Act III, the
shadeIn literature and poetry, a shade can be taken to mean the spirit or ghost of a dead person, residing in the underworld....
(
ghostA ghost has been defined as the disembodied spirit or soul of a deceased person, although in popular usage the term refers only to the apparition of such a person...
) of Mlada leads Yaromir up the slopes of Mt. Triglav to a pine wood in a gorge on top of the mountain. Mlada's shade joins a gathering of the spirits of the dead. She expresses in
mimeA mime most frequently refers to a mime artist who uses a theatrical medium or performance art involving the acting out of a story through body motions without use of speech...
to Yaromir the wish to be reunited with him in the kingdom of dead souls. He is eager to join her. However, there is a rumbling sound announcing the appearance, apparently from underground, of the following fantastic characters:
| Russian |
Transcription |
Description |
| Злые духи |
Zlïye dukhi |
Evil spirits |
| Ведьмы |
Ved'mï |
Witches Witchcraft, in various historical, anthropological, religious and mythological contexts, is the use of certain kinds of supernatural or magical powers. Witchcraft can refer to the use of such powers in order to inflict harm or damage upon members of a community or their property...
|
| Кикиморы |
KikimorïKikimora is a female house spirit in Slavic mythology, sometimes said to be married to the Domovoi.Kikimoras are said to be the spirits of unbaptized children or of aborted fetuses...
|
Female hobgoblin Hobgoblin is a term typically applied in folktales to describe a friendly but troublesome creature of the Seelie court.The most commonly known Hobgoblin is the character Puck in Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream. Puck, however, is only another name given to a much older character named Robin...
s |
| Чёрнобог |
Chornobog Chernobog is a mysterious Slavic deity about whom much has been speculated but little can be said definitively...
|
'Chorno'(black) + 'bog'(god), an infernal Slavic deity, in the form of a goat |
| Морена |
Morena Marzanna, Mara, Murava, Morana, Moréna or Morena is a Slavic goddess with an unclear function, most often believed to be a goddess of harvest and witchcraft. In some medieval Christian sources such as the Mater Verborum she is compared to Hecate. Her relationship to Mara, the Slavic goddess of...
|
An infernal Slavic deity |
| Кащей |
Kashchey |
An ogreAn ogre is a large, cruel and hideous humanoid monster, featured in mythology, folklore and fiction. Ogres are often depicted in fairy tales and no folklore as feeding on human beings, and have appeared in many classic works of literature. In art, ogres are often depicted with a large head,...
familiar from Russian folktales; plays a gusliGusli Gusli Gusli ( is the oldest Russian multi-string plucked instrument. Its exact history is unknown, but it may have derived from a Byzantine form of the Greek kythare, which in turn derived from the ancient lyre. It has its relatives throughout the world - kantele in Finland, kannel in...
|
| Червь |
Cherv |
Worm, god of famineA famine is a widespread scarcity of food that may apply to any faunal species, which phenomenon is usually accompanied by regional malnutrition, starvation, epidemic, and increased mortality...
|
| Чума |
Chuma |
Plague, god of pestilence |
| Топелец |
Topelets |
'Drowner', god of floods |
The evil spirits sing in a strange demonic language. Morena calls on Chornobog to help make Yaromir forsake Mlada. Kashchey determines that Morena and Chornobog will be successful if Yaromir is seduced by another. Chornobog commands Yaromir's soul to separate from his body, and for Queen Cleopatra to appear. Instantly the scene changes to a hall in Egypt, where the shade of Cleopatra attempts to entice Yaromir's soul to her side with a seductive dance. She almost succeeds in doing so when a cock crow announcing the break of day causes the entire infernal host to vanish. Yaromir awakens and ponders the mysterious events he has witnessed.
Dream Vision of the Peasant Lad from
The Fair at Sorochyntsi (1880)
Setting:
The Fair at Sorochyntsi is set in and around the
UkrainianUkraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It is bordered by Russia to the east; Belarus to the north; Poland, Slovakia, and Hungary to the west; Romania and Moldova to the southwest; and the Black Sea and Sea of Azov to the south. The city of Kiev is both the capital and the largest city of...
village of
Velyki SorochyntsiVelyki Sorochyntsi is a village in the Poltava Oblast of central Ukraine...
, some 500 kilometers east of Kiev and the famous 'Bald Mountain' (Lysa Hora), in the year 1800.
Plot:
The peasant Solopy Cherevik, his domineering wife Khivrya, and pretty daughter Parasya are visiting the Sorochintsi Fair. Parasya is wooed by Gritsko Golopupenko, the "peasant lad" of the title. Gritsko desires Cherevik's consent to marry his daughter. Although Cherevik is not against the match, his wife objects because Gritsko had thrown mud in her face on the way to the fair. Gritsko strikes a bargain with a
gypsyThe term gypsy was a common term used to describe Romani people or Travelers.-Etymology:The Oxford English Dictionary states that a gypsy is a...
to assist him in winning Parasya. They make use of the superstitious fears of the fairgoers, who believe that the location of the fair this year is ill-chosen, it being the haunt of a devil who was thrown out of hell, took to drinking, went broke, pawned his jacket, and has returned to claim it. After various pranks and comic circumstances, Gritsko achieves his goal and all ends happily.
At the end of Act 1, Gritsko falls asleep some distance from the fair, and, because there has been talk of devilry, has a dream of a witches' sabbath. The following remarks are taken from the score, which is dated 10 May 1880:
Act I, Scene II – Dream Vision of the Peasant Lad
- A hilly desolate area. An approaching subterranean choir of infernal forces.
- Witches and devils surround the sleeping peasant lad.
- On a hill appear fiery serpents. The approach of Chornobog.
- Chornobog climbs up from underground. Following him are Kashchey, Cherv, Chuma, Topelets, Smert, and the remaining members of his retinue.
- Worship of Chornobog: dwarfs begin to circle Chornobog and bow down. Behind them are also visible demons. Chornobog gives the signal for general earthly worship.
- Sabbath.
- Ballet.
- Stroke of a morning bell.
- Satan and his retinue vanish. The scene is covered by clouds.
Surviving the transfer from
Glorification of Chornobog are the same supernatural characters, although Morena has been replaced by Death . Chornobog and his accomplices form a kind of
Six Horsemen of the ApocalypseThe "Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse" is a term used to describe a concept from the New Testament of the Christian Bible, in chapter six of the Book of Revelation. Although scholars disagree as to what exactly each horseman represents, the four horsemen are often referred to as Conquest, War,...
. The demon language the characters sing, of which Mussorgsky was contemptuous in a letter, is preserved. Interestingly, Mussorgsky does not differentiate Satan from Chornobog clearly, in either this scenario or the next.
Mussorgsky sent the following program to Vladimir Stasov about three months after its composition in 1880:
"The peasant lad sleeps at the foot of a hillock at some distance from the hut where he should have been. In his sleep appear to him:
- Subterranean roar of non-human voices, uttering non-human words.
- The subterranean kingdom of darkness comes into its own -- mocking the sleeping peasant lad.
- Foreshadowing of the appearance of Chornobog and Satan.
- The peasant lad left by the spirits of darkness. Appearance of Chornobog.
- Worship of Chornobog and the black mass
Black Mass is the name given to a ceremony supposedly celebrated during the medieval Witches or Black Sabbath, which was a parody of the Catholic Mass...
.
- Sabbath.
- At the wildest moment of the sabbath the sound of a Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic, religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth, who Christians believe was the Messiah prophesied in the Old Testament/Hebrew Bible, and the Son of God.The term "Christian" is also used adjectivally to...
church bell. Chornobog suddenly disappears.
- Suffering of the demons.
- Voices of the clergy in church.
- Disappearance of the demons and the peasant lad's awakening."
Rimsky Korsakov Edition (1886)
Setting:
For Rimsky-Korsakov's edition we apparently return to the 'Bald Mountain' (Lysa Hora) in or near Kiev.
Program:
“Subterranean sounds of unearthly voices. Appearance of the Spirits of Darkness, followed by that of Chornobog. Glorification of Chornobog and celebration of the Black Mass. Witches’ Sabbath. At the height of the
orgy{Two other uses|ancient Greek gathering|sex orgy|Group seIn Ancient Greek religion, an orgy was a secret nighttime cultic congregation overseen by an orgiophant .-The Greek orgia:...
, the bell of the little village church is heard from afar. The Spirits of Darkness are dispersed. Daybreak.”
Rimsky Korsakov edition (1886)
In the years after Mussorgsky's death, his friends prepared his manuscripts for publication and created performing editions of his unfinished works to enable them to enter the repertoire. The majority of the editorial work was done by Rimsky-Korsakov, who in 1886 produced a redacted edition of A Night on the Bare Mountain
from the Dream Vision of the Peasant Lad
vocal scoreA vocal score or piano-vocal score is a music score of an opera, or a vocal or choral composition with orchestra such as an oratorio or cantata, in which the vocal parts are written out in full but the accompaniment is reduced and adapted for keyboard...
and premiered at the first of the
Russian Symphony ConcertsThe Russian Symphony Concerts were a series of Russian classical music concerts hosted by timber magnate and musical philanthropist Mitrofan Belyayev in St. Petersburg as a forum for young Russian composers to have their orchestral works performed...
:
He apparently did not make use of the original tone poem of 1867 in making his revision. The published score of his edition states "Completed and orchestrated by N. Rimsky-Korsakov, 1886". If he had the score of the 1867 tone poem at hand, he would have noticed that it was both completed and orchestrated. He also did not remember Mussorgsky's letter to him announcing that he had finished the work on St. John's Day, and had composed the work directly into full orchestral score, a practice unusual for him. Mussorgsky's manuscript is believed to have been in the keeping of Balakirev at the time.
However, Rimsky-Korsakov remembered that an orchestral score was Mussorgsky's original intention, and because he had no manuscript of that score, he orchestrated what he considered as an "unfinished" vocal score of the Dream Vision of the Peasant Lad, omitting the vocal parts. Rimsky-Korsakov has made some "corrections" typical of him (as he did with Boris Godunov, Khovanshchina, etc.), which means that he preserved the thematic structure, but occasionally added or omitted bars and changed harmonic structures.
Stokowski arrangement (1940)
Millions of twentieth-century listeners owe their initial acquaintance with Mussorgsky's tone-poem to the use within
Walt DisneyWalter Elias "Walt" Disney was an American film producer, director, screenwriter, voice actor, animator, entrepreneur, entertainer, international icon and philanthropist. Disney is famous for his influence in the field of entertainment during the twentieth century. As the co-founder Walter Elias...
's 1940 film
FantasiaFantasia is a American animated feature produced by Walt Disney and the third film in the Walt Disney Animated Classics series. Fantasia features animation set to classical music and no dialogue—only spoken introductions by the host, American composer and music critic Deems Taylor, before segments...
of a specially produced version made by
Leopold StokowskiLeopold Stokowski was a famous orchestral conductor, well known for his free-hand performing style that spurned the traditional baton and for obtaining a characteristically sumptuous sound from many of the great orchestras he conducted.In America, Stokowski performed with the Cincinnati Symphony...
. Stokowski stated that he based it on the Rimsky-Korsakov arrangement in form and content (though notably without the 'fanfare' that marks the entrance of the black god Chornobog) but Mussorgsky's original in orchestration. However, like Rimsky-Korsakov himself, Stokowski had no copy of the original tone poem from 1867, so he did what he felt Mussorgsky would have done. Stokowski was familiar to some extent with Mussorgsky's style, having conducted the U.S. premiere of the original version of
Boris GodunovBoris Godunov is an opera by Modest Mussorgsky . The work was composed between 1868 and 1874 in Saint Petersburg, Russia. It is Mussorgsky's only completed opera and is considered his masterpiece. Its subject is the Russian ruler Boris Godunov, who reigned as Tsar from 1598 to 1605...
in 1929 and subsequently produced a symphonic synthesis of Boris
for concert purposes. Stokowski went on to produce an even more drastic adaptation of Night
for concert performance.
In popular culture
- Stern Combo Meißen, an experimental progressive rock band from East Germany, adapted Mussorgskij's original version in 1977 as Eine Nacht auf dem kahlen Berg on their first full length LP. The recording of SCM's
Eine Nacht auf dem kahlen Berg
occurred during a time permeating their late 1970s to early 1980s period albums when the band abstained from using guitar instrumentation.
Isao Tomitais a renowned Japanese electronic music composer.-Biography:Tomita was born in Tokyo and spent his early childhood with his father in China. After returning to Japan, he took private lessons in orchestration and composition while an art history student at Keio University, Tokyo. He graduated in...
's synthesised realisation appeared alongside his electronic interpretation of StravinskyIgor Fyodorovich Stravinsky was a Russian composer, pianist, and conductor, widely acknowledged as one of the most important and influential composers of 20th century music. He was a quintessentially cosmopolitan Russian who was named by Time magazine as one of the 100 most influential people of...
's Firebird Suite
in 1975.
Bob JamesBob James is a smooth jazz and jazz fusion keyboardist, arranger and producer.-Biography:During the 1970s, Bob James played a major role in turning fusion jazz more mainstream...
' jazz-funk infused rendition of the song appears on his 1974 album, OneOne is the debut solo album by jazz musician Bob James released in 1974.-Track listing:#"Valley of the Shadows" - #"In the Garden" - #"Soulero" - #"Night on Bald Mountain" - #"Feel Like Making Love" -...
.
Film composer Douglas GamleyDouglas Gamley was an Australian film composer, who worked on British and American films. He was particularly influenced by Modest Mussorgsky, creating a full orchestral version of his eduardo flores gonzalez and adapting his Night on Bald Mountain for his Asylum score...
's score to the 1972 film Asylum
.
There is a discoDisco is a genre of dance music that that had its roots in clubs that catered to African American, psychedelic and other communities in New York City and Philadelphia during the late 1960s and early 1970s...
version performed by David ShireDavid Lee Shire is an American songwriter and the composer of stage musicals and film and television scores.-Education and early career:...
available on the Saturday Night FeverSaturday Night Fever is a 1977 film starring John Travolta as Tony Manero, a young man, coming of age, whose weekend activities are visits to a local Brooklyn discothèque and Karen Lynn Gorney as his dance partner and eventual girlfriend...
soundtrack titled "Night on Disco Mountain". In 2007, this version was sampled by electro houseThis article is about Electro house music which is called 'electro' frequently. For original Electro music, see Electro music.Electro house is a fusion genre of house music and electro , with the influence of indie rock...
duo JusticeJustice is a French electronic music duo consisting of Gaspard Augé and Xavier de Rosnay . The duo is one of the most successful groups on Ed Banger Records and is managed by the label's head, Pedro Winter...
for their song "Stress"
The German progressiveProgressive metal is a fusion genre: a mixture of progressive rock and heavy metal. Progressive metal blends the powerful, guitar-driven sound of metal with the complex compositional structures, odd time signatures, and intricate instrumental playing of progressive rock...
/thrash metalThrash metal is a subgenre of heavy metal that is characterized by its fast tempo and aggression. Thrash metal songs typically use fast, percussive and low-register guitar riffs, overlaid with shredding-style lead work. Thrash metal lyrics often deal with social issues using direct and denunciatory...
band Mekong DeltaMekong Delta is a German progressive/thrash metal band, formed in 1985.-History:The band was founded by a group of German metal musicians with the goal to 'musically outshine' all then-current, independent releases. The line-up and the history of the group was to be "the best kept secret in the...
performed the metal version of the poem on their album Dances of Death (and other Walking Shadows)
in 1990, it also appears in its entirety on their live album Live at an Excibition
(1991) and the compilation Classics
(1993).
Stokowski's Fantasia
version was adapted by Yoko Shimomurais a Japanese video game composer. She has been described as "the most famous female video game music composer in the world". She has worked in the video game music industry since graduating from Osaka College of Music in 1988. From then until 1993, she worked for Capcom, where she composed wholly...
for use in the video game Kingdom Heartsis an action role-playing game developed and published by Square in 2002 for the PlayStation 2 video game console. The first game in the Kingdom Hearts series, it is the result of a collaboration between Square and The Walt Disney Company. The game combines characters and settings from Disney...
, in which ChernabogChernabog is a fictional character who appears in the "Night on Bald Mountain" segment of Walt Disney's Fantasia . He is a massive nocturnal demon who holds power over various restless souls. His name is taken from Chernobog, a deity of Slavic mythology; the name is Slavic for "black god"...
appears as a boss. A version of it also appeared on the Japanis an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, People's Republic of China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese rerelease of Kingdom Heartsis an action role-playing game developed and published by Square in 2002 for the PlayStation 2 video game console. The first game in the Kingdom Hearts series, it is the result of a collaboration between Square and The Walt Disney Company. The game combines characters and settings from Disney...
, titled Kingdom Hearts Final Mix
. The track plays as the player fights ChernabogChernabog is a fictional character who appears in the "Night on Bald Mountain" segment of Walt Disney's Fantasia . He is a massive nocturnal demon who holds power over various restless souls. His name is taken from Chernobog, a deity of Slavic mythology; the name is Slavic for "black god"...
from Walt DisneyWalter Elias "Walt" Disney was an American film producer, director, screenwriter, voice actor, animator, entrepreneur, entertainer, international icon and philanthropist. Disney is famous for his influence in the field of entertainment during the twentieth century. As the co-founder Walter Elias...
's movie FantasiaFantasia is a American animated feature produced by Walt Disney and the third film in the Walt Disney Animated Classics series. Fantasia features animation set to classical music and no dialogue—only spoken introductions by the host, American composer and music critic Deems Taylor, before segments...
at End of the World.
An a cappellaA cappella music is vocal music or singing without instrumental accompaniment, or a piece intended to be performed in this way. A cappella was originally intended to differentiate between Renaissance polyphony and Baroque concertato style...
version by SpiralmouthSpiralmouth is an a cappella group. This means all their music is made completely with their voice although usually electronically enhanced.The group is most famous for their original music for Vivendi Games's Crash Twinsanity. They also co-performed the soundtrack for Crash Tag Team Racing...
can be sometimes heard during the "Evilocity" racetrack in the video game Crash Tag Team RacingCrash Tag Team Racing is a racing video game published by Sierra Entertainment and developed by Radical Entertainment for the PlayStation 2, Nintendo GameCube, Xbox and PlayStation Portable. A Nintendo DS version, which was to be developed by Sensory Sweep Studios rather than Radical Entertainment,...
.
Another abbreviated version appears in the video game Earthworm JimEarthworm Jim is a run and gun platform video game starring an earthworm named Jim in a robotic suit who battles evil. The game was developed by Shiny Entertainment, released for the Sega Mega Drive/Genesis in 1994, and subsequently ported to the SNES, Game Boy, Game Gear, Sega Master System, and...
, as the background music for "What the Heck!?", alternating with elevator musicElevator music refers to the gentle instrumental arrangements of popular music designed for playing in shopping malls, grocery stores, department stores, telephone systems , cruise ships, airports, doctors' and dentists' offices, and elevators...
.
New Trolls Atomic SystemNew Trolls Atomic System were an Italian progressive rock band which released one record in the early 1970s, New Trolls Atomic System. The album spawned a single, "Una notte sul Monte Calvo", a symphonic rock cover of Modest Mussorgsky's A Night on Bare Mountain.They were an offshoot from the band...
released a symphonic rockSymphonic rock is a subgenre of rock music, and more specifically, progressive rock. Since early in progressive rock's history, the term has been used sometimes to distinguish more classically influenced progressive rock from the more psychedelic and experimental offerings.Symphonic rock is best...
single based on Mussorgsky's version in the early 1970s. It is also found on their self-titled album.
- The Italian progressive rock
The Italian progressive rock scene was born in the early 70s, mostly inspired by the progressive movement in Britain, but with certain features of its own that makes some sources mention it as a separate musical genre....
band Buon Vecchio Charlie recorded a track in 1971 loosely based on Mussorgsky's piece, called
Al uomo che racoglie i cartoni
.
SwedishSweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe...
black metalBlack metal is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal. It often employs fast tempos, shrieked vocals, highly distorted guitars played with tremolo picking, double-kick drumming, and unconventional song structure....
band MardukMarduk is a black metal band from Norrköping, Sweden. The band formed in 1991 and released their first record that year. Their name is derived from the Babylonian god Marduk, patron deity of Babylon.-Musical style:...
reworked themes from the piece into riffs for the song "Glorification of the Black God" on the album Heaven Shall Burn... When We Are GatheredHeaven Shall Burn... When We Are Gathered is the fourth studio album by Swedish black metal band Marduk. It was recorded and mixed at The Abyss in January 1996 and released on July 1 that year by Osmose Productions. It was re-released in digipak format with bonus tracks on June 27, 2006. Heaven...
and the EP GlorificationGlorification is the first EP by Swedish black metal band Marduk. It was recorded and mixed at The Abyss in May 1996 and released that September by Osmose Productions.-Track listing:...
.
- Swedish band Pär Lindh Project
Pär Lindh is a founding member of the Swedish symphonic prog group Pär Lindh ProjectBefore turning to working in a band Pär had several careers: church organist, as a touring classical pianist, as a solo harpsichordist, as drummer, as Hammond organist, as jazz & ragtime entertainer etc.During 1977...
released a 14-minute piece based on Mussorgsky's piece on their record
Gothic Impressions
(1994). http://www.parlindh.com/
In The Wizard of OzThe Wizard of Oz is a 1939 American musical / fantasy film directed mainly by Victor Fleming from a script by Noel Langley, Florence Ryerson, Edgar Allan Woolf, and others and based on the 1900 children's novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum...
, an arranged version is played during the scene where the
ScarecrowThe Scarecrow is a character in the fictional Land of Oz created by American author L. Frank Baum and illustrator William Wallace Denslow. In his first appearance, the Scarecrow reveals that he lacks a brain and desires above all else to have one. In reality, he is only two days old and merely...
, the Tin Man, and the
Cowardly LionThe Cowardly Lion is a character in the fictional Land of Oz created by American author L. Frank Baum. He is a lion, but he talks and interacts with humans....
rescue
DorothyDorothy Gale is a fictional character, the protagonist of many of the Oz novels by American author L. Frank Baum and best friend of Oz's ruler, Princess Ozma. Dorothy first appears in Baum's classic children's novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz and reappears in most of its sequels. She also is the...
from the
Wicked Witch of the WestThe Wicked Witch of the West is a character in the fictional Land of Oz created by American author L. Frank Baum in his children's book The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. The character also figures prominently in the classic 1939 movie based on Baum's book...
's castle.
RapRap may refer to:*Rapping, performance in which rhyming lyrics are used, with or without musical accompaniment ; while an MC performs spoken verses in time to a beat/ melody**Hip hop subculture**Hip hop music**Crunk music...
artist Remy MaReminisce Mackie , better known by her stage name Remy Ma, formerly known as Remy Martin and Remi Martin, is a Grammy nominated American rapper and former member of Fat Joe's rap crew, Terror Squad...
sampledSampling may refer to:*Sampling , converting a continuous signal into a discrete signal*Sampling , re-using portions of sound recordings in a piece**Sampler , closely related to a synthesizer...
a piece of "Bald Mountain" in her song "Whutever", which was produced by Swizz Beats.
Troma films used a version of this song for the theme to The Toxic AvengerThe Toxic Avenger is an American cult classic comedy horror film first released in 1984 by Troma Entertainment, known for producing low budget B-movies with campy concepts...
in 1984.
Discography
Original tone poem (1867)
- Lloyd Jones, London Philharmonic Orchestra
The London Philharmonic Orchestra , based in London, is one of the major orchestras of the United Kingdom, and is based in the Royal Festival Hall. In addition, the LPO is the main resident orchestra of the Glyndebourne Festival Opera...
, 1971
- Abbado, London Symphony Orchestra
The London Symphony Orchestra is a major orchestra of the United Kingdom, as well as one of the best-known orchestras in the world. Since 1982, the LSO has been based in London's Barbican Centre.-History:...
, 1980
- Dohnanyi, Cleveland Orchestra
The Cleveland Orchestra is an American orchestra based in Cleveland, Ohio. It is one of the five American orchestras commonly referred to as the "Big Five". Founded in 1918, the orchestra plays most of its concerts at Severance Hall...
, 1991
- Kitayenko, Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra
The Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra is one of the world's oldest orchestral institutions. It performs some 110 concerts a year, and is based at the 1,500-seat Grieg Hall in Bergen, Norway.-History:...
, 1991
- Abbado, Berliner Philharmoniker, 1993
- Kuchar, National Symphony Orchestra of the Ukraine, 2003
- Salonen, Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra, 2006
Dream Vision of the Peasant Lad (1880)
As part of The Fair at Sorochyntsi:
- Aranovich, Moscow
Moscow is the capital and the largest city of Russia. It is also the largest metropolitan area in Europe, and ranks among the largest urban areas in the world. Moscow is a major political, economic, cultural, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the world, a...
Radio Orchestra and Chorus, 1969
- Esipov, Chorus and Orchestra of the Stanislavsky Theater, 1983
Concert version:
- Polyansky, Russian State Symphony Orchestra, 1997
- Abbado, Berliner Philharmoniker, 1997
Rimsky-Korsakov edition (1886)
Recordings of Rimsky-Korsakov's revision are too numerous to catalog in this article.
Stokowski arrangement (1940)
- Reiner, Сhicago Symphony Orchestra, 1957
- Maazel, Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra
The Berlin Philharmonic , is an orchestra based in Berlin, Germany. In 2006, a group of ten European media outlets voted the Berlin Philharmonic number three on a list of "top ten European Orchestras", after the Vienna Philharmonic and the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra...
, 1959
- Knussen, Cleveland Orchestra
The Cleveland Orchestra is an American orchestra based in Cleveland, Ohio. It is one of the five American orchestras commonly referred to as the "Big Five". Founded in 1918, the orchestra plays most of its concerts at Severance Hall...
, 1990
- Levi, Atlanta Symphony Orchestra
The Atlanta Symphony Orchestra is an American orchestra based in Atlanta, Georgia, USA. Robert Spano has been its music director since 2001....
, 1991
- Kunzel, Cincinnati Pops Orchestra
The Cincinnati Pops Orchestra is a pops orchestra based in Cincinnati, Ohio, United States, founded in 1977 out of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra. Its members are also the members of the Cincinnati Symphony, and the Pops is managed by the same administration...
, 1992
- Serebrier, Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra
The Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra is an English orchestra. Originally based in Bournemouth, the BSO moved its offices to the adjacent town of Poole in 1979....
, 2003
- Bamert and BBC Philarmonic Orchestra, 1995
Media
Piano version of Night on Bald Mountain (arranged by Konstantin Chernov)