Big vocal cycle, dedicated to children, Mussorgsky conceived in the spring of 1868. Perhaps this thought was prompted by his communication with the children of Stasov, whom he often visited in those years. Not songs for children, but vocal and poetic miniatures that reveal the spiritual world of a child, his psychology - that was the focus of the composer’s attention. He began composing based on his own texts, and it is no coincidence that, having finished the first number of the cycle, “With a Nanny,” Mussorgsky made a significant dedication to “the great teacher of musical truth, Alexander Sergeevich Dargomyzhsky.” This was six months before the death of Dargomyzhsky, who highly appreciated the experience of the young author and advised him to continue his work. However, Mussorgsky, who was busy at that time finishing Boris Godunov, put it aside for a long time. Only at the beginning of 1870 were four more numbers written - “In the corner”, “Beetle”, “With a doll” and “Coming to bed”. The last two plays, “Sailor the Cat” and “On a Stick,” appeared only in 1872. Two more were also composed - “A Child’s Dream” and “A Quarrel of Two Children”. The composer played them for friends, but did not record them, and they are not in the final version of the cycle.
“Children’s” is a completely unusual work that had no analogues before. These are not songs, not romances, but subtle vocal scenes in which the world of a child is surprisingly accurately, deeply and lovingly revealed. There is no record of when the cycle was first executed. It is only known that it was often sung by the young amateur A. N. Purgold, the sister of Rimsky-Korsakov’s wife, who together with her took an active part in the life of the musical circle grouped around Dargomyzhsky. Soon after writing, in 1873, “Children’s” was published by V. Bessel in an elegant design by Repin and immediately received public recognition. Bessel then, along with some other works by young Russian composers, sent the “Children’s” to Liszt, who was delighted with it. The publisher’s brother informed Mussorgsky that Liszt’s work “moved him to such an extent that he fell in love with the author and wants to dedicate to him une “bluette” (a trinket - L.M.). “Stupid or not in music, but in “Children’s”, it seems, I am not stupid, because understanding children and looking at them as people with a unique world, and not as funny dolls, should not recommend the author from the stupid side, - Mussorgsky wrote to Stasov. - ... I never thought that Liszt, who, with a few exceptions, chose colossal subjects, could seriously understand and appreciate the “Children’s Room”, and most importantly, admire it: after all, the children in it are Russians, with a strong local smell.. ."
Six of the seven issues of the cycle have dedications. “In the corner” - to Viktor Aleksandrovich Hartmann, a friend of the composer, artist and architect, who soon died in the prime of life from heart disease (his posthumous exhibition inspired the composer for one of his best creations - the cycle “Pictures at an Exhibition”). “Beetle” is dedicated to the ideological inspirer of the composer’s circle, the author of the winged title Mighty bunch Vladimir Vasilievich Stasov. Above the play “With a Doll” there is an inscription “Dedicated to Tanya and Goga Mussorgsky” - the composer’s nephews, the children of his older brother Philaret. “Bedtime” is dedicated to Sasha Cui, and the last issue, “Rided on a stick,” which has another title - “At the Dacha” - to Dmitry Vasilyevich and Poliksena Stepanovna Stasov (brother of V.V. Stasov and his wife). Only “Cat Sailor” was left without dedication.
Music
In the "Children's Room" melodized recitative dominates, conveying the subtlest shades of speech. The accompaniment is spare, emphasizing the features of the melodic line, helping to create a bright, expressive image.
No. 1, “With Nanny,” is distinguished by its amazing flexibility of melody, supported by harmonically inventive accompaniment. No. 2, “In the Corner,” is a scene between an angry nanny and a punished child. The nanny's stormy, accusing intonations are contrasted with the child's phrases, which at first are justifying, plaintive, whining, and then, when the baby convinces himself of his innocence, turning into an aggressive cry. No. 4, “With a doll,” is a monotonous lullaby with which a girl rocks her doll. The monotonous melody is interrupted by an impatient exclamation (in imitation of the nanny: “Tyapa, I need to sleep!”), and then a leisurely lullaby unfolds again, freezing at the end - the doll has fallen asleep. No. 5, “For Bedtime,” may be the most striking, a child’s evening prayer. The girl prays for her loved ones, relatives, and playmates. Her speech speeds up in an endless list of names and suddenly stumbles... A confused appeal to the nanny follows - what next? - and her grumpy answer, followed by the slow completion of the prayer: “Lord, have mercy on me, a sinner too!” and a quick, one-sound question: “So? nanny? No. 6, “Sailor the Cat,” is a choking patter built on an excited pulsating rhythm, with witty sound-image techniques in the accompaniment - a story about a cat who has put his paw into a cage with a bullfinch. The cycle ends with the live performance “Riding on a Stick.” At first it’s a fun ride on an imaginary horse (recitation on one note), a conversation with a friend, funny jumps. But the baby fell. His mother calmly and soothingly responds to his moans and complaints, distracting him from the pain. And now the calmed boy jumps again.
The world of children's feelings, joys and sorrows is revealed by the composer in the vocal cycle "Children's" he created at that time on own words. It is difficult to imagine a more sincere and poetic embodiment of childhood images! Mussorgsky's skill in conveying the subtlest shades of speech intonation is presented here with a truly impressionistic richness of emotional colors. And the sincerity of the tone and the truthfulness of the narration reflect the composer’s attitude towards inner world children - without sweetness and falsehood, but with warmth and tenderness. The first play that opens the cycle, “A Child with a Nanny,” was written earlier, in the spring of 1868, during Dargomyzhsky’s lifetime (it is dedicated to him). At the beginning of 1870, Mussorgsky wrote four more plays: “In the Corner”, “The Beetle”, “With a Doll” and “Bedtime”; the last two plays - “Sailor the Cat” and “Rided on a Stick” - were written in 1872. You can't call them songs, much less romances; these are vocal skits for one or two performers; but there is no theatrical theatricality or scale in them - they are so subtle, sincere and intimate. Two more plays were proposed - “A Child’s Dream” and “A Quarrel of Two Children”; Mussorgsky played them to friends, but did not record them.
The first play, “With Nanny,” fascinates with the most charming truthfulness of the child’s speech: “Tell me, nanny, tell me, dear, about that terrible beech...” The main thing means of expression- melodic line; This is real speech, melodized and intonationally flexible recitative. Despite the many repetitions of sound at the same pitch, there is no monotony. The line is perceived as unusually rich because the most striking syllables of the text - the percussion - naturally coincide with the melodic leap, and, in addition, the repetition of sound in the melody occurs in the change of harmony, the play of registers, and the dynamic change in accompaniment. Here every word of the text is like a jewel; The composer's observations and discoveries in the field of musical embodiment of children's speech can be enjoyed endlessly.
The play “In the Corner” begins with a “high” emotional note of nanny’s anger: the seething of non-stop eighth notes serves as an accompaniment to her accusations: “Oh, you prankster! I unwound the ball and lost the rods! Wow! Got all the hinges down! The stocking is all splattered with ink! In the corner! In the corner! Go to the corner! and, dying down, “Prankster!” And the answer from the corner is incomparable in pitifulness; rounded intonations in a minor key with a falling ending and a “whining” motive in the accompaniment begin as an excuse. But what a remarkable psychological transition: having convinced himself of his own innocence, the baby gradually changes his tone, and the intonations gradually turn from plaintive to aggressively rising; the end of the play is already a cry of “offended dignity”: “Nanny offended Mishenka, in vain she put her in a corner; Misha won’t love his nanny anymore, that’s what!”
The play “Beetle,” which conveys the child’s excitement from meeting a beetle (he was building a house out of splinters and suddenly saw a huge black beetle; the beetle flew up and hit him in the temple, and then fell down), is built on the continuous movement of eighth notes in the accompaniment; the excited story leads to the climax of the incident on a sharp chord, comically copying the “adult” dramatic events.
In the song “With a Doll,” the girl lulls the doll Tyapa to sleep and, imitating her nanny, sings a monotonous lullaby, interrupted by an impatient cry: “Tyapa, I need to sleep!” And bringing pleasant dreams to her Tyapa, she sings about a wonderful island, “where they neither reap nor sow, where pear trees bloom and ripen, and golden birds sing day and night”; Here the melodic line is soporificly monotonous; and the harmony intricately combines minor (common for lullabies) and major (as an implied and “transparent” basis). Where the talk comes about a wonderful “exotic” island, the accompaniment responds to the text with beautiful static harmony.
“For the coming sleep” is a naive children’s prayer for the health of all relatives, close and distant, as well as playmates (listed quickly)...
In the play “Sailor the Cat,” the story of a cat who put his paw into a bullfinch’s cage is also told in an excited, pulsating rhythm of non-stop eighth notes; The witty techniques of piano sound imaging are remarkable - the illustration of the events described (the sound of a cage scratching, the trembling of a bullfinch).
“I went on a stick” - a lively scene of a game of horses, interrupted by a short conversation with a friend Vasya and overshadowed by a fall (“Oh, it hurts! Oh, my leg!”...). Mom’s consolation (affectionate and pacifying intonations) quickly heals the pain, and the reprise is cheerful and playful, as in the beginning.
“Children's” was published in 1873 (designed by I. E. Repin) and received wide recognition from the public; in a circle of musicians, A. N. Purgold often sang “Children’s”.
This cycle became the only work of Mussorgsky that, during the composer’s lifetime, received a review from his venerable foreign colleague - F. Liszt, to whom the publisher V. Bessel sent these notes (together with the works of other young Russian composers). Liszt enthusiastically appreciated the novelty, unusualness and spontaneity of the tone of "Children's". Bessel’s brother told Mussorgsky that Liszt’s “Children’s Room” “moved him to such an extent that he fell in love with the author and wants to dedicate to him une “bluette”” (a trinket - fr.). Mussorgsky writes to V.V. Stasov: “...Stupid or not in music, but in the “Children’s”, it seems, I am not stupid, because the understanding of children and the look at them as people with a peculiar world, and not as funny dolls, one should not recommend the author from the stupid side ... I never thought that Liszt, with a few exceptions, choosing colossal plots, could. seriously understand and appreciate the “Children's Room”, and most importantly, admire it... What will Liszt say or what will he think when he sees “Boris” in a piano version at least.”
Choirs
“Joshua”, choir for soloists, choir and piano;; cit.: 1866 (1st ed.), 1877 (2nd ed.); dedicated to: Nadezhda Nikolaevna Rimskaya-Korsakova; ed.: 1883 (edited and orchestrated by N. A. Rimsky-Korsakov).
“Shamil’s March”, for tenor, bass, choir and orchestra; cit.: 1859; Dedicated to: Alexander Petrovich Arsenyev.
"The Defeat of Sennacherib" for choir and orchestra to words by J. N. G. Byron from "Hebrew Melodies"; cit.: 1867 (1st ed.), 1874 (2nd ed.; postscript by Mussorgsky: “Second presentation, improved according to the comments of Vladimir Vasilyevich Stasov”); dedicated to: Mily Alekseevich Balakirev (1st ed.); Vladimir Vasilievich Stasov (2nd ed.); ed.; 1871 (1st edition for choir with piano).
“Oh, you, drunken grouse” (From the adventures of Pakhomych), song based on the composer’s words; cit.: 1866; dedicated to: Vladimir Vasilyevich Nikolsky; ed.: 1926 (edited by A. N. Rimsky-Korsakov).
“Without the Sun”, vocal cycle to the words of A. A. Golenishchev-Kutuzov (1. “Within four walls”; 2. “You didn’t recognize me in the crowd”; 3. “The idle noisy day is over”; 4. “Bored” ; 5. “Elegy”; 6. “Over the River”); cit.: 1874; dedicated to: A. A. Golenishchev-Kutuzov; ed.: 1874.
“Merry Hour”, drinking song to the words of A. V. Koltsov; cit.: 1858; dedicated<:
Василию Васильевичу Захарьину; изд.: 1923.
“Evening Song” to the words of A. N. Pleshcheev; cit.: 1871; dedicated to: Sofya Vladimirovna Serbina (Fortunato); ed.: 1912 (freely edited by V. G. Karatygina), 1929 (edited by author).
“Vision”, romance to the words of A. A. Golenishchev-Kutuzov; cit.: 1877; dedicated: Elizaveta Andreevna Gulevich; ed.: 1882 (edited by N. A. Rimsky-Korsakov), 1934 (ed.).
“Where are you, little star”, song to the words of N. P. Grekov; cit.: 1858; dedicated: I, L. Grunberg; ed.: 1909 (only with French text), 1911 (with Russian and German text, edited by V. G. Karatygin).
“Hopak”, a song based on words from the poem “Haydamaky” by T. G. Shevchenko, translated. L. A. Meya; cit.: 1866; dedicated to: Nikolai Andreevich Rimsky-Korsakov; ed.: 1933.
“The soul quietly flew through the heavens”, romance to the words of A.K. Tolstoy; cit.: 1877; ed.: 1882 (edited by N. A. Rimsky-Korsakov), 1934 (ed.).
“Children’s” (Episodes from a child’s life), vocal cycle to the words of the composer (1. “With a nanny”; op.: 1868; dedicated to: A. S. Dargomyzhsky; 2. “In the corner”, op.: 1870; dedicated .: V. A. Hartman; 3. “Beetle”; dedicated to: V. V. Stasov; 4. “With a doll”, op.: 1870; 5. “For the coming sleep”; op.: 1870; dedicated to Sasha Cui); ed.: 1871 (No. 2, 3, 4), 1872 (entirely) and 1907 (with the addition of the songs “Sailor the Cat” and “Rided on a Stick”).
“Children's Song” to the words of L. A. Mey from “Rusnatsky Songs” (No. 2 “Nana”) op.: 1868; ed.: 1871.
“The winds are blowing, violent winds”, song to the words of A.V. Koltsov; cit.: 1864; dedicated to: Vyacheslav Alekseevich Loginov; ed.: 1909 (Paris; only with French text), 1911 (edited by V. G. Karatygin), 1931 (ed.).
“Jewish Song” to the words of L. A. May (from the “Song of Songs”); cit.: 1867;
dedicated to: Filaret Petrovich and Tatyana Pavlovna Mussorgsky; ed.: 1868
“Desire”, romance to words by G. Heine, trans. M. I. Mikhailova; cit.: 1866; dedicated to: Nadezhda Petrovna Opochinina (“in memory of her trial against me”); ed.: 1911 (edited by V. G. Karatygina), 1933 (ed.).
“Forgotten”, vocal ballad to the words of A. A. Golenishchev-Kutuzov “from Vereshchagin”; cit.: 1874; dedicated to: V.V. Vereshchagin; ed.: 1874 (not authorized for publication) and 1877.
“Evil Death”, funeral letter for voice with f-p. to the words of the composer; op.: 1874 (under the impression of the death of N.P. Opochinina); ed.: 1912 (edited by V. G. Karatygin, who completed the last 12 bars).
“Many have grown from my tears,” romance to the words of G. Heine (translated by M. I. Mikhailov); cit.: 1866; dedicated to: Vladimir Petrovich Opochinin; ed.: 1933.
“Kalistrat”, song to the words of N. A. Nekrasov (slightly modified); cit.: 1864; dedicated to: Alexander Petrovich Opochinin; ed.: 1883 (edited by N. A. Rimsky-Korsakov), 1931 (ed.).
"Classic", music. pamphlet on the composer's words; cit.: 1867; dedicated to: Nadezhda Petrovna Opochinina; ed.: 1870.
“The Goat,” a secular fairy tale with lyrics by the composer; cit.: 1867; dedicated to: Alexander Porfirievich Borodin; ed.: 1868.
“Eremushka’s Lullaby”, song to lyrics by N. A. Nekrasov; cit.: 1868; dedicated: “To the great teacher of musical truth, Alexander Sergeevich Dargomyzhsky”; ed.: 1871.
“Cat Sailor”, song based on the composer’s words for the cycle “Children’s” (see), No. 6; cit.: 1872; ed.: 1882 (edited by N. A. Rimsky-Korsakov, together with the song “I went on a stick” under the general title “At the Dacha”) and 1907 (as No. 6 of the “Children’s” cycle).
“The leaves rustled sadly”, music. story based on words by A. N. Pleshcheev; cit.: 1859; dedicated to: Mikhail Osipovich Mikeshin; ed.: 1909 (Paris, with one French text), 1911 (with Russian text, edited by V. G. Karatygin), 1931 (ed.).
“Baby”, romance to the words of A. N. Pleshcheev; cit.: 1866; dedicated to: L. V. Azaryeva, published: 1923.
“I have many towers and gardens,” romance with words by A. V. Koltsov; cit.: 1863; dedicated to: Platon Timofeevich Borispolets; ed.: 1923.
“Prayer”, romance to the words of M. Yu. Lermontov; cit.: 1865; dedicated to: Yulia Ivanovna Mussorgskaya; ed.: 1923.
“Incomprehensible”, a romance with lyrics by the composer; cit.: 1875; dedicated to: Maria Izmailovna Kostyurina; ed.: 1911 (edited by V. G. Karatygina), 1931 (ed.).
“But if I could meet you,” romance with words by V. S. Kurochkin; cit.: 1863; dedicated to: Nadezhda Petrovna Opochinina; ed.: 1923, 1931 (ed.).
“Night”, fantasy based on words by A. S. Pushkin; op.: 1864 (1st ed.), 1871
(2nd ed. with a free presentation of Pushkin’s poem); dedicated to: Nadezhda Petrovna Opochinina; ed.: 1871 (2nd ed.), 1923 (1st ed.), 1931 (ed.). “Mischief”, song based on the composer’s words; cit.: 1867; dedicated to: Vladimir Vasilievich Stasov; ed.: 1871.
“Oh, what an honor it is for a fine fellow to spin flax,” a song based on the words of A.K. Tolstoy;
cit.: 1877; ed.: 1882 (edited by N. A. Rimsky-Korsakov), 1934 (ed.).
“Rejected”, an experience of recitative to the words of Ivan. G. M.; cit.: 1865; ed.: 1923.
“Why, tell me, soul-maiden,” song with lyrics by an unknown author; cit.: 1858; dedicated to: Zinaida Afanasyevna Burtseva; ed.: 1867. “Songs and Dances of Death”, vocal cycle to the words of A. A. Golenishchev-Kutuzov (1. “Lullaby”; op.: 1875; dedicated to: Anna Yakovlevna Petrova-Vorobyova; 2. “Serenade”; com.: 1875; dedicated to: Lyudmila Ivanovna Shestakova; 3. “Trepak”; com.: 1875; dedicated to: Osip Afanasyevich Petrov; 4. “Commander”; com.: 1877; ; ed.: 1882 (edited by I. A. Rimsky-Korsakov), 1928 (ed.).
“Song of the Old Man” to the words of J. V. Goethe (from “Wilhelm Meister”); cit.: 1863; dedicated to: Alexander Petrovich Opochinin; ed.: 1909 (Paris, with one French text), 1911 (with Russian text, edited by V. G. Karatygin), 1931 (ed.). “The Song of Mephistopheles” to the words of I. V. Goethe (from “Faust” translated by A. N. Strugovshikov); cit.: 1879; dedication: Daria Mikhailovna Leonova; ed.: 1883 (edited by I. A. Rimsky-Korsakov), 1934 (ed.). “Feast”, story for voice and piano. to the words of A.V. Koltsov; Op.:
1867; dedicated to: Lyudmila Ivanovna Shestakova; ed.: 1868. “Picking Mushrooms,” a song based on the words of L. A. Mei; cit.: 1867; dedicated to: Vladimir Vasilyevich Nikolsky; ed.: 1868. “Ride on a stick”, song based on the composer’s words for the cycle “Children’s” (see), No. 7; cit.: 1872; dedicated to: Dmitry Vasilyevich and Poliksena Stepanovna Stasov; ed.: 1882 (edited by N. A. Rimsky-Korsakov, together with the song “Cat Sailor” under the general title “At the Dacha”) and 1907 (as No. 7 of the “Children’s” cycle). “The garden is blooming over the Don”, song based on the words of A. V. Koltsov; cit.: 1867;
ed.: 1883 (edited by N. A. Rimsky-Korsakov), 1929 (ed.). “Rayok”, music, joke for voice with f-p. to the words of the composer; Op.:
1870; dedicated to: Vladimir Vasilievich Stasov; ed.: 1871. “Dispersing, parting,” song based on the words of A.K. Tolstoy; cit.: 1877; dedicated to: Olga Andreevna Golenishcheva-Kutuzova; ed.: 1882 (edited by N. A. Rimsky-Korsakov), 1934 (ed.). “Svetik Savishna”, song with lyrics by the composer; cit.: 1866; dedication:
Caesar Antonovich Cui; ed.: 1867. “Seminarist”, song based on the composer’s words; cit.: 1866; dedicated to: Lyudmila Ivanovna Shestakova; ed.: 1870.
“Orphan”, song based on the composer’s words; cit.: 1868; dedicated to: Ekaterina Sergeevna Protopopova; ed.: 1871,
“Arrogance”, song to the words of A.K. Tolstoy; cit.: 1877; dedicated to: Anatoly Evgrafovich Palchikov; ed.: 1882 (edited by N. A. Rimsky-Korsakov).
“Sleep, sleep, peasant son”, lullaby to the words of A. N. Ostrovsky (from the comedy “The Voevoda”); cit.: 1865; dedicated: In memory of Yulia Ivanovna Mussorgskaya; ed.: 1871 (2nd ed.), 1922 (1st ed.).
“The Wanderer”, romance to the words of A. N. Pleshcheev; cit.: 1878; ed.: 1883 (edited by N. A. Rimsky-Korsakov), 1934 (ed.).
“White-sided Chirping”, a joke for a voice with a f-p. to the words of A. S. Pushkin (from the poems “The Chirping White-sided One” and “The Bells Are Ringing” - with minor changes); cit.: 1867; dedicated to: Alexander Petrovich and Nadezhda Petrovna Opochinin; ed.: 1871.
"King Saul", a Hebrew melody to the words of J. N. G. Byron, trans.
P. A. Kozlova; cit.: 1863 (1st and 2nd ed.); dedicated to: Alexander Petrovich Opochinin (1st ed.); ed.: 1871 (2nd ed.), 1923 (1st ed.).
“What do you need words of love”, romance to the words of A. N. Ammosov; cit.: 1860; dedicated to: Maria Vasilievna Shilovskaya; ed.: 1923.
“Meines Herzens Sehnsuchb (“The Desire of the Heart”), a romance based on a German text by an unknown author; cit.: 1858; dedicated to: Malvina Bamberg; ed.: 1907.
There are three brilliant children's cycles in world music: “Children's Album” by Robert Schumann, “Children's Album” by Pyotr Tchaikovsky and “Children’s Room” by Modest Mussorgsky. If Schumann's "Children's Album" is, first of all, the view of an eternal adult and an eternal child, and if Tchaikovsky's children's album is a set of melodic intonation masterpieces that are both for a child and an adult. That "Children's Room", like everything by Mussorgsky, is a unique work.
“Vocal skits - episodes from children's life belong to the lyrical pages of Mussorgsky's work. This is not children's music, written for pedagogical educational purposes and not to be performed by children themselves. These are songs for adults, but written from a child's point of view. There are eight songs in the cycle, their images are very different - both sad and cheerful, but they are all imbued with sincere love for children. These vocal miniatures embodied the distant memories of Mussorgsky's rural childhood, as well as sensitive observations of the life of the composer's little friends. Mussorgsky did not just love children “from the outside.” He knew how to communicate with them in their language and understand them, to think in childish images. V. Komarova, daughter of D. Stasov, who knew Mussorgsky from childhood and called him “The Garbage Man,” recalled: “He did not pretend to us, did not speak in that false language that adults usually speak with children in houses where they are friends with their parents... we they talked to him completely freely, as with an equal. The brothers, too, were not at all shy of him, they told him all the incidents of their lives ... "
One of the genius properties of great Artists is the ability to take the place of another and create a work on his behalf. In this cycle, Mussorgsky managed to become a child again and speak on his behalf. It is interesting to note that here Mussorgsky is not only the author of music, but also of words. The skit songs were written at different times, that is, not according to the “planned and done” principle and not according to any order. They were collected into a cycle gradually and were published after the death of the author. Some of the songs remained not recorded on paper, although they were performed by the composer in a close circle of friends. For us, they remained only in the memories of contemporaries. This is “A Fantastic Dream of a Child”, “Quarrel of Two Children”. We can hear a cycle of seven skit plays.
The first of the scenes, “With a Nanny,” was created in the spring of 1868. Mussorgsky showed it to his deeply respected friend, the composer Dargomyzhsky, and he bequeathed him to continue this magnificent undertaking. In 1870, four more sketches appeared, and under the general title “Children’s” the plays were published in St. Petersburg in the publishing house of V. Bessel. And two years later, two more plays appeared, but they were published much later under the editorship of N.A. Rimsky-Korsakov under the general title “At the Dacha” in 1882.
In addition to this cycle, Mussorgsky also had other “children’s music”: “Children’s Corner Games” (scherzo for piano), “From Childhood Memories” (“Nanny and Me”, “First Punishment” for piano), the children’s song “In the Garden oh, in the little garden.”
The “Children’s Room” cycle is one of the few works by Mussorgsky that were lucky enough to see the light of day during the composer’s lifetime and meet with goodwill not only from the public, but even from critics. “There was no end to the performances of “Children’s” scenes in the best St. Petersburg musical circles,
- wrote V. Stasov. Even the most retrogrades and enemies could no longer challenge the talent and novelty of these masterpieces, small in size, but large in content and significance.”.
In the first scene "With Nanny" Mussorgsky’s childhood impressions of his nanny’s fairy tales were reflected, from which, according to his recollections, he “sometimes did not sleep at night.” Images of two fairy tales are crowded in the child’s head. One “about the terrible beech tree... how that beech tree carried children into the forest, and how it gnawed on their white bones...”. And the second - funny - about the lame king (“whenever he stumbles, a mushroom will grow”) and the sneezing queen (“when he sneezes, the glass shatters!”). The entire music of the scene is permeated with folk songs, creating the flavor of Russian fairy tales. At the same time, the author clearly shows the perception of magic by the impressionable soul of a child.
"In the corner"- the second play-sketch from Mussorgsky’s “Children’s” cycle. Its plot is simple: a nanny, angry at the pranks of her little pet, puts him in a corner. And the punished prankster in the corner offendedly blames the kitten - it was he who did everything, not Misha. But the plaintive sobbing intonations, clearly expressed in the music (“I didn’t do anything, nanny”) give Misha away: he feels bitter resentment and guilt. But his childish consciousness does not know how to reconcile this first “contradiction” in his life. Trying to get out of a difficult situation, he begins to tease the nanny. The plaintive intonations give way to capricious, mischievous ones (“And the nanny is evil, old...”), but notes of humility are also heard in them. Such a deep psychological understanding by the author of children's character is what makes the music of this cycle unique.
"Bug"- the third play-sketch from the "Children's" series - a mysterious story with a beetle that captured the imagination of a child. A beetle, “huge, black, scary,” sat on a house built from splinters, hummed and moved its mustache and, swooping in, hit him on the temple. Frightened, the child hid, barely breathing... Suddenly he sees a beetle lying helplessly on its back, “only its wings are trembling.” “What happened to the beetle? He hit me and fell down!” In the music, with great wit and emotionality, one can hear the excited tone of a child's change of mood: the blow and fall of a beetle is replaced by fear and anxiety. The hanging question shows the boy’s boundless surprise at the entire incomprehensible and mysterious world.
"With a doll"- the fourth play in the “Children’s” cycle - dedicated by the composer to his little nephews “Tanya and Goga Mussorgsky”. It was also called “Lullaby”. The girl rocks her “tyapa” doll, telling her nanny a story about a beech tree and a gray wolf and, mesmerized by the rhythm of the cradling, gives the “tyapa” a magical dream about “a wonderful island, where neither reaps nor sows, where pears ripen, birds sing day and night gold." The gentle melody of a lullaby, with its crystal ringing seconds, glides like a mysterious vision from the world of childhood reverie.
"For bedtime" - the fifth scene of the “Children’s” cycle - a gift to Mussorgsky’s godson, Cui’s newborn son Sasha. The little heroine of the scene babbles a memorized prayer before going to bed, diligently mentioning in it her mother and father, her brothers, her old grandmother, all her aunties and uncles, and her many courtyard friends, “And Filka, and Vanka, and Mitka, and Petka...” . It is interesting that the music reflects the mood with which the names are pronounced: the elders - with concentration and seriousness, but when it comes to the yard children, the seriousness disappears and a frisky childish talk sounds. At Dunyushka the “prayer” is interrupted. What next? The nanny, of course, will tell you...
"Cat Sailor" - the sixth scene from the "Children's" series - an example of children's humor, a story about a small incident at home. The cunning cat crept up to the cage with the bullfinch, prepared to bite its victim, and at that very moment was slammed by the girl who had outwitted him. Her fingers hurt, but she is happy: the bullfinch is saved, and the prankish cat is punished.
"Ride on a stick" - the seventh play in the “Children’s” cycle. This is a humorous play scene, a sketch from life: a kid is dashingly jumping on a stick near the dacha, imagining that he “went to Yukki” (the surrounding village). The music depicts the ride of a daredevil with a comical syncopated (“limping”) rhythm, who in the most interesting place... stumbles and, bruising his leg, roars. The mother consoles her Serzhinka, which serves as an occasion for a funny lyrical intermezzo (small digression). Finally, the cheerful Serzhinka again sits on his stick and, declaring that he has already “went to Yukki,” hurries home at the same gallop: “there will be guests...”.
There are not many bright pages in the music, which reflected the sad pages of Russian history and the tragic contradictions of the composer’s contemporary era. Very often they are associated with the image of children - such is the image of the young Tsarevich Fyodor in the opera "", such is the vocal cycle "Children's".
He did not have his own children, but in 1868 he often visited Stasov and communicated with his children. One of Vladimir Vasilyevich’s daughters later recalled that Modest Petrovich, when communicating with them, never fell into a primitive and false tone, as adults often do when talking with children - and the children felt free with him, communicating as equals. It was then that the composer conceived the idea of a vocal cycle dedicated to children, but it was not about children’s songs that little performers could sing, but rather complex romances, designed to be performed and perceived by adults, but revealing the world of thoughts and feelings of a child . At the same time, the first romance was written, “With a Nanny,” which he dedicated to Dargomyzhsky. He approved the young composer’s work and recommended continuing the work. However, at that time he was more occupied with work on “”, and he returned to the vocal cycle, called “Children’s”, only after two years, having written four more romances in 1870. The composer returned to the work again in 1872, creating the last three miniatures. True, he planned two more parts - “A Quarrel of Two Children” and “A Child’s Dream”, even composed them and performed them in front of friends, but never recorded them.
The “Children’s” cycle consists of seven subtle vocal scenes based on one’s own texts, the main means of expression in which is melodized recitative. The piano part is relatively spare and occupies a subordinate position.
The first number - “With a Nanny” - could seem monotonous due to the numerous repeated sounds, but this does not happen due to the change in harmony on the repeated sounds and melodic leaps occurring on stressed syllables. And a certain monotony turns out to be a very expressive touch - after all, this is exactly what children say when they ask adults for something (“Tell me, nanny, tell me, dear”).
The second number - “In the Corner” - begins not with a child’s speech, but with angry remarks from another character - the nanny. Her exclamations (“Oh, you prankster! You unraveled the ball!”) are heard against the backdrop of the stormy movement of the eighth notes. The kid (apparently facing injustice for the first time in his life) responds with minor descending phrases - but only until he feels insulted, and then the downward movement is replaced by an upward movement (“Misha will no longer love his nanny, that’s what!”) .
The third number - “Beetle” - reveals with utmost truthfulness the child’s worldview: the mood very easily moves from fear to surprise, and any event that seems insignificant to adults - such as the unexpected appearance of a beetle - becomes significant for the child. The sharp chord at the climax is reminiscent of the techniques used to accompany dramatic events in “adult” works.
In the fourth romance - “With a Doll” - the little heroine imitates the behavior of an adult, namely a nanny. When putting a doll named Tyapa to bed, the girl hums a monotonous lullaby. The minor key, typical for this genre, is combined with a major key, and the lullaby is interrupted from time to time by a recitative exclamation: “Tyapa, I need to sleep!”
“For the coming sleep” is the simple-minded prayer of a child. A child who prays - as adults have taught - for the health of loved ones, understands that he is busy with serious business, and tries to give his intonations sedateness. He almost succeeds in this, as long as he names his parents and other adults, but as soon as it comes to his friends (“And Filka, and Vanka, and Mitka, and Petka”), seriousness gives way to a “patter”, which is interrupted by a questioning intonation: “What next?” ?
“Sailor the Cat” is an emotional story about a small incident at home that extremely worried a child: a cat put its paw into a bird’s cage. The pulsation of eighth notes in the accompaniment emphasizes the excitement of the little heroine’s speech. The piano part is full of sound-imaging techniques that convey both the trembling of a bird and the gnashing of a cat’s claws on a cage.
“Ride on a Stick” is a real “sketching from life”: the sharp rhythm of short phrases depicts the movements of a boy jumping on a stick. The “jump” is interrupted twice - by a conversation with his friend Vasya and an unfortunate incident: the boy fell and hurt himself, his mother’s gentle intonations respond to his plaintive descending phrases. In the reprise, the previous rhythmic movement returns - the pain is forgotten, the game continues.
The date of the first performance of “Children’s” is unknown, but after the publication of the vocal cycle in 1873, it quickly gained popularity. Publisher Bessel sent notes. I did not imagine that the famous composer would like his work - after all, he most often gave preference to grandiose plots. Contrary to these assumptions, “Children’s” was a delight.
Musical Seasons
