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VISUAL ART What interests and strikes me the most when looking at this piece is how it’s ahead of its time, (modern) the use of brightly painted bold shapes, and the use of patterns demonstrates this. Also its sense of movement can be represented by the different patterns and tones of different shapes placed randomly and the title of Swinging conveys the painting’s sense of dynamic movement. I think this painting reflects life because you never know what might happen and what you might face, and because everything in this painting is random it complements the painting. I think music that would fit this is something that uses a wide range of rhythms and instruments, because it is quite a busy picture and there is a lot of flamboyant colours but at the same time dark and gloomy colours which is why it should have a whole range of rhythms and instruments because it is random also it might also help reflect the modernity of the painting. Which why I have chosen a piece of music from the film “Bridge to Terabithia” soundtrack. It doesn’t have a particular name, it just part of the film called “All of Terabithia.” Here is where you can find it: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cw12UoD5U3M&list=PL371B6E758D43D803 it is by Matt Nichols.

ABOUT MODEST MUSSORGSKY

Modest Mussorgsky

Modest Petrovich Mussorgsky was a Russian composer, He was an innovator of Russian music in the romantic period. He strove to achieve a uniquely Russian musical identity, often in

deliberate defiance of the established conventions of Western music. Mussorgsky, was born in Karevo, south of Saint Petersburg, imperial Russia. Is family were wealthy and owned a lot of land. At the age of 6 he received piano lessons from his mother (piano instructor),

At the age 10, he and his brother went to Saint Petersburg to study at the elite Peterschule (St. Peter's School). While there, Modest studied the piano with the noted Anton Gerke. In 1852,

the 12-year-old Mussorgsky published a piano piece titled "Porte-enseigne Polka" at his father's expense. He’s parents had planned to move to Saint Pertersburg so that their two sons could carry out the family tradition of military service. After he had finished this he

went onto cadet school of the guards at age 13. During this time, Music remained important to him, however. His skills as a pianist made him in much demand by fellow-

cadets; for them he would play dances interspersed with his own improvisations. In 1856 Mussorgsky had successfully graduated from the Cadet School. Following family tradition

he received a commission with the Preobrazhensky Regiment, the foremost regiment of the Russian Imperial Guard.

PICTURES AT AN EXHIBITION Since the some of Viktor Hartmann's paintings have been lost, it is hard to

tell what inspired Mussorgsky! So I have chosen 2 of the paintings of pictures of an exhibition.

One of Mussorgsky’s most famous work is called “Pictures at an Exhibition” was written as a group of pieces for piano in 1874. The pictures painted

by Victor Hartman (a previous friend of Mussorgsky) are mainly watercolours. The Music of which Mussorgsky had created for ‘Pictures an Exhibition’ are created in the describing of Hartman’s painting. For example the piece ‘Great Gate of Kiev’ is companied ‘with big, long

chords, describing the grandness of the gate.’ Another famous painting by Viktor Hartmann that Mussorgsky created music for is called Tuileries.

GREAT GATE OF KIEVA competition was held to select the best design

for a gateway to be built in Kiev to honour the failed assassination of Czar Alexander II in 1866. Hartmann won the competition. His entry showed a Moorish-looking structure

topped with a cupola in the shape of an old Russian battle helmet, with a small crowd of people admiring the gate that dwarfs them.

Pictures at an Exhibition rises to this grand and glorious finale that leaves the listener feeling as if they had travelled to Kiev and are now

standing in front of this tragically non-existent gate.

Victor Hartmann's design for The Great Gate of Kiev caused a sensation, and the architect

himself felt it was the finest work he had yet done. The cancellation of the project must

have come as a blow.

TUILERIES

This movement comes from the painting “The Tuileries Gardens”. The gardens are located in Paris and like most of the paintings represented in

this work this one was lost, however through Mussorgsky’s use of the “universal melody” and falling thirds you can imagine the children playing

and taunting each other in the garden.

SummaryTo summarise, Mussorgsky used his friends (Viktor Hartmann) art and architecture to

compose his music, as a great observer of Hartmann’s work he would probably analyse every aspect of what was in the picture before composing for example:

• If there were any characters, unless you could see there face/facial expressions you wouldn’t know what they were thinking and feeling so you might want to use a variety of different chords to create different rhythms so it is easier to perceive of what is happening in the picture.

PICTURES AT AN EXHIBITION, RE-CREATED!Pictures of an exhibition originally composed by Modest Mussorgsky,

has been re-created . Pictures at an Exhibition is an album by British progressive rock band Emerson, Lake & Palmer, released in

1971. As a live album and re-released in 2001 as a remastered edition including both live and studio versions of Modest

Mussorgsky's classical piece Pictures at an Exhibition. The original live album was recorded at Newcastle City Hall in North East

England.

TATE TRACKS The Tate Track which I listened to and felt was most descriptive of the painting in

which it was made for, was composed by Union of knives and the painting by Cy Twombly and called Quattro Stagioni Autunno. The painting represents the four seasons. The fact that the piece started of very quietly and gradually built up

emphasises the painting because the first bit might be representing the winter where it is quiet, cold and not majorly busy. Contrasting on the other hand is the summer where everyone spends the time in the warm outdoors making it more

busier and lively therefore would make the brush strokes and shapes exaggeratingly bigger. Not to mention the wider use of colours throughout the ‘summer’ area, this also supports the use of the four seasons idea. Also the

slowness of the music mirrors how nature will take its time and will form into a new season with time. Furthermore the up and down repetitive rhythms I think reflect the un-patience of people wanting the weather to change from what it is

currently to something that is appropriate to them. To me this is how Cy Twombly painting and union of Knives music represents the for seasons and the weather all

together.