Guided listening meant to help you hear a piece of music in a new way.
Pictures at an Exhibition Movements 3: Tuileries, 4: Bydlo, 10: The Great Gates of Kyiv by Modest Mussorgsky, orchestrated by Maurice Ravel
9 Minutes
Modest Mussorgsky’s multi-movement piece Pictures at an Exhibition is a brilliant example of how different art forms can inspire each other. Written in 1874, the piece was inspired by an exhibition of artwork by his friend, artist Viktor Hartmann. Each movement of the 10-movement piece brings a different painting or scene to life through music. The version most orchestras perform today was orchestrated by Maurice Ravel (a famous composer in his own right), who transformed Mussorgsky's original piano composition into a colorful work for full orchestra.
For this listening adventure, we'll visit three very different movements (each one is just 2-3 minutes). As you listen, imagine the places and people the music brings to life.
Movement 3: Tuileries
This movement actually has a longer title than just Tuileries, but we’ve shortened it on purpose. Take a listen to the movement and imagine what it might be depicting. When you’re ready to find out the answer, scroll down to the pictures below.
Hint, Tuileries is a large garden in central Paris.
Movement 4: Bydło (The Ox Cart)
This movement depicts a heavy, lumbering ox cart making its way down a road. Listen as the music begins quietly, grows louder, and eventually fades away. Can you hear the cart approaching, passing by, and continuing into the distance? Notice the low instrument that is used for the melody to help make the ox cart heavy and slow. It’s a tuba!
Movement 10: The Great Gate of Kyiv or The Bogatyr Gates
Inspired by Hartmann's design for a grand, monumental city gate, this final movement is full of powerful brass, sweeping melodies, and ringing bells. Listen for the bells, then consider how the composer uses sound to make the gate feel enormous and impressive. What musical qualities make something sound grand or celebratory?
Tuileries
Bydlo
The Great Gate of Kyiv
Check Out the Images Behind the Music
Tuileries (Children at Play)
Viktor Hartmann’s original Tuileries painting has been destroyed, but this is a similar example from the artist Edouard Manet.
Bydlo (The Ox Cart)
The Great Gates of Kyiv (The Bogatyr Gates)