Classical Music in Pictures Music in Pictures    

Lesson 7: Pictures at an Exhibition - Baba Yaga

by Modest Mussorgsky

Performer: Skidmore College Orchestra

Directions

Study the musical selection for one week.

Over the week:

• Each day, listen to the musical selection.
• Read the synopsis.
• Review the vocabulary terms.
• Read about the composer and practice reciting his or her name and the composition title.
• Complete the enrichment activities.
• Study the review questions.

Synopsis

Each movement within Modest Mussorgsky's 'Pictures at an Exhibition' reflects a picture. Mussorgsky used music to represent himself wandering the halls of a museum and stopping to look at pictures of gnomes, gardens, and markets. Look at the picture 'Baba Yaga' by Ivan Bilibin. Now that is one frightening lady. I wouldn't want her chasing me through the woods at night. In stories, Baba Yaga is a supernatural being who appears as a savage woman. She lives in the forest in a hut that stands on chicken legs. She carries a pestle and rides in a mortar. (The bowl-like mortar and cylinder-like pestle are often made of stone and used to grind things such as herbs.) Listen to the music, and describe how it captures the essence of Baba Yaga. Whew - I think we escaped Baba Yaga unscathed. Let's move to the next painting to view something a little less frightening.

Vocabulary

Supernatural: Attributed to some force beyond scientific understanding or the laws of nature.
Savage: Fierce or violent.
Hut: A small single-story building of simple or crude construction
Pestle: A heavy tool with a rounded end, used for crushing and grinding substances such as spices or drugs, usually in a mortar.
Mortar: A cup-shaped receptacle made of hard material, in which ingredients are crushed or ground.

Composer

1. Modest Mussorgsky was born in 1839 in Toropets, Russia. See his picture below.

2. Zoom in and find Mussorgsky's country of birth on the map of Europe below.

3. Mussorgsky's mother was a pianist, and she taught him piano starting at the age of six. He published his first composition at the age of twelve.
4. Mussorgsky went to military school and served in the military and as a civil servant.
5. Mussorgsky suffered from alcoholism induced epilepsy, which eventually claimed his life at the age of 42.

Enrichment

Activity 1: Create Your Own Museum Exhibition

• Over an 8-week period, you'll listen to compositions from Mussorgsky's Pictures at an Exhibition.
• Each week, draw a picture to add to your exhibition.
• Next lesson, you'll use your pictures to create your own museum show.
• This week: Listen to the music, and draw, color, or paint a picture of Baba Yaga and her chicken leg hut. Keep your pictures in a safe place until your exhibition.

Activity 2: Describe the Music

After listening to the music, describe and discuss what you heard.

Read the list of adjectives. Select those that describe the music or think up additional adjectives.

• Cheerful
• Mournful
• Soft
• Noisy
• Vivacious
• Soothing
• Eerie
• Threatening
• Surreal
• Whimsical
• Rhythmic
• Grand

Activity 3: Study the Painting

Examine the painting paired with the music.

• After you study the painting, narrate the scene shown in the painting aloud using your own words.
• Describe how the painting relates to the music.

Find the following items in the painting:

• Baba Yaga
• Mortar
• Pestle
• Broom
• Trees
• Mushrooms

Activity 4: Sketch a Mortar and Pestle

• If you have a mortar and pestle at home, take it out and grind something with it (some nuts, some spices, etc.)
• Sketch your own mortar and pestle or sketch the mortar and pestle below.

Review

Question 1

What is the title of the music?

1 / 4

Answer 1

The title is 'Pictures at an Exhibition - Baba Yaga.'

1 / 4

Question 2

Who composed the music?

2 / 4

Answer 2

The composer is Modest Mussorgsky.

2 / 4

Question 3

Who is 'Baba Yaga?'

3 / 4

Answer 3

'Baba Yaga' is a supernatural being who appears as a savage woman. She rides in a mortar, carries a pestle, and lives in a hut that stands on chicken legs.

3 / 4

Question 4

What are mortars and pestles used to do?

4 / 4

Answer 4

Mortars and pestles are used to grind things such as spices and nuts.

4 / 4

❮ ❯

1. What is the title of the music? The title is 'Pictures at an Exhibition - Baba Yaga.'
2. Who composed the music? The composer is Modest Mussorgsky.
3. Who is 'Baba Yaga?' 'Baba Yaga' is a supernatural being who appears as a savage woman. She rides in a mortar, carries a pestle, and lives in a hut that stands on chicken legs.
4. What are mortars and pestles used to do? Mortars and pestles are used to grind things such as spices and nuts.

References

'Modest Mussorgsky.' Wikipedia. Wikipedia.org. n.p.

'Pictures at an Exhibition.' Wikipedia. Wikipedia.org. n.p.