Night On Bald Mountain By Modest Mussorgsky

When it comes to music, the concept of culture allows composers to portray different scenarios and themes in their compositions. This can vary from specific person, to a country’s landscapes, or even myths that has been told by the locals. Culture has played a major role through the history of music. Through different cultures, musicologists are able to identify different musical traits; for example, Asian music tend to use pentatonic scales in their works where Soviet Russia’s music in the 20th century tends to use synthetic chords in the composer’s works. The following pieces are two symphonic poems, both composed in late 19th century by Russian composers: Night on Bald Mountain (1867) by Modest Mussorgsky and In the Steppes of Central Asia

The piece began with the strings playing fast triplets, then the brass and woodwinds added dissonant notes along with complex intervals in order to lay out the Macabre dance on the top of the mountain. The trombone and tuba’s unison plays a majestic and deep melody which symbolized the arrival of Satan. As the piece accelerates into the climax, the distant bell of the breaking dawn can be heard, the witches returned to where they come from, as they awaits for another night on the bald mountain. The piece began in a chaotic d minor, and ended in a peaceful D Major, which created an interesting contrast between night and day. This contrast can also be heard through the instrumentation, where the trombone and tuba symbolized Satan, as the harp and bell symbolized the breaking

It was dedicated to Hungarian pianist Franz Liszt. It premiered in 1880 in St. Petersburg and was conducted by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov. The piece itself was known for its post colonialism due to Russia’s colonization of Central Asia.

“In the silence of the monotonous steppes of Central Asia is heard the unfamiliar sound of a peaceful Russian song. From the distance we hear the approach of horses and camels and the bizarre and melancholy notes of an oriental melody. A caravan approaches, escorted by Russian soldiers, and continues safely on its way through the immense desert. It disappears slowly. The notes of the Russian and Asiatic melodies join in a common harmony, which dies away as the caravan disappears in the distance.” As written on the score, this was what Borodin left for the musicians to interpret of his