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How did his friends, even in the handful, view Mussorgsky
half competent, possibly mentally instable
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Mossorgky took the pains of avoiding what type of opera
Italian Opera
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Who wrote "The Stone Guest"
Alexander Dargomyzhsky
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The Stone Guest was a tragedy written by who? It featured the same plot as what
Written by Pushin and shared a plot with Don Giovanni
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In the argument of words or music being more important in opera, Dargomyzhsky's view was
The side of words; he saw music as a part of spoken drama rather than it's own thing
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Who wrote the passage, "The Marriage"? What was it about
Nikolai Gogol, about an indecisive and fearful bachelor who failed to show up to his own wedding
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How did Mussorgsky try to notate the play
By reading them out as an actor would, not singer. He wanted to capture the characters more realistically
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Why were familiar progressions not used in "The Marriage"
Harmony had to remain subordinate to the twisted vocal lines
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Why did Mussorgsky not finish "The Marriage"? Why was it challenging to vocalist
He did not finish it because it was to long after the first act. The vocal lines were tortuous and listeners would have not recognized the singing.
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Who was Mussorgsky sharing and apartment with at the time of writing "Boris Godunov"
Rimsky-Korsakov
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While Mussorgsky worked as a civil servant, Rimsky-Korsakov was able to use the piano for what piece?
The Maid of Pskov
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Boris Godunov has what in common with Glinka's "A Life of the Tsar"
The same historical time period around the "time of troubles"
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What does Mussorgsky's "Boris Godunov" assume
Assumes an adult audiance, capable of making critical judgements. Like the original Pushkin piece which was banned for many years
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What serious questions does the opera pose
Godunov's legitimacy, crime, guilt, and russian peoples suffering
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Of the two operas versions which were made, what is the first one like
Closer to Pushkins text and operatic realism; music and action are continuous rather than divided
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What is the dominant mood of the first version of Boris Godunov
dark and austere, come comedy in the Inn scene
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Why did Mussorgsky insert a Polish Act
Adding brighter color, providing pretext for a prima donna, Marina Miniszck
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Which ways does Mussorgsky incorporate nationalism
folk songs and folk-like materials, employs the sounds of Orthodox Church bells
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How are the bells represented
In the Coronation Scene with the orchestra; allternating between two chords sharing the same tritone (bells resist tuning)
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Who changed the opera? What percent was altered
Rimsky-Korsakov changed 80%
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How does Boris Godunov start
Boris praying
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What does the ringing of the bell symbolize
The start of the funeral rights
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What does Boris shout as he is dying
Wait, I am still the Tsar
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