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Listening to Pictures at an
Exhibition
Name
Form
A. READ the descriptions and titles of the following pictures, taken from Mussorgsky’s
“Pictures at an Exhibition” and jot down what you might EXPECT to hear just from the
descriptions and titles. Think about TEMPO, INSTRUMENTS, DYNAMICS and PITCH.
1. Dark underground cellars – TITLE – “Catacombs”
Tempo
Instruments
Dynamics
Pitch
2. Children chattering and playing in a garden – TITLE – “Tuileries”
Tempo
Instruments
Dynamics
Pitch
3. An evil gnome scurrying around in a forest – TITLE – “Gnomus”
Tempo
Instruments
Dynamics
Pitch
4. A huge wooden oxcart and ox – TITLE – “Bydlo”
Tempo
Instruments
Dynamics
Pitch
5. Chicks jumping about in their nest – TITLE – “Ballet of the unhatched chicks”
Tempo
Instruments
Dynamics
Pitch
B. Now listen to the five extracts taken from Mussorgsky’s “Pictures at an Exhibition” and
make some brief notes as to how Mussorgsky uses TEMPO, INSTRUMENTS,
DYNAMICS and PITCH in his music to describe the pictures. Did you think about any
similar ways of using the ELEMENTS OF MUSIC as Mussorgsky?
1. Dark underground cellars – TITLE – “Catacombs”
Tempo
Instruments
Dynamics
Pitch
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2. Children chattering and playing in a garden – TITLE – “Tuileries”
Tempo
Instruments
Dynamics
Pitch
3. An evil gnome scurrying around in a forest – TITLE – “Gnomus”
Tempo
Instruments
Dynamics
Pitch
4. A huge wooden oxcart and ox – TITLE – “Bydlo”
Tempo
Instruments
Dynamics
Pitch
5. Chicks jumping about in their nest – TITLE – “Ballet of the unhatched chicks”
Tempo
Instruments
Dynamics
Pitch
C. Select ONE of the titles of the pictures from the five listed above and design a picture
as to what you think the scene might have looked at thinking about how the ELEMENTS
OF MUSIC have been used. Draw your picture in the frame below.
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