Wandering the Gallery with Mussorgsky's Pictures at an Exhibition
Promenade I
Pictures at an Exhibition
I'm Modest Mussorgsky, and I'm delighted to explain the Promenade I movement that opens my Pictures at an Exhibition. You'll hear a sturdy, unhurried tune that begins in 5/4 and returns in 6/4, so the steps feel uneven, just as a visitor's would when wandering into a gallery. Here on this site, my fellow composers and I also teach you to recognize our pieces as soon as you hear them, so why not put yourself to the test right now?
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Put Your Walking Shoes On
Before you press play, remember that I wrote this piece for one piano and nothing else, so there's no orchestra to hide behind. Listen for a tune that walks, and tap your foot along as if you were strolling at a steady pace through a quiet room. You'll soon notice that the beats don't fall into the usual neat pattern, because I wrote the first statement in 5/4, which means five beats in every bar. Your foot may feel as if it has stepped over a missing paving stone, and that's exactly the effect I wanted.Why I Called It a Walk
I named it Promenade because that's what it is: a person walking slowly from picture to picture. The pace stays regular, but the irregular meter keeps the walker from marching, so he seems to stop, look and move on again. The name also suits the way this tune comes back later in the suite and links the ten pieces together, much as a corridor links the rooms of a gallery. That's why it opens the whole suite like a door, and why I'm happy to be the walker Stasov had in mind.Not a Sonata, Not a Rondo
Choosing a form for this little piece was an adventure, and the honest answer is that I didn't pick one of the grand ones. A sonata or a rondo would be far too big a coat for a piece whose job is simply to let you in, so I built it as a portal: the tune is stated in 5/4 and then repeated in 6/4. That gives you two main sections, plus a small third moment where the door swings open and the first picture takes over. I'll take them one at a time, so you know exactly what to listen for.Section 1: Walking In Like I Own the Place
The first statement is in 5/4 and in B♭ major, and my marking reads "Allegro giusto, nel modo russico; senza allegrezza, ma poco sostenuto." In plain words, that asks for a fitting, steady speed, in a Russian manner, without cheerfulness, and with the notes held on a little. So this isn't a skipping tune at all; it's broad and serious, the sound of someone stepping into a big room and taking it all in. Hold on to this melody, because the next section is going to bring it straight back.Section 2: Same Walk, One Extra Step
Now the tune comes round again, this time in 6/4. The tempo marking hasn't changed, so you won't hear any sudden speeding up, only the count of the beats moving from five to six. That extra beat gives the walk a little more room, and to my ear the mood shifts from a careful first look to a more settled stroll. If you tapped your foot in Section 1, you'll feel the floor change under it here, like a staircase with one more step than you expected.Section 3: The Door Swings Open
After the repeat, the Promenade has done its job, and I let the walker arrive at the first picture. That picture is Gnomus, and the change is deliberate, because it's in E♭ minor and sounds grotesque and lurching. After the dignified steps of the Promenade, the mood turns from calm curiosity into something odd and full of stops and starts. That's the story I wanted to tell: a visitor who walks in with confidence and is surprised at once by what he finds on the wall.Your Turn to Walk
Now it's your turn to walk through that door, so press play and let the music carry you along. While it plays, keep in mind what we've talked about: the steady steps, the shift from five beats to six, and the way the tune hands you over to the gnome. Don't worry if you miss some of it, because you'll meet this tune again as the suite goes on. I hope you enjoy strolling through my Promenade as much as I enjoyed writing it.---
Did you enjoy learning about the Promenade that opens my Pictures at an Exhibition? I hope the next time you hear that steady, slightly off-balance walking tune, you'll feel as if you're stepping through the gallery doors beside me. That little tune is only the beginning of the suite, and I find it a quiet pleasure to think that a single walk can hold so much. There's a good deal more of Pictures at an Exhibition to explore, from the pictures that follow to the many ways other musicians have retold the music since I wrote it. Each time you come back to it, you may notice something that slipped past you before, like a detail on a wall you only now stop to look at. So please click on the links provided, and let me guide you a little further through the exhibition.