Nationalism in Boris Godunov by Mussorgsky
During the nineteenth century, a musical movement began which was marked by emphasis on national elements such as folk songs and dances, folk rhythms, or subjects chosen for operas and symphonic poems that reflected national life or historical subjects. Not surprisingly, this movement in music as in other art forms coincided with the emergence of political movements for independence such as those occurring in 1848 (Nationalism in music, 2010). Among the many examples of composers whose work reflected a nationalist spirit one can list Poland's Chopin, Hungary's Liszt and Bartok, Bohemia's Dvorak, and Brazil's Villa-Lobos. The subject of this essay is Russia's Modest Petrovich Mussorgsky, whose opera, Boris Godunov, serves as an excellent example of the interpretation of national history in music (Asiado, 2007). While there is some doubt among scholars such as Sargeant (2009) as to whether or not Mussorgsky's interpretation of the life and activities of Boris Godunov are accurate, the entire opera is largely understood as reflecting Russian nationalism and addressing key themes in the history of that culture.
Mussorgsky has been described by Grove Music Online as a Russian born to wealth who was attracted to Russian folk tales and whose musical career began at an equally early age and progressed throughout his life (Mussorgsky, Modest Petrovich, 2010). Mussorgsky was influenced not only by Russian folk tales and history, including the work of the writer Pushkin, but also by the music of the Russian Orthodox Church. It is suggested that he was influenced by such historical events as the emancipation of serfs in Russia in 1861 which led to the impoverishment of his family. Boris Godunov is his best known work and is largely based upon a play of the same name by Pushkin which was first performed in 1866, leading to Mussorgsky's own composition in October 1868 (Mussorgsky, Modest...