Hey Kids, Meet Modest Mussorgsky
from the Hey Kid's, Meet the Composer Index

Modest Mussorgsky (1839-1881) Russian Romantic Era Composer Preview and Print Preview and print this free printable composer biography by clicking on the green button.

Modest Mussorgsky was born on March 9, 1839, in Karevo, a village near St. Petersburg, Russia. At six years old Modest began piano lessons with his mother, who encouraged his early efforts at composition. At the age of ten, Modest and his brother were taken to St. Petersburg to study piano at the elite Peterschule. Three years later Modest entered the Cadet School of the Guards. Music remained important to him, and at his father's expense he published his first piece, Porte Enseigne Polka for the piano.

In 1856, Mussorgsky joined the Preobrazhensky Imperial Guards Regiment. As a teenage officer, Mussorgsky met Alexander Borodin, a medical officer in the regiment. Several years later, along with Mily Balakirev, Cesar Cui, and Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov, they would form The Five, a group of composers united to create nationalistic music that was distinctly Russian.

Mussorgsky died on March 16, 1881. His musical compositions have been an inspiration for many Russian composers. Some of his greatest accomplishments include the orchestral work Night on Bald Mountain, made famous when it appeared in Fantasia in 1940, and Pictures at an Exhibition, a collection of piano pieces which describe a set of 10 drawings and watercolor paintings.

Free Printable Composer Biograghy

Modest Mussorgsky | Printable Biography

Free Printable Sheet Music

Night on Bald Mountain for Intermediate/Level 5 Piano Solo

Free Printable Worksheets

Modest Mussorgsky | Word Search

Homeschool Lesson Plans

Print a Worksheet
Learn about Modest Mussorgsky with a free printable worksheet.

Modest Mussorgsky | Word Search

Play Mussorgsky's Music
Give your kids a hands-on music making experience. Ask your child's piano teacher about including the study of one of these pieces in their music lesson.

Night on Bald Mountain for Intermediate/Level 5 Piano Solo

Watch a YouTube Video
Watch a YouTube video of Modest Mussorgsky's Night on Bald Mountain from Walt Disney's animated classic Fantasia.

Paint a Watercolor
Paint a watercolor for one of the piano pieces from Mussorgsky's Pictures at an Exhibition. If you would like a few tips on making a great watercolor painting you can visit www.watercolorpainting.com and click on the Tutorials tab.

No. 1 - The Gnome: Sketch a little gnome, clumsily running with crooked legs.
No. 3 - The Old Castle: Sketch a medieval castle before which a troubador sings a song. One of the statements of The Old Castle theme begins at 2:06.
No. 5 - Ballet of the Unhatched Chicks: Sketch two or three chicks hatching from their shells.
No. 10 - The Great Gate of Kiev: Sketch a massive gate that would serve as an entry way to a great Russian city.

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