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Modest Mussorgsky (1839-1881)
The Russian composer and pianist, Modest Mussorgsky was born on 21st of March in 1839 in Karevo village.
At a very early age his mother started to teach him to play the piano. After moving to St. Petersburg, in 1849, he continued his piano-lessons with A.Herke.
In 1852 Mussorgsky entered the Imperial Guard Cadets School and in 1856 the Preobrazhensky Regiment of Guards.
Mussorgsky was very fond of music and in 1858 left the army. After that he managed his family estates for two years.
From this time began a very active creative working period. But he didnīt have much money and because of that Mussorgsky had to work.
In 1879 he had a very successful concert-tour in Ukraine and other places, with singer D.Leonova. Some years later he worked as an accompanist in Musical Classes opened by D.Leonova.
Modest Mussorgsky died on the 28th of March in 1881 in St-Petersburg.
Some characteristically lines of his music were truth and originality.
Mussorgsky was very famous because of his operas, especially Boris Godunov (written in 1874).
Mussorgsky had also several unfinished works: The Marriage (Act 1 only, written in 1868), Khovanshchina (written from 1872-1880) and The Fair at Sorochinsk (1874-1880)
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