Modest Mussorgsky, 1839-1881. Scherzo in B flat Major. Completed 1858, first performance 1860, in St. Petersburg. Scored for 2 flutes, 2 oboes, 2 clarinets, 2 bassoons, 2 horns, 2 trumpets, 3 trombones, tympani, and strings.
In 1856, the young nobleman Mussorgsky followed the tradition of his family by completing Cadet School and joining the Preobrazhensky Guards to serve his country. He was a dashing officer, and was very popular in the high society of St. Petersburg, where he delighted the ladies with his piano playing. During the following winter, a fellow officer introduced him to a circle of composers, one of whom was the prominent Mili Balakirev. This rather domineering man took Mussorgsky (and many others) under his wing and endeavored to encourage and influence their musical careers. Mussorgsky soon began trying his hand at writing music, producing various small pieces.
One of the elder composer's favorite forms was the scherzo, which is usually a brief, lighthearted piece played at a very fast tempo. Balakirev thought that it was a particularly instructive form, and often recommended that his followers try their hands at it. Mussorgsky produced two of these in 1858, one in B flat major and one in C sharp minor. Both were relatively inconsequential pieces, generated primarily as exercises, and only the B flat work was orchestrated and performed. It was the first time a Mussorgsky work had been heard by the public.
The now-forgotten composer/critic Alexander Serov had the honor of writing the first review of a Mussorgsky piece. He found it ``capital (though much too short)... It shows decided talent on the part of the young composer.'' He was correct: although the Scherzo was never published during Mussorgsky's life, he soon left the military and went on to become one of the giants of Russian music.
© 1997, Geoff Kuenning
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