Mussorgsky and the Mighty Handful
Quiz Yourself About Mussorgsky and the Mighty Handful
12.
What were the basic beliefs and ideals of the Mighty Handful? What was their goal?
Specific features of the “New Russian School”
1) absence of preconception and blind faith
2) independence of thought and skepticism towards musical creations of the past
3) give credence to no tradition
4) reject all dry academicism and pedantry (no to academic training)
5) striving for national character
6) Russian folk idioms as the basis for creating Russian “art” music
7) pronounced ‘oriental’ or Eastern element
8) extreme inclination towards program music
Main Goal
To create a distinctly Russian national style of classical music that was free from the influence of Western European traditions. They wanted to develop a musical identity that was rooted in Russian folk traditions, history, and culture.
13. An interesting fact about the composers of the Mighty Handful is that all of them had regular “day jobs” and careers. What were those careers?