Posted by Jenny on December 04, 19102 at 23:55:57:

In Reply to: Realism posted by Sam on November 17, 19102 at 14:05:12:

Sam,

Try Richard Taruskin or Caryl Emerson's books on Musorgsky. Otherwise try Taruskin, "Opera and Drama as Practiced and Preached in the 1860s" (Ann Arbor, UMI Press, about 1981). The chapter "The Stone Guest and its Progeny" should be of use.

I guess the main thing to remember is that everyone has different definitions of 'realism' - even Gogol at his most 'fantastic' was considered a realist by some (Belinsky, for example). So be very careful defining your terms - Mussorgsky wrote a fair bit on what he thought realism was (or at least what realist text setting was), so it shouldn't be too hard to get his point of view. Any of the sources above will let you know about that.

Hope this helps,

Jenny

: I need some help desperately; does anyone know about Mussorgsky's use of realism?
: or can anyone point me in a good direction! this is quite urgent! thanks!

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