Songs and Dances of Death (Russian: Песни и пляски смерти, Pesni i plyaski smerti) is a song cycle for voice (usually bass or bass-baritone) and piano by Modest Petrovich Mussorgsky, written in the mid-1870s, to poems by Arseny Golenishchev-Kutuzov, a relative of the composer.
Contents
Each song deals with death in a poetic manner although the depictions are realistic in that they reflect experiences not uncommon in 19th century Russia: child death, death in youth, drunken misadventure and war.
The song cycle is considered Mussorgsky's masterpiece in the genre.
Songs
Songs and Dances of Death consists of four individual songs, as follows:
1. Lullaby (Колыбельная) (14 April 1875) (in F-sharp minor–A minor)
A mother cradles her sick infant, who grows more feverish. Death appears, disguised as a babysitter, and rocks the infant to eternal sleep.2. Serenade (Серенада) (11 May 1875) (in E minor–E-flat minor)
The figure of Death waits outside the window of a dying woman, in the manner of a wooing lover.3. Trepak (Трепак) (17 February 1875) (in D minor)
A drunken peasant stumbles outside into the snow and becomes caught in a blizzard. The figure of Death invites him to dance a folk-dance called the Trepak. As he freezes to death, he dreams of summer fields.4. The Field Marshal (Полководец) (5 June 1877) (in E-flat minor–D minor)
The figure of Death is depicted as an officer commanding the dead troops of both armies after a dreadful battle. As the dead troops parade before him, he asserts his enduring remembrance of them all.Recordings
The Songs and Dances of Death have been recorded by numerous vocalists, including Vladimir Rosing, George London, Ferruccio Furlanetto, Nicolai Ghiaurov, Boris Christoff, Kim Borg, Martti Talvela (twice: once with piano accompaniment and once with full orchestra), Matti Salminen, Anatoly Kotcherga, Paata Burchuladze, Aage Haugland, Galina Vishnevskaya, Brigitte Fassbaender, Anja Silja and Yevgeny Nesterenko.