Date: 24 Apr 1995 09:02:32 -0500

Here is the complete Pictures at an Exhibition. It consists of 8 files
which must be played in the correct order as I have listed below. They 
should be played sequentially by a juke box type of midi player. This 
was recorded using a Yamaha Clavinova, and a similar electronic piano 
or synthesizer with 32 note polyphony is required, with a fair amount 
of reverberation. 

I have combined the promenades into other files where the next piece 
must follow without a delay. This is the order in which they should be 
played:

pm1gnome.mid : Introduction, Gnomus
pmcastle.mid : promenade 2, The Old Castle
pmtuiler.mid : promenade 3, Tuileries
bydlo.mid    : Bydlo (Old Polish Cart)
pmchick.mid  : promenade 4, Ballet of Chickens
shmuyle.mid  : Samuel Goldenberg and Shmuyle
pmarkcat.mid : promenade 5, Marketplace at Limoges, Catacombs, Skulls
babakiev.mid : Baba Yaga's Hut on Fowl's Legs, Great Gate of Kiev. 

Mussorgsky wrote these pieces in 1874 after seeing an exhibition of 
water colour paintings and drawings by the architect Hartmann, a friend
of his. Before each piece there is a "promenade" interlude consisting
of a main theme with variations. 

"The Gnomus" represents a dwarf who staggers around on crooked feet.
"The Old Castle" is a castle in Italy dating back to the middle ages,
and a minstrel is singing a song.
"Tuileries" describes childern playing in the Tuileries garden in Paris
 and arguing amongst themselves and their nurses. 
"Bydlo" describes an old Polish wagon drawn by oxen.
"Ballet of Unhatched Chicks" describes chicks hatching from their eggs.
"Samuel Goldenberg and Shmuyle" describes two Polish Jews, one rich, 
the other poor.
"Marketplace at Limoges" describes French women quarelling at the 
market.
"Catacombs" portrays Hartmann exploring the underground tombs in Paris 
by the light of a lantern. 
"Con Mortuis in Lingua Mortua" (Skulls) describes the skulls which glow
faintly in the dark.
"The Hut of Baba Yaga" describes the hut on fowl's legs where the witch
Baba Yaga (from Russian folklore) lived. The hut was in the form of a 
clock and the music describes the witch's departure.
"The Great Gate of Kiev" describes Hartmann's drawing of this massive
gate at the entrance to the town of Kiev. It was Slavonic in style and
had a helmet-shaped cupola. 

This is the original piano version. Many others have orchestrated this 
including Maurice Ravel (one of the best) and the conductor Leopold 
Stokowski. There are also very good arrangements for brass band. 

I hope you enjoy them.

Robert Finley. 
ROBERTFINLEY@delphi.com