Modest Petrovich Mussorgsky was one of the most famous Russian composers whose piano compositions and operas have enriched the Russian music and influenced the later period composers. He lived for only forty-two and the primary reason for his untimely death had been alcoholism or dipsomania.
Life
Born in the province of Pskov in 1839, Mussorgsky belonged to affluent, noble family. His showed talent in the field of music early in his life. In 1956, Modest Petrovich Mussorgsky started his military career in Russian Imperial Guard, but music remained his passion.
In the next two years, he came in close contact with well known Russian artists, writers and intellectuals of that time like Dargomyzhsky, Stasov, and Balakirev. After resigning from his job in 1853, Mussorgsky suffered from the earlier crisis and had to face the impoverished condition of their family.
By mid 1860's , Modest Petrovich Mussorgsky started a new life in St. Petersburg working as a low-grade civil servant and living in a six man commune. There was an artistic and intellectual atmosphere which influenced him to embrace the ideal of artistic 'realism' and everything related to it. It was in 1865, after the death of his mother, the young composer had his first signs of alcoholism or dipsomania.
In the early part of his career, he was under the influence and guidance of Balakirev and was part of the group Five. But later, he moved away from Balakirev. From mid 186os to the later part of 1870's Mussorgsky produced 'realistic' songs and chorals, piano compositions like Pictures at an Exhibition, worked on operas like A Night on the Bald Mountain, Boris Godunov and Khovanshchina. But with time, his health and his creative output deteriorated for his addiction to alcohol. Modest Petrovich Mussorgsky spent his last days in extreme misery and had seizures before he breathed his last after a week after his 42nd birthday.
Alcoholism and its effects
The first signs of alcoholism was seen in Mussorgsky in 1865 and his addiction to alcohol could be hardly controlled. The reason for his addiction might because of his personal weakness for alcohol or his depression for his surrounding situations. However, alcoholism was considered to be a typical behavior pattern of the people in that generation who wanted to pose as anti-establishment and displayed extreme forms of behavior. So, it can be assumed that Mussorgsky, who defied the established norms, got into drinking to show off his opposition.
In his personal life, Mussorgsky suffered pain as he got detached from his friends as they died or moved elsewhere. From the mid 1870's he showed fits of madness that could have been related to alcoholism. Modest Petrovich Mussorgsky used to spend his days and night in the Maly Yaroslavets, a St. Petersburg tavern of low repute with other bohemians like himself. He and his fellow drinkers idealized their alcoholism, but this false bravado, however, led to little more than isolation and eventual self-destruction.
Go through the site alchoholabusehub.com for more information on Writers and Artists who were Iconic Drinkers
|
