Pictures at an Exhibition — Il Vecchio Castello

Modeste Moussorgski · Level 6 (Expert) · Romantic · Piano

A work by Modeste Moussorgski (1839–1881), a piece from the Romantic era. A public-domain or freely licensed piece from the Mutopia Project catalogue. G♯ minor, 6/8, 107 bars (about 4 minutes), complete score.

▶ Play this piece with the interactive score

How to practise it

• Listen first: the site plays it while the score scrolls.
• Wait mode: the score waits for you at every note, at your own pace.
• Tempo challenge: play in time, with a score and a map of the bars you got right.
• Key signature with 5 sharps: name them aloud before playing and spot the places where accidentals cancel them. In 6/8, count the beats as groups of three eighths (dotted beats) to keep the lilt. One hand sometimes plays two voices: hold the long notes for their full value and let the main line sing louder than the accompaniment. For chords, shape the hand in the air before landing, all notes together.

More pieces by Modeste Moussorgski

• Pictures at an Exhibition — Catacombae
• Pictures at an Exhibition — movement 6
• Pictures at an Exhibition — Bydlo
• Pictures at an Exhibition — movement 14

Source : Mutopia Project · CC BY-SA 4.0