zug ready by the end of November. This is indispensable--or it'll be all up.
Your
MUSORGSKY
22 October '73
[ October 25, 1873]
. . . By the way, here's some news for you-- Boris is to be given in its entirety. Gedeonov, when he returned from abroad to Petersburg, as soon as he got out of his railway-carriage, said in his first words to Lukashevich--"Stage Boris without fail and as quickly as possible; send the score to Ferrero, I will order it passed." Now they're already copying the parts. What is the meaning of this dream? Where does such an unexpected switch come from?--no one knows anything. In any case, the affair is fine. And here is pitiful and sorrowful news--of the author of Boris. He has been drinking heavily. Nearly every day he sits in the Maloyaroslavetz restaurant on Morskaya, often drinking himself Stiff.97 This summer the Sorokins saw him completely drunk in Pavlovsk; he caused a disturbance there; the affair reached the police.98 I have been told that he has already drunk himself to a state of seeing hallucinations and all sorts of trash. Stasova, out of friendship (knowing while she was still abroad about Modeste's adventures) wrote him a letter [No. 105a] about this, in which, casually, she developed the idea that, is it really possible, that all talented Russian musicians must end as Glinka did. This is horribly sad! Such a talented man and sinking so low morally. Now he periodically disappears, then reappears morose, untalkative, which is contrary to his usual habit. After a little while he again comes to himself--sweet, gay, amiable and witty as ever. Devil knows what a pity! . . .
____________________-252-
Questia, a part of Gale, Cengage Learning. www.questia.com
Publication information:
Book title: The Musorgsky Reader:A Life of Modeste Petrovich Musorgsky in Letters and Documents.
Contributors: Jay Leyda - Translator, Sergei Bertensson - Translator, Modest Petrovich Mussorgsky - Author.
Publisher: W.W. Norton.
Place of publication: New York.
Publication year: 1947.
Page number: 252.
This material is protected by copyright and, with the exception of fair use, may not be further copied, distributed or transmitted in any form or by any means.
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