In the haunting opening measures of Dmitri Shostakovich’s Ninth String Quartet, an undulating line, emerging first in the second violin and then sliding stealthily into other inner voices, snakes forward, as if to draw us into an unfolding musical narrative.
The line which wanders into Shostakovich’s String Quartet of 1964 is the same undulating figure we hear throughout Pimen’s Monologue, which opens the first act of Modest Mussorgsky’s opera, Boris Godunov, composed between 1868 and 1873.
Boris Godunov, the opera’s central figure, was the 16th century Tsar who reigned during Russia’s Time of Troubles. The first act follows a prologue, which concludes with the spectacularly iconic Coronation Scene.
Pimen is a venerable monk who has written a chronicle of Russia’s turbulent history. In his solemn monologue, Yet one last tale, the shadowy undulating line documents the steady passage of time. It is a persistently flowing stream which emerges in the low strings as a hushed, solitary strand in the aria’s opening measures. For the weary Pimen, the document’s compilation is a noble endeavor. Infused with spiritual significance, it is a gift to posterity. (An English translation of the full text, based on a play by Alexander Pushkin, appears below).
This performance features the American operatic bass Paul Plishka:
On this early 1913 recording, we hear the legendary Russian bass, Lev Sibiryakov:
Just one more final story
And my chronicle will be complete.
The task ordained to me, poor sinner, by the Lord
Has been finished.
(he writes; he pauses)
Not for nothing did the Lord cause me
To be the witness of many years.
Sometime in the future, an industrious monk
Will find the anonymous fruit of my hard work;
Like I, he will light his oil-lamp,
And, shaking the dust of centuries
From the manuscripts,
He will transcribe these truthful stories,
And, may the descendents
Of orthodox folk
Learn the past history of their native land.
In my old age, I seem to live again.
The past passes by in front of me,
Troubled like a mighty sea
Was it really so long ago that it flowed by
So full of events . . .
Now, it is quiet and silent!
However, day will soon dawn . . .
The oil-lamp is burning low . . .
Just one more final tale . . .
Recordings
- Mussorgsky: Boris Godunov, Mstislav Rostropovich, National Symphony Orchestra, Paul Plishka Amazon
- Mussorgsky: Boris Godunov, Pimen’s Monologue, Lev Sibiryakov Amazon
Featured Image: “Portrait of Modest Mussorgsky” (1881), Ilya Repin
Thank you for your excellent posts and the links that come with them. They really have expanded my knowledge and appreciation of music.
And regarding today’s selection- perhaps there will be a future opera depicting our time of troubles.
This is fascinating. I suppose it’s correct to assume that Shostakovich’s appropriation of the “undulating line” was an homage to Moussgorski. The aria is very beautiful and truly haunting. How wonderful it was to listen to the Shostakovich quartet again and right after listen to both recordings of the aria. Fantastic how you linked all three pieces with the undulating line!