“Where Art Thou, Little Star?”. To the Publication of M.P. Musorgsky’s The Years of Youth Song Collection

Abstract

This article is devoted to one of M.P. Musorgsky’s earliest romances, “Where Art Thou, Little Star?” which is the first number in his song collection The Years of Youth. The author of the article clarifies the circumstances under which the song was composed and reveals the circle of people connected with the dedicatee, the singer and writer I.L. Grünberg (Laskos). The article discusses author’s versions of the music, including the original manuscript stored at the Bibliothèque nationale de France (Paris). The detailed textual-critical and literary-historical commentaries enacted in the Academic Edition of M.P. Mussorgsky’s Complete Works, the work on which is performed at the State Institute for Art Studies, demonstrate the principles of commenting on the composer’s chamber vocal legacy.

Keywords

• m.p. musorgsky
• the years of youth
• “where art thou
• little star”
• i.l. grünberg (laskos)
• p.a. lamm
• r. taruskin
• o.i. zakharova
• academic edition of m.p. mussorgsky’s complete works
• textual criticism
• source study