Night on Bald Mountain facts for kids

Modest Mussorgsky, 1865

Night on Bald Mountain (sometimes called Night on Bare Mountain) is an exciting piece of music for an orchestra. It was written by a Russian composer named Modest Mussorgsky. He finished his first version of the music in 1867.

This music is a type of tone poem. A tone poem is a piece of music that tells a story or describes a scene without words. Mussorgsky's music describes a wild gathering of witches on a special night called St. John's Night.

The music became very famous when it was used in Walt Disney's animated movie, Fantasia, in 1940.

The Story Behind the Music

Mussorgsky's music is inspired by old stories and legends. It paints a picture of a scary and magical night. The story goes that on St. John's Night, evil spirits, witches, and the Devil himself gather on a mountain. They have a wild and noisy party, known as a "witches' Sabbath."

The music starts with dark and powerful sounds, showing the spirits gathering. It gets faster and louder as the party grows. You can almost hear the witches dancing and shouting. Then, as morning approaches, the music becomes calmer and quieter. This shows the spirits disappearing as the sun rises.

How the Music Was Created

Modest Mussorgsky worked on Night on Bald Mountain for many years. He made several different versions of the music. However, he never heard his most famous version performed during his lifetime.

After Mussorgsky passed away in 1881, another famous Russian composer, Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov, took Mussorgsky's ideas. Rimsky-Korsakov then created a new version of the music. This version was first played in public in 1886. It is the one most people know and love today.

Night on Bald Mountain in Fantasia

One of the most famous times this music was used was in Disney's Fantasia. This movie, released in 1940, combined classical music with beautiful animation.

In Fantasia, the Night on Bald Mountain segment is very dramatic. It shows a huge, dark demon named Chernabog calling forth evil spirits from a mountain. The animation perfectly matches the powerful and spooky music, making it a very memorable part of the film. Many people first discovered Mussorgsky's music through Fantasia.

Images for kids

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  Nikolay Rimsky-Korsakov

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  Title page of Rimsky-Korsakov's edition, published by V. Bessel and Co.

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  Leopold Stokowski

See also

In Spanish: Una noche en el Monte Pelado para niños