Modest Petrovich Mussorgsky (1839 - 1881) Russie Modest Petrovich Mussorgsky (more accurately spelled Musorgsky) (Russian: Моде́ст Петро́вич Му́соргский, Modest Petrovič Musorgskij, French: Modeste Moussorgsky) (March 9/21, 1839 ? March 16/28, 1881), one of the Russian composers known as the Five, was an innovator of Russian music. He strove to achieve a uniquely Russian musical identity, often in deliberate defiance of the established conventions of Western music. Many of his major works were inspired by Russian history, Russian folklore, and other nationalist themes, including the opera Boris Godunov, the orchestral tone poem Night on the Bare Mountain, and the piano suite Pictures at an Exhibition. For many years Mussorgsky's works were mainly known in versions revised or completed by other composers. Many of his most important compositions have recently come into their own in their original forms, and some of the original scores are now also available. (Hide extended text)...(Read all) Source : Wikipedia